The Greek Kitchen opened Wednesday inside the Kirkwood Schnucks food hall at 10233 Manchester. The new operation, called The Greek Kitchen Shop, is located in the food hall.
A Return Years in the Making
A St. Louis Magazine report says The Greek Kitchen is back inside the Kirkwood Schnucks, a spot the owners know well. The magazine reports the couple previously ran a satellite Greek Kitchen counter and later a burger-and-pizza concept called Hungry Joe's in that same food hall space. Nicholas and Kandel now operate The Greek Kitchen Shop there.
The Kirkwood Schnucks location itself has deep roots in the community. The store at 10233 Manchester Road opened in 1987 to replace the grocer's original 1954 Kirkwood store, and it underwent a 60,000-square-foot renovation in 2021 that turned it into a multi-vendor food hall, according to Supermarket News. When the food hall debuted that year, its original local partners were Seoul Taco, The Shaved Duck, and The Greek Kitchen, with barbecue restaurant Salt + Smoke later replacing The Shaved Duck in late 2022, per Grocery Dive.
From Ellisville Storefront to Kirkwood Staple
The Greek Kitchen's roots trace back to November 2016, when Nicholas and Kandel opened the restaurant at 15939 Manchester in Ellisville, per the seed reporting. That location closed in July 2018, and the pair later reopened at 343 S. Kirkwood Road, where they operated the restaurant. That address had previously been occupied by Sushi Bistro, according to Town&Style.
In September 2021, Nicholas and Kandel added an abbreviated Greek Kitchen counter inside the newly remodeled Kirkwood Schnucks food hall, running it alongside their standalone restaurant. That standalone location closed after dinner on July 1, and the Schnucks satellite was transformed into Hungry Joe's the same year, adding burgers and pizza to the lineup.
Rent, Payroll and a Persistent Labor Shortage
The Greek Kitchen Shop now operates in the food hall.
That kind of commercial rent pressure has hit other independent restaurants along the same Manchester Road corridor. Plant-forward restaurant Station No. 3 permanently closed its Kirkwood location in May after lease negotiations broke down, as previously reported by Hoodline. The new Greek Kitchen Shop operates from the food hall.
A Smaller Menu, But the Favorites Remain
The Greek Kitchen Shop keeps the focus on Greek cooking. The shop's offerings are presented as Greek dishes.
Nicholas is part of the team behind the shop. Kandel, meanwhile, is part of the team behind the shop.
New Neighbors in the Food Hall
The Greek Kitchen Shop now shares the food hall with other vendors. Customers looking to place orders can visit The Greek Kitchen Shop.
The reopening comes as Schnucks navigates other headlines of its own. For Nicholas and Kandel, though, the focus is simpler: an operation built around the Greek dishes that made their name in Kirkwood in the first place.
