Rich history
Ready folks? This story might get hectic. Back in 1971, Margarita and Nick Vlavianos opened Expresso International Restaurant on West Main. They followed that up with The Italian Villa, which they sold in 2004 to new owners, who renamed it The Villa five years later.
Meanwhile, Margarita and Nick came out of retirement in Greece to take over Sam’s Kitchen, which they renamed the Cavalier Diner. In 2010, they handed the reins to their daughter, Risty Vlavianos, who’s been running the restaurant since.
Now, the Vlavianos are coming out of retirement again, this time taking over Aunt Sarah’s Pancake House on Pantops. Their new restaurant, which they’ve renamed Expresso Italian Restaurant & Pancake House, will offer many dishes from the menu at the couple’s original restaurant, minus pizza. Whew!
Box in
They grow up so fast, don’t they? Roving eatery The Lunchbox, from Daniel Heilberg and Josef Young, is expanding. Not the 18’x8′ trailer, mind you, but the business itself. The Charlottesville natives recently nabbed a parking spot between KFC and Raising Cane’s on Emmet Street, where they’ll be open Monday-Friday 11am-2pm.
But that’s not all. They plan to take over the former El Paso Grocery Store space at the corner of Market Street and Meade Avenue. The partners hope to be open in July.
