At Menelas, Greek cooking is a family story that has been unfolding since 1988. A story begun by Menelaos and Katina, continued by their children and now carried forward by their grandson Stelios, owner and head chef. On Rue du Vieux Marché aux Grains in Brussels, people come to share mezze, taste grilled octopus or white tarama… but above all to discover generous, family-style Greek cooking that is far less set in stone than you might imagine.
There is probably a very simple way to understand the spirit of Menelas.
It is written on one of the restaurant’s walls:
“There are no strangers, only friends we haven’t met yet.”
It is all there already.
Family, hospitality, sharing. And the desire to make the restaurant a place where you don’t simply come to consume a meal, but to take a seat around a table.
At Menelas, this philosophy is not a pretty slogan dreamed up for Instagram. It runs through three generations.
From Menelaos to Stelios, a story that began long before 1988
To understand Menelas, we need to go back a little in time.
In the 1970s, Stelios’s maternal grandparents, Menelaos and Katina, were already running a restaurant in the Louise neighbourhood. After it closed, Katina continued working in Greek restaurants, notably around the Sablon.
Then came the desire to create a place of their own.
In December 1988, Menelaos and Katina opened Menelas on Rue des Chartreux. The restaurant’s name is therefore neither a marketing reference nor a carefully calculated nod to mythology: Menelas is simply the first name of Stelios’s grandfather, Menelaos.
At the end of 1998, the restaurant moved to 25 Rue du Vieux Marché aux Grains, its current address, a short walk from Sainte-Catherine.
Today, the official website still presents Menelaos and Katina as the founders of the ouzerie and recalls the role of the next generation, with their daughter Xenia, Dimitrios and now Stelios at the stove.
But while the family has moved on to another generation, its character clearly hasn’t changed.
Stelios, owner, chef… and third generation
Today, Stelios is the owner and head chef of Menelas.
And when asked who does what in such a family-run business, the answer could almost be: a bit of everyone.
The family continues to lend a hand when they are in Belgium. Michael works front of house and Olivier assists Stelios in the kitchen. An arrangement that perfectly matches the spirit of the place: roles exist here, but the restaurant remains a collective endeavour.
The restaurant’s website also presents Stelios as the third-generation chef, tasked with continuing this family cooking while introducing it through his own inspirations.
Because heritage does not mean standing still.
And that is probably where Menelas becomes particularly interesting.
Respecting family recipes without keeping them under glass
Stelios is deeply attached to his Greek roots. He even describes himself as a Greek history enthusiast.
In the kitchen, that connection naturally comes through the recipes passed down from his grandparents to his parents, and then from his parents to him.
But reproducing exactly the same dishes generation after generation does not necessarily interest him.
His parents give him the freedom to adjust the classics, rework them and sometimes bring them into contact with other culinary cultures. Stelios mentions Asia in particular, whose cooking he especially enjoys.
It is an important distinction.
Menelas remains deeply Greek, but does not seek to confine Greek cooking to a postcard image. For Stelios, it can evolve, encounter other influences and surprise people without losing its roots.
His definition of the cooking at Menelas comes down to just a few words: high-quality, generous and able to help people rediscover Greek cuisine.
A cuisine, he says, “that never stops evolving”.
Forget the Greek restaurant clichés for a moment
This is also what Stelios identifies as a major difference from some more conventional Greek restaurants.
He wants to move away from the predictable menu built around a few tourist clichés and put ingredients and genuine Greek flavours back at the centre.
A large proportion of the ingredients used comes directly from Greece, notably through importers SANI and Greek Market. For vegetables, the restaurant works with Restofrais, whose produce allows Stelios to build his combinations.
And when asked where to start, the chef doesn’t hesitate for long.
White tarama, grilled octopus, fried calamari and grilled dishes are among the must-tries he recommends to those discovering the restaurant.
The restaurant also presents grilled octopus as one of Menelas’s great specialities. The menu highlights the idea of mezze to share, including tzatziki, feta salad, courgette fritters, calamari, octopus, skewers and lamb meatballs with mint. A discovery menu also lets you leave the chef to plan the journey.
In other words: coming as a group has an obvious scientific advantage here. You can taste more things.
And for vegetarians?
You don’t need to love grilled dishes or seafood to enjoy the place, either.
The menu makes real room for vegetarian dishes, from salads and courgette fritters to stuffed aubergine and various mezze.
Even the discovery menu can be adapted for vegetarians.
It is not the restaurant’s central focus, simply the fairly logical consequence of Mediterranean cooking in which vegetables, olive oil, herbs and spices have always played an important part.
Cooking put to the test… several times
And this time, BXL Positive is not telling you about a place discovered solely through its menu.
I have already eaten there on several occasions, both before and after the menu changed.
My verdict remained the same: tasty, generous cooking and a genuine welcome from everyone.
I have seen Menelas completely full, with the joyful energy of a dining room where everything seems to happen at once. I have also seen it quieter. But never cold.
The atmosphere stays warm.
Prices are reasonable for what arrives on your plate, and the wine list also holds some lovely discoveries. One of my meals was accompanied by a real little gem from a Greek village — the kind of bottle you still remember after forgetting what you had planned to do the following morning.
And perhaps that is where the expression “just like home”, used by Stelios, really comes into its own.
Not because someone asks you to clear your plate away.
But because you soon feel you belong.
Three generations, but no desire to live in the past
It would be easy to tell the story of Menelas as one of tradition.
That would be true, but incomplete.
Because what makes this place interesting today is not simply that it has existed since December 1988. It is its ability to keep that heritage alive rather than merely preserve it.
Menelaos and Katina created the restaurant. The next generation continued the adventure. Today, Stelios takes up its recipes, ingredients and family spirit, while allowing himself to experiment.
Three generations who do not necessarily cook in the same way, but who seem to share the same idea of a restaurant: eating well, sharing and welcoming people.
The rest is ultimately quite simple.
A few mezze in the middle of the table. Some grilled octopus. A good glass of Greek wine. Perhaps a dish to which Stelios has added his own touch.
And around them, people who might not yet have been friends when they arrived.
📍 Practical information
🏠 Menelas Ouzerie - Rue du Vieux Marché aux Grains 25, 1000 Brussels
👨🍳 Owner and chef: Stelios, the family’s third generation
🇬🇷 Cuisine: Greek, family-style, generous and evolving
🐙 To try: white tarama, grilled octopus, fried calamari, grilled dishes and mezze to share
🌱 Vegetarians: several dishes available and an adaptable discovery menu
☀️ Terrace: yes
🥡 Takeaway: yes
📸 Instagram: @restaurantmenelas
📞 Phone: +32 2 512 67 39
🌐 Official website: Menelas Ouzerie
Opening hours are seasonal. Since 12 September 2026, the restaurant has announced opening on Monday and Wednesday evenings, as well as Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday for lunch and dinner; it is closed on Tuesdays. You are advised to check opening hours and book before visiting.
🔗 Sources & verifiable links
The historical and family information in this article comes mainly from Stelios, owner and chef of Menelas, interviewed directly by Marie Struglia for BXL Positive. Practical information and details relating to the menu were cross-checked against the restaurant’s official website.
