Estia, a family business, develops its concept of fresh and highly customizable Greek street food
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There’s no shortage of Greek restaurants serving gyros, feta-topped salads, and avgolemono in the metro Detroit area – thankfully.
A local gyroscope house, Estia Greek Street Food, is expanding its brand with a highly personalized version of this cuisine. Owners George Xenos and Paul Bittas have two locations and a busy food truck that gets booked weeks later. They will be opening a third brick and mortar restaurant in Grosse Pointe Woods later this summer.
The name “estia†means house, which makes sense because that’s what this kitchen means to the owners, who are cousins.
“We grew up eating this food,†Xenos said. “It’s a little more street food oriented, but it’s still Greek. We use the same ingredients that we grew up eating at our table, as cliché as it sounds. All the sauces, all the seasonings, all the meats all marinades, they are very familiar to us and very common in our homes. Even today, this is what we feed our children, our families. “
I had Estia delivered to my home more than a few times during the pandemic and it quickly became a favorite. As a super gyroscope fan, I missed some Greek salads and pitas that I regularly received as a downtown Detroit office worker. Estia’s business models made it easier to order when restaurant meals were on a break, and the convenience continues after the pandemic.
In addition to ordering through the third-party apps for delivery, take-out customers can be very specific with their order on Estia’s mobile app. Decide if you have a homemade pita, salad or bowl of rice, then choose your favorite toppings like chopped fresh vegetables and flavorful sauces and spreads. Meat choices include the expected lamb and beef gyroscope and hormone-free grilled chicken, as well as the fire-roasted, hand-stacked pork belly carved in a vertical rotisserie, just like in Greece.
Also like in the Mediterranean, you can get fries on the pita. They are also served as a crispy accompaniment to ‘Greek fires’, with olive oil, feta and spices – simple and well cooked.
It’s encouraging to see a local business grow after this tumultuous year and a half. The quick-serve model, however, is perfect for on-the-go. During the closures and restrictions, Xenos and Bittas turned the patio at their location in Troy into a drive-thru. They launched their mobile application to order easily and without contact and this now represents 40 to 50% of their activity.
They also kept the pandemic in mind when working on their Grosse Pointe Woods restaurant, which is smaller than the other two at just 1,800 square feet.
“We did this because of the new restaurant dynamic,†Xenos said. “We have found that large dining rooms are no longer necessary. We are fast, we have a good price and we will feed your family some pretty awesome food, some pretty healthy food too.”
Like most members of the industry, staffing has been difficult and rising costs have forced them to increase menu prices by 5% to account for what Xenos said was a 200% increase in prices. items like chicken. Yet cousins ​​say they pay a fair wage and do their best to deliver fresh, affordable produce quickly.
Easterners keen to try Estia before it opens at Grosse Pointe Woods (which will be on Mack just north of Vernier) can visit the food truck when it arrives at Copper Hop Brewing on Mack just south of Nine Mile. at St. Clair Shores, 5 to 8 p.m. Friday.
Find the brick and mortar restaurants open at 2897 W. Maple in Troy (take out, inside and drive-thru) and 5753 12 Mile in Warren (inside and outside and take out ). Visit the surgotia.com menu or download the Estia Greek Street Food app.
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Twitter: @melodybaetens
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