[NEWSFLASH] Fresh Fish and Greek Gyros & Pizza are Coming to Brookhaven!

John "Johnny" Gianoulidis and managing partner Paul Masci plan to open The Greek Pizzeria and Gyros next summer in Brookhaven. The restaurant, described as "a fast casual counter service restaurant that [will] harken back to the roots of Greek pizza and gyro joints of New England, where no one is a stranger!" will be located in Skyland Shopping Center along Clairmont Road near its intersection with Buford Highway.  The center, anchored by Advance Auto Parts, was once home to a Colonial grocery store, but in recent years has mostly been home to a hodgepodge of local shops and services.  

Gianoulidis, who also operates Kafenio, a Greek cafe, with locations in College Park and Avondale Estates, as well as ParkGrounds in Reynoldstown, previously operated The Greek Pizzeria and Gyros at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market, but closed it in 2012.  The new Brookhaven restaurant will in many ways be a reincarnation of the Sweet Auburn eatery.  The Greek will offer 12 and 16 inch pizzas with vegan meat and cheese offerings too. Gianoulidis says the restaurant will be approachable, affordable and "made for the neighborhood."  

In the center, the Greek will occupy a roughly 2,000 square foot corner endcap space most recently home to a gym.  The landlord at the property has already completed some planned upgrades to the center, but must now add a grease trap and other restaurant infrastructure to the space so that Gianoulidis can begin his buildout.  Gianoulidis hopes to be up and running by summer 2021.  Also by that time, he hopes to have the College Park outpost of Kafenio reopened, as it has remained closed since March as a result of the pandemic. In addition to his restaurant, Gianoulidis also plans next year to have a new food truck operational that will offer select items from both the Kafenio and The Greek menus with an emphasis on gyros and Greek potatoes, as well as baklava. 

Joining Gianoulidis in Skyland Shopping Center is Kathleen Hulsey, who plans to open a new outpost of her Kathleen's Catch.  The business, described as a "fresh fish market," currently has locations open in Johns Creek and Milton and offers customers an extensive variety of fresh seafood and select produce. Hulsey, who reportedly sees herself as a "fish mongress," became a bit of a fish expert since her husband Mike who had been retail sales manager for Inland Seafood for more than 25 years when she opened her first location in 2010.  Prior to Inland, where Mike remains today, he was in store management with Kroger for nearly a decade.  

Hulsey gets fresh fish delivered every morning and orders small amounts to ensure that she sells the majority of it the same day.  Fish remaining fish unsold after two days is vacuum sealed and sold frozen at discounted prices.  In addition to fresh fish, the market also offers "Catch to Go" meals, which are pre-portioned and come with a side and baking instructions.  Kathleen's Facebook also indicates that earlier this month they partnered with Phoenix Wholesale Foodservice to offer select produce items that pair nicely with their seafood offerings.  

Kathleen's Catch will open at the opposite end of the center as The Greek, occupying an endcap that was for many years a barber shop.  The 1,489 square foot space is adjacent to where Scavenger Hunt operated for decades before relocating earlier this year to Peachtree Road near the Chamblee MARTA station. The 4,000 square foot former Scavenger Hunt building had been marketed to restaurants, but current plans are for a medical facility of some sort, according to sources close to the center. 

Current projections are for Kathleen's Catch to open in early 2021.  

Are you excited for the openings of The Greek and Kathleen's Catch in Brookhaven?  What other businesses would you like to see open in the center?  What is your favorite type of seafood?  

Please share your thoughts below.