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Welcome to Commonwealth Café

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A sunny cafe with plants, leather couches, arched back chairs, and a coffee bar.

Hours: Daily 10 am to 5 pm

Address: 428 N Arthur Ashe Blvd, Richmond, Virginia 23220

Enjoy 30 minutes of free, convenient parking in the VMHC lot.

Stay for a bite or enjoy takeaway of gourmet Greek products, prepared foods, baked goods, and more! 

Welcome to Commonwealth Café, a collaboration between the Virginia Museum of History & Culture and Stella's Grocery featuring a selection of gourmet products perfect for a coffee break, lunch, and to-go snacks.

Experience the legacy of beloved Richmond restaurateur Stella Dikos (née Kafantaris), whose influence spanned more than seven decades and has made Greek cuisine central to Richmond’s food scene for generations. Blending culinary tradition with cultural heritage, Commonwealth Café celebrates Virginia’s diverse foodways while offering museum visitors a warm, welcoming place to gather.

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Commonwealth Cafe - Stella's logo

Sample Menu Featuring Local Purveyors

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Cafe Sample Menu includes options like Coffee & Tea, Bottled Drinks, Beer & Wine, and items from Stella's Grocery like Self-Serve sandwiches, wraps, salads, entrees; as well as Baltik's Bages, Flour Garden Baked Goods, Billy Pie Pizza, and Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches.

Commonwealth Café offerings include:

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A Greek salad with feta, tomatoes, cucumbers, hot peppers, onions, and romaine lettuce.
Stella's Gourmet Prepared Foods at Café
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A stack of to-go prepared food options include Spanakopita and Kreatopita
Stella's Gourmet Prepared Foods for Take-Away
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Stella's Olive Oil and Mugs
Stella's Gourmet Products
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A cappuccino
Coffee, Tea, & Espresso-based Specialty Beverages
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A pink iced beverage in a VMHC tulip glass sits on a gold table in the cafe next to a leather couch with sun-filled windows in the background.
Iced, Sparkling, & Non-Alcoholic Beverages
A smiling woman sits at a table with a plate of food and salt and pepper shakers in front of her.
About Stella

Born in 1942 in Trikala, Thessaly, Stella Dikos (née Kafantaris) immigrated to Richmond in the 1950s, where she and her husband, Stavros Dikos, started their Virginia culinary journey at the Village Cafe. Their restaurant became a beloved gathering spot, introducing Greek fare to the local community and paving the way for Dikos to open her namesake restaurant, Stella’s, in 1983 on Lafayette Street. Stella’s quickly became a staple in Richmond’s dining scene, known for its warm hospitality and flavorful dishes.

As the restaurant moved to different locations over the years, patrons followed—drawn not just by the food but by Stella’s spirit and hospitality. Her legacy grew in 2015 when the family opened the first Stella’s Grocery location. Over the past decade, the family has expanded to seven gourmet market locations in Richmond and a sister store in Charleston, South Carolina. Her influence on the city’s culinary landscape remains strong, even after her passing in 2024.

Katrina Giavos, Stella’s daughter and one of the owners of the restaurant and markets, is also collaborating with the VMHC on We The People, the Museum’s second major exhibition marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. Through artifacts and stories, Stella’s story will be among the broader narrative of the people and families who relocated to Virginia and helped to shape the state’s identity. Stella's journey from Trikala to Richmond exemplifies how the merging of communities brings depth and character to American life.