Leena’s vets bring their dining ‘brand’ to Terrace

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE

In a city known for its dearth of independent sit-down restaurants, word of a new family-style eatery is news.

Lynnwood residents Bill and Voula Athan, Greek immigrants who arrived in the Seattle area in 1966, are veteran restaurateurs who ran Leena’s Café in Shoreline until last summer, when their middle son, Nick took it over.

The first week of May, they’ll open Voula’s Good Eats in the Cascade shopping center at 4306 228th St. S.W.

Voula and Bill ran Val’s Café in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood for many years, used to have an Edmonds restaurant called Edmonds Café and owned Mr T’s on Aurora Avenue North.

“We selected Voula’s Goodies because she’s kind of had a cult following,” said youngest son Stanley, 36, who’ll run the new, 3,400 square foot restaurant with eldest brother Dimitri.

“We elected to use mom’s name because so many people know her name.”

Leena’s developed a reputation for its down home cooking and customers should expect more of the same from Voula’s, Stanley Athan said. As does Leena’s, Voula’s will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner. Unlike Leena’s, it’ll have egg scrambles in addition to the usual omelets and other breakfast offerings.

“We’re going to have breakfast, lunch and dinner specials every day,” said Voula.

Leena’s menu offered Bill’s favorite sandwich and Voula’s will have that on the menu, too. The new restaurant also will feature Bill’s special sirloin tips over noodles along with Greek standbys like tzatziki sauce, gyros, baklava, and pita in Skordalia, a garlic sauce.

Their new restaurant is on the north end of the shopping center off 44th Avenue West. It replaces the former site of Romio’s Pizza, which has relocated to a site along 56th Avenue West.

“Mom knew me and (Dimitri) wanted to get into the business, so this is what we’ll do,” Stanley Athan said. “They said ‘you and the oldest brother can kind of run the place when we take a break.’”

The Athans say they like the new location in part because wait staff have a good view of the entire restaurant. The site features a fireplace in the center of the restaurant, skylights inherited from Romio’s and an outdoor brick porch.

Stanley Athan said the family noticed there weren’t many sit-down style restaurants in the city, so they approached City Hall and received a very warm response.

“Let me tell you, I can’t wait, I just cannot wait,” Voula said.