Jimmy's Kitchen
This 22-seat taverna in The Rocks' historic Campbell's Stores plates up homestyle Greek recipes by an 82-year-old chef.
Overview
There's no shortage of Greek restaurants in Sydney, but few channel the spirit of a true village taverna quite like Jimmy's Kitchen. Set within The Rocks' heritage-listed Campbell's Stores, this intimate diner from hospitality veteran Chris Drivas — who boasts more than 50 years in the game — brings the warmth, flavour and heart of a Greek family kitchen to the city's oldest precinct.
With just 22 seats and a palette of royal blue and gold against rugged sandstone walls, the indoor-only dining room feels both cosy and celebratory. At its core is the Greek principle of filoxenia, a moral code of generosity, courtesy, and kindness towards guests. The restaurant serves as a heartfelt tribute to Drivas' late father, Jimmy, alongside whom he began working at the age of seven in their native Greece. Jimmy's philosophy — "When customers walk through your door, you treat them like they're coming into your house" — shapes every part of the experience.
Leigh Griffiths
That sense of home is evident in the tight, one-page menu of classic homestyle dishes. On it, you'll find a standout astakos kritharaki (orzo pasta cooked in lobster and tomato bisque) and slow-cooked lamb kleftiko, as well as inventive small plates like moussaka croquettes, haloumi saganaki and a gluten-free spanakopita baked en croûte.
The drinks list is proudly Greek, too, from crisp assyrtiko and bold xinomavro wines to mastiha-infused cocktails and Greek beers rarely found beyond the Med.
Overseeing it is Chef Marko Taxidis, now 82 and still moving effortlessly between the kitchen and the floor. A lifelong friend of the Drivas family, Taxidis first worked alongside Jimmy in Sydney in the 1950s and has been part of the family ever since. At Jimmy's Kitchen, he delivers the kind of unpretentious, heartfelt hospitality that never goes out of style.
Leigh Griffiths
Top images: Leigh Griffiths.
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