First look: Cronulla’s new Athenian wine and ouzo bar from the Homer crew

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Think you know ouzo? Homer Rogue Taverna’s new ouzeri reframes it for a new generation, pairing the anise-flavoured spirit - plus wines and highballs - with mini gyros and snacks…

Sydney’s Greek wave is showing no signs of slowing down with the opening of Volta, an Athens-inspired wine bar and ouzeri in Cronulla. Run by the team behind the beachside suburb’s crowd-pleasing Homer Rogue Taverna, the new venue is promising a roster of classic and not-so-classic snacks designed to go with a Greek-led wine list and 12 varieties of ouzo when it opens on Friday, November 13.

The walk-in only, 60-seat bar will be Sydney’s first dedicated ouzeri. “I don’t think there’s anything like this in Sydney, let alone Cronulla,” says Volta co-owner Harry Kapoulas, who runs Homer with his brother Mario.

They’re most excited to showcase the anise-flavoured spirit’s different varieties and flavour profiles. “Ouzo hasn’t really been explored that heavily in Australia, so it’s a good opportunity to do so,” says Kapoulas.

He also stresses to first-timers that the spirit isn’t meant to be drunk by itself. “In my mind, an ouzeri is a place you go to have a few olives and some salty cheese … it’s our philosophy with alcohol. You have to eat and drink.”

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With this in mind, every 100ml of ouzo ordered will be served with a plate of cucumber, dried olives and feta so customers can get “the full Greek experience.”

The short food menu is made up of small Athenian-style plates to either snack on with drinks, or build into a full meal. Have a glass of ouzo with a plate of lountza, the Cypriot cured pork loin, or croquettes stuffed with the Ionian pasta bake known as pastitsio. Bulk things out with flaky, cheesy tiropita bites and rotating surprise specials, including mini gyros pockets made with house pita.

Kapoulas’s favourite dishes, though, are the mussels cooked saganaki-style in the wood-fired oven and topped with pangrattato, and the hand-cut chips, set to swipe through utlra-smooth taramasalata.

The drinks menu also includes a short list of playful highball cocktails, including the Tsipouro Melon Lemon…

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