Coliseum Steak & Pizza

Chris Varvis of Coliseum Steak and Pizza has seen a lot of history on Alberta Avenue.    Chris immigrated to Edmonton from Greece in 1950.  He didn’t speak English when he arrived.  He started out as a janitor at the Shasta restaurant in downtown Edmonton.  He volunteered in his off hours, learning to cook, and saved his money and dreamed of owning his own restaurant one day.  In the spring of 1957 that dream came true.  Chris, his brother Peter, and two other partners bought the Night and Day restaurant and started the family business.    Then, when Chris learned the Coliseum was going in, he made the most of the opportunity and opened a new place on Alberta Avenue and named it Coliseum Steak and Pizza.

Chris’s family, daughter Dimitra Scordas, and son, Bill Varvis, along with his brother Peter, handle most of the day to day business operations at the restaurant, along with managing around 50 employees, but Chris, who is now 93, and Peter are still involved in the business.

Coliseum Steak and Pizza specializes in great food and great service at a reasonable price.  Chris has seen Alberta Avenue revitalized a few different times in his 50 plus years on the Avenue, and he likes the changes he’s seeing now, particularly what’s being done to improve the store fronts and sidewalks.   The Varvis’s have maintained their great faith in the Avenue over these many years.

(Pictured above are: Peter Varvis, Bill Varvis, Chris Varvis, and Dimitra Scordas.)