Since he first began cooking up delicious Greek street food from his van in December, 2019, Alexanter 'Alex' Stetos has worked non-stop to make his dream of having his own restaurant one day a reality. It was not until last year that he took time off for the first time in years to go on holiday to Greece, and now the hard-working chef has set up shop in the city centre, there are no signs of things slowing down anytime soon.
But ever since he trained to be a chef in Greece, this is what the father and business owner from Athens has always dreamed of. "I've always wanted my own restaurant ever since I went to culinary college. I wanted to follow my passion," said Alex.
The 40-year-old originally started his street food business, Greek Flavours by Alexanter, as a part-time earner while he worked as a cook at Singleton Hospital. But lockdown changed his plans when the food festivals and markets he planned to bring his van along to were all cancelled due to Covid restrictions. You can get more Swansea news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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Fortunately, this was just the beginning of Greek Flavours' explosive popularity. Just when hungry people stuck at home were missing eating out and wanted something tasty delivered to their front doors, Alex parked his food van outside his Manselton home and started delivering fresh, simple, Greek food such as gyros, moussaka and baklava across Swansea.
Despite cooking all the food from scratch from his small van with his wife Marta and delivering each takeaway himself, Alex soon became the best place to eat in Swansea according to TripAdvisor, thanks to glowing reviews from customers. Business was booming and it was less than a year later, in November, 2020, that Alex decided to open a takeaway shop in Brynhyfryd.
And earlier this month, Alex opened his new restaurant, Greek Flavours, in The Kingsway, Swansea, and is working with his wife and new staff to launch the restaurant as weekends are already being fully booked. Greek food, beer and coffee are served up with authentic music in a relaxed, casual setting. If it wasn't for the rain hitting the windows outside you could almost forget you are still in Wales as it feels like the type of family-run eatery you would happily stumble across on holiday after a day at the beach.
Alex first moved to Swansea from Athens to work as a chef at Las Iguanas and now his new business venture is walking-distance from the chain restaurant he said he was excited to show off his skills as a chef. "It makes you proud. It is what I always wanted for my business. I told managers at Las Iguanas that I was going to have my own restaurant one day. It feels great that the cuisine of your culture is recognisable and people like eating it."
The family have plans to expand their 40-seater restaurant with outdoor tables and a downstairs function room, Alex is as ambitious as ever and has high hopes for his new addition to Swansea's city centre food scene.
Greek Flavours is open seven days a week and booking is advised to avoid disappointment. Opening times are 9:30am-10pm Monday-Thursday and Sunday and 9:30am-10.30pm on Friday and Saturday. You can book a table by calling 01792 381143.
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