Coffee table book celebrates Australia’s Greek Cafés & Milk Bars

In an Australia we still remember, in each suburb and every country town, was the Greek café or milk bar—open all hours, seven days a week. 

Remember the Niagara, the Parthenon, the California, the Astoria and Paragon? They gave us more than milkshakes, lollies, ice cream and home style meals. With Modernist designs, American gadgetry and coloured light, cafés brought atmosphere, a touch of glamour, at times a hint of Hollywood—a little break from the mundane reality of local life. 

Enterprising Greek-Australians developed a paradigm that spread round the world—while toiling Greek families gave their neighbourhoods a focal point, a welcome respite for all ages and all walks of life. 

As the good old days faded away, Effy Alexakis and Leonard Janiszewski took their tape recorder, camera and pen into this vanishing world. They captured the faces and stories, the style and the ethos that gave our popular culture one of its most memorable expressions.

Published by Halstead Press - 270 x 220mm, 256 pages, RRP $49.95.

To order a copy visit www.cafesandmilkbars.com.au