The backyard restaurant of Lakis Greek Kitchen menu offers traditional and home-cooked meals to its patrons.
If you are a fan of Greek cuisine, you might have heard of this pop-up restaurant called Lakis Greek Kitchen, located in Walsall, England.
In case you haven’t, let’s learn more about this backyard taverna, which was started by 44-year-old Panikos Panayiotou as a tribute to his late father, Lakis, according to the Daily Mail.
Son of second-generation Greek Cypriots, Panikos’ parents migrated to England in 1974.
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It was his dad’s dream to build a Greek restaurant or taverna in their village in Cyprus, however, the project was left incomplete when he passed away due to cancer in 2012.
To fulfill his father’s wish, Panikos spent $22,000 and created a small diner of nearly 861 square feet right in the backyard of his home, which opens about eight times every year.
While the tiny eatery is entirely compliant with restaurant regulations, all earnings generated from the same are donated to various nonprofit organizations.
Lakis Greek Kitchen has enough space to accommodate 200 guests every night and it opens every Saturday for two months each year.
The popularity of the restaurant is soaring, with guests flying in from around the world, including Scotland and even the United States.
Fortunately, they have very good and understanding neighbors who do not mind the noise and are glad they raise money for good causes.
The menu at the eatery is traditional and their signature dish is lamb klefiko, a slow-cooked dish made with marinated potatoes and lamb along with Greek desserts like baklava, ‘Doukissa,’ a form of Greek chocolate rock cake, and coconut cake.
In the initial years, Panikos’s mom oversaw the recipes and ensured everything tasted authentic and traditional.
Now, his wife Michelle and a professional chef from Mariott Hotel volunteer and prepare the home-cooked meals served at the restaurant.
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Since they began operations ten years ago, they have raised $82,000, which has been donated to nonprofit organizations such as Acorns Children’s Hospice.
This year, they are donating around $21,000 to a three-year-old boy who is suffering from a brain tumor. Apart from this, they also feed many people every week at their dedicated foodbank.
Panikos hopes to continue the tradition of Lakis Green Kitchen for at least 20 years, thereby, helping countless people on the way.
He believes his father must be proud of the work he is doing, as he creates a positive change by bringing people together with the power of food and heritage.
