(Image: Vios Cafe)
Thomas and Alexander Soukakos in 2015 — “Vios, which means life, became a hub of community and nurturing for families across Seattle as Soukakos raised his son, then two years old. Nearly two decades later, with his son off at college and opening contemporary Greek Omega Ouzeri, Soukakos is ready to turn the page and begin the next chapter of his culinary career.” (Image: CHS)
Another Capitol Hill institution is preparing to serve its final meals. 19th Ave E’s Vios Cafe will grill its “last souvlaki” on Friday, making a New Year’s Eve exit after 17 years in the neighborhood. The restaurant space will welcome an ambitious new food and drink project in the new year.
Like the coming closure of Cafe Presse on 12th Ave, the changes on 19th are part of the lifespan of a successful restaurant with small-scale ownership. Owner Thomas Soukakos is ready to simplify his business life — and travel.
“The downsizing of this upcoming chapter gives Soukakos more time to focus on culinary adventures both at home, and in Greece,” an announcement from Vios on the December 31st closure reads. “With future group excursions in the works, he hopes to continue to share his passion for the Greek cuisine with his customers; taking groups and leading wine and food tours in his native country.”
$5 A MONTH TO HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE
ππ£πΌπ·π±π³πΎπππ¦πππππ»Β
Subscribe to CHS to help us hire writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. CHS is a pay what you can community news site with no required sign-in or paywall. To stay that way, we need you.
Become a subscriber to help us cover the neighborhood for $5 a month -- or choose your level of support πΒ
Earlier this month, CHS reported on the planned early 2022 closure of Cafe Presse as its owners prepare for retirement and made the tough decision to sell. New Spanish tapas concept Maripili will open on 12th Ave next year.
For Soukakos, his Capitol Hill story will not come to an end. The veteran restaurateur will remain busy in the neighborhood. Those mourning the potential loss of the cafe’s classics from souvlaki to moussaka shouldn’t cry too hard. Sister restaurant Omega Ouzeri will continue on 14th Ave along with space for Vios Catering to continue. Soukakos opened there in 2015 with a more contemporary Greek menu.
Starting withΒ El Greco on Broadway in 1994, Soukakos’s life of food and drink on Capitol Hill has been full of both love and challenge. HeΒ opened Vios on 19th Ave E in 2004 after losing his wife andΒ El GrecoΒ partner CarolΒ to postpartum depression. Soukakos later remarried and his family continued to build the cafe into a comforting center of this quieter corner of Capitol Hill where the play area was busy with families wrestling toddlers and pita bread and the community, as Vios put it, “celebrated many a baptism, first and eighty-first birthdays, weddings, Celebrations of Life, and everything in between.”
In the 17 years since opening, Vios has seen 19th Ave E slowly wake up from years of sleepiness with new development and new restaurants. Zeeks Pizza opened in 2018 in new construction on the northwest corner of 19th and Mercer.Β Across 19th Ave E,Β Rocket TacoΒ opened earlier that yearΒ in the formerΒ Kingfish Cafe. That busy year also brought new life to the corner of 19th and Aloha where Macrina opened its first Capitol Hill location. 19th Ave E also features sweets and treats atΒ Hello RobinΒ and itsΒ Molly MoonβsΒ window, coffee atΒ Fuel, and a neighborhood grocery atΒ Cone and Steiner. Meanwhile, Monsoon marked 20 years on the street in 2019.
Despite the growth, financial realities also shaped Vios as it streamlined in recent years after expanding, and an unsuccessful attempt to sell the business in 2018. After shifting into pandemic survival mode through the COVID-19 crisis — and all the while continuing to keep the baklava coming — now Thomas and Rebecca Soukakos have their buyers and a new chapter in their lives can begin.
A new restaurant is set to reshape the Vios space. A group of up and coming chefs and owners is ready to take over with a new restaurant and bar combining the culinary superpowers of Khampaeng “KP” Panyathong, owner of Taurus Ox on E Madison, Joe and Lucy Ye of Hangry Panda in Greenwood, and Christopher Morgan of the Expat Supper Club pop-ups. The new Asian-flavored TacoOx will take over at 19th and Aloha in January with plans to open adjacent bar Money Frog by March.
What to expect? Something new and delicious. CHS reported here on the late 2019 opening of Taurus Ox on E Madison with a menu of Laotian dishes and Pacific Northwest influences. Hangry Panda boasts “Gluten Free Fried Chicken, Teriyaki, and Bubble Tea” from its teeny tiny Aurora Ave kitchen and counter space, while Morgan’s Xpat Supper Club has made its name with pop-ups featuring “Asian American” food and cocktails at venues including Capitol Hill’s Rose Temple.
We’ll have more about the new joint at 903 19th Ave E soon. For now, you have a few more days to say goodbye to Vios.
$5 A MONTH TO HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE
ππ£πΌπ·π±π³πΎπππ¦πππππ»Β
Subscribe to CHS to help us hire writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. CHS is a pay what you can community news site with no required sign-in or paywall. To stay that way, we need you.
Become a subscriber to help us cover the neighborhood for $5 a month -- or choose your level of support πΒ
Money Frog sounds like a payday loan store
I thought the exact same thing!
Get you some asian studies!
Love Vios. Best of luck.
I’m really sad to lose Vios. Glad Omega Ouzeri is still around for awesome Greek food around the corner. Best to Thomas and family, always!
Curated foodie travel to Greece? Is there a signup link?
I will miss Vios. But combining the powers of the Hangry Panda and Taurus Ox teams makes me very excited for the future of dining on 19th. And a new bar? Even better.
Thank you for all the excellent meals and warm setting and people. Looking forward to meals at Omega!