Athens Pizza owners open a new casual Mediterranean restaurant in Chamblee

Karv Kitchen is a project six years in the making

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Rotisserie chicken

Photo by Caleb Jones

Inspired by their annual Greek Easter celebration, husband-and-wife team Sandy and Niki Papadopoulos are opening a casual Mediterranean restaurant called Karv Kitchen. Located in Chamblee (5126 Peachtree Boulevard), Karv (spelled with a K because there’s no C in the Greek alphabet) will serve rotisserie chicken, pork, and lamb off the spit with house-made sauces like peri peri, roasted red pepper feta, and caper chimichurri. Owner of Athens Pizza in Decatur, the Papadopoulos family has been fine-tuning the Karv concept for the past six years.

“This is a dream come true for me,” Sandy Papadopoulos says. “My parents gave me everything through Athens Pizza. I wanted to make sure we got it right.”

Karv will open for lunch Tuesday and begin serving dinner Thursday. Diners can choose from four signature wraps made with pita imported from Greece, or create their own bowl filled with rice, spiced potatoes or fries, plus meat, and sauce. Entrees and family meals, as well as vegan and vegetarian options, are available, too. Sides include eggplant stew, cabbage slaw made without mayonnaise, and eggplant and zucchini chips.

The Greko wrap includes a choice of chicken or pork souvla with tangy mustard, tomato, spicy tzatziki, pickled red onion, radish, and fries.

Photo by Caleb Jones

Braised collard bowl with lamb shank

Photo by Caleb Jones

Loukoubombs—similar to Greek sweet loukoumathes—are Greek donuts topped with Nutella or caramel, nuts, fruit, and Yom-brand ice cream. They can be ordered along with Jittery Joe’s coffee from a separate counter in the restaurant. Greek beer and wine, and a few local brews, will also be available.

At 2,800 square feet, the Karv space is located across from the Alden and Laguarde Eatery and features a patio shared with Five Guys Burgers & Fries.

“Sandy’s family had an Athens Pizza location in Chamblee years ago. We’re excited to get the family back in the neighborhood,” Niki Papadopoulos says.

Karv sauces include peri-peri, caper chimi, red pepper feta, and more.

Photo by Caleb Jones

In designing the space, the Papadopouloses thought about the color of the mountains in Greece as well as how meat changes as it roasts. The result is a warm space with a lot of wood, deep burgundy, and notes of pink.

“We didn’t want it to feel like a big manly meat restaurant; we wanted it to be more comfortable,” Papadopoulos says. “It’s very family friendly.”

The duo plans to open other Karv locations around Atlanta in the future.

Check out the full menu below. (Tap to enlarge.)

Karv Atlanta menu

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