Meet SE Hawthorne’s New Greek Restaurant

Officially opening today, Kouzina is a new fast-casual restaurant serving things like Greek salads, souvlaki, falafel, super gyros, and spanakopita at 4612 SE Hawthorne (formerly Fado Portugese Kitchen). The restaurant is owned by Angelo Markantonatos, who has been in the Portland bar business for three decades, and Kouzina is situated right next door to one of Markantonatos’s bars, Angelo’s. Accordingly, you can order from the Kouzina menu while bellied up to the Angelo’s bar and have your food delivered to you, or you can have a drink brought to you from Angelo’s while seated at the Kouzina restaurant.

“We wanted to offer something along the lines of a food cart,” Markantonatos tells Eater. “You can order at the counter, grab a seat, and quickly get your food.” Seating options at Kouzina include an expansive dining room as well as five sidewalk picnic tables.

Kouzina is still getting up to full speed (it doesn’t even have a sign outside at the time of publication), and Markantonatos says he plans to add more dishes to the current menu. There are already plenty of options, between the current menu and the daily specials, like the super gyro, which arrives loaded with juicy lamb, lacy sheets of eggplant, French fries, lettuce, onion, tomato, and tzatziki for $8.50 (that includes a side of fries, too).

Kouzina is now open daily for lunch and dinner. Markantonatos also operates Hanigan's (aka The Vern) and A & L Sports Pub.

Mattie John Bamman/EPDX