Greek restaurant Skorpios by Avli opens in Huntington

After sitting empty for months, one of Huntington Village's oldest restaurants has reopened under new ownership. But don't worry, Skorpios is still in the family. 

The storied Greek cafe has been slinging gyros for nearly 45 years, and is now surrounded by a flashy set of Greek restaurants like the seasonally driven Neraki and the upscale destination spot Noema. Greek immigrant Theotokis "Dennis" Goussis opened Souvlaki Place in Bayville in 1969, his daughter Christina Goussis-Koukounas said.  Ten years later he had enough money to open Skorpios in Huntington, which he helmed ever since.

Goussis retired in February with a festive going away party at his restaurant, but not before handing over the business to Christina and her husband, John (Yanni) Koukounas, who is also a restaurateur. After a few months of renovations, the two have reopened as Skorpios by Avli. The new menu is a combination of the previous offerings from Skorpios, as well as Koukounas' other two family restaurants Avli: The Little Greek Tavern in Bayside, Queens and Avli: The Little Greek Kitchen in West Hempstead. 

The new Skorpios stays true to its roots: a casual spot with a large grill counter up front and a homey Greek diner setting in the small dining room. The menu is a mix of burgers and Mediterranean staples like beef and lamb gyro, pork souvlaki and chicken doner, available in platters and sandwiches.

But there's also a dialed-in selection of seafood platters like the broiled red snapper ($23), which is supremely delicate and fragrant in its tangy lemon sauce. Another unique find is the pastichio, a baked pasta dish of macaroni noodles with a cinnamony ground beef mixture in rich béchamel sauce. Skorpios' version is on the comfort food side of the spectrum, perhaps a little overbaked with its bubbly brown crust, but still utterly satisfying. 

The dish to order here is an appetizer, the loukaniko, a Greek sausage that's prepared in-house using a Koukounas family recipe from Greece. To enjoy it, you might have to be the type of person who orders their burgers medium-rare, because this beef sausage is faintly cooked and so crumbly the pieces fall apart on your fork. Glistening with olive oil and packed with a cacophony of herbs and spices, the sausage slips all over the pita bread in the best way. Hit with some tangy lemon and tzatziki sauce, this  dish is worth keeping around. 

Skorpios by Avli, 340 New York Ave., Huntington, 631-425-7575. Open 11:30 to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. 

By Andi Berlin

andi.berlin@newsday.comAndiBerlin

Andi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she’ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.