Norfolk fine dining restaurant Voila! to close its doors this weekend

After 20 years in business, a beloved Norfolk restaurant is closing its doors on Saturday.

Fine dining restaurant Voila! in the West Freemason neighborhood is closing as its owners, husband and wife John and Maggie Tsouris, begin their retirement. The restaurant has already been fully reserved for its last week.

The Tsourises have owned restaurants in Hampton Roads for 34 years, starting with The Boulevard Café in Virginia Beach and Enrico’s Ristorante in Norfolk. They bought Voila!, originally opened in 2003 by the owner of nearby Omar’s Carriage House, in 2012.

With customer favorites like beef Wellington and duck a l’orange, Voila’s food and cocktail menu showcased international cuisine in an elevated dining experience.

Located on the corner of Botetourt and York streets, the small restaurant is decorated with old Virginia opera posters and eclectic chandeliers along with art on the windows to match the cobblestone streets that surround the building.

When reflecting on the restaurant’s accomplishments over the years, Maggie Tsouris said Voila! has thrived by “just sticking with the classics.”

“I think people want a certain amount of inventiveness,” she said. “But when it comes down, push come to shove, they like some of the basic stuff. People always say that to us. I don’t try to reinvent the wheel with my drinks.”

In the past, Voila has participated in various community events, including Dining Out For Life, an annual restaurant fundraising event to raise money to support people living with HIV.

Even after the restaurant shut down for 77 days during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, Voila! continued to receive local support despite reopening with only eight tables and no barstools to meet distancing requirements.

“We appreciate all the support,” John Tsouris said. “And we’re definitely going to miss everybody.”

The Tsourises said they excited for their retirement, and they have plans to travel and spend time with their two young grandchildren. John Tsouris will focus on writing an international cuisine cookbook.

Originally from Greece, John Tsouris came to Los Angeles at 17 years old. The Tsourises met at a restaurant in Long Beach, California, where John worked as a chef and Maggie as a server. They’ve been married for 46 years and have spent nearly four decades in Hampton Roads together.

But the best part of the job was the customers they met while working, John Tsouris said.

“We just made a lot of people happy. We made a lot of friends,” he said. “I think for me, that’s good enough.”

Gabby Jimenez, gabrielle.jimenez@virginiamedia.com