stella's

first time for my wife and i, the ambiance was really nice. we did not have a reservation, however, we arrived just after 6pm and were seated promptly. the hostess was very courteous, and ourtablewas very nice. the restaurant was busy for a monday, but it is the holiday dinner season. ben was our waiter and he was attentive, yet unobtrusive, and didn't make a scene when i butchered the menu pronunciations. we ordered several small plates (oyster special, lamb frites, and dolmades) and were delighted by all. my wife had the mousaka and i had the grouper entree for dinner, both were excellent. we finished with some gelato and coffee and could not be happier with our dinner experience. we will recommend and return!

hidden gem. they have this awesome communitytableso you get to know new folks which is so fun!! the small plates are perfectly portioned. so many amazing flavors in every bite. the calamari stella is oh so tasty!!! definitely a close runner up for my top restaurants in rva.

nasty staff and manager. one a scale from 1-5 (5 being the best) here are my thoughts from this weekend's reservation.
1. ( rating 1) our party arrived at 5:00 p.m. at varying times. only by 5-10 minutes. there were 6 of us...and only 1 was left. they would not seat us until the 6th had arrived and the manager knew the 6th was on the way and running a couple of minutes late. rude!
2. (rating 1) the waiter (who we later found out was the manager) was unfriendly, pissy and condescending - oh and did i mention "humorless?" (he was going to have an attitude with atablefull of nice customers over 50 when he had to read his notes?)
3. (food 4.5) all of the food was really good, except a bowl of soup (which was one of the party's main dish; was an unappetizing size of a pig's trough, not what was described on the menu; lukewarm; and looked like gloppy rice pudding).
4. (rating 1) when the party politely and unobtrusively tried to mention that the soup was not up to par, the waiter, said "it was" and "did she want it boxed up?" when she said "no thank you" he asked anyone at thetableif they would like it boxed up to which all parties (who had tried the soup and hated it) said "no thank you, we didn't care for it either." the waiter did not try to make the situation right. he did not say he was sorry, could he get her something else, nothing!!!
5. (rating 1) when the bill came, the woman had been charged for the $8.00 soup. she politely told the waiter she thought there had been an error because the soup was still on the bill, to which he replied "no that is right. it was exactly what was on the menu. he said they couldn't serve it to anyone else, and that was their policy. there was nothing he could do." when asked if maybe she could speak to the manager, the waiter replied with a condescending tone "i am the manager." he then proceeded to tell her that the soup is wonderful and in his condescending tone, made her feel embarrassed and spoiled. thetablewas embarrassed for his behavior.

okay...the soup was $8.00. the woman had ordered other food for herself and the table. going to stella's was her idea for her out of town guests, and money was not the problem. $8.00 was fine. she paid it. however, the lack of an attempt to make the situation right. the lack of personality, care and attention to keeping the customer happy were not present. what should have been a fun evening - was soured by this one waiter/manager. he was nasty and should not be a waiter, let alone a manager.

suffice it to say, no one from thetablewill ever go back to stella's. overall rating = 2

love!. i've been to stella's three times now and it just gets better and better. twice i went with a larger sized group of family and family friends, and though it was difficult to converse with those further down thetabledue to noise, we had a fantastic time. honestly, i don't know of anywhere you can go with a group of about 8-10 and have a conversation with everyone. the third time i went was for brunch and the atmosphere was definitely different (less crowded, more quiet), but still very fun and a good experience.

the first time i went, i ordered from the meze (tapas) menu and loved trying all of the different items. i can't even remember everything i had, just that it was all good...the feta phyllo with honey, greek meatballs, flaming cheese! the second time i went i had the black kale salad and the classic #5 pasta. the black kale salad--amazing. just great. the #5 pasta was good but really huge. it took me days to finish it.

when we went for brunch, we went with a medium size group of family members to announce our engagement...so it was a special occasion. i had some sort of bean and egg hash, which was good, and mimosas all around. it was a sunny day and proved that the restaurant is a lovely place to sit, dine, and visit day or night. definitely a favorite.

had to wait 20 minutes for atablefor 2 even with a reservation. noise level borders on the intolerable and the place is very crowded. definitely not a relaxing dining experience. some of the meze are overpriced. that said, the food is very good...and i guess that's what it comes down to!!

everyone in restaurant club really enjoyed stella's. it is a cool place to go that is out of the way, and it's much more relaxed than alot of places in the fan or carytown. it just seemed more homey and welcoming. here's a great example: stella's has a long communaltablein the middle of the restaurant where they sit random groups together side by side, no space in between, just like at burger bach. at burger bach i found this annoying and pretentious ... at stella's i found it enchanting. if that feeling speaks to you, you should definitely give stella's a try.

as a new giavos spot, i had high expectations. i had a 9:15 reservation on a friday night, arrived around 9:10. i waited at the bar for about 10 minutes enjoying an ice cold stella draft (the only thing on tap) until ourtablewas ready. the atmosphere is nice and fun, yet slightly elegant at the same time. the two tops are a bit close, so don't expect to have a private conversation. our waiter was one of the best and most informative ive ever had. he was extremely friendly and very helpful with deciding what to order. (the hostess was also very friendly, and helped me get to know the neighborhood cat). we ordered calamari - fried. it was very well prepared and flavored, and the dipping sauce was different and good. for our entree we split the top item on the menu, on the page that has the 4 items made personally by stella(?) each day- pastichio 14. it was delicious, rich with creamy cheese and a perfect size. the fat noodles were melt in your mouth tender, and the beef has excellent flavor. the last item on that page, the #5, is gigantic- enough for 3 people to split. grab a few apps and split that for a great meal. all of giavos' restaurants have great atomspheres... so you can't count on that. what made experience great was the excellent service and well prepared food. oh, and the neighborhood cat hanging around outside was friendly too!

mixed review. this is not a place for a party of 10 that wants to carry on a conversation. tables are too long and narrow and the noise level must violate every code provision for same in the city. a 7:00 reservation was finally honored at 7:35, due mainly to a foursome who lingered over coffee 30 minutes after they paid their bill and the need to have thattablejoin the vacant six-top. having said that, the food was very good and the service was excellent. a nice, casual place for 4 or 6 people but that would be the limit if you want to hear yourself think!