Stefanos Oungrinis and Demetri Tsolakis
Xenia Greek Hospitality | Boston
JULY 2024
In his hometown of Thessaloniki, Greece, Stefanos Oungrinis worked as a nurse, but after four years in hospitals, he turned from one kind of hospitality to another. Looking for a new way to connect and communicate with others, Oungrinis started as a barback and then worked as a bartender, slinging cocktails on the southern islands of Mykonos and Syros. Eager to learn about other cultures and have new experiences, he moved to Boston. While out to dinner one night, he struck up a conversation with the restaurant’s manager, Demetri Tsolakis, and the two became fast friends.
Originally from Connecticut, Tsolakis spent his childhood helping out at his parents’ Greek restaurants. He moved to Boston in 2001 for college and found it difficult to find Greek food that reminded him of home. So, Tsolakis set out to bring more Greek food to Boston. He began working in restaurants on the operational side over the next few years, until finally opening the Seaport Mediterranean spot Committee Ouzeri + Bar in 2015 as managing partner.
Oungrinis joined the opening team at Committee as a bartender, but the duo was looking to open something together. They wanted a restaurant that provided not only authentic Greek food, but also promoted aesthetics that went beyond stereotypical images of the Parthenon. Drawing from the street food of their childhoods, the duo opened their fast-casual gyro concept, Greco Truly Greek, in 2017. Next, came their wine bar, Krasi, in 2020, which boasts the largest list of Greek wine in the country. In 2022, they opened moody cocktail bar Hecate, with a menu inspired by Greek mythology. And, a year later, they opened their sit-down restaurant Bar Vlaha, showcasing the food and culture of the nomadic Vlach people. Now, with five locations of Greco across Boston, a location in Washington D.C. with another one on the way, and a seafood-forward concept in the works, Tsolakis and Oungrinis are steadfast in their goal of sharing honest, approachable Greek food, and unflinching hospitality that makes you feel at home.
