In conversation with Katharina Kitsos
The restaurant owner is bringing Greek cuisine to Adlershof
Local admirers of the Mediterranean cuisine are enthusing about her homemade Greek specialties. Together with her husband Nikolaos, she opened her restaurant “Olympia” on Rudower Chaussee 5 in November 2016. The two experienced restaurateurs already have a large group of fans due to the popularity of the other “Olympias” in Zeuthen and Berlin-Hohenschönhausen. Katharina Kitsos has no doubt that her youngest “Olympia” will follow suit, even though she is entering unchartered territory in Adlershof with opening hours from 11am to 11pm every day. The workplace Adlershof is slowly but surely developing into a place where people want to live, which is also thanks to bold restaurateurs like the Kitsos couple.
What is the concept of Olympia Adlershof?
Our motto is Two in One. There is the restaurant area, where you consciously take your time for eating and enjoying, have a business lunch or a family celebration. And we also have a diner area, which offers fast service. This is aimed at students as well as the lunch breaks of the local scientists and entrepreneurs.
Do you offer a student discount?
We offer very good value for money. All our guests benefit from this.
How many tables does Olympia have?
There are tables for 75 people and 15 standing up. We are currently creating additional 40-50 seats in our outdoor area.
Well-lit, white wooden furniture, many plants – is the interior your own creation?
Yes, after 25 years of working in restaurants, we know what works. The furniture is from Greece, custom-made based on our own ideas. The half-height screens and plants between the tables create a private atmosphere without limiting the room’s spaciousness.
You have been planning to open a restaurant in Adlershof for a long time. Why?
We live in Zeuthen and have a successful restaurant there. The guests who visit us from Adlershof, Schöneweide and the surrounding areas wished for an equivalent in the Science City. We applied when they were looking for a new proprietor for Forum Adlershof ten years ago. The bid went to the “esswirtschaft”. But we kept on looking persistently and are happy to have found a suitable space in the Medienfenster building.
Will you share a recipe with us?
No, you will have to visit us and eat your way through our menue. Our recipes are our secret.
Sweet or savoury – what’s your favourite?
Sweet.
Do you have a restaurant tip in Berlin?
I really like Italian food and I like the Bocca di Bacco on Friedrichstraße.
What do you do in your spare time?
Our restaurant does not have a closing day and I don’t have much spare time. I usually take care of my family – my two older sons are 21 and 25 and work at our restaurant, my daughter is 15 – as well as our house and garden. When I have spare time, I like to go shopping for myself.
Is there anything you simply cannot do?
Needlework like knitting, crocheting, sowing.
What did you want to be as a child?
I wanted to go into criminal investigation, because I always wanted action. I also liked the idea of becoming a flight attendant. But since my parents had a restaurant and I spent a lot of time there as a child opening a restaurant was a more obvious choice.
Do you have a role model?
Musically, I really like the Greek-Cypriot pop singer Anna Vissi.
By Sylvia Nitschke for Adlershof Journal