Grand Opening: The Greek Grille
Hey Indian Land, you can now taste scrumptious authentic Greek food right in your own community. If the Mediterranean has been calling you just take a short trip to Redstone shopping center and experience the smell and taste you crave.
Co-owner Louie Pahountis and his family have expanded from their beloved Tega Cay location after 51/2 years serving their loyal Fort Mill customers.
The family has a long successful history in the restaurant business starting with Louie’s grandfather who immigrated here after WWII and started as a dishwasher. He went on to achieve the American dream by owning his own restaurants and becoming a self-made millionaire. Like his father before him Nick Pahountis owned and operated a large American diner in New Jersey before coming to Fort Mill and opening Greco Fresh with his brother. Greco Fresh later became The Greek Grill when Nick took over the business and as son Louie expressed, “we could never have dreamed of the once in a lifetime success of the restaurant. There were days when we would serve 50-100 gyros an hour and people would be lined up in the parking lot. That is unheard of in a place that size.”
So, what is the secret sauce that keeps everyone coming back for more you ask? Louie says that it starts and ends with the freshest most authentic ingredients that are used to prepare time honored family recipes handed down over generations.
The morning of our conversation he had just finished chopping all the fresh veggies by hand (nothing frozen here folks.) All the bread is made from the water of the pristine Catskill mountains. This is the same water used for the famous NY bagels and pizza and shipped from Astoria in Queens.
In addition, the hummus is always homemade, and their olives are imported from Greece. Vegans may want to try the flavor packed falafel for a meatless option and if you need a cure for the gloomy day blues enjoy a cup of the lemon chicken soup which is a Greek childhood favorite served by every yia-yia (grandmother) in Greece.
Last but most certainly not least are the famous homemade desserts just to name a few:
- Rizogalo (rice pudding)
- Galaktoboureko (milk pie think custard baked in filo)
- Loukoumades (fried dough balls)
- Baklava (traditional and oh so sweet)
If you have a party or event coming up check out their catering menu and follow them on Facebook @The Greek Grill-SC to check out their daily specials. They are also serving beer and wine. Open 11 am -8 pm. You can order online at www.greekgrillsc.com or call 803-396-2949.