From a small grocery store founded in 1936 to one of Aegina’s most iconic restaurants, Nontas celebrates 90 years of history, keeping the flavours, values and memories of three generations alive. Sozia and her mother, Mrs. Angela, take us on a journey through their family’s story, the old fishing village of Perdika, the secrets of their kitchen and the human connections that make a restaurant an integral part of its community.
There are restaurants you visit for their food. And then there are those that, over the years, become part of a place’s history. Nontas, in Perdika, Aegina, undoubtedly belongs to the latter.
Its story began in 1936, at a time when Perdika was a small fishing village, with no road connecting it to Aegina town. People, goods and even ice arrived by traditional fishing boats. What started as a small grocery store serving the everyday needs of local residents and fishermen gradually evolved into a family-run taverna, closely associated with fresh fish, Greek cuisine and authentic hospitality.
Today, 90 years later, the third generation of the family is at the helm. We sat down with Sozia and Mrs. Angela, who has been working in Nontas’ kitchen since 1971 and has dedicated more than 50 years to cooking.
Through their stories, we discover memories of old Perdika, fishermen and royal visits, challenging family moments, their commitment to quality ingredients and the creation of their famous tiganosoupa – a unique fish dish that was born out of Mrs. Angela’s love for her husband.
Because, ultimately, Nontas’ 90-year journey is not simply the story of a restaurant. It is the story of a family that, for three generations, has welcomed people to its table.
“Let’s go back to 1936. How did it all begin?”
Sozia: The story begins with my grandfather, Kyriakos. His main occupation was different at the time, but there was no grocery store in Perdika, and residents struggled to find even basic necessities. So he decided to open a small shop, just a few steps away from where the restaurant stands today. It sold groceries, fresh produce, supplies for fishermen and even medicines. Very soon afterwards, he purchased the premises where we are today and opened a larger grocery store.
How did a grocery store gradually become a restaurant?
Sozia: From very early on, the shop was about more than just the village’s daily shopping needs. In the mornings, fishermen would stop by for coffee before heading out to sea. When they returned, we would fry the fish they had caught or prepare something for them to eat. During the summer, we also welcomed holidaymakers from Athens.
Back then, of course, getting to Perdika was completely different from what it is today. There was no road connecting it to Aegina town. Everything arrived by boat: people, goods and even ice. My grandfather would travel to Aegina or even Piraeus to buy supplies that he couldn’t find here.
Mrs. Angela: Everything was much more difficult. Cooking, washing, everything was done by hand. We cooked using gas, with pots and pans. Electricity came to the village in 1967, and that was when things slowly started to become easier.
“This is my home”
Mrs. Angela, when did you become part of Nontas’ story, and how did your journey in the kitchen begin?
Mrs. Angela: I came here in 1971, but I had been cooking since I was very young. I started when I was ten. My family also owned a restaurant, so cooking was something I already knew and loved.
Sozia: My mother was and still is the driving force behind everything. Always.
More than 50 years in the same kitchen. What does this place mean to you?
Mrs. Angela: This is my home. From the moment I arrive until the moment I leave, I never sit down. There is always something that needs doing.
And that something goes far beyond everyday cooking. It includes making tomato sauces when tomatoes are in season, preserving grapes and figs, preparing sun-dried tomatoes, homemade pies and traditional fruit preserves.
Sozia: We make things ourselves. We don’t simply buy ready-made products from the supermarket.
How important is your relationship with local products and producers on Aegina?
Mrs. Angela: I want proper ingredients, Greek and of good quality. As long as Aegina potatoes are available, I buy them from the island, even if they cost twice as much. It doesn’t matter. They’re worth it. People will eat well and enjoy their food. Kapodistrias knew a thing or two!
Sozia: We also have a plot of land in Marathonas, where we get our greens and vegetables. We have also maintained partnerships with local producers that go back decades.
I remember going with my father to visit the grandfather of the producer from whom we still buy our tomatoes today. It’s beautiful to see these relationships continue from one generation to the next.
“A great joy, but also a great responsibility”
Sozia, what does it mean to be at the helm of a business with a 90-year history?
Sozia: It’s a great joy and a source of satisfaction, but also a huge responsibility. You have to think about how the business will continue and how you will remain true to the same values and principles. It’s a weighty responsibility. You mustn’t stray from what has made you who you are.
