Panos Kalamadis, Santorini Steakhouse by Panos SSP

Author/ Being Neighbourly
26 July 2026

Panagiotis Kalamidas, founder, Executive chef at Panos The Steakhouse and Lounge, and owner of Santorini Steakhouse by Panos, has long been on a food journey. Brought up around food in his father’s restaurant, Panos, as he’s known to friends, is known to many a long-time Hong Konger for his two eateries, recently renamed and renovated, but still serving up the best of his native Greece.

Tell us about your food journey.

Picture this: a sun-drenched little village tucked into the hills of Greece, where the air always smelled of olive wood smoke, fresh oregano and sizzling meat. That’s where my story begins—long before fancy kitchens, TV cameras and bustling dining rooms.

My father ran a small restaurant there, the kind of place where locals gathered after a day in the fields or on the boats. No menus with fancy fonts, just honest food cooked with whatever the season gave us. I was only 15 when he put me on the grill station. There was no gentle introduction. One day I was a kid kicking a football in the dust; the next I was standing in front of roaring flames, tongs in hand, learning that a perfect lamb chop isn’t about recipes—it’s about respect.

Were there early signs that food was your future?

Yes — and they were loud, smoky, and impossible to ignore!

From the very first weeks on that grill in my father’s restaurant, something shifted inside me. While other boys my age were dreaming of football careers or escaping the village for the big city, I found myself waking up excited to go back to the heat. The rhythm of the service, the way a perfectly timed flame could transform a simple piece of meat into something that made people close their eyes and smile… it felt like magic within my reach.

Tell us about a great food experience you’ve had.

A truly great food experience, for me, has never been just about the plate — it’s always been about the entirety. The warmth, the connection, the feeling that you’re genuinely cared for. In our culture, food is the excuse that brings people together. The best meals are the ones where you leave not only satisfied but moved.

One experience that still stays with me happened several years ago in Hong Kong [He’s been living in the SAR for 20 years]. I walked into a relatively small restaurant in a busy neighbourhood. Nothing too flashy from the outside, but the moment I sat down, I felt it — that special energy when a team truly cares.

The chef was grilling over charcoal right in the open kitchen, and you could smell the quality of the ingredients and the respect in the fire. But what made it unforgettable wasn’t only the food (which was excellent). It was the service. The way the team remembered my name after the first greeting, how they noticed when I was enjoying a particular dish and quietly brought a small extra portion “just to taste,” and how the sommelier suggested a pairing that showed he had actually listened to what I loved.

That evening reminded me why I do what I do. The food was beautiful — perfectly cooked protein with thoughtful Asian and international touches — but the hospitality wrapped around it like a warm embrace. I left feeling like I had been welcomed into someone’s home, not just served in a restaurant.

This is exactly what I try to create in every one of my restaurants. Yes, the steaks must be cooked with precision and soul. Yes, the ingredients must be seasonal and full of life. But without genuine hospitality, it’s only half the story. Food brings people to the table — great service and warm hospitality make them never want to leave.

What are your favourite ingredients to work with?

Ah, this is one of my favourite questions, because for me, ingredients are not just items on a list — they are the starting point of every story I want to tell.

I’m obsessed with seasonal ingredients, no matter where they come from. There’s something pure and honest about cooking with produce or seafood at its absolute peak. When an ingredient is in season, it doesn’t need much help — just respect and a bit of fire or technique to let it sing.

But my heart has been completely captured by the ingredients and flavours of Asia, especially Japan. Living and running my restaurant in Shenzhen since 2020 opened a whole new world to me. The precision, the balance, the deep respect for umami… it changed how I cook forever.

⁠What are the dishes you’re cooking at the moment?

Right now, my heart and my grill are fully focused on steaks — and they have been for over the past 10 years. There’s something deeply satisfying about working with a beautiful piece of meat. It takes me straight back to that small Greek village where I first learned to respect fire.

At home, things are very different from the restaurant — and I love that.

Running restaurants means I spend long hours away from my family, so when I finally get into my own kitchen, it’s not about experimenting with new techniques or chasing perfection. It’s about making my kids happy and giving them the time and food they’ve missed while I was away.

I always start by asking them: “What have you been craving?” Their answers decide the menu. Some days it’s simple Greek comfort food that reminds them of their roots — juicy grilled chicken souvlaki with lemon and oregano, homemade tzatziki, and roasted potatoes. Other times they want the Asian flavours they’ve grown up with in Shenzhen — perhaps fried rice, grilled teriyaki salmon, or a big pot of ramen where I sneak in extra vegetables.

Santorini Steakhouse by Panos SSP
5/F QRE Plaza, 202 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.

Santorini The Greek Grill by Panos
LG/F, 51 Elgin Street, Central, Hong Kong.