Geo's Tavern is coming, but what's the chef cooking now?
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Glossy ceramic tile dominates the oyster bar at Geo's. Art is piled up for hanging once construction wraps. Photo: Mary Helen Moore/Axios
Chef Daniel Jackson and restaurateur Giorgio Bakatsias are putting the finishing touches on Geo's Tavern & Oyster Bar, a new Chapel Hill spot aimed at locals and visitors.
Why it matters: This year, the Bakatsias restaurant empire is growing to 20 locations around North Carolina.
Geo's took us inside for an early look at the space. There's no firm opening date yet, but the team is eyeing April.
- The large restaurant is tucked in a shopping center at 1118 Environ Way, near the intersection of N.C. 54 and 15-501. That's about 1.5 miles from the heart of UNC-Chapel Hill's campus.
What to expect: You first walk into the tavern room, with comfy brown leather bar stools, soft lighting and TVs. The bar wall is tiled in a glossy green, and paintings are piled up on tables waiting to be hung.
- Turn left and enter a glassy, plant-filled salon that Jackson is filling with his own cookbooks. Beyond it, a sprawling garden room opens onto a patio on 54.
- This is how Bakatsias and Jackson envision it: The bar in the tavern builds energy and fosters spontaneous connection. Linger with company in the salon. Escape into the garden room. Celebrate birthdays and hold business meetings in the private dining room.
What they're saying: Jackson tells Axios the menu will highlight North Carolina tradition and products, especially oysters and other seafood.
- "With a tavern, you just need to have dishes that people are like, 'Oh yeah, I want to eat that,'" Jackson says.
- "You got to be able to have the best burger of your life here," Bakatsias adds. "You gotta have an amazing salad."
Zoom in: Bakatsias is one of the Triangle's most prolific restaurateurs, known especially for Durham's 35-year-old Parizade. He tells Axios he grew up in a peasant village in Greece, hiding behind the apron of his "heroic mother."
- He has a director's eye and designs for emotional connection. "I want to have layers of memory. I want layers of feelings and emotions," Bakatsias says.
- He's excited by a tavern concept because "that's where you meet new friends, or you meet old friends. That's where you can talk sports, or you can talk politics. I think it's truly where people feel comfortable."
Dig in: To understand the duo's approach, we tried their other joint venture — Osteria Georgi.
- It's an upscale Italian restaurant in a bustling shopping center off 15-501 in Chapel Hill, also maximalist and plant-filled, with art everywhere.
Best bites: The rigatoni ($26) is fresh-tasting and creamy, with a crunch from crispy crumbles of Italian sausage. Calabrian chiles give it a pleasant heat.
- If you're in the mood for fish, I'd pick the Brodetto ($42) — a stew of scallops, mussels and fish that packs a lot of flavor.
- I tried the Carota ($12) as a side on the server's recommendation, and it was sublime. The carrots are honey-roasted and served with whipped ricotta, candied walnuts and pesto.
What they're saying: The menu rotates seasonally to keep things fresh, and the portions are pleasantly large. "They have to be. We're selling pasta for $24," Jackson says.
- I asked Jackson about the execution, how he avoids making the dishes feel heavy, and Bakatsias offered his own take: "A heart that is free, has incredible ability to cook food that becomes effortless and light … (Jackson) has a gift that he's still discovering of cooking that kind of flavor."
Stop by: Osteria Georgi is open for lunch and dinner every day except Sunday.
- 201 S. Elliott Road.
