Yiayia’s Greek Sweets Will Open in Portland

Back in December 2024 I mentioned that a Greek cafe and bakery would open adjacent to Tréla Greek Kitchen + Taverna called Yiayia’s—fully, Yiayia’s Greek Sweets. Well, they are getting closer to opening, and at this point it looks like they are aiming for June. I took some time to speak with Helen Tzakis, mother to the owners of Tréla and operator of Yiayia’s.

I really enjoyed connecting with Helen, as we share a number of things in common: a love of Greek food, loved ones living in Astoria (Queens), and we are both breast cancer survivors.

I told her I am very enthusiastic about them opening Yiayia’s, and I wanted to learn a little bit more about what their plans are. She started with a timeline: “I was hoping to open May 1, but we had that little bit of heat wave.” Currently, their current space is a bit temperamental with regard to climate control, but they are working on that.

“So that being said, maybe June 1,” she said. “I’m all ready to do it, I just don’t want to bring people in here and not have it right.”

Why Call it Yiayia’s?

At first she was going to call it “Eleni’s” (the Greek spelling of Helen). But when you do a search on this name, a lot of results show up, possibly diluting her business’s presence online.

She shared how Yiayia’s came to mind. “So Anthony [Tzakis, her son] says, ‘Mom, you should call it Yiayia’s!'” She replied, “But I’m not one yet.” He responded with, “But you will be one day!” Yiayia means “grandmother” in Greek.

What You’ll Eat and Drink at Yiayia’s

Loukoumades

Loukoumades was the first thing Helen talked about—loukoumades are probably one of the most well-known Greek sweets. But she also mentioned that they’ll have to wait until the hood is installed in the space, in order to accommodate the heat and smoke that comes with frying.

The conventional way to make loukoumades is in ball form, kind of like donut holes (there is also a style shaped in a ring, but those are much less common). They are deep fried and drizzled with honey and sometimes a dusting of cinnamon and/or powdered sugar. But Helen wants to go further: “I had this idea twelve years ago or so of doing them all in the honey—but then, what do you want on top?”

She wants to offer a variety of toppings for the loukoumades: Nutella, chocolate, coconut, fresh fruit like strawberry and mango. For savory options—actually, savory-sweet—there are the combos of bacon and maple syrup, and feta and honey.

On that last point of feta and honey, Helen told me a story. “When we were young, my grandmother would fix this. Sometimes she’d make pancakes, and if she didn’t have the bacon, we’d get a piece of feta—because all you really want is the salt to complement the sweet.”

She also mentioned that she would suggest this feta-honey combination sometimes to children, and knew some who would turn up their nose at it. She’d reply, “Try it, you guys, before you say no!

Also: Along with maple syrup, she’ll offer agave syrup as vegan options.

Greek Pastries

I asked if she would offer other Greek pastries aside from the loukoumades. And the answer is yes—first, she will continue to make the sweet pastries you’ll see on Tréla’s dessert menu: baklava and choclava, galaktabouriko, and bougatsa.

Other things she’d like to offer are:

• Rizogalo, a Greek rice pudding.
• Cakes: Portokalopita, an orange cake with phyllo; Karithopita, a walnut cake; a vegan chocolate cake that is often eaten during Lent; a sponge cake with cream filling and chocolate ganache; a Napoleon.
• Additional phyllo desserts: Ekmek, which is shredded phyllo (kataifi) topped with custard and cream; baklava cheesecake.
• Cookies: Kourabiedes, the cookie surrounded by powdered sugar; Melamakarona, a Christmas cookie (and one of my personal favorites).
• Breads: Tsoureki, a Greek Easter bread; and some other breads.
• Seasonal items throughout the year.

She is also open to changing things up or adding additional items to the pastry menu. She said, “I’m evolving and will see what people want.”

Savory Pastries

She mentioned that she will likely not be making any of the savory pastries herself, like spanakopita or other bourekas, as she doesn’t want to compete with her kids, who make spanakopita and the like. However, their savory pies would be available to purchase at Yiayia’s.

She also talked about the phyllo feta dish they make: “Have you had the phyllo feta they do here?” she asked. “They take a piece of of feta and wrap it in phyllo. They fry it, make it hot, and then they drizzle honey and sesame seeds on top.”

Soft Serve Ice Cream

She was also really excited to talk about the soft serve ice cream they’ll be offering. Flavors include vanilla, chocolate, and a swirl. And, you can have it on your loukoumades, top it with fresh fruit, or get it served with baklava crumbled on top.

You’ll also be able to have it in your coffee. You can put a little in the glass first and then add the Nescafe. Or it could be like a coffee float where the ice cream goes in the coffee, like in a frappe drink.

This business of the soft serve in a frappe—It’s a combination Helen cam up with when she was in Greece in 1976. “I told them I’d like frappe with vanilla ice cream. And they looked at me like I’m crazy. And I said OK, just make it cold. In ’81, when I went back to Greece, it was on the menu in the cafe I was at.”

Coffee and Other Drinks

They’ll serve classic Greek coffee drinks like frappes and freddo cappuccino, both made with Nescafe (this is the coffee that is used in many Greek coffee drinks, very authentic). You’ll be able to get that hot or cold.

And they will be using NOYNOY milk for their drinks, a brand of evaporated milk popular in Greece. In Helen’s opinion (and others I’ve encountered over the years), this makes the drinks more like what you’d find in Greece. NOYNOY is a little sweeter and creamier than our U.S. brands of evaporated milk.

“It’s the best milk to put in your frappe, the best milk to put in your cafe freddo,” she remarked.

Also: they plan to offer tea for folks who want something aside from coffee, including an iced Greek mountain tea. Look also for Greek sodas like Gazoza and Loux, in flavors of lemon, orange, and black cherry.

Greek Products

They’d also like to stock a number of Greek products on the shelves, like teas (including Greek mountain tea), Greek coffee, Greek honey, possibly some phyllo sheets. She’s also looking at selling a brand of Greek chocolate called Ion.

The Space and Location

Yiayia’s will be located in the narrow space adjacent to Tréla. There’s still some work that needs to be done there, but it will be a sweet spot to get a coffee, a pastry, and relax. Originally they were thinking of doing video poker there, but in the end it was not a good fit.

But a little bakery cafe is.

June 1 Opening

Their projected opening is Sunday, June 1, but that’s dependent on resolving the climate control issues, getting a hood installed, and getting through the city permit process. Hours will mostly mirror those at Tréla, but could change depending on what works for them and the customers (plus it would be nice to be open earlier for lunch).

They are also looking at having outdoor seating.

I’m very much looking forward to stopping in at Yiayia’s when they are open. Best of luck to Helen and the Tzakis crew as they prepare to open this summer.

Yiayia’s [projected opening June 1, 2025]
6006 NE Glisan Street, Portland

Updated May 8, 2025.