Chef George Pagonis and brother/co-owner Nicholas went to the Greek island, Paros, every summer as children, hence their restaurant’s name. Serving authentic Greek cuisine, Paros takes influence from the Aegean Sea. The food resembles what the brothers ate growing up in Greece, giving the Paros menu a personal touch.
Paros sources most of its seafood from Greece, and creates standout dishes such as Fagri, pink snapper from the Aegean with full flavor and firm texture. Other notable dishes are their Lobster Pasta, whole Maine lobster, tomato, basil mizithra and chitarra pasta, and Lamb Shank Youvetsi, slowly braised lamb shank in tomato sauce, orzo and mizithra.
To pair with their dishes, Paros offers handcrafted cocktails. Some drinks include the Grecian-Tini, Grey Goose vodka, Skinos Masticha, mint and fresh cranberry juice and the Santa Maria, Herradura Ultra Tequila Anejo, fresh cucumber juice, jalapeño agave and a tajin rim. To honor their father, they have “The Mr. Tony,” made with Old Forester Bourbon, homemade fig syrup and black walnut bitters.
Chef George and Nicholas gained their restaurant experience through working in their family’s diner. They were able to gain a strong foundation in both culinary and hospitality. Before Paros, Chef George was the culinary director of Kyma Hudson Yards and Kyma Flatiron in New York City. George helped put mainland Greek cuisine, including daily whole animal roasting, on the map in the nation’s capital when he opened his own restaurant Kapnos in 2013. He then appeared on Bravo TV’s “Top Chef” in 2014 and placed fifth. Nicholas also has a history of managing restaurants across the country, including being the general manager of Kyma Hudson Yards.
As a new restaurant, Paros plans to establish itself as a nice and approachable neighborhood restaurant. They want to stay authentic and continue to use fresh Greek food with traditional flavors.
With multiple Greek restaurants across the city, Chef George differs from others by being both executive chef and owner. Chef George is always around and cooks everything every day. Paros offers dishes other Greek restaurants may not and Chef George holds each dish to a very high standard.
In the upcoming years, Paros hopes to become an established Tribeca neighborhood restaurant as they look to become the “go-to” spot with hopes to open a second location.
