The couple, who are behind modern Greek restaurants Mazi and Suzi Tros in Notting Hill, are moving beyond the west London enclave for the launch of Maza, which will open in Bruton Place in March.
Translating to ‘everyday bread’ in ancient Greece, Maza is said to channel the spirit of a 1980s Athenian taverna, offering diners ‘a warm, convivial experience steeped in nostalgia’.
The 90-cover restaurant will accommodate guests across counter seating by an open fire kitchen as well as tables while upstairs will be home to a vinyl listening bar playing a soundtrack of 70s and 80s Greek records.
The menu will reflect Mouratoglou’s vision of classic Athenian cuisine, shaped by family recipes and the team’s travels to Greece. Signature dishes will include homemade breads baked in the wood-fired oven, the group’s tarama, and handmade pasta with sea urchin.
Other dishes will include lamb shoulder from the spit; grilled beef livers wrapped in lamb offal; and crispy pork belly gyros - served tableside with little pittas, tzatziki and all the sides for guests to assemble their own wraps.
There will also be a strong seafood offer that will include a fish of the day prepared raw, grilled, steamed with lemon oil ‘bianco’ in the corfiot style, or as a bourdeto with tomato, fish stock and vegetables, alongside grilled lobster with lobster head bisque rice.
Desserts such as a pistachio baklava ice-cream sandwich; and kazandibi - a caramelised burnt milk cream somewhere between crème brûlée and crème caramel - will have a nostalgic feel.
To complement the food, Maza will have what it said to be the world’s largest exclusively Greek wine list that features more than 150 wines. Guests at Maza will also be able to indulge in the tsipouro ritual, where a shot is served with mezze to mark the start of the meal.
Mouratoglou and Carré opened Mazi (above), which translates in English as ‘together’, in Notting Hill in 2012 and followed it up in 2019 with Greek taverna Suzi Tros, whose name is inspired by a character from the cult 1960s Greek film I Parisiana.