Bellevue native, Chris Balouris and his family, teamed up to bring their heritage to life by opening EVIA, an authentic Greek restaurant in Pittsburgh’s Bellevue neighborhood.
EVIA, located at 546 Lincoln Avenue, offers the Pittsburgh food scene authentic Greek cuisine that’s made with seasonal, fresh, and local ingredients. Guests are able to order Greek staples such as Dolmades, Pastitsio or Spanakopita, as well as authentic Greek dishes and specials that can’t be found anywhere else in the city.
“Our goal is to transport Pittsburghers to a taverna in Greece,” said Balouris. “We’re keeping our menu simple yet unique and infusing elements of the Meditteranean Diet with classic Greek comfort food to deliver authentic, regional dishes that Greeks know and love to our neighbors in Bellevue. Our menu is based on family recipes that have been passed down over generations.”
Some of the menu offerings include Halloumi Fries, authentic pork hand-stacked yeeros, Avgolemono, a traditional egg and lemon soup with orzo.
“We know Greek food,” said Balouris. “We travel to Greece every year to visit our relatives and our trips will help us keep our thumb on the pulse of what’s on the market and bring that influence back to our restaurant. We also own Salonika Imports in Lawrenceville, which we import food directly from Greece. All of these Greek products, such as olive oil, olives, feta, pasta, are being used at EVIA. EVIA is Greek comfort food at its best.”
Balouris is no stranger to the restaurant industry as his family owned and operated the Bellevue Restaurant from 1957 until 1995.
Their story serves as the inspiration behind the name of the restaurant, as EVIA is an island in Greece where his family came from to live out their American dream.
As the Bellevue restaurant scene continues to grow and thrive, Balouris and family are excited to bring their love and passion for food to their ever-evolving childhood neighborhood where they became lifelong friends.