Stella Dikos was born in Trikala, Thessaly, Greece, in 1942, the daughter of a tailor and a beekeeper, and learned to cook from friends and family as a teenager. An arranged marriage brought her to the United States, where she joined her husband Stavros behind the line at his Village Cafe in the early 1960s, working traditional Greek dishes into a menu of American classics.
Her own restaurants followed: a first Stella's on Harrison Street in 1983, then a second iteration on Main Street in 1998 known for a more eclectic menu. The current Stella's, anchoring a corner on Lafayette Street since 2011, marked a return to straightforward Greek cooking. Stella herself is often on site from early morning into the afternoon, still preparing her own recipes.
The menu runs through moussaka, grilled octopus, pastichio, and Greek salad, with baklava for dessert, alongside dishes like braised pork shoulder guvetsi, feta phyllo, and a brown butter tria served with tzatziki, melitzanosalata, and taramosalata. Stella's own ingredients and prepared specialties are sold across the street at Stella's Grocery.
A second location opened in Charleston's Upper King neighborhood in 2017. Richmond Magazine named Stella's among the city's best in 2025.
Her own restaurants followed: a first Stella's on Harrison Street in 1983, then a second iteration on Main Street in 1998 known for a more eclectic menu. The current Stella's, anchoring a corner on Lafayette Street since 2011, marked a return to straightforward Greek cooking. Stella herself is often on site from early morning into the afternoon, still preparing her own recipes.
The menu runs through moussaka, grilled octopus, pastichio, and Greek salad, with baklava for dessert, alongside dishes like braised pork shoulder guvetsi, feta phyllo, and a brown butter tria served with tzatziki, melitzanosalata, and taramosalata. Stella's own ingredients and prepared specialties are sold across the street at Stella's Grocery.
A second location opened in Charleston's Upper King neighborhood in 2017. Richmond Magazine named Stella's among the city's best in 2025.