Beloved Greek Restaurant Rises From the Dead In Houston With a New Upscale Twist — YiaYia’s Pappas Greek Kitchen’s Bold Move

Opa! It’s back, refreshed with a new name and new Houston location. YiaYia’s Pappas Greek Kitchen (formerly YiaYia Mary’s Mediterranean Kitchen, which shuttered in 2020) has taken up residence in the former Pappadeaux space, just opening at 2410 Richmond Avenue.

YiaYia Mary is powered by the Pappas R&D team, led by chef Michael Fikaris, reimagining version 2.0 as a modern take on the comforting food of Greek home cooking. While descendants of the Pappas family’s matriarch on the design side, including chief design officer Evy Pappas, have retooled the space, infusing a contemporary twist on Greece’s old world charm.

Inside the renovated space is anchored by a mighty olive tree — the national tree of Greece — while its walls are lined with art created by Greek artists. Natural textures like wicker and rattan along with Mediterranean hues of crisp whites and azure blue wash over the space from the oyster bar to the covered outdoor patio.

Wide tables are designed to encourage sharing meze and more. While Greek music plays in the background, you won’t hear the sound of breaking plate. That storied Greek celebration ritual is not part of this new Houston restaurant’s life.

The aim of the new menu is to bring authentic, homestyle recipes passed down through generations from Greek grandmothers everywhere, presented in a decidedly contemporary way. Best served family-style, start by sharing mezédes such as tzatziki, the garlic-scented, smashed cucumber Greek yogurt dip ($13), melitzanosalata, the roasted eggplant dip ($14) and spanakopita, the phyllo dough-wrapped spinach and leek pie ($14)

To go with it all, consider a cocktail. These include Pappas’s take on the drink of the summer — the spritz. YiaYia’s frozen Athenian spritz is mixed with Greek vermouth, tonic, strawberries and a splash of sparkling wine ($14) . A ginger Vesper, a play on the gin and vodka classic spiked with ginger liqueur and Greek mountain tea ($13), also beckons.

Moving on to salad, while the traditional village salad, known colloquially stateside as Greek salad, is typically composed of tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, onion and feta with a red wine vinaigrette, YiaYia’s version includes little gem lettuces too ($16). A fan of beets of every hue, I’m drawn to order the patzaria, a red and golden beet salad with creamy labneh, feta walnuts, and a honey drizzle ($16) or the dakos, a Cretan dish reimagined at this Houston restaurant with heirloom tomato and feta perched on pieces of twice-baked wheat rusk bread ($16).

Signature mains — which range from offerings procured from land and sea — include Mediterranean sea bass (lavraki/branzino, $46) with blistered tomato and pearl onion. The garlic bread and potato dip skordalia, souvlaki ($35) is made with the ribeye cut along with charred tomato, pickled fennel and tzatziki, moussaka ($28). Another rich layered dish is created with braised beef, roasted eggplant, sheep’s milk spiked béchamel and lamb shank ($51) slow cooked with pearl onions, carrots, fennel and potatoes.

Your yiayia likely wouldn’t want you to pull away from the table without a bite of baklava ($15), which is accompanied with a scoop of vanilla gelato at this new YiaYia. The phyllo pastry layered with a sugar and spiced nut filling also makes its way into a creamy, vanilla-scented cheesecake ($15).

Reservations for YiaYia’s are available through OpenTable. On this opening weekend — Friday, August 1 through Sunday, August 3 — its hours will be from 5 pm to 9 pm. Starting on Wednesday, August 5, its hours will shift to 5 pm to 9 pm. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and 5 pm to 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, with plans to expand hours and offerings in the near future. YiaYia’s Pappas Greek Kitchen is located at 2410 Richmond Avenue.