‘It’s a great time to be Greek’: Cooking star Conor Curran’s favourite Hellenic restaurants

MasterChef alum and breakout cooking star Conor Curran (aka @creamy_confusion to his 815k Instagram and 178k TikTok followers) may have an Irish name (thanks to his father’s heritage) but a passion for Greek cuisine runs through his veins (thanks to his mother’s).

This September sees the release of his first cookbook, Eat More Greek – his fresh spin on classic Hellenic dishes and cocktails, organised by prep times rather than ingredients for time-poor cooks – inspired by his yiayia while growing up in Melbourne’s Clifton Hill.

Alongside chefs Sergio Perera and Minoli De Silva, Curran is also hosting the upcoming SBS travel and food documentary series Destination Peru. The eight-part special promises to take us through Peru’s ancient superfoods, Incan heritage, and some of the most iconic cuisine on the planet.

Conor took some time out between recipes and road trips to share some of his food-related favourites.

Eating in

Signature dish and go-to at home

A Greek chicken egg lemon soup. It’s so cheap to make, and you use the whole chicken. It’s super nourishing and on heavy rotation right now, plus it freezes well.

Guilty pleasure

Mint chocolate ice-cream after every dinner is my go-to. I can’t help myself. I live in Brunswick,, where there are many ice-cream shops. At the moment I am loving Fluffy Torpedo and Billy Van Creamy.

Best kitchen wisdom

Don’t be afraid of heat and become more familiar with the grill setting in your oven. Take your proteins and vegetables to the edge with charring and heat because sometimes we forget that we can burn things a little to get the flavour going.

Eating out in Melbourne

Favourite restaurants and dishes

Jim’s Greek Tavern in Collingwood is a classic that’s been a regular with my family for the longest time. I also love Tzaki in Yarraville and Capers in Thornbury – they have cool DJs and classic Greek food.

The Pontian Club in Collingwood is a great example of the real renaissance of Greek food happening in Melbourne again. It’s a great time to be Greek and eating Greek food right now.

Dish-wise, it’s a close race between the tamarind fish at Jinda Thai in Abbotsford and the potato cakes at the Marquis of Lorne pub in Fitzroy.

Favourite cafes and bars, and orders

I love Iris in Brunswick for their insanely good pastries. They do incredible laminations; their croissants and morning buns are the best. Beautiful Jim Key for a vegetarian breakfast: think hash browns that’s more roesti, with eggs, baked beans and avocado.

I go to Bar Ampere for a negroni – they also used to make great chicken sandwiches. The Moon is a wine bar/bottle shop in Collingwood where I go for their range of South Australian wines.

The Park Hotel in Abbotsford serves the best parma and has a great wine list for a pub. ,I eat here the most and they make the best chicken parmas in Melbourne. Sig. Enzo Apparatus Bar in Brunswick is an old-school record bar run by a hospitality guy who spins vinyl. I discovered it by accident and now it’s my regular. They do simple snacks and olives. We order a wine that’s going on rotation by the glass.

Favourite place to eat in Australia

Pastel Wine Bar in North Adelaide is where my partner Chris took me for dinner after proposing to me last year. It’s a modern European focus – small plates to larger dishes. The service is my favourite part of the experience. The octopus skewers with taramasalata is a must-order, and the Korean garlic bread and prawn toast are amazing.

I also love Aloft in Hobart. Head chef Christian Ryan is amazing at what he does; the collaboration with local wineries and farm-to-plate dining is exceptional. I ate the kangaroo tartare and was blown away.

Eating out in Sydney

Favourite restaurants, cafes and bars

It has to be The Apollo in Potts Point for a slow Greek lunch – the swordfish is incredible and the saganaki is a classic. I love Corinthian Rotisserie in Marrickville. It’s an institution for homey Greek food and it’s next door to a drag bar. The meats, dips and spanakopita are all delicious.

For takeaway, I like Henrietta’s Chicken – it does Lebanese-style takeaway chicken. We eat it in our hotel room and it feels kind of healthy.

A favourite cafe is A.P Bakery for anything bread-related. I always take the breakfast egg roll, which is so delicious with a long black coffee.

Ester Spirit is a hidden hole-in-the-wall place in Marrickville with a great vibe, and you can make your own charcuterie board. For a cocktail in the CBD, I like Maybe Sammy or Opera Bar. It sounds tacky, I know it’s a touristy thing to do, but I love looking at the Sydney Harbour Bridge and having a drink here.

Little National is a very chic hotel in Sydney — the rooftop is great and the rooms are cool. I always order the club sandwiches from room service.

On the road

Favourite food city

It has to be London. My partner is British, and we go back every year. I used to live in Brixton and got exposed to a lot of Caribbean food when I worked there for 10 years. I made a lot of friends, who took me around to explore Caribbean hole-in-the-wall spots.

Favourite places to eat there

Fish Wings and Tings is a favourite Caribbean spot; located just outside the Brixton Market – try the jerk chicken and fish patty bites. There’s also a 24/7 hole-in-the-wall called REFILL that got me through my poorer days in London with very cheap, delicious patties. Also check out Gabby’s for their Jamaican patties.

For Greek food, try Agora — a new ;sit-down spot in the Borough Market. The charred meats, dips and pita breads are exceptional, everything’s got a slight modern twist.

Destination Peru screens on SBS from August 4.
Eat More Greek will be released by Murdoch Books on September 29, 2026. RRP $45.