What were the most difficult moments your family had to face?
Sozia: My grandfather Kyriakos’ death was a very difficult moment. Then, in 2006, we lost Nontas. It was incredibly hard, not just for us but even for our customers. Some people took a long time to come back. They would see me in the street and say, “I want to come, but I just can’t yet.” That’s how deeply they associated the restaurant with him.
Then came the financial crisis. Our clientele changed, spending decreased, and many people advised me to change the restaurant’s character.
Did people suggest changing Nontas’ identity?
Sozia: They would say, “Why don’t you turn it into an ouzeri?” I said no. The restaurant has its own identity. I can wait, I can endure difficult times, but if I change it, I won’t be able to easily bring it back once the crisis is over. It was difficult, but we remained true to who we were.
And then came the pandemic. Was there anything positive to come out of that difficult period?
Sozia: We got to spend time with our children and our family. We discovered Aegina as tourists. We went on trips to the mountains and to remote beaches. This job demands 15 to 18 hours a day. It was something we had never experienced before.
“Our identity is fresh fish and Greek cuisine”
Ninety years later, what remains non-negotiable in Nontas’ kitchen?
Sozia: This is our identity, and we do everything we can to preserve it. We insist on quality ingredients, which we prepare and process ourselves. We don’t use ready-made preparations. Of course, we keep an eye on new trends, but we only adopt what fits our style.
Fresh fish requires particular skill. What’s the secret to cooking it properly?
Mrs. Angela: Fish takes skill. It can burn on the outside while remaining raw inside. I’ve even grilled a whole 20-kilogram fish on a special grill. I turned it all by myself.
Sozia: Fish is a difficult product to work with. We have customers who call us in advance, tell us what they want and when they’re coming, because they trust us to prepare it properly.
And there’s one more rule that never changes: if a dish doesn’t satisfy Mrs. Angela, it never makes it to the table.
Sozia: If she sees something she doesn’t like, she’ll send it back. There’s no way she’ll say, “It’s fine, never mind.”
Nontas has been a regular presence at the Aegina Fistiki Fest.
“The secret is love”
Mrs. Angela, after so many years in the kitchen, what do you believe is the real secret behind a dish that people remember and come back to enjoy again?
Mrs. Angela: Love. And making everything you prepare with pleasure and using good-quality ingredients.
Are there secrets that never make it into a recipe book?
Sozia: I’m sure there are, and she doesn’t even share them with me!
Mrs. Angela: They’re written in my mind. It’s in the touch. I’m always thinking about how I can make each thing better.
That special touch is perhaps the hardest thing to teach. Behind it lie more than 50 years of experience, countless experiments and the desire to make every dish a little better than the last.
Can you give us a particular example of this dedication?
Sozia: My mother tried 18 different recipes for lobster pasta before settling on the one that satisfied her and that customers now specifically come here to order.
She never stops experimenting. The important thing is never to settle for something you don’t genuinely consider good.
“Tiganosoupa started with Nontas”
Among the restaurant’s dishes, tiganosoupa has a very special story of its own. How was it created?
Sozia: My father had stomach problems and found it difficult to eat. He loved fish soups, but they upset his stomach. So my mother tried to make him something lighter.
Mrs. Angela: It contains courgette, potato, fish and very little broth. It’s very light.
Sozia: It started as something my mother made for my father, and eventually became one of the restaurant’s signature dishes. People come, return and ask for it again and again.
Has the name ever confused customers?
Sozia: Very much so! Once, a customer went to another restaurant and ordered tiganosoupa. They partially fried the fish and then threw it into water, like a soup. When he saw it, he said, “What is this?” The name can be quite confusing!
Mrs. Angela: I don’t even know exactly how the name came to me. It was a moment of inspiration, and I found it.
Are there other flavours so closely associated with Nontas that customers return especially for them?
Sozia: These days, we have tourists who come in holding an old photograph on their phones and ask us, “I had this dish here once. Do you still make it?” They remember it and keep those memories.
Some return for the tiganosoupa, others for the traditional fish soup, the pies or the fruit preserves.
Mrs. Angela: We once had a shipowner who would come and tell me, “Angela, give me that pie so I can eat it here, secretly, without anyone seeing me.”
Sozia: His wife wouldn’t let him eat it!
