The Newest Saloniki Location Is Looking Pretty Spiffy

A fast-casual Greek restaurant with locations in Fenway and Cambridge’s Central Square adds a third in Harvard Square today. Saloniki opens its newest location Wednesday, October 3, within the newly renovated and reopened Smith Campus Center (24 Dunster St., Cambridge).

The Saloniki team has dubbed this restaurant its flagship — a testing ground for new menu items and an expanded service model that includes cocktails, beer, wine, and breakfast.

Acclaimed Boston chef Jody Adams (of Trade, Porto, and the now-defunct Rialto) started Saloniki in March 2016, together with CEO Eric Papachristos (a native of Thessaloniki, Greece, from which the restaurant takes its name) and COO Jonathan Mendez. (Papachristos is also part of the Trade and Porto teams.) The Fenway location opened first, followed by the Central Square restaurant in January 2017.

The Harvard Square restaurant doubles as a test kitchen for all locations, with culinary manager Pantazis Deligiannis (also from Thessaloniki) in charge. In addition to the restaurant’s standard pita wraps and rice plates, Saloniki’s Harvard menu includes new items like moussaka and grilled pitas filled with a selection of toppings from spicy whipped feta, charred eggplant spread, and garlic yogurt to Nutella with baklava crumbles and feta with honey.

The expanded menu also includes a mezze bar of small plates, plus breakfast offerings like phyllo pies and baklava crisps. Saloniki has also partnered with La Colombe to serve a full range of coffee at the Harvard restaurant.

Following suit with Central Square’s Saloniki, the one at Harvard has a full bar with a selection of Greek cocktails (all on draft), beer, and wine. (The Fenway location serves beer and wine as well, but not cocktails.)

Saloniki is the largest food and beverage business in Harvard’s new campus center, with two access points: one from inside the center and another public access point from outside. Other vendors include Blackbird Doughnuts, Pavement Coffeehouse, Bon Me, and Swissbakers, with more still to come.

• Saloniki Coverage on Eater [EBOS]