Ela Modern Greek Taverna to Open in Chicago’s Old Town

Founder Shaina Hurley from ‘Love Is Blind’ and Executive Chef & Partner Daniel Garabajiu bring a fresh, everyday approach to Greek dining in Chicago

CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, September 10, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Ela Modern Greek Taverna will open Saturday, September 26, at 1551 N. Wells Street in Chicago’s Old Town, bringing a fresh approach to Greek Mediterranean dining built around real ingredients, thoughtful preparation and the idea that a great meal doesn’t always need to be a big commitment.

Founded by Shaina Hurley, the entrepreneur and television personality who rose to national prominence on Netflix’s ‘Love Is Blind’, Ela marks a new chapter for one of Chicago’s most recognizable hospitality-adjacent personalities. Shaina and her husband, Greek American restaurateur and developer Chris Lardakis, have remained in the national spotlight since their marriage, most recently sharing exclusively with People Magazine that they are expecting their second child following Shaina’s highly publicized journey with cervical cancer.

Ela grew from Shaina’s deep appreciation for Greek culture, first introduced to her through Chris and strengthened through their marriage, family and time spent in Greece. In creating the restaurant, she has intentionally surrounded herself with partners whose own lives and careers are deeply rooted in Greek food, culture and hospitality.

“I fell in love with the way Greek culture brings people together around food,” says Shaina. “Ela is about sharing that feeling while respecting where it comes from and creating a place people can come back to often.”

At the center of that vision is Executive Chef & Partner Daniel Garabajiu, who grew up in his family’s taverna in Lefkada, Greece. He later cooked at Principote in Mykonos before building his Chicago career at Nisos, Andros Taverna and Athena. At Ela, Garabajiu brings those experiences together in a menu rooted in familiar Greek flavors and made for the way people eat today.

High-quality meats, fresh vegetables and vibrant Mediterranean ingredients form the foundation of a kitchen focused on simple preparation and no seed oils. The menu will span gyros, grilled meats, fresh salads and bowls, fries cooked in beef tallow, Greek yogurt soft serve, Greek-inspired sweets and handcrafted coffee.

Ela is also collaborating with Anastasia Ganias Gellin, founder of Fancy Peasant, on select products for the restaurant. The partnership brings together two female founders with different connections to Greek culture: Shaina through a culture she came to love and set out to honor, and Gellin through the traditions she inherited and has built Fancy Peasant around preserving and modernizing.

The idea behind Ela is simple: white tablecloth quality without the white tablecloth commitment. The occasion changes. The quality doesn’t.

Whether guests have 30 minutes or two hours, Ela is designed to work for a business lunch, family dinner, date night, coffee stop or meal on the go. The restaurant’s name, Ela, means “come” in Greek and captures the spirit of the concept: come eat, come gather and come as you are.

“We saw an opportunity between traditional fast Greek food and special-occasion dining,” says investor Aristotle Loumis, whose Greek heritage and work with Greek entrepreneurship and cultural organizations made getting the concept right especially important to him. “I’m the customer. I want a legitimately great meal made with ingredients I feel good about, but I don’t always have two hours for dinner.”

Loumis joins Anthony Papagikos and Chris Lardakis in the ownership group, longtime friends connected by Greek culture, entrepreneurship and hospitality. Papagikos brings his Greek Orthodox upbringing, community involvement and investment background to the project, while Lardakis brings firsthand Chicago restaurant experience as founder of Kanela Breakfast Club.

Through CL Development, Lardakis is also leading development of the restaurant, bringing a luxury residential design sensibility to the space. Mediterranean blue, white oak, natural stone, woven textures, greenery and warm lighting will give Ela a contemporary Greek island feel.

Ela Modern Greek Taverna will open Saturday, September 26, at 1551 N. Wells Street in Chicago’s Old Town, with approximately 70 indoor seats and 50 outdoor seats. The restaurant will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., with later weekend hours under consideration. For more information, visit www.elataverna.com or follow them at www.instagram.com/elagreek.

ABOUT ELA MODERN GREEK TAVERNA
Ela Modern Greek Taverna is a modern Greek Mediterranean restaurant opening at 1551 N. Wells Street in Chicago’s Old Town. Featuring approximately 70 indoor seats and 50 outdoor seats, Ela brings together Greek culinary tradition, premium ingredients and contemporary Mediterranean hospitality in an approachable, everyday setting.

The restaurant was founded by Shaina Hurley alongside Executive Chef & Partner Daniel Garabajiu, with developer and restaurateur Chris Lardakis and Greek American investors Aristotle Loumis and Anthony Papagikos.

Ela plans to open seven days a week from 11am to 10pm, with extended weekend hours under consideration.

Ryan Beshel
SIX4 Creative
ryan@six4creative.com
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