Vios Café & Marketplace

Occasionally you find a restaurant where everyone feels welcome, at home, and understood. Vios on Capitol Hill with its casual wood tables, addictive Greek food, and separate children's play area, is such a place—right for families, couples, friends.

Owner Thomas Soukakos (at right) encourages everyone to use Vios "as their own place." He knows life (vios): real life where things don't always go right. "People need a little help. They need to know we care about them. Especially people with new families. They can come here, be understood and relax. We prefer not to be the kind of place where a guest orders, eats, and leaves. We can do that, but we'd rather that people be engaged when they're here. I think we've accomplished that. You can feel the energy this place has. People recognize what's different here."

Since opening in 2004 as a breakfast spot, they've responded to customers' needs. They now offer lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. "With a young son at home, I didn't want to work evenings, but people wanted to be able to come in or stay later. So we added dinner. We moved crates out and added more tables." They had communal tables, but have gone smaller. "It's probably been my biggest challenge here. We are here for families, and we're also an adult restaurant. It's a delicate balance. In April, we added some booths, and hung window panes from the ceiling to give a feel of separation. I don't want to put in a full wall—I'm like a crab, moving sideways, slowly," he laughs. "We can still rearrange things, make larger tables, and have it work for everyone."

This change also allows them to do smaller private parties. "We've always offered a buy-out for parties, but many don't need the whole restaurant. The same care and understanding people feel at the restaurant follows them home with our take-out food and to other venues with our catering. We want to take the pressure off people. I work out the details with them early and tell them not to talk to me for 2-3 weeks before their event. They should be focused on their day. We often send platters home with the hosts because you always hear that they didn't get to eat at their own party!" They've begun hosting monthly charity nights, donating 20% of their proceeds from the day to a local charity. "My mom loved proverbs. I used to tell her to stop, but now I've written them down for my son Alexander. I believe that one hand washes the other."

A second Vios location opened in December 2008 inside Third Place Books in Ravenna. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch are available. In addition, The Pub at Third Place is located below the café and has 18 different taps of local and international beer.

The food knowledge and supportive environment Thomas provides is an outgrowth of his experiences. He grew up in a city atmosphere in Pireas, the port of Athens, and a village environment in Sparta. His grandfather was a farmer and wine grape grower. At 15, Thomas went to work on ships, first on the small ferries that went from Greece to Italy, then on big cruise ships for 12 years, plus three years in the Army. He worked all positions: dishwasher, cleaner, server, bartender, assistant maître d', maître d'. "I went from a village to wearing a tuxedo every night," he says. When he was 26, his boat was purchased and moved to Los Angeles. At 28, he left the ship and worked for eight years in LA in fine dining and restaurants/private clubs in Beverly Hills as both a server and cook. Having enough of "the big life," he decided to return to Greece. But first he had to sell a house he'd purchased in Seattle.

It was 1994 and not a good market to sell, so he stayed and opened El Greco on Broadway. In 2002, he sold the restaurant to a friend and returned to Greece for three months. Deciding to come back to Seattle, he wanted to open another restaurant, something similar to El Greco, but bringing his knowledge, experience, and cultural awareness from yearly trips to Greece. He didn't want to be part of the noise on Broadway and had actually looked at this current spot previously, liking it for a neighborhood restaurant. Friends and former employees helped him get the space in shape. "It was what I wanted—making good food and a living, and being part of a community. Vios gave me all I imagined and a little bit more." Many staff members have been with him for years and former bussers are now in college.

Vios has an expanded market as of April 2012 with items like Greek olive oils, honeys, mustards and balsamic vinegars. "I want people to try the ingredients we use. It helps define what we're about and reminds them of the good experiences they have here. We offer specialty products that are all Thomas/Vios-proven!" Take-out items include salads, dips, entrees, desserts.

With their recent changes (the addition of brunch, physical changes creating a more welcoming environment to all, the expanded market) added to their delicious food and take out counter, Vios will continue to offer the Capitol Hill and larger community just what we all need.

Connie Adams/June 2012