A taste of the Mediterranean is coming to Oconomowoc. Restaurateur Llazar Konda announced he is planning his third restaurant in the former Gordy’s location in downtown Oconomowoc.
To be called Kavos, the restaurant at 20 S. Main St. will serve small plates with Italian, Greek and Spanish influences. Diners can expect dishes such as shawarma, paella and lots of seafood.
Konda owns two other restaurants, which are located next to each other across from Pewaukee Lake in downtown Pewaukee: The Beach House Bistro and La Tavola.
He hopes to have Kavos open by Nov. 1 with about half of the restaurant’s construction work already completed.
While outfitting a former boat business to be a restaurant may seem odd, the building’s large garage-like doors facing Main Street can be opened, which is an exciting attribute for Konda.
“It screams Mediterranean streets and it’s like it’s meant to be,” he said.
Also adding significance to opening a restaurant in Oconomowoc is the city is the first place Konda called home after moving to the U.S. from Greece 15 years ago.
“Now I am circling back to the same place,” he said. “It’s beautiful. The potential is always there. With all of the recent growth, it’s time to get back there.”
During the warmer months, Konda plans to have a large patio on the rear of the building with an outdoor bar.
“I love the community; I love the people here,” he said. “It is very, very personal for me. I am not just another guy opening a restaurant.”
(Have a Waukesha County restaurant news tip? Email Katherine Beck at kbeck@conleynet.com)