Ouzeri, the celebrated Greek/Cypriot establishment, has opened an intimate bar above its popular Wale Street restaurant in Cape Town. Named Akra, the upstairs space contrasts the light, casual breeziness of the eatery below with a darker, more atmospheric mood.
Reaching Akra requires climbing a narrow staircase from within Ouzeri — a detail worth noting for anyone planning a few drinks, as the journey back down later in the evening may require some care.
Inspired by European nightlife bars, Akra is designed as either a pre-dinner pause or a place to extend the evening after a meal. Increasingly diners are seeking more than just food; they want layered, fluid experiences that encourage lingering. Smaller groups, longer stays and a sense of informal luxury define this shift, and Akra functions as a natural transition space — relaxed, welcoming and unforced. Guests can simply walk in, no reservation required.
The bar’s design centres on three large busts positioned above the serving area, creating a strong focal point. Crafted from plaster to evoke marble and stone, they are set against rich red textiles; Persian rugs and soft curtains that bring warmth and depth to the room.
Akra takes its name from an ancient Greek word meaning high point or pinnacle — it evokes the elevated ground of the Acropolis of Athens, where temples and monuments stood as symbols of cultural achievement. The bar seats 24, while the restaurant downstairs accommodates 48. The drinks menu focuses on classic aperitifs and digestifs, alongside a considered selection of alcohol-free options.
“I love traditional things and working with nostalgic flavours,” says owner and chef Nic Charalambous. “With drinks, it’s exactly the same.”
Classic cocktails such as Negronis, Hanky Pankys, Manhattans and sours are reworked by subtly shifting ratios and balances, creating fresh flavour profiles while respecting their origins.
Downstairs, Ouzeri continues to evolve. Since opening just more than three-and-a-half years ago, both presentation and flavour profiles have changed — shaped by new talent in the kitchen and a growing ambition to refine techniques and expand the menu’s range.
Ouzeri was conceptualised through a series of pop-ups that introduced Charalambous’s Greek and Cypriot heritage to Cape Town. Today it has become a hub of contemporary mezze-style dining, rooted in family traditions and informed by his travels across Greece and Cyprus.
On my visit, lunch leaned heavily towards vegetables — a direction I gravitate towards when a kitchen handles them well. Standouts included grilled cabbage with celeriac and truffle, and green tomatoes with whipped feta and dill oil, simply divine. The olive bread remains a long-standing favourite while dessert brought a thoughtful finish with sourdough ice cream, malt and sorghum.
Akra, however, operates as a separate entity. Guests won’t find Ouzeri’s menu upstairs; instead, the bar offers restrained snacks such as fried olives stuffed with smoked Stanford cheese from the Klein River, served with a sauce made from the same cheese.
As with Ouzeri, Akra’s menu will shift with the seasons. There is a dedicated Negroni section alongside a South African seasonal selection driven by fruit and vegetables. Present offerings include green melon and tepache – a traditional fermented Mexican drink made with pineapple peel and spiced with cinnamon and cloves. Like the restaurant below, Akra is open from 6pm until midnight.
Charalambous is not one to sit still. He returned to South Africa a few years ago after working in Dubai with tashas founder Natasha Sideris, where he helped open her Greek restaurant, Avli, in 2019 — a venture that has since become a standout success in the region. When she heard about his plans for Cape Town, she chose to come on board as a partner in a personal capacity.
“Ouzeri has moved away from being very traditional into something more contemporary,” he says.
A traditional Greek-style tavern is also in development, while scouting for a Cape Town location. Envisioned as a larger, more family-oriented space, it will focus on classic Greek and Cypriot dishes prepared in a straightforward way. Where Ouzeri is interpretive and technique-driven, the tavern will strip things back with offerings such as meat on the fire and more essential, family style dishes.
While the menu evolves at Ouzeri, a handful of dishes have earned “stay-over” status. The green tomatoes, for instance. Served last year, they were briefly removed when another tomato dish took their place, but the other offering went out of season and the green tomato dish was brought back due to high demand.
“We try not to repeat ourselves,” he says. “But this is something people really love. We go through about 50kg of tomatoes a week. It’s quite a thing to keep up with”.
The ambition doesn’t stop there. Charalambous has plans for more restaurants and new concepts, including the possibility of another Ouzeri, either in Europe or Johannesburg — or both.
Beyond that, other ideas are brewing: smaller, faster, more casual concepts, all rooted in Greek flavours.
