New Restaurant Alert: Souvla in San Francisco - Remodelista
Photography by Meredith Swinehart. When the proprietors of new SF restaurant Souvla contacted us recently, we were happy to learn 1) that owner and designer Charles Bililies is a Remodelista devotee (he found inspiration for his design on RM), and 2) that the food is inspired by the simple, rustic cuisine of the Greek islands. Souvla is located in SF’s Hayes Valley neighborhood. The outdoor seating arrangement is still being tweaked, but at least a few seats will be outdoors next to the olive trees. On his research trip to Greece, Bililies saw wine served in traditional copper carafes and adopted the practice at Souvla. Keeping the gods happy: two Restoration Hardware stools at the back counter are honorarily “reserved” for Bililies’ lawyers. Olive branches displayed in a modern vase show off Souvla’s barely-gray take on the traditional blue-and-white Greek color scheme. Paper coffee cups waiting to be filled with Greek frozen yogurt to go. The Souvla menu is short and well-priced: main courses are available as salads or sandwiches, wrapped in Souvla’s housemade, daily-baked pita. Bililies chose oak flooring for his wood countertop surfaces for its durability. Greek hospitality is in Bililies’ blood: his grandfather ran a Greek diner in Boston 50 years ago. Vertical surfaces sport Carrara marble penny tile and custom copper edging. Greek memorabilia in the bathroom includes photos, notes, and antiques. (Pelka called it the “original sobriety test.”) A communal dining table sits beneath a photograph by Nikos Economopoulos, taken in Alexandroupoli in the early 1990s. Food is served in enamelware. The white pendant lights are from Crate & Barrel.