Forte Hospitality Group of Chicago, the neighborhood-focused restaurant company behind Lincoln Park favorites Sapori Trattoria and Butcher and the Bear, opened its third concept in late August, Ithaki Estiatorio, a contemporary Greek seafood restaurant on South Halsted Street in Chicago’s historic Greektown at the end of August. The restaurant is led by Forte Hospitality Group partners Kosti Demos, Chef Saul Ramos, John Lawson, and Greg Poulos, a team celebrated for building neighborhood-driven concepts that reflect the communities they serve.
For Forte Hospitality Group founder and partner Kosti Demos, Ithaki is deeply personal. His family once operated Costa’s, a beloved Greektown institution for over a decade (now the site of a high-rise). As one of only four nationally recognized Greektowns in America, Chicago’s Greektown was once known as a thriving restaurant landscape that hosted celebrities, presidents, and crowds of diners alike. Now, just steps away from where his family once welcomed diners, Demos is leading a revival in a neighborhood that has dwindled from 11 thriving Greek restaurants in the ‘90s and early 2000s to only a few left today.
“Opening Ithaki in Greektown isn’t just a business decision, it’s about honoring my family’s legacy and reigniting the pride and energy that once defined this neighborhood,” says Demos in a prepared statement. “Greektown has always been special to Chicago, and with Ithaki, we want to celebrate its past while introducing a fresh vision for the future.”
The kitchen will be helmed by Executive Chef Konstantinos Ntalianis, who relocated from Greece to lead the team alongside Forte Hospitality Culinary Director Saul Ramos. After training at a French culinary school in Athens, Ntalianis honed his craft in tavernas, luxury resorts, private yachts, and as a private chef before becoming a Top 10 contestant on MasterChef Greece (Season 4). He later opened Barbounaki, a seafood-focused restaurant on the island of Folegandros. Chef Ntalianis’ style blends the soulful depth of Greek cuisine with refined Japanese influences, creating a menu rooted in tradition yet driven by seasonal Mediterranean ingredients.
Menu highlights include whole fish flown in fresh daily from Greece, roasted over a wood hearth and grill; grilled octopus with marinated onions, shaved fennel, and olive oil; maroulosalata with romaine, fresh herbs, and oregano dressing; hamachi crudo with green olive tapenade, Calabrian chili, and oregano; moussaka; and pork souvlaki with baby peppers and whipped feta.
Complementing the menu, Ithaki Estiatorio will debut Chicago’s most extensive Greek wine and spirits program, featuring bottles from Santorini, Nemea, Rapsani, and Crete, with many varietals, including Xinomavro, Agiorgitiko, Robola, Moschofilero, and Assyrtiko. The bar will also highlight Greek spirits such as mastiha, ouzo, tsipouro, Metaxa, tsikoudia, rakomelo, and more.
The 5,500-square-foot, 180-seat restaurant will transport guests with a Mykonos-inspired aesthetic, featuring a 15-foot, 30-seat bar; an open kitchen anchored by a wood-fired hearth and grill; and a spacious dining room that channels coastal Greece. Complimentary valet parking pays homage to the old-school hospitality the neighborhood is known for. A downstairs cocktail lounge is slated to debut later this year, expanding the concept with late-night energy and crafted cocktails.
