Meze Mazi - Your Greek escape
There’s something fitting about the story of Meze Mazi beginning around a table.
Long before they became owners, Con Mendis and Andreas Charalambous were regulars at the Prospect Road restaurant.
“We actually started off as customers,” Con says. “I live around the corner in Prospect, so we used to go there with friends all the time.”
For Con, hospitality has always felt familiar. He grew up following in the footsteps of his father, who owned the much-loved Adelaide venue Zorbos. Andreas brought his own deep connection to food and hospitality, arriving in Australia from Cyprus after running restaurants, cafes and a beach bar overseas.
By 2021, when the opportunity to take over Meze Mazi arose, the pair already knew the staff, chefs and atmosphere that had made it a local favourite.
“It kind of just fell into our arms,” Con says. “Some people probably would have said it was a bit crazy because it was around COVID time, but for us it was a challenge, and something that’s well and truly paid off.”
The transition felt so natural that even the staff weren’t surprised.
“All the staff turned around and said, ‘Oh, we knew this was coming.’ Everybody was expecting it,” Con laughs.
Today, Meze Mazi has become one of Prospect Road’s busiest dining spots, known for generous shared meals, warm hospitality and an atmosphere that feels unmistakably Greek.
“We’re spoilt for choice with Greek food in Adelaide,” Con says. “But I would have to say we are by far the most authentic.”
That approach shapes everything from the menu to the ingredients, with local produce, fresh seafood and daily preparation central to the kitchen.
“When I tell people our chefs are there from six o’clock in the morning prepping for dinner service, they look at me wide-eyed,” Con says. “But there’s so much work that goes on before those doors open. Every morning, everything we do is made with love, fresh on the day.”
The restaurant’s connection to Greece runs deeper than the food, with regular overseas trips helping shape the menu and recruit chefs directly from Greece and Cyprus, including three now sponsored in Adelaide. The result is a menu rooted in the kind of food Con grew up eating.
“What you’d find on an island in Greece, in the middle of nowhere, is pretty much what you’d find on Prospect Road at our shop,” he says.
From prawn kritharoto and saganaki to marinated meats and house-made pasta, the menu is built around shared dining and “a burst of flavours”.
“It’s not about one big main,” Con says. “It’s about sharing together. Even our name references the Greek tradition of gathering around smaller shared plates.”
For him, authentic Greek food is about letting quality ingredients speak for themselves.
“Lots of olive oil, lemon, keep it simple,” he says. “I don’t think there’s anything oregano can’t fix as well.”
It’s a fully Greek experience for all the senses, with live Greek music nights every second Wednesday featuring local musicians, bouzouki players and visiting international artists.
“You feel like you’re in Greece,” Con says. “Between the dishes, the staff, the hospitality and the music, it’s just a really great vibe. We want people to feel at home, whether it’s a quick bite, entertaining guests or bringing the family.”
As Prospect Road’s dining scene continues to grow, he welcomes the momentum.
“The more eateries, the better,” Con says. “It creates a precinct and gets people on the road. If you’re good enough, people will come back. For us, authenticity is what people appreciate the most.”