The cuisine at Vasiliki Kouzina: between tradition and innovation is profound and essential, made with simple yet authentic ingredients such as black olives, pickles, anchovies, halloumi, pastourmas, avgolemono, and oregano.
The menu is inspired by the authentic recipes of Hellenic tradition, reinterpreting the value of the territory through innovative combinations of ingredients that seem to capture the wind and colors of Greece, creating dishes that are both authentic and of the highest quality. The tasting menu, designed by chef Gikas Xenakis, consultant for Vasiliki since 2018, is a true celebration of Contemporary Greek Cuisine. Their collaboration is an ongoing dialogue: a restaurateur and a chef united by passion, memory, and love for their homeland, telling its story freely and beyond stereotypes, in ways we often do not dare to imagine.
Vasiliki Pierrakea
Vasiliki was born near the sea, under the protective shadow of Mount Taygetos, in Kalamata, the city of black olives. She left her hometown at the age of 18 to study at the University of Patras, but after a romantic disappointment, she boarded a ship and arrived in Italy for the first time. It was love at first sight: she left Greece with few belongings, not knowing what the future held, facing everything with courage. It was the right moment—the beginning of her happiness. For Vasiliki, the dining room is like a sound that contains both sorrow and passion, an odyssey of emotions and feelings. It is precisely for this reason that she created Vasiliki Kouzina, to embrace everything the heart desires. She began as a private chef, but today, aside from a few external catering services she personally oversees, she passionately dedicates herself to the dining room, warmly welcoming guests and sharing the stories, flavors, and traditions of her beloved Greece.
Gikas Xenakis
Gikas was born in Thebes, in central Greece, and has been active in food consulting for eight years. His culinary philosophy is essential: inspired by tradition and childhood memories, it focuses on fresh, local, high-quality products from small producers. With these, he creates dishes with intense flavors that define the idea of contemporary Greek cuisine, intriguing both the mind and the palate. Thanks to his experience, Gikas was chosen by Vasiliki to actively collaborate on the development of the menu and the training of the kitchen brigade, guiding them through Greek gastronomic culture from its roots to contemporary expressions.
The daily kitchen is led by resident chef Andrea Vismara.
Wine Selection
The same attention devoted to the menu is reflected in the wine list. Whites, reds, rosés, dessert wines, liqueurs, and digestives are personally curated by Vasiliki Pierrakea, inspired by her grandfather’s words: “Throw yourself into everything, just know when and how to get out, and if you go back and don’t know how to eat, drink, and love even if you’ve done everything else, for me, you have failed.” Driven by the desire to showcase native grape varieties and the richness of Greek terroir, Vasiliki, following the example of her grandfather Anastassis—who always produced wine and olive oil—travels across Greece to offer a selection of labels capable of satisfying the most discerning palates and providing guests with a complete Hellenic experience.
The menu is inspired by the authentic recipes of Hellenic tradition, reinterpreting the value of the territory through innovative combinations of ingredients that seem to capture the wind and colors of Greece, creating dishes that are both authentic and of the highest quality. The tasting menu, designed by chef Gikas Xenakis, consultant for Vasiliki since 2018, is a true celebration of Contemporary Greek Cuisine. Their collaboration is an ongoing dialogue: a restaurateur and a chef united by passion, memory, and love for their homeland, telling its story freely and beyond stereotypes, in ways we often do not dare to imagine.
Vasiliki Pierrakea
Vasiliki was born near the sea, under the protective shadow of Mount Taygetos, in Kalamata, the city of black olives. She left her hometown at the age of 18 to study at the University of Patras, but after a romantic disappointment, she boarded a ship and arrived in Italy for the first time. It was love at first sight: she left Greece with few belongings, not knowing what the future held, facing everything with courage. It was the right moment—the beginning of her happiness. For Vasiliki, the dining room is like a sound that contains both sorrow and passion, an odyssey of emotions and feelings. It is precisely for this reason that she created Vasiliki Kouzina, to embrace everything the heart desires. She began as a private chef, but today, aside from a few external catering services she personally oversees, she passionately dedicates herself to the dining room, warmly welcoming guests and sharing the stories, flavors, and traditions of her beloved Greece.
