The 75-cover, two-tier restaurant will open on the former site of Ping Pong Dim Sum at 10 Paddington Street at the end of May. The concept is the brainchild of Greek-English entrepreneur Andreas Labridis and architect and food-enthusiast Dimitris Karampatakis.
Labridis, who will act as general manager, said: “Opening Opso is the culmination of almost two years of hard work, combining our Greek upbringing with a shared love of London.
“With Dimitris’s vision and a lot of help from our friends and family, we have created a restaurant that encompasses our ideas and passions, and a menu that is inspired by the unique flavours and produce of Greece.”
On the menu
Opso is inspired by the tastes, produce, and social-style dining of Greece, delivering them in a way that reflects cosmopolitan London at an accessible price point.
Breakfast will begin daily at 8am on weekdays offering a range of freshly baked goods to eat in or take away; while the all-day menu will include Greek classics such as Hortopita – a hand-made short-crust pastry pie of seasonal greens and feta cheese; and snails and chips, served with bacon and sherry vinegar - a nod to the traditional British fish and chips.
The dessert menu will range from simple Greek yogurt with sour cherries and lime zest to Loukoumades - a puffed dough dish infused with thyme honey, served with fragrant Kaimaki ice cream and topped with shaved walnuts.
Al fresco
Come evening, the front area of the corner-site restaurant will transform into a bar with a ‘playful’ list of cocktails such as Perfect Thyme – a combination of Ouzo, thyme liqueur, fresh basil and lemon juice; and Cucumber Sour – with Metaxa, fresh lemon, honey syrup and cucumber. Coffee will also be a focus at Opso, with a regularly updated range of single-origin bean coffees as well as a wide variety of teas.
The restaurant will accommodate 45 covers upstairs where one large communal table seating 18 will dominate the space, whilst downstairs will seat a further 30 covers, along with two private dining booths seating eight guests each. On warmer days, street-side al fresco dining tables will provide an additional 40 covers.
Designed by architecture firm K-Studio, Opso’s interior will be inspired by the materials and elements of modern classic Athens. Hand-laid mosaic flooring and a dark blue steel frame with oiled oak shelves will run throughout the space, filled with terracotta serving dishes and planters.
Opso restaurant and bar will open at 10 Paddington Street in late May 2014.