Commune Group Co-Founder Simon Blacher Goes Solo With Greek Venue Halo

Simon Blacher, who spent more than 14 years as creative director and co-owner of Melbourne's Commune Group, will open his first solo venue before the end of this year. Halo, described as a "mostly Greek" restaurant and bar, is slated for a heritage building on Chapel Street, with an official opening date still unannounced and a target of summer.

Blacher departed the hospitality group he co-founded in 2025. During his tenure, Commune launched some of Melbourne's best-known venues, including Hanoi Hannah and Firebird. Now he's returning at the scale of a single site, in the same neighbourhood where his career began.

"I'm excited to bring this old heritage site back to life, and to create an environment that can be used or experienced however Melbourne wants," Blacher said. "I'm excited to be back running one venue in the neighbourhood where it all started."

Who's behind the concept?

Blacher isn't building Halo alone. He's partnered with Nick Vas and Greg Stanogias of Elia Greek Tavern, operators already established in Melbourne's Greek dining scene. Head Chef Evan Georgopoulos, formerly of Olympic Meats, rounds out the team.

That mix matters. Blacher brings the venue-building track record from Commune's portfolio; Vas and Stanogias bring Greek taverna operating experience; Georgopoulos brings a butcher's grounding in proteins and open-flame work.

What's on the menu?

The food program is built around three anchors: house-made pitas, seasonal mezze and open-flame cooking. That's a menu engineered for shareable plates and a fire-driven kitchen rather than à la carte precision — a format that keeps a small kitchen's output flexible across seasons.

The drinks list leans equally simple and thematic: a Kalamata martini, table wines poured in carafes and classic martinis. Carafe service points toward volume-driven wine sales at accessible price points, a tactic that lifts beverage margin per table without a deep bottle list.

Georgopoulos framed the kitchen philosophy in terms of generosity rather than technique. "Greek food has never been about precise technique or perfection, but rather an intense generosity coupled with a feel for ingredients and how to best work them," he said. "That kind of learning only comes with time, appreciation and ultimately love for who you're cooking for."

He added that his time at Olympic Meats reinforced his direction: "The approach at Halo will be mostly Greek, but ultimately just delicious food you want to eat on repeat."

What does this change for Melbourne's dining scene?

For Chapel Street, it means a long-vacant heritage site gets a new tenant from an operator with a proven record of destination venues. For Blacher, it marks a deliberate shift from multi-venue group leadership to hands-on ownership of one room — a path several high-profile Australian operators have taken after exiting founder roles.

The venue's arrival also adds another Greek-focused opening to a Melbourne market where the cuisine already has deep roots, backed this time by the combined credibility of Commune's co-founder and Elia's operators. Expect a firm opening date, and a read on whether the format lands, as summer approaches.