Kalypso's Tavern Takes Over Lake Anne Location

In the years before the Reston Town Center – fine dining in Reston could usually be summed up in about two words: Il Cigno.  The venerable Italian restaurant, occupied the largest spot at not to mention the best patio space. The restaurant hosted business lunches,  company parties, family celebrations and intimate dinners for years.

But stiff competition from its flashier neighbor and a change in management did not bode well for the Reston classic, and it closed its doors about five years ago.

Soon after, the corner space with the direct view of the Lake Anne fountain was reborn as the Tavern on the Lake, serving eclectic bar food and tapas. However, its lights went out in 2008, as the restaurant was not immune to the economic downturn.

And then…  silence. The space that had bustled for so long stood empty, the patio once filled with tables, chairs and diners was just another expanse of concrete. Until the day, about 18 months later, when Vicky Hadjikyriakou (pronounce it Ha-GEE-Kee-Ree-AH-Koo) saw an intriguing listing in a commercial real estate publication.

"It said 'restaurant by the lake,'" said Hadjikyriakou, a lifelong veteran of the restaurant business and a Centreville resident. "I thought, 'where is there a restaurant by the lake in Reston'?  "

She jumped into her car, and despite the fact that her GPS system directed her to the wrong side of Lake Anne, soon emerged onto the plaza. She fell promptly in love.

"It was exactly what I was looking for," Hadjikyriakou said. "What a beautiful place."

In early July, it became more beautiful as the expanse of concrete filled up with tables, chairs and diners once again. Every Thursday through the weekend, the sound of live music mingles with the conversations of the patrons. Hadjikyriakou and her husband, George, are running featuring Mediterranean food – Greek to reflect their heritage, but many Italian specialties as well.

Vicky Hadjikyriakou learned the restaurant business from her father, who had a Greek and Italian restaurant in Alexandria for many years, and honed it working in other family restaurants. True to her tradition, her daughter, a student at the University of Virginia, is waitressing at Kalypso's until she returns to Charlottesville. Her son, a budding artist, designed Kalypso's logo and signs, and her cousin, a chef from Seattle, is "here for a few months to help us get started."

The restaurant calls itself "sports tavern," but the name represents only a part of the space. In addition to its large outside presence, the inside is split into a modern family restaurant of silver, blue and white and a paneled sports bar with 10 TVs. But a large glass wall (with a door that can open for parties) completely separates the two, allowing for two different experiences.

Even more interesting is the first part of the restaurant's name – Kalypso's.  The Hadjikyriakous are glad you asked, as they enjoy serving up a side of mythology with the tzatiki (Greek yogurt dip) and tiropetes (cheese fillo triangles) Vicky's father taught her to make.

"The name Kalypso means hidden," Vicky Hadjikyriakou said. "We never knew this place existed – it was hidden to us. Kalypso was the daughter of Atlas who waylaid Odysseus on his way back from Troy. She kept him for seven years…  We didn't want to settle for just naming it 'Vicky and George's.' We wanted something different."