In the alleyway behind the Royal Bank building on Douglas and Fort Street, Victoria's residents of the 80's learned that Souvlaki and Spanakopita could be addictive and they loved it. The delicious Greek specialties were created by the Vassiliadis family then... and still are today.

The founder of Eugene's Greek Restaurant, Evgeni (Eugene) Vassiliadis arrived in Victoria from his home in the bustling port of Piraeus (outside of Athens) with wife Paschalina (Lina) and two young sons, Elefterios (Terry) and Pantelis (Lee) in November 1974. Only nine-year-old Terry understood English and was able to help other family members to settle in.

From the very beginning Eugene had a vision to open a traditional Greek Souvlaki Snack Bar in Victoria. However, having arrived in Victoria with only 2 suitcases and a trunk, Eugene began working as a brick-layer, his trade in Greece, in order to support his young family.

To supplement the family's income, Eugene began working in local Greek restaurants by night and took what construction jobs he could during the day. He quickly became head chef of a local Greek Restaurant and soon Lina—an excellent cook herself—joined him. They worked side-by-side until Eugene got a great job offer in Edmonton and for a year he worked there, returning to see the family only once a month.

Eventually, the whole family decided Victoria was the place for them. Lina, encouraging Eugene to open a souvlaki snack bar, found their first location in the alleyway of the Royal Bank Building on Douglas and Fort Street. They opened their doors November 24th, 1979. Victorians slowly came to know how wonderful Greek souvlaki could be and with lines getting longer and longer a second Eugene's opened in May 1986 at 1280 Broad Street.

Today, sons Lee and Terry run the operations and Eugene and Lina oversee from the background while enjoying their retirement, and customers of Victoria continue to enjoy the same wonderful home-made recipes that Eugene and Lina first served in 1979

SILK ROAD is located in Victoria's historical Chinatown. We import and blend the world's finest organic teas and love sharing our passion for tea and tea culture. As a local, Victoria based company, we are proud to partner with Fairway Market - another locally owned and operated business.

Since 1992 SILK ROAD has received local, national and international acclaim for organic, locally made, exceptional teas and tea blends. Select botanicals from around the world, as well as the West Coast, are carefully and prepared to yield a superb tea experience. We are also an industry leader in sustainability, paving the way as an eco-friendly tea purveyor

SILK ROAD is owned by a Tea Master who trained with Chinese and Taiwanese Tea Masters and Herbalist. Over the course of 20 years in the industry, she has become one of North America's foremost tea experts.

Award include: Vancouver Island's Best Tea Purveyor, Eat Magazine, Canada's Best Organic Spa, Glow Magazine, Critic's Pick Best Tea in Victoria & Vancouver Island, Times Colonist.