A COUPLE are about to celebrate 18 months since opening their successful town centre restaurant.

Adriana Craig and her Greek partner Nikos opened Nik's Greek Taverna, in Haymarket Street, in May 2016, and have not looked back since.

The restaurant's decor is that of a back street Athens taverna, although inspiration for the food primarily comes from Corfu, where the couple used to live.

Ms Craig, who now lives in Whitefield, said: "We realised there were no Greek restaurants in Bury and thought it would be the ideal place for one.

"We lived in Corfu from 2001 until 2007, and I have always been passionate about Greek food so we wanted to bring that here to Bury.

"We said that if we are going to do it, then we want to do it properly."

The couple run the restaurant together, but have another waitress who they call upon when necessary.

The taverna's small size and open kitchen means they can offer a personal experience to diners, and is something Ms Craig relishes as she enjoys conversing with customers while cooking.

Since opening, they have received rave reviews on TripAdvisor, and built up a loyal customer base from across the borough.

Their most popular dish, according to the affable Ms Craig, is souvlaki, which is cooked using a charcoal grill.

She added: "When people found out it was a charcoal grill that's what everyone started ordering."

Ms Craig, aged 48, worked as a learning support worker at Bury College and Holy Cross prior to starting up the restaurant.

She said: "We didn't do any promotion, we just opened the doors.

"We were lucky that Rayners opened around the same time and a lot of people going there were from the old crowd that went to the old Rayners. They are of an age where they have been on holiday to Greece and wanted a sample of that.

"Everyone says it like being on holiday. It was not meant to be like that, it was just meant to be a Greek style taverna, but it's great that they get the feel of being on holiday."