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Fan favorite Athens Tavern is back in its original family ownership, and reopens this spring. (Photo by Stephanie Breijo)
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Photo by Stephanie Breijo
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Many of the restaurant's original Greek oil paintings hang on the wall once more. (Photo by Stephanie Breijo)
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Photo by Stephanie Breijo
It all started in March of 1981, when Josephine Flemotomos' parents opened Athens Tavern, one of the first traditional Greek restaurants in Richmond. "The Fan area back then was not what it was today, so we had a lot of people come around from other areas to support us because other people were not doing what we were," Flemotomos remembers.
As a little girl, she lived in the apartment above the restaurant, and would help her mother in any way she could. “I grew up there,” she says. “I would hang in the kitchen and cook all the time to be with my mom. I did a lot for that restaurant.”
The restaurant changed hands in 2002, and the little Greek spot at 401 N. Robinson St. closed in the fall of 2014. In 2009, Flemotomos and her husband, Spiros, opened Gus' Bar & Grill: a Fan sports bar featuring Greek cuisine just a few blocks away on Broad Street. The sports bar's success allowed the pair to fund the reopening of Athens Tavern, and now, it's only weeks away. “We're on our last obstacles before unlocking the doors for customers,” Flemotomos says, hoping she'll reopen the restaurant this by the end of this month. "For it to not remain in the family kind of dishonored what was established there for so long. ... It was very close to my parents' heart," she says. "For my husband and I to reopen it is a real honor."
While much of the space remains as it was, they've enhanced the beauty with renovations such as updating the restrooms, completely overhauling the kitchen equipment and moving the entrance of the bar. The pair even plans to keep all of the restaurant's original artwork on the walls.
“I'm excited for it to open ... it can't happen soon enough,” Flemotomos says. “It's going to be very traditional Greek, with a small menu.”
Expect moussaka, calamari, pastitsio and other traditional Greek fare, similar, Flemotomos says, to what you'd find at her own mother's table. Athens Tavern will offer dinner only, adding carryout service later.
For Flemotomos, the business is a family affair. Her brother, Johnny Giavos, owns several restaurants in Richmond including Stella's, Sidewalk Cafe, Kitchen 64, Kuba Kuba and The Continental Westhampton. Although the kalamata olives and filo dough are imported straight from Greece, it's not only the gourmet food that keeps regulars coming back to these siblings' spots; it's the atmosphere.
“Philotimo,” Flemotomos says. “It's Greek for 'the respect of people and love for friendship.' A pure love for friends.” This, to Flemotomos, is what sets her and her brother's restaurants apart from the rest.
“There is a very strong work ethic amongst us, but we want to connect with our customers,” she says. “It's not just about business. It's about making friends and becoming family.”
Athens Tavern is located at 401 N. Robinson St., and is set to reopen this spring with dinner service Tuesday through Sunday. Visit the restaurant's Facebook page for updates and an opening announcement.
