Greek Bars in a Greek City

March 1998

Take note the Greek “rebellion” is spreading in the city. But it’s not just the Lonsdale Street Glendi, the huge street party held last weekend, or the Antipodes Festival with events all over Melbourne until the end of May. This festival is now in its 12th year and is Australia’s largest ethnic festival celebrating Melbourne as the third largest Greek speaking city in the world. It’s about the way that the young Greek comunity are re-claiming the Russell/Lonsdale, “ellinadika” (the Greek area) as their playground all year round.

Greek businesses have a long history on Lonsdale but now Russell St. has become home to a succession of small but very popular Greek bars. Between Bourke and Latrobe Streets there are five and another is due to start in a few months. On weekend nights, the queues of young Greeks waiting to get in extend the length of the block. Every bar has at least one beefy door person counting numbers. But there’s very little trouble, it seems that the mono-cultural (98% Greeks) scene makes for peace. “A lot of people know each other’s families, not like most nightclubs,” says Joe on the door at Rebelos.

It was the Rebelos Bar, set up by George Halkidis (joined shortly after by Arthur Pandolos) that started it all 15 months ago. George had been living in Greece for several years and witnessed the way a derelict warehouse area (ladakika) in Salonika had been transformed by the development of “orthadiko” (stand-up bars) which became tourist meccas, open 24 hours. These bars are something quite new in Greece, not tavernas and not discos, set in small spaces with virtually no chairs and room only to dance on the bar or on a few tables.

At first no one believed it could work in Melbourne but, as Arthur explained, “gradually it became home to artists and literary people, friends at the university became regulars, art exhibitions started happening regularly on the bar’s earth coloured walls (including works by Angelo Sakaris worth thousands of dollars) and the word began to spread”. The magazine, “Thifonies” (double sided talk), was launched there and holds monthly literary meetings. But this all happens early in the week. From Thursday to Sunday, there are a team of different DJ’s who play “cultural music, alternative Greek pop.” And so you don’t forget the spirit of “Rebelos” there are pictures of Aris Velouhiotis and other Greek rebels from the civil wars of the 1930’s and 40’s in Greece hanging in the DJ’s booth.

And the spirit has spread, the next bar, Nemesis, started two doors away, then came Exodos, Apocalyse and Mythos. Now Arthur with another partner is awaiting a permit for Kivotos (Noah’s Arc) further up the street at no 312. Kivotos will be much larger than Rebelos and will operate during the day as a licensed coffee lounge with some food and as an “orthadiko” at night. They may eventually look at putting in a kitchen to offer an alternative to the traditional Greek food now available nearby in the city.

So now that the young can drink and dance in the new Greek style, where can you eat Greek food? For the past 19 years there’s always been Stalactites, open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with “no locks on the door,” says the owner. Not far further afield is Jimmy’s the Original in Lygon St (ref article in the Herald Sun 21/10/97); Vasili & Yannis at 265 Johnston St. Abbotsford; Salona at 260A Swan St. Richmond for excellent char-grilled whole baby snapper at $14; Lemnos Taverna at 445 High St. Prahran. There are many others scattered all round Melbourne, it just depends where you live. But the stand up bar scene is very much in the city.

As for Greek cultural activities there’s a lot on now. On Thursday , Greece’s internationally acclaimed string ensemble, Arte, will perform “Olympic Flame” at the ANZ Pavillion and on Saturday “Nine Muses, Seven Arists”, an exhibition of the work of seven Greek-Australian women artists will open at the Fitzroy Gallery. Next month the 6th Greek Film Festival will feature the work of emerging Greek filmmakers at the State Film Theatre. In May, the National Theatre Company of Greece will present Medea at Her Majesty’s.