HOW WE STARTED

In 1997, brothers Telly and Jake Topakas moved to Colorado from Philadelphia and opened Jake and Telly’s Greek Taverna, then simply known as Jake and Telly’s Bar and Grill. Though at the time the brothers were relatively young, they were third generation restaurateurs and had gathered much second hand experience and knowledge about the restaurant business from their father, uncle, and grandfather. They soon noticed that many of their customers were enjoying the Greek specials they were offering over the standard American-style menu items and thus began the transition from a bar and grill to the first full-service Greek restaurant in Colorado Springs.

A few years into the business, Telly and Jake decided that they could improve the Greek-Mediterranean atmosphere of the restaurant by carrying a better variety of Greek wines. They began educating themselves about wine and food pairings in general to accomplish this. After many years of studying and tasting wine, as well as a stint at a winery in Italy and opening a wine bar in San Francisco for Telly and bartending in the Pacific Northwest for Jake, Jake and Telly’s now offers the best wines, signature cocktails and craft beers to pair perfectly with all of our Greek cuisine.

Eventually Telly moved on to different ventures in his life, leaving Jake as the sole owner of the family run restaurant. His family consisting of his wife Angela and two sons's Maximus and Samson often find themselves on the schedule helping Jake and the crew maintain a successful and truly family run establishment.  

From 2013-2017 Telly moved to the Denver Metro area and operated Axios Estiatorio at 3901 Tennyson Street in the Highlands Area, a full service Greek restaurant. He has since closed Axios and moved to Columbia South Carolina after a few years in Guelph, Canada to help his wife Nicole to further her career as a teacher advocate of personal health and nutrition.

Over the years, Jake has worked to establish a delicious and creative menu by integrating traditional family recipes with modern techniques and a menu that features traditional fare, such as Roasted Lamb, Gyros, Mousaka, traditional Greek Specialties and the finest selection of Greek seafood dishes in Colorado Springs. Spending time in the Pacific Northwest and Greece has allowed him to gather many innovative ideas that are now reflected in Jake and Telly’s food menu and drinks list.

Jake and his team are so thankful to all of you, their loyal customers for all the years of support and love. Whether you dine on the patio, the dining room, or order food to go, we look forward to bringing you the best quality Greek and Mediterranean food and drink for many years to come. God bless you!!! OPA!!!!!

Family Run since 1997