First Look: The Aegean Pantry (Greece via the Fyshwick Markets)

Posted on 26 May, 2026

Canberrans often arrive at the Fyshwick Markets with aspirations to master elusive international ingredients and create foreign flavours at their very own dinner table.

If a taste of Greece is what you’re craving, then your first stop will need to be the newly opened Aegean Pantry.

You can tell it is channelling Cypriot vibes from its décor, soft terracotta tones and rustic cane lights – not to mention its shelves lined with the best imported ingredients Greece has to offer. Don’t worry if you can’t speak Greek – owner Sophia Konidaris will likely be on hand to translate if you need.

Whether it is the finest Vendema Olive oil, jarred Origanum Dictamus (apparently a medicinal and calming tea), every grade of semolina or Attiki raw Greek honey, you will find everything you need to inspire your own culinary journey.

And for those with Greek ancestry, the range of sweets, biscuits and drinks will bring the memories flooding back. There’s even Greek table salt if your supermarket brand needs replacing.

But even if you don’t have a Greek bone in your body, panic not. The Aegean also offers a comprehensive Mediterranean salad and coffee bar with Greek hot dishes made fresh daily from their inhouse kitchen, run by the very capable Robert Csorba and brought together under the watchful eye of Aissat Group project manager and hospitality consultant Tasso Rovolis.

Think Pastitsio (Greek-style lasagna) Vegetarian Moussaka, Lemon Garlic Chicken and Plaki (oven-baked fish over vegetables and lemon potatoes). There is also a Greek-themed sandwich bar offering such inspired combinations as Pulled Lamb and Fennel, Roast Vegetables on ciabatta with goat’s cheese, Smoked Ham and Kefalotyri cheese, or The Olive (olive pesto and marinated fetta on olive sourdough), among others.

The glass cabinet stocks bowls overflowing with hearty and inventive Greek-style salads, from the signature Aegean (fresh Australian King prawns, couscous, asparagus, cucumber, capsicum, radish, watercress, fresh herbs and a lemon garlic dressing), the Cypriot (freekeh, lentils, spiced pumpkin, halloumi, currants, cranberries, coriander and mint, spring onion, and a medley of seeds and nuts, pomegranate, marinated fetta, cumin honey dressing), the Patata (chat potatoes, charred corn, sundried tomatoes, olives, red onion, fresh herbs and a lemon and garlic dressing), or the Fasolata (a protein-packed medly of chick peas, cannelloni, black and red beans, capsicum, spring onion, spinach and fresh herbs, Greek fetta, and honey mustard vinaigrette) and more.

The drinks carry the Greek theme strongly from the original and best Greek short black, to Greek Mountain Tea served with honey and lemon, Pomegranate iced tea and the Freddo, which is whisked espresso coffee and milk on ice (delicious).

Smoothies bring the flavours of the Mediterranean with the Aegean Special of Fig, Greek yogurt, banana, tahini, honey, cinnamon, and oat milk, the Aegean Sunrise of double espresso, peanut butter, maple syrup, almond milk and the Aegean Glow of avocado, spinach, chia, banana, maple syrup, lemon zest, and almond milk. Drink these, and we expect you’ll look like you’ve just returned from a week in the Greek Isles.

There are breakfast muesli and chia cups, Greek yoghurt and home-made granola and a delicious Rizogalo, which is a traditional Greek rice pudding topped with toasted almonds and cinnamon. If you haven’t had much exposure to Greek flavours, we think the Aegean is the perfect spot for a full immersion. Although not every taste is imported from Greece. Sophia said she wanted to offer the very Greek experience of icecream but in her deliberations, decided to opt for a bespoke Tasmanian brand which showcased Greek flavours -Van Diemens Land Creamery.

We see her logic, with flavours including: lavender; pepperberry and leatherwood honey; pistachio; olive oil, rosemary and sea salt; and blackcurrant. The HerCanberra team made it their mission to do a taste test and honestly declare this among the most insanely smooth and creamy ice cream to hit our palates. What can we say – you simply must try it.

With a number of tables inside and out, The Aegean Pantry is a warm and inviting space to sit down and partake of breakfast or lunch during your next market shop. Or simply load up on family packs of artfully prepared Greek cooking, take it home and serve it to your family directly. They’ll never know you didn’t spend hours in the kitchen over a homestyle Greek cookbook and will be utterly impressed by every authentic mouthful. We promise we won’t tell.

Photography by Adam McGrath.