By Christina Savopoulos
Each new café or restaurant in Australia with a focus on Greek cuisine serves as a way to bring Australians closer to the rich tradition of homecooked meals from Greece. The latest addition is Ela café in Canberra.
28-year-old Theo Anousas is set to open Ela café in the coming weeks as part of the Hellenic Club of Canberra’s recent renovations at Woden.
The Hellenic Club Canberra is a place where Canberrans interested in Greek culture can connect, dine, and meet at the various social events the club runs. Its Woden venue is the perfect home for Ela, whose Greek cuisine complements the other bistros and cafés within the club.
Theo relocated to Canberra from the Greek island Kythera five years ago and has since shared his love of Greek food with his local Canberra community. He currently runs Mr Pasta, a popular pasta and pizza shop in Canberra, and previously co-owned Yiayia’s Bakery with his father, John. John ran a zaxaroplasteio (Greek cake shop) in Kythera for 25 years. Much of Theo’s love of cooking comes from being surrounded by his father’s baking and their family sweet shop.
Theo told The Greek Herald, “From young I was in the kitchen with him… All the recipes come from my yiayia to my father… Whatever we serve is traditional Greek food.”
Ela will be a family-run café, with Theo’s wife and his father also working alongside him in the kitchen. Theo is excited about how the Hellenic Club offers Ela the opportunity to cook all food fresh on site.
Speaking with Theo, it’s clear how connected his family and his love of food traditions are. Visitors to Ela can expect a warm, welcoming atmosphere that feels like a Greek home. Even its name ‘Ela’, meaning ‘come’ in Greek, automatically invites the community to enter the space.
The café will operate all day, serving Greek staples such as spanakopita, tiropita, frappés, and authentic Greek coffee. The carefully crafted menu features dishes from various regions of Greece. Notably, Theo is bringing the Kytherian feta drizzled with honey to the menu, alongside other island specialties. Once the sun goes down, Ela customers can indulge in loukoumades, baklava, cakes, and ice cream.
Theo envisages Ela as a place where Canberra locals can experience the traditional Greek kafeneio.
“I want people to have the experience of how we live in Greece on the islands, with the kafeneio and traditional things… How in the Greek kafeneio in the islands you can go have an ouzo and tsipouro and have your mezedes,” Theo said.
The Greek kafeneio dates back centuries and is still thriving today. Theo is most definitely playing his part to keep a connection to Greek coffee culture alive.
“Our mission is to do a traditional Greek kafeneio in a modern era,” Theo shared. “[A place] where you can still find your Greek coffee, and frappe and cake, your mezedes, your tsipouro, your ouzo, and everything.”
Traditional methods of cooking is what Theo hopes will set Ela apart from other Greek Australian cafes, creating a slice of Greece in Canberra.
Eager to share his new venture with the Canberra community, Theo wishes to build a bridge between island life and Australian coffee culture. With Theo and his father working at the café, their combined experience making and serving Greek food means Ela is sure to become the new go-to spot for Greek coffees in Canberra.