Gikas Xenakis
Gikas was born in Thebes, in central Greece, and has been active in food consulting for eight years. His culinary philosophy is essential: inspired by tradition and childhood memories, it focuses on fresh, local, high-quality products from small producers. With these, he creates dishes with intense flavors that define the idea of contemporary Greek cuisine, intriguing both the mind and the palate. Thanks to his experience, Gikas was chosen by Vasiliki to actively collaborate on the development of the menu and the training of the kitchen brigade, guiding them through Greek gastronomic culture from its roots to contemporary expressions.
The daily kitchen is led by resident chef Andrea Vismara.
Wine Selection
The same attention devoted to the menu is reflected in the wine list. Whites, reds, rosés, dessert wines, liqueurs, and digestives are personally curated by Vasiliki Pierrakea, inspired by her grandfather’s words: “Throw yourself into everything, just know when and how to get out, and if you go back and don’t know how to eat, drink, and love even if you’ve done everything else, for me, you have failed.” Driven by the desire to showcase native grape varieties and the richness of Greek terroir, Vasiliki, following the example of her grandfather Anastassis—who always produced wine and olive oil—travels across Greece to offer a selection of labels capable of satisfying the most discerning palates and providing guests with a complete Hellenic experience.
Interior Design
The interior design of Vasiliki Kouzina, curated by Luisa Vanzo and Luca Vitali of Officina Antiquaria, surprises with an original style inspired by the Byzantine world. The red walls recall those of Vasiliki’s first kitchen in Italy, a welcoming place where she loved to host friends and family; forest-green velvet sofas and handcrafted brass tables and lamps furnish the space with sophisticated taste, creating plays of light and reflections. For the mise en place, Vasiliki entrusted Caraiba Luxury, which curated the elegant selection of plates, glasses, and cutlery.
Details evoking both ancient and contemporary Greece are scattered throughout: Luisa Bertoldo’s ceramics shaped like waves in the colors of the Cycladic sea, and the chandelier near the counter portraying the well-known figure of Karagiozis, the man of a thousand faces and a beloved personality in Greece.
On the lower floor lies a room Vasiliki fondly calls her “delicatessen”—a realm of delights and treasures. Those who have the privilege of sitting at the convivial table placed at its center will find themselves surrounded by wines, oils, cured meats, cheeses, and exquisite local products. The feeling is that of being in a cozy katoi—the traditional tavern found in Greek homes—where one can savor not only gastronomic delicacies but also the most genuine expression of Greek hospitality.
The interior design of Vasiliki Kouzina, curated by Luisa Vanzo and Luca Vitali of Officina Antiquaria, surprises with an original style inspired by the Byzantine world. The red walls recall those of Vasiliki’s first kitchen in Italy, a welcoming place where she loved to host friends and family; forest-green velvet sofas and handcrafted brass tables and lamps furnish the space with sophisticated taste, creating plays of light and reflections. For the mise en place, Vasiliki entrusted Caraiba Luxury, which curated the elegant selection of plates, glasses, and cutlery.
Details evoking both ancient and contemporary Greece are scattered throughout: Luisa Bertoldo’s ceramics shaped like waves in the colors of the Cycladic sea, and the chandelier near the counter portraying the well-known figure of Karagiozis, the man of a thousand faces and a beloved personality in Greece.
On the lower floor lies a room Vasiliki fondly calls her “delicatessen”—a realm of delights and treasures. Those who have the privilege of sitting at the convivial table placed at its center will find themselves surrounded by wines, oils, cured meats, cheeses, and exquisite local products. The feeling is that of being in a cozy katoi—the traditional tavern found in Greek homes—where one can savor not only gastronomic delicacies but also the most genuine expression of Greek hospitality.
