Little Greece: Bringing a Taste of the Mediterranean to Humphreys

South Korea

Nov 3

Stepping through the doors into Little Greece is like being transported from Korea to the picturesque Greek Isles. The blue ceilings, crisp white walls and floor reminiscent of the cobblestone streets in Santorini create a Mediterranean atmosphere that is complemented by the array of Greek dishes you can order.

Chef George, the owner and founder of Little Greece is from Athens and grew up with a deep love of cooking. After spending several years cooking and saving, he attended the prestigious Swiss Alpine Center in Athens, receiving his certificate in Culinary Arts in 2009. That same year, he met his future wife in Mykonos. After two years of a long-distance relationship, George moved to Korea to be with her.

Upon arrival in Korea, George worked in Seoul at several restaurants before starting a job at Samsung Welstory in 2019. Samsung Welstory is a branch of Samsung that develops menus for companies’ private lunches or dinners; he was in charge of cultivating the European menus. In 2021 George left Samsung to pursue his dream of opening his own restaurant.

The first Little Greece restaurant was opened in Cheonan in 2021 and saw great success in its two years there. As the lease was coming to an end, George and his family made the decision to relocate the popular restaurant to Pyeongtaek near Camp Humphreys. The new restaurant location opened its doors July 2023.

Growing up, George loved the challenge that playing sports offered. Nowadays, being in the kitchen and finding new ways to improve upon a dish, such as a subtle mixing of spices is the challenge he lives for. Coming from a large Greek family, cooking is a part of his heritage. Whenever he is recreating a dish from his childhood, he has no qualms about calling his mom in Greece for a recipe or missing ingredient.

George describes his menu as traditionally cozy, and includes Greek favorites such as chicken souvlaki served with fresh pita bread and a zesty tzatziki, pork gyros and his personal favorite, moussaka. The menu also features rotating seasonal items such as watermelon salad during summer and the current special, “gemista”, or stuffed peppers. He bakes fresh pita bread bright and early each morning and many of the ingredients he uses are sourced from Greece. He grows some of the herbs he uses and ingredients he cannot source from Greece, like produce items, are procured from local farms here in Korea.

Chef George has been delighting palates with Greek cuisine for twenty years and welcomes the opportunity to cook for you. Vegetarian and vegan options are available by request. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Wednesday-Sunday, 11:30-15:00 (break from 15:00-17:30 weekdays, no break on the weekend) and 17:30-21:00 with the last order being taken at 20:30. Reservations are not required but encouraged and can be made by calling or through Naver.