A newcomer to Hull’s restaurant scene has relocated to a spacious new home only yards away from the place where it opened less than a year ago.

Artemis Greek Taverna was frequently full after opening in the 35-capacity corner site in Jarratt Street, Hull, in November 2019.

Now Yiannis Makris and his wife Mata have taken the keys for the former Operetta Italian restaurant at the K2 complex in Bond Street. Operetta closed last month after the retirement of the owner who had built a big reputation over the last 28 years.

The venture will provide a much bigger kitchen for chef Mata, who is planning some exciting additions to her menus and will be joined by a specialist Greek fish and meat grill chef. Yiannis expects to be able to welcome around twice as many diners front-of-house.

Yiannis and Mata both come from the same place in Greece, the town of Volos which is renowned for its food. They came to Hull to study in 1993 but they didn’t meet until 1995.

Mata graduated from the University of Hull in electronic engineering but her natural passion for food led her to set up her own business cooking Greek delights for dinner parties, weddings and other events.

The couple were head-hunted by their business partners, who never forgot the quality of the dining experience from visits to their previous Hull restaurant, The Greek, and they were given free rein with the menu and the atmosphere at Artemis Greek Taverna.

Lockdown forced the closure of the restaurant in March. When it reopened during the summer it operated as a base for take-aways and deliveries by Greek Street Food.

Work is under way now on redecorating the new premises, changing the green and red colour scheme of Italy to Greek blue and white and working towards a reopening date later this month.

Yiannis said: “The take-aways and deliveries are popular and will continue from the original site. At Operetta we have much more space than before. The kitchen is bigger, there’s a proper bar and more room for tables and chairs which means we can adhere to the restrictions.

“We are looking forward to welcoming back old friends and attracting new customers who are familiar with the premises and want to discover what we can do. We are still in a perfect location for people going to the theatre and there is plenty of parking nearby which is all free after 6pm.

“We went home to Greece for part of the summer, enjoying time with family and friends and finding new ideas. Mata is planning to expand the menu and there will be some nice surprises when we open. She likes to create authentic dishes, not imitate, and the key ingredient that makes Mata’s food so special is her love of what she does.”

For updates and to book please visit the Artemis Greek Taverna Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Artemis-Greek-Taverna-100337698114139