Can even the simplest dishes become the stars of the table?
Sozia: Absolutely. Recently, a group ordered fish and meatballs for the children. In the end, the meatballs stole the show. Everyone left their fish and started eating the meatballs instead. Afterwards, one gentleman asked my mother to prepare enough for three days so he could take them with him on his boat. He even left her a €100 tip just for the meatballs!
Mrs. Angela: We have wonderful customers who love us, and we love them too. That’s my reward: their appreciation. They know that when they come here, they’ll eat just as they would at home. Rich or poor, it makes no difference to us. Everyone is equal in our eyes.
“Kings, princes and entire generations have passed through our doors”
Over 90 years, Nontas has welcomed people from every corner of the world. Are there any visits that have remained particularly memorable?
Sozia: One of the most memorable stories involves a Saudi prince who visited Perdika. His party had come earlier to arrange the table. One of our uncles, who had grown up in Athens, told my grandfather that they should lay out white tablecloths.
My grandfather replied, “Where am I supposed to find those? I don’t have any!” In the end, they used white bedsheets as tablecloths, picked flowers from the courtyards to make bouquets and, in order to serve the wine chilled, used large containers filled with ice and water. Until then, people in the village had always drunk their wine at room temperature.
When the meal was over, the prince was so pleased with the food and service that he said he didn’t know what tip to leave. He hadn’t expected to find such wonderful hospitality in such a small village.
Were there other unexpected visits?
Sozia: There used to be a free camping site just across the way. At one point, the daughter of the King of Sweden came to camp there with her friends. The King himself, worried about his daughter’s whereabouts, came to check on her and discreetly sat down to eat at our restaurant.
Beyond famous visitors, which people touch you the most?
Mrs. Angela: We have customers who have been coming here for 40 or 50 years. First the grandparents came, then their children, and now their grandchildren. The first thing they do when they walk in is come over to say hello to us before taking their seats.
That’s something you simply cannot measure. These are people who have become part of our lives.
“We want people to leave happy and remember their experience”
What does hospitality mean to you?
Mrs. Angela: I want people to leave happy and remember their experience. If they have a good time, they’ll remember it. There are people who moved abroad and, when they return to Greece years later, come to visit us.
Even former employees come back just to see me.
Sozia: In the old days, the restaurant was part of everyday life for the entire village. Our telephone practically functioned as Perdika’s telephone exchange!
The taxi driver used to stand outside, and because he didn’t have a telephone, people would call us to reach him. I repeated his number so often that when mobile phones first appeared, instead of giving people my own number, I would automatically give them his!
They’re little stories from a different era, showing just how closely the restaurant was connected to the people of this place.
“May it continue bringing joy to people”
If you could wish one thing for Nontas in the years ahead, what would it be?
Mrs. Angela: That people continue to speak kindly of us. And that the restaurant continues through the generations that come after us.
Sozia: I hope it continues to exist and remains true to its values. Whether the next generation will want to take it on, we don’t know. Time will tell.
Are there already signs that the love of cooking and hospitality might be passed on to the next generation?
Sozia: My youngest son, Sozon, loves cooking, just like my mother. He’s been cooking since he was little and really enjoys decorating dishes. If he sees a plate he doesn’t like, he’ll say, “Where are you taking that? Bring it back!”
My little daughter is more interested in communicating with people and serving. I don’t know whether they’ll eventually get involved in the business. We’ll see.
Mrs. Angela: You never know. Whatever God wills.
Ninety years later, Perdika has changed. The roads, travel, customers and everyday habits are a far cry from the days when everything arrived in the village by boat. Yet Nontas continues to preserve everything that made it special from the very beginning: its commitment to quality ingredients, Greek cuisine, care in every dish and, above all, genuine human connection.
In the kitchen, Mrs. Angela continues to taste, refine and search for ways to make the next dish just a little better. Sozia continues to ensure that the family business moves forward without losing its identity. And so, between a tiganosoupa born out of love, old photographs that bring customers back to the same table and relationships passed down through generations, Nontas proves that true longevity is built on much more than the passing of time.
It is built on consistency, passion and the desire to make everyone who sits at your table feel at home.
Because, ultimately, 90 years later, what matters most is not simply that Nontas is still here. It is that it still has something to offer, something to remind us of and yet another reason to return to Perdika!