Giorgios Bakatsias has a vision for the restaurant space that, up until Sunday, housed Tequila Comida & Cantina Waterfront in downtown Wilmington.
The contemporary Mexican restaurant closed Monday at 14 Harnett St., following a “mutual and amicable decision” between building owner and developer Zephyr Development Co. and brothers Ramón and Miguel Villaseñor, the restaurant’s owners, according to a news release.
Bakatsias, founder of the Giorgios Hospitality Group and a well-known restaurateur in the Triangle and Wilmington, said on Tuesday that he plans to open a seafood-forward Greek restaurant in the waterfront space, called Opa by George, in the coming months.
According to Bakatsias, the new concept for the space is inspired by the Mediterranean and places on the Greek coast like Crete, Santorini and Ikaria.
“The inspiration … comes from deep in my heart,” he said, “spending time in the Greek Islands and spending time in the ports and marinas of Greece. It’s a very romantic sight for me, always.”
Bakatsias grew up in Greece before immigrating to the U.S. with his family at age 12. He said his travels and the restaurant spaces themselves often serve as influences for his concepts.
“I’ve done hundreds of concepts for myself and others,” he said. “When I look at a space, the space tells me what it wants to be.”
In Wilmington, Giorgios Hospitality Group also operates Kipos Hellenic Cuisine, G Prime and Tomiko-San. The group plans to open its latest local concept, Fortuna Cucina Italiana, on May 13 at 414 Arboretum Drive, Suite 130, the former location of Blue Surf Arboretum West.
Bakatsias said he’s been welcomed by the Wrightsville Beach and Wilmington communities and jumped at an opportunity to establish a new concept on the downtown waterfront. He said the menu of Opa by George will feature fresh seafood, drawing on locally available catches, and will focus on simple dishes and straightforward ingredients.
“The concept is basically inspired by the ingredient,” he said. “In Greece, you have a simple fish and maybe just a little olive oil and lemon. It’s not camouflaged with a million things.”
It will be even more seafood-centric than Kipos and focused on small plates, Bakatsias said. The menu will feature Greek classics such as a variation on Moussaka, lamb chops, lobster and spaghetti, Greek salad, Souvlaki, a Greek street food, and Kakavia, a seafood stew, along with high-quality bread and olive oil. The restaurant will also offer several varieties of preparations for seafood, “from crudo to grilled to baked,” Bakatsias said.
“Sometimes, we take something that’s classical and we innovate it,” he added, “but sometimes when you do something that’s classic, that’s been around, and when it’s done properly, I’m okay with it because comfort food is comfort food.”
With menu development well underway, Bakatsias said he and his team are working on bringing the right vibe to the restaurant space. That involves embracing the building’s scale while also bringing a lightness and vibrancy to the space, he said. Bakatsias expects to open the concept in the coming months.
“When the intention is clear, and the vision is clear, everything else falls in place,” he said. “When you’re developing a concept, and it’s not 100% on point, then it takes longer. But in this scenario, it will be open by summertime.”
