The Connecticut restaurant was open to change.
Now, the popular seafood restaurant on the shoreline has closed its doors and will be reopening with a completely new menu, offering authentic Greek options.
Skipper’s Seafood Restaurant, open since 2003, will reopen as EOS Greek Bowls & Pitas at 688 Boston Post Road, Old Saybrook.
Greek food has always been on the menu at Skippers, but the demand for it has increased over time.
“We listened to our customers when we opened up and then as we were open for a time, we were selling more Greek food than we were seafood, ” said co-owner Lefteri “Lefty” Tsiropoulos.
Sitting around a table in Greece are Lefteri “Lefty” Tsiropoulos , co-owner of EOS Greek Bowls & Pitas, far right, with his mother, Yia Yia Melie, sitting next to him, along with family and friends. (Courtesy of OS Greek Bowls & Pitas)
“Everyone wanted speed and everyone wanted Greek food,” the 47-year-old said.
The owners both grew up in Greek households.
“I think that’s why we took that pivot, because it just makes so much sense,” said Chris James, co-owner and executive chef.
“We grew up in that culture,” the 34-year-old said. “We live it, we eat it.”
“People are always jealous when they hear about what our mom’s are cooking,” he said. “When we have holidays are my parents’ house there’s a line of people lining up asking for invites.”
The partners have their family recipes and Tsioropoulos’ mother, Yia Yia Melie (Grandma Melie) and James’ mother, Debbie will be in the kitchen.
“My mom is not actually Greek,” James said. “My father’s Greek and she had to learn how to cook in order to join the church and get married, so she’s the Greek cook on our side of the family.”
“We’re going to have to get a restraining order to keep them away,” said Tsioropoulos, laughing.
The restaurateurs also own Skipper’s Seafood Restaurant in Niantic. That location will remain open with no changes to the menu.
A made-to-order EOS bowl featuring tender grilled chicken and hand-carved gyro, topped with a classic salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onions, topped with a scoop of house-made tzatziki. (Courtesy of EOS Greek Bowls & Pitas)
Both locations sell a lot of Greek food, but at Old Saybrook, “I want to say it was like 40 percent and then we started catering, too,” said Tsioropoulos.
“I only know how to do authentic Greek,” he said. “We’d make our homemade baklavas, we’d make our homemade spinach pies, we have our gyros, our pitas, everything was fresh.”
“We just kept growing from there, word of mouth,” he said.
The catering started in 2025, and the Greek orders poured in.
“We weren’t doing as much catering with our lobster rolls or our seafood, but we’re doing trays and trays and trays of spanakopita, homemade baklavas; we’re doing souvlaki trays,” Tsiropoulos said. “It was big demand and we’re still doing it.”
Old Saybrook residents are eagerly awaiting the opening.
When asked why he was excited about the opening of EOS, Devon O’Connor said, “oh my God, everything, tzatziki sauce, lemon potatoes, chicken souvlaki, all of it.”
Chris James, co-owner and executive chef of Old Saybrook’s EOS Greek Bowls & Pitas. (Courtesy of EOS Greek Bowls & Pitas)
Vaness Hindman, also an Old Saybrook resident, is also looking forward to having EOS in town.
“Seeing something new and fresh I think is very exciting,” she said.
“I love that type of food, and I have two little kids, so something that’s healthy, but fast and family oriented really excited me,” she said.
EOS, in Greek, means “Eat Well, Live Well” and this is what is behind the new eatery’s menu items.
Logo of EOS Greek Bowls & Pitas. (Courtesy)
“We thought it was a way to represent that we’re bringing fresh food, we’re trying to make everything clean and healthy and a lot of our customers, in both restaurants, they’re always looking for healthier options,” said James.
“Other than desserts, it’ll be hard to find something that’s not healthy on our menu,” he said.
Much of the ingredients will be sources directly from Greece, including olive oil, olives, feta cheese and grape leaves.
EOS’s menu will include a build your own bowl option.
“You’ll be able to walk down the line, you’ll pick the base of your bowl, the proteins, different toppings and a sauce,” said James.
Choices include rice, rice and lentils or spring salad mix for the base, gyro meat including chicken or lamb, souvlaki skewers of pork, chicken and steak, in addition to shrimp and cold smoked salmon for the proteins and feta cheese, tzatziki, hummus, roasted eggplant and cauliflower, chickpeas and couscous salad for toppings.
“It’s going to be very vegan friendly,” said James. “Most of the items in our bowls are vegetarian and vegan friendly.”
Seacoast Mushrooms, grown at a Mystic-based gourmet mushroom farm, will be served and other vegan options are currently being explored.
“We’re getting into the test kitchen stage,” James said. “We’re waiting for our final approval so we can start testing out recipes.”
In addition, they will offer a case full of readymade items, including pitas, tzatziki and hummus “to bring back to the office for a snack later,” said James.
Desserts, including fresh loukoumades, a Greek donut, fried and drizzled with honey; baklava; Greek yogurt with honey and nuts will all be made inhouse.
Peter Casolino / Special To The Courant
Lifeguards at the Old Saybrook Beach keep an eye on the action. Peter Casolino / Special To The Courant
Take-out and dine in options will be available, with an outdoor patio area and some 10 tables inside.
Tsiropoulos and James are looking forward to welcoming customers and their dogs, if they are dining outside.
“They’re a part of the family and we’re a part of the community,” said Tsiropoulos.
EOS Greek Bowls and Pitas, 688 Boston Post Road, Old Saybrook, 860-661-0599; eosgreekbowls.com; taste@eosgreeekbowls.com; Facebook EOS Greek Bowls & Pitas; Instagram @eosgreekbowls
