Review: Veranda Greek Taverna

“Tell them that Yanni is their host!” Yanni Kasarhis says jubilantly. I’m talking to Kasarhis on the phone, trying to get the backstory of Veranda Greek Taverna, the Roswell restaurant where I’ve just had some astonishingly good Greek food. I’m getting a little information and a lot of enthusiasm. Hospitality is high on the priority list at Veranda.

Here’s what I did find out: Kasarhis (who, along with his wife Mary, is originally from Athens, Greece) was one of Taverna Plaka's original owners. After he sold Taverna Plaka, he worked as a server at his sister’s restaurant, the Peachtree Diner, where he met Pete Pukish. Pukish had a pool hall in Roswell that wasn’t doing too well. He wondered if Kasarhis might want to go into the Greek food business again. And so Veranda was born about a year ago using Pukish’s space, Kasarhis’ management and Mary’s family recipes. Chef Clifford Tukes, who Kasarhis first met at Taverna Plaka, was brought in to execute those recipes.