Innovative French cuisine with subtle Greek influences at restaurant Elea in The Hague

28-2-2023

Opening – Restaurant Elea in The Hague. Hostess Bibi Kuyp and chef Takis Panagakis opened the doors of their fine-dining restaurant on the Noordeinde in the city, previously their restaurant was located in Rijswijk. A stone’s throw from the Palace Noordeinde, they serve their creative, modern cuisine with subtle Greek influences.

We’ve already had the pleasure to enjoy the Greek influences on chef Takis Panagakis’ innovative French cuisine and the enthusiasm of hostess Bibi Kuyp’s team (especially when it comes to Greek wines) so we can definitely recommend a visit to restaurant Elea in The Hague!

3 minutes read

Room to grow for restaurant Elea in The Hague

The new location of restaurant Elea in The Hague, at the Noordeinde 142 has 300 square meters. The restaurant seats 55 people and features an open kitchen and a chef’s table. Restaurant Elea is known for creative and innovative French cuisine with subtle Greek influences, which refer to chef Takis Panagakis’ Greek heritage. For instance, he combines langoustine with Greek suneli spices, gives a subtle Greek touch to yellowtail kingfish from the Netherlands and serves a slightly sweet variation on tzatziki for dessert.

Takis Panagakis (40): “At this beautiful location, we can grow on many fronts, including culinary levels. We have a new gas-free Palux kitchen and a separate preparation kitchen on the ground floor. My sous chef is Afroditi Lamprianidou. She came over from star restaurant Fine Fleur in Antwerp and has worked with me before. Niels van der Zwan is my junior sous-chef. In total, the kitchen team consists of seven people.”

Lots to choose from

In terms of gastronomy, there is a lot to choose from the menu at restaurant Elea in The Hague. The menu consists of a seasonal menu of five, six and seven courses (€80 to €110), a vegetarian menu is also available. Both menus are written out, so guests know in advance what will be on the plate. Furthermore, the chef’s table has its own menu and there is an à la carte menu. On Saturdays and Sundays, a lunch menu of three (€52.50) to four courses (€62.50) is served.

Serene atmosphere

Manon de Groot was responsible for the interior design. The timeless, light interior has a serene atmosphere and is finished in natural tones such as beige and soft olive green. Bibi Kuyp (33): “As in the dishes, we used subtle references to Greece in the interior. Olive trees refer to the name Elea, which means ‘olive’ in ancient Greek. Eye-catchers are the authentic stained-glass windows in the ceiling, the acoustic olive-shaped wall panels and the workstation with a Greek rectilinear meander pattern.”

 Top Greek wines

Bibi Kuyp and sommelier Marios Lamprianidis are proud of the wine list, which includes many Greek wines. Bibi Kuyp: “Besides wines from countries such as France, Italy and the New World, the wine list has just as many Greek wines. All quality wines from Greece’s absolute best wineries. One very special wine is made from the Assyrtiko grapes, harvested on the island of Santorini and then aged in bottle for five years in the sea off Santorini. Jessica Wiltenburg is assistant maître and fromager. She is also responsible for the cocktails, which we also serve in non-alcoholic varieties.”

Guests are optimally pampered at restaurant Elea in The Hague

Takis Panagakis and Bibi Kuyp: “We are very happy with the step we have taken and with this beautiful space, here we can pamper our guests to the fullest. By the way, we are still looking for a tenant to take over the operation of the premises in Rijswijk. Interested parties should contact Horecamakelaardij Knook & Verbaas.”

Restaurant Elea is open from Thursday to Monday from 18.30 for dinner and on Saturday and Sunday from 12.30 for lunch.

Read more about restaurant Elea at the new location here. 

Website: Restaurant Elea

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