Butterflied Chicken, a fast casual chicken concept created by two sister-brother duos, is opening next week in Manhattan to serve the fresh flavors of Greece.
“Our mission is to bring to New York the incredible dishes and flavors that visitors to Greece have enjoyed on vacation,” co-founder Andreas Aktipis, a first-generation Greek American, and second-generation restaurateur, said in a company press release. “Lots of lemon, oregano from the mountains of Greece’s Peloponnese, and the world’s finest extra virgin olive oil are at the core of our flavor profile.”
Located at 18 West 45th St., the restaurant is one block from the Theatre District.
“As is done at the best psistaries (barbecue) restaurants in Greece, the chicken is butterflied, marinated and grilled over an open flame,” co-founder George Charokopos, an Athens-based hospitality entrepreneur, said in the release.
At the center of Butterflied Chicken’s menu is free-range whole chicken, sourced from local farms in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, grilled over an open flame and chopped into quarters on butcher blocks in the eatery’s open kitchen. The menu includes several chicken options beyond the butcher cuts, including Chicken Souvlaki, a Chicken Burger and a handful of handcrafted seasonal bowls. Additionally, the menu features several vegetarian options, traditional Greek dips and salads. The restaurant will also serve wine and beer.
With Aktipis and Charokopos driving the operations of the enterprise, their sisters, Anastasia Aktipis and Katerina Charokopos, are the creative forces behind the concept’s branding, marketing and design.
“We are old family friends who have bonded over meals for years,” said Aktipis, who added that it was over one such meal that he and Charokopos came to the realization that they needed to share their passion for traditional Greek-style grilled chicken with the public.
With a nod from the veteran restaurateur of the family, Stavros Aktipis of Manhattan’s Kellari, the four young friends got together to bring a healthy Greek fast casual environment to New York with “a focus on how good Greeks do chicken.”
