A NEW Greek restaurant is set to open in York after the lockdown this December.

Renovation work is currently being carried out behind the scenes to get the new Wine Stories restaurant at 24, Parliament Street ready for when the nation comes out of the second coronavirus lockdown next month.

The eatery will be run by partners Stam Koulouris and Maria Dendia who already run the Greek Cafe on the corner of Shambles Market at 32, Parliament Street, as well as two stalls on the market itself.

Stam says the restaurant will initially operate from the ground floor only and hopefully there will be outside seating as well.

He said: “We’re working very hard and would love to open before Christmas.

“I’ve been told I’m going to have the alcohol licence by around December 1, so if there’s no extension to the lockdown, then hopefully we’ll be able to open soon after that.

“It’s going to be a proper Greek restaurant. The food will be full of flavour, it’ll be homemade food, big portions and a lot from the grill. It will be Corfu cuisine, which is where I am from.

“I have been planning it for the last two years, but there were no suitable empty buildings.”

Stam has applied to City of York Council for an alcohol licence for Monday to Sunday from 12 noon to 11pm with opening hours Monday to Sunday from 8am to 11:30pm.

The building was previously occupied by The National Fish and Chip Museum which celebrated its opening back in 2018 by selling fish and chips at the price they would have cost 100 years ago - just 4p.

The shop and museum, which were run by Papas’ Fish and Chips, saw queues across Parliament Street on opening day, but they have been shut for some time.