A new Greek restaurant run by a veteran chef and expert in Greek food will soon be opening in downtown Portland.
Alexandra Velis Jones is aiming to open her new restaurant, Souvlaki Queen, in May 2025 at 211 SW 6th Avenue. This location will serve specialty Greek food, with mainly bowls to choose from. Jones is no stranger to Greek food as her parents owned 27th St Grill, a Greek restaurant in the city.
Before starting this new restaurant, she went to culinary school in Utah and moved to Portland, working as a chef at the restaurant Meriwether’s, which recently closed down. She has wanted to open her own business for quite some time.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a lot of years,” Jones told What Now Portland.
As the name indicates, souvlaki will be a main dish, and souvlaki plates will be served with pork or chicken. With the main plate, two different sides can be chosen, including Greek potato salad, Greek Village salad, Greek salad, a lentil soup, as well as pita bread. Jones also makes spanakopita, which is spinach pie with feta, and the baklava pastry.
Jones said she was hoping to open her location by April 30, but as she needs to do more work on her kitchen she is now looking at a date in May. She wants to deliver a smaller menu with an “affordable price point.”
When Jones worked at Nong’s Khao Man Gai restaurant for five years, she learned how to craft a menu that was inclusive to many being served. She also hopes to fit into the city’s scene of representing different foods for different nationalities.
“I think what Portland’s about is providing quality and value that is inclusive to the masses,” Jones said.
