Opening Soon: Santorini to Bring Greek-Themed Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Late-Nite Eats to Downtown

Downtown residents and visitors will soon gain that late-night diner option they have been sorely missing when Santorini Greek Taverna opens in the coming weeks. Now just waiting for his final permits to clear, owner Tommy Karakostas says that his new Greek-themed eatery in the Warehouse District should open in the next two weeks.

“We’re definitely excited now that we see the finish line,” he says.

Karakostas is the owner of the popular Lakewood eatery Greek Village Grille, as well as Greek Villages in Broadview Heights and Medina. In fall, he took over the roomy BRGR 9 spot, which closed in late 2013.

Santorini, a “modern Greek restaurant,” will combine elements of the more casual Greek Village concepts with a more upscale, contemporary dinner menu. At lunch, Santorini will offer the same type of quick, affordable gyros and sandwiches that Lakewood is known for. Most lunch items will be under $10, says Karakostas.

Dinner will feature a more ambitious menu comprised of Greek-style “meze,” or small plates, as well as shared platters and both traditional and contemporary Greek entrees. A greatly expanded and improved kitchen will be behind it all.

On weekends, Santorini will serve the after-bar crowd until 3 or 3:30 a.m. with a roster of those famous gyro sandwiches, plus typical diner-style (read cheap) breakfast platters. That service will roll almost to the start of weekend brunches, which will continue the diner breakfast theme, but also add other breakfast and brunch items with a Greek spin.

At 4,500 square feet, the warehouse space was always a bit dark and cavernous. Taking cues from its namesake island, Santorini will be much brighter and more open, boasting those trademark white-washed walls and deep, sky blue accents.

“We’ve opened up the interior a lot,” says Karakostas. “We also made it brighter by opening up a lot of windows that had been boarded up to try and bring in as much light as we can.”