FLEMING ISLAND – A new restaurant on Fleming Island features authentic Greek food, decadent desserts and a nice selection of alcoholic drinks. Fresh from Yianni’s Kitchen is located behind Fleming Island High, and it’s the perfect treat for both adults and teenagers.

The owner, Yiannis Demopoulos, believes fresh food and quality customer service is the key to building long-lasting relationships with customers.

“We take the word fresh seriously. Everything’s fresh, freshly cut, freshly cooked...People notice the difference in fresh food,” he said.

Demopoulos cooks everything from scratch and imports most of his ingredients from Greece, including a big selection of wine as well. Yianni’s Kitchen first opened in July of 2020 and since then it has developed loyal customers.

Dana Gonzales is one of those customers. She loves both the quality of the food and the customer service. 

“It’s not just one area that exceeds expectations, it’s multiple areas whether it’s the service, the food, hospitality, the connections,” she said. “To me, it expands over just something conventional.”

Throughout lunch and dinner service, Demopoulos regularly will go around to tables to make sure everyone is enjoying their meals. He also tries to remember everyone’s name and what they normally order so that his customers always feel welcome.

“We try to give a lot higher customer service…we want everyone to come in here and feel comfortable,” Demopoulos said.

When Yianni’s Kitchen first opened, Demopoulos and his team were grateful to Clay County residents for staying devoted to their restaurant. While it was challenging to open a restaurant during a COVID-19 pandemic, the customers at Yianni’s Kitchen continued to come and show their support. During the pandemic, first responders also showed their support by regularly ordering food from them. Now, to show his appreciation to first responders, Demopoulos is offering first responders $10 off their meal.

“We really want to be a part of the community and get rooted here. They’ve [the customers] have embraced us and supported us.” Demopoulos said.

A few entrees and desserts Demopoulos and his customers recommend are the classic gyros, lamb chops and baklava cheesecake. This restaurant also is perfect for vegans and vegetarians because not only does Yianni’s kitchen offer falafels but also vegan gyros made from seitan.

Demopoulos said since everything is made fresh, some items may not be available at certain times.