Family, country and history collide at Selene Aegean Bistro

Brothers Yianni Kerasiotis and Petro Kerasiotis are becoming Vancouver’s princes of vibe. 

The duo’s restaurants are places to see and be seen: the cozy, just-walked-into-your-Greek-grandmother’s-house Nammos Estiatorio; the sexy, lively, dimly-lit Ama Raw Bar (stay tuned for an upcoming story on that one); the immersive indoor-outdoor Santorini feel of Loula’s Taverna; and, most recently, the airy, whimsical, coastal aesthetic at Selene Aegean Bistro. 

Each one is decidedly different, but together they represent a whole picture, a whole vision: serving delicious, authentic food in rooms that are equally as memorable—if not more so—as the menus.

With Selene, which opened in Hastings-Sunrise last October, the Kerasiotis brothers decided to explore a different part of their heritage.

“We wanted to do something a little bit different, touching on the Aegean side of Greece,” says Yianni. “It’s got a little bit of Turkish influence, a little bit of Cretan Greek influence.”

They come from a robust line of restaurant and nightlife entrepreneurs, including their late father and uncles, who opened Olympia Pizza, Venue, and Caprice (among others), and their cousins, who run Sopra Sotto. It’s almost as if their own ventures are an amalgamation of their family’s work, combining delicious, approachable food with the fun atmosphere of a bar.

“Learning from Loula’s, and with Selene in the works, the design was pretty important,” Yianni says, adding that they hired &Daughters, who also worked on Ama, to create the look and feel. “I think nowadays design is quite important to people. They enjoy going somewhere they feel is nice and visually aesthetic, and where they can enjoy themselves.”

The space is a breath of fresh air, made to feel like you’re sitting outside on a breezy oceanfront patio even on the dreariest of Vancouver days. The white walls are dotted with playful blue line-paintings depicting adorable sea motifs, and the high ceilings make it feel big and expansive. 

There are little details, too, such as the cloth napkins, which are held together with custom-made silver holders in the cursive of the restaurant’s name. The exterior, with its curved doorway and Mediterranean-style stairs, was actually already there: it was protected as a heritage building and couldn’t be changed. Lucky for the brothers, it matched their vision for Selene perfectly.

“The goal was to be coastal, touching on the Aegean Sea and being very minimal,” says Yianni. “No crazy colours, but instead having it all blend in. The chairs are wood. We have some gray stone in there. All the walls are white. It’s like you’re by the sea.”

And while Nammos and Loula’s skew a little more classic in terms of menu, Selene is the rebellious little sibling. Greek influences abound, but they come with fresh and inventive twists courtesy of co-head chefs Adrian Nate and Arish Dastoor.

For brunch, which just launched in April of this year, that means one of the city’s best versions of eggs on toast (called Strapatsada Toast), with soft-scrambled eggs, barrel-aged goat feta, and sun-dried tomatoes on toasted sourdough. Creamy, a little tangy, altogether addicting.

Or there’s Selene’s play on steak and eggs (Yianni’s favourite dish on the brunch menu), which in this case means perfectly cooked slices of ribeye, soft-boiled egg, hummus, and pine nuts. Shakshuka is given the Selene twist with barrel-aged feta, green olive focaccia, and tirokafteri (a spicy Greek feta dip with chili and roasted red peppers).

“The concept was to be Greek, but to put a bit more of a twist on things,” explains Yianni. “Whereas Nammos serves traditional Greek food like chicken souvlaki, moussaka, Greek salads, spanokopita, all the stuff you would see in Greece, with Celine, we pivoted and went a bit bit more Aegean—meaning Turkish spices and things like that, as well as having the chefs put their modern twist on that Greek cuisine.”

When it comes to dinner, the best example of Selene’s vision might be the Oyster Mushroom Souvlaki, which sees the mushrooms grilled and skewered like chicken or lamb would traditionally be. It’s served slightly charred and perfectly spiced, alongside tarragon vinegar, housemade pickles, and walnut skordalia (a Greek garlic and potato dip). It’s not just a good vegetarian dish—it’s a good dish, period.