George Calombaris launches Greek residency at Crown Perth
George Calombaris is making his Western Australian debut this weekend, opening a four-week pop-up restaurant at Crown Perth as part of what the celebrated chef describes as the "second half" of his career.
Dubbed Greek by George Calombaris, the modern taverna concept takes over the Crown Metropol space previously occupied by Bistro Guillaume, and recently hosted renowned chef David Thompson's Fireback residency. Thousands of bookings have already been secured ahead of the Saturday opening.
The menu leans into premium local produce, with dishes including spanakopita baked Abrolhos Island scallop, WA Marron kritharaki with stracciatella, and BBQ Fremantle octopus with spicy green latholemono.
"I wanted to create something refined, which respects the fact we are in WA. It's great to be able to celebrate that world class produce," Calombaris told The West Australian. "This is my first time doing something like this in WA, so I'm thrilled and excited to see how people perceive and enjoy it."
The Perth residency follows Auto Greek, a three-month Melbourne pop-up that marked an emotional homecoming for Calombaris two decades after he launched flagship restaurant The Press Club. At its height, his Melbourne empire, which included Hellenic Republic and Gazi, made him one of Australia's most recognisable culinary figures.
The group's collapse in early 2020, following an underpayments controversy, led to a prolonged withdrawal from public life. Calombaris has since relocated to Sydney with his family and rebuilt his hospitality operation, with more than a dozen former staff members following him to the new venture.
"Time is a healer, and time has given me my confidence back, which is something I struggled with for a good couple of years," he told The West. "To come out of it healthy, with my family healthy, and with a good chunk of those old team members coming back to do version two is bloody exciting. My team is everything, I'll focus my energy in on them, on my family, and on what I do best. I don't listen to the noise from the outside."
The 47-year-old spoke candidly about his personal struggles earlier this year during an appearance on I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, a moment he says shifted his perspective.
"It was great because it got me vulnerable, it got me in a position where I've never really been before," he said. "They've gone through all of the emotions, and as much as I can sit there and lick my wounds and feel sorry for myself, and I did that for a bit of time, the light bulb went off and I went, 'hang on, I have an incredible life to live. It's been an incredible first half, lots of lessons and a lot more lessons to learn.'"
Calombaris is heading into the Perth opening with long-time collaborator Serradan Sharp as head chef, though he acknowledges the familiar pre-service nerves remain.
"It doesn't matter if it's a new venue, or a pop-up, or a one-off event, there's always nervousness, questioning yourself, questioning the menu. I'd be scared if I didn't go through those emotions," he said.
Greek by George Calombaris runs for four weeks at Crown Metropol Perth.
Jonathan Jackson, 17th June 2026
