Taste Of The Town: All-Day Eatery Gregory's Diner All About Family

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Located at the historic Vagabond Hotel in Miami's MiMo district, Gregory's Diner is an all-day eatery with dining inside and out owned by husband and wife team, Anastasia Koutsioukis and Ahmet Erkaya.

They created the popular Mediterranean restaurant near the Miami Design District know as Mandolin Aegean.

For Gregory's, Anastasia says it's all about family.

"We named it Gregory's Diner as an homage to my grandfather who had emigrated to the U.S. in 1958 and owned his own restaurant diner and my grandparents' picture is hanging right on the wall as you enter," said Anastasia.

The Vagabond Hotel is a historic property with a '50s vibe. Anastasia says their concept is to honor the building's history. Even the pool bar outside has been upgraded and brightened to welcome diners and guests.

"We wanted something that felt elevated and pays tribute to diners of the '50s and also honoring the architecture of the property bringing a handsome feel to it. Hence, its name Gregory's, feeling tailored and a bit more bistro," she said.

"I grew up in New Jersey so I'm very familiar with the diner culture," said Executive Chef and co-partner Roael Alcudia.

Back in the Kitchen Chef Roel, creates Gregory's popular Potato gnocchi with cherry tomato basil and Parmesan. All pastas are made in house, oozing with freshness and flavor.

"That pasta with the tomatoes and fresh gnocchi, I couldn't even wait to sit at the table that's how much I liked it," said Petrillo tasting it inside the kitchen.

Back at the table Anastasia and Petrillo sip on retro-inspired cocktails like the watermelon Paloma and the swizzle.

"We wanted to do a throwback to the classic diner cocktail. The names are fun, we did it with modern Floridian twist," she said.

They start on a Grand Crudité that comes with black bean dip and caviar butter.

Then, a great diner favorite, the breaded chicken cutlet sandwich served with homemade coleslaw.

"The first thing I noticed was the softness of the bread and tenderness of chicken, it doesn't feel fried and heavy," said Petrillo.

Then Gregory's Cobb salad elegant and delicious. It's topped with snow crab, corn, bacon, hearts of palm, tomatoes, and egg.

"What's nice about the cobb is that it's a meal in itself. You can come here and have a cobb salad and an iced tea and you're set," Anastasia said.

Gregory's Diner is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner, brunch on Saturdays and Sunday. Breakfast is served all day.

Click here for more info or go to: www.gregorysmiami.com