Stella's Grocery is opening in the Museum District. Basically.
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The Commonwealth Cafe at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. Photo: Courtesy of the museum
Stella's Grocery has taken over the cafe inside the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, the museum announced Monday.
Why it matters: The collaboration brings many of the offerings from the beloved neighborhood market to the Museum District, and just a block outside of the Fan.
State of play: The Commonwealth Cafe, as it's dubbed, is now open inside the VMHC and serving up Stella's Grocery staples (hello, Greek salads and hummus), alongside a coffee bar.
- Plus, inside the cafe, there's a "tribute to the late Stella Dikos," the foodie matriarch of the Giavos family's restaurants, which include Sidewalk Cafe, Kuba Kuba, The Continental and, of course, Stella's.
- The tribute includes some of Stella's "cherished objects, including her handwritten recipe card and her mortar and pestle," Constantine Giavos, her grandson and the family business' creative director, wrote on Instagram.
On the menu: Grab-and-go prepared food, including salads, sandwiches, soup and dessert, wine and beer, plus Baltik's Bagels, Flour Garden Bakery items and Nightingale ice cream sandwiches.
- The cafe is open daily, 10am-5pm.
What's next: Stella's story, her journey from a young bride in Greece to becoming the matriarch of Richmond restaurant royalty, will be included in VMHC's next big exhibition in honor of America's 250th anniversary, "We The People."
- "We The People" opens March 2026.