Opa Taverna is owned and operated by Costa Elles and Chris Tzaneteas.

The Opa story is bestdescribed in an article written by Penny Murdock for the Saint Mary’sUniversity Alumni Magazine, Maroon & White.

Saint Mary’s alumniElles and Tzaneteas had always envisioned the day they would be theowners of a Greek restaurant in downtown Halifax. And last June (June2000), they were convinced the timing was right and that if they couldoffer people an authentic Greek dining experience, people would come.And they did.

They had been mulling over the idea for manyyears but they knew the local market wasn’t ready. “The pubs were busy.The diner wasn’t as sophisticated as they are today and I don’t mean toinsult anyone,” says Tzaneteas. He explains that in today’s globaleconomy, people are doing business all over the world and are beingexposed to a much more diverse cuisine” than in the past. “Today’sdining customer expects a lot more. They have traveled and experiencedwhat other cities like Toronto, Montreal and New York have to offer.They’ve gone to Greece. People’s palettes are changing and they wantmore variety when they go out dining.

It was time for OPA:Located on the corners of Argyle and Blowers streets in downtownHalifax, Elles and Tzaneteas couldn’t be happier with the reception Opahas received from customers. And with over 1500 customers comingthrough their doors every week, many of them more than once, that’s agood indication of customer satisfaction. In fact to top it off readersof Coast Magazine voted Opa the best new restaurant in Halifax. Not badfor their first year in business and as owners of a restaurant in amarket where there is a staggering amount of restaurants and bars forcustomers to choose from.