2022 saw a fresh crop of contemporary Greek restaurants, including Nisos and Andros Taverna, land in Chicago. But Mediterranean cuisine isn’t just having its moment in the Windy City. Prompted by the success of their buzzy Fulton Market spot, Lýra, the DineAmic Hospitality team opened Taverna Violí, a sprawling Myokonian escape, in suburban Oak Brook this November.
“People are looking for that 2.0 take on [Greek food],” says DineAmic’s founder, David Rekhson. In Oak Brook, that translates into a 6,300-square-foot restaurant (plus an expansive pergola patio) that draws on the same Aegean flavors as its sibling spot in the city, with some thoughtful menu edits.
Violí’s menu pays homage to beloved Lýra staples, such as slow-roasted lamb gyros with housemade pita. Newer additions, exclusive to the suburban spot, surface in the souvlakia (grilled meat) section. These dishes are inspired by Greek street food, with options such as beef tenderloin with cucumber salata and sheep butter yogurt, and chicken thigh with ladolemono (lemon and olive oil sauce) and tzatziki.
But it’s not all meat on metal skewers. Violí’s plates include vegetarian-friendly items, such as lentils and caramelized halloumi with herb vinaigrette. The earthy dish is especially good with roasted eggplant with walnut skordalia (a thick, garlicky dip), charred feta, and Greek balsamic, tailor-made for cooler temperatures.
The Drinks
Like Lýra, Violí’s drinks selection spotlights Greek wine. “We have some fun ways for people to connect to Greek wine who maybe haven’t experienced it before,” Rekhson says.
To wit, the beverage menu includes a handy map to guide the uninitiated, featuring fruity reds from the southern island of Crete and floral whites from Florina, a mountain town in northwestern Greece.
Cocktails take cues from the food menu, weaving in Grecian flavors. Olive-oil washed vodka, olive juice, and feta blue cheese olives make up the signature Violí martini; the Agapi is a complex concoction made with whiskey, lemon, honey, cardamom, and mint. Even the zero-proof cocktails feature distinctly Mediterranean ingredients, such as pomegranate.
Violí’s interiors are inspired by Lýra’s Mykonian aesthetic, according to Rekhson. “Lýra has a lot of earth tones and natural elements and a great deal of rusticity,” he says. “We’re bringing a lot of those design elements into Violí.” Here, that vibe means an elevated dining area, an expansive bar, custom wood installations, and light fixtures, crafted from woven baskets. The all-season pergola, with retractable windows and infrared heat lamps, promises to be especially idyllic in the summer, thanks to olive trees and bougainvillea. To all that, add Greek music and mood lighting, and the result is a bohemian, island-accented escape.
Violí is open Sunday through Thursday from 11:30 am to 11 pm and Friday and Saturday from 11:30 am to 1 am. The restaurant plans to introduce weekday lunch and weekend brunch menus soon.
Sarah Freeman is a food and drink writer by day and the host of one of Chicago’s most popular pop-up markets by night.
