New York restaurant Avra is expected to open its sixth location at The Crescent in Uptown Dallas.
According to a state filing, the project includes retrofitting a nearly 14,000-square-foot space on the first level of the mixed-use landmark for the Greek concept. With an estimated construction cost of $7 million, an entry vestibule will be added, along with enclosed dining pavilions and open dining patios.
Avra operates three restaurants in New York City and two others in Beverly Hills, California, and Miami, Florida. The menu is packed with Greek cuisine that includes steak, chicken, seafood dishes, and salads. The project has an anticipated delivery date of December 31.
The restaurant was co-founded by Nick Tsoulos, a native of the Greek village of Nafpaktos.
“We would either grill the fish over charcoals or slice it thin and drizzle it with olive oil from our family farm, lemon, and salt,” Tsoulos said on the company’s website. “Along with the fish, we ate salads made with produce from our garden, spinach pies, and other hot dishes that my grandmother cooked. The adults also drank plenty of great local wine.”
After immigrating to Queens, Tsoulos opened several restaurants, including a Greek taverna on Manhattan’s Upper East Side in 1990 called Trata.
“There was nothing like it out here — simple Greek dishes made with the best ingredients and incredibly fresh seafood,” he said.
Working with Nick Pashalis and Marc Packer, Tsoulos opened the first Avra location in 2000 at Midtown East in New York.
Other restaurants at The Cresent include The Capital Grille, Ascension Coffee, Sixty Vines, and Moxie’s Grill and Bar.