Two Mediterranean restaurants open, offering two different dining experiences
Somewhere on the other side of West Ashley Michael Stavrinakis has to be scratching his head and smiling a little bit. Stavrinakis is the owner of Manny’s Mediterranean Café on Old Towne Road, which has been serving West Ashley folks honest Mediterranean cuisine for 25 years. Yet last month, not one, but two brand new fast-casual Mediterranean restaurants opened a stone’s throw from each other on Savannah Highway.
While both offer fresh Mediterranean fare, Kairo’s Greek Kitchen and Zoës Kitchen are quite different from each other in their approach and ownership structure. And their fast-casual order-at-the-counter style is vastly different from Manny’s sit-down family restaurant-by-day/neighborhood bar-by-night model.
Just a little further down Savannah Highway from the newly-opened Kairo’s and Zoës there is Olympik Deli & Bakery. Owned by Ali and Charmaine Naderi, Olympik has been part of the West Ashley community for more than three decades. Needless to say there’s suddenly no shortage of places to grab a gyro, freshly-made hummus, or some falafel in West Ashley.
But West Ashley resident Will Oriani, co-owner of Kairo’s Greek Kitchen, doesn’t like comparing his eatery to other restaurants in the area. “There are plenty of great Mediterranean restaurants around Charleston,” he says. “We just focus on sticking to our wonderful recipes, not cutting corners, and serving our food fast in a clean restaurant. As long as we live up to that, we will do great as well as many of our great competitors. We’re all lucky in Charleston because there are so many great places to eat.”
There are quite a few differences in the two new Mediterranean restaurants, located less than half a mile from one another. While Kairo’s is locally-owned and operated, with only one other location in Mt. Pleasant, Zoës Kitchen is one of around 250 locations across 20 states, including 10 others here in South Carolina.
Located in the former space occupied by Your Pie, Kairo’s expansion into West Ashley is more evidence that our part of town is on the upswing. “I’ve been involved with the brand since it’s inception and decided to open one in West Ashley because it’s a great market in the Charleston area,” says Oriani. “West Ashley is special to me, of course, because this has been my home for 25 years. That’s why it was important to open here.”
And while Zoës Kitchen is a corporate chain, John Rutledge, general manager of the West Ashley restaurant, is excited to be a part of the local community and sees the rise in a Mediterranean diet a sign of the times for the region. “A Mediterranean diet, and specifically Zoës menu, strongly appeal to people who are active, health conscious, and really pay attention to what they put in their bodies,” says Rutledge. “West Ashley, being such an active area, definitely makes Zoës a natural fit,” says Rutledge. “We are truly excited to be here in West Ashley and looking forward to becoming a big part of the community here.”
Zoës Kitchen opened last month in the shopping center that will house Whole Foods, which is slated to open later this month. “Much of our guest base also loves Whole Foods — our brands definitely align,” says Rutledge. “We think they’ll be a great addition to the area and drive traffic into our location.”
Other than the starkly different ownership structures, Kairo’s and Zoës also differ in dining experience. Kairo’s fast-casual approach borrows from the trend of restaurants such as Moe’s Southwest and Mod Pizza, where the customer chooses a base (pita, salad, grain bowl, protein bowl, or platter) add a protein (lamb, chicken, meatballs, or falafel), pick up to three of the 10 house-made spreads, and then add as many other items as they would like out of more than a dozen veggies and Greek toppings available.
“We make our marinades, dressings, spreads like hummus, harissa, and tzatziki from scratch,” says Oriani. “Our lamb is slow roasted for eight hours and food is prepared fresh to order right in front of our customers.”
Zoës Kitchen, on the other hand, allows for less customer customization, but has a much larger menu. It offers everything from Greek classics, like rustic lamb pita (made with meatballs and not shaved from a spit), kababs (steak, chicken, and salmon), and hummus (basil pesto, harissa red pepper, and classic) to other Mediterranean-inspired creations such as its cauliflower rice bowl (house-made tzatziki, Israeli skhug, feta, cucumbers, and fresh dill), the Sorrentina baked ravioli plate, and chicken and steak roll-ups. Zoës also offers Mediterranean family dinners that can serve 3-6 people.
“Our kabobs are always great sellers at all locations, especially our chicken kabobs,” says Rutledge. “However, specific to the West Ashley location, I think the biggest surprise to me is how much of our new baked falafel we are selling.”
According to Rutledge, Zoës just introduced the baked falafel to the menu earlier this year. The gluten-free, vegan falafel can be added to a pita, bowls, or salads. Rutledge says Zoës’ falafel is baked and stays true to the company’s brand by not using microwaves or fryers.
Just up the road, Oriani says Kairo’s falafel has also been a popular item since opening their doors last month. “It seems our most popular items are the protein bowls with lamb, but people love our fresh falafel because we make them with fresh chick peas cooked in house,” he says.
Both Kairo’s Greek Kitchen and Zoës Kitchen are welcome additions to the West Ashley dining scene and their opening in such close proximity is no coincidence. More than anything it shows that West Ashley residents are craving not only more choices for lunch and dinner, but healthier and fresher options.
Kairo’s Greek Kitchen is located at 975 Savannah Hwy. #307. For more information, call (843) 606-9314 or visit www.kairosgreekkitchen.com. Zoës Kitchen is located at 1129 Savannah Hwy. #400. For more information, call (843) 473-3160 or visit www.zoeskitchen.com
