In 1908, Ekaterini Kapnist, wife of the Russian earl, decided to build a villa (known as Kapnist Mansion). The villa was built at the end of the coastal road right next to Pikrodafni river (see today EDEM complex). In 1919, the mansion was abandoned by the family and Dimitris Remundos, chef of the hotel “Grande Bretagne” in the 1920s, decided to open a restaurant called “EDEN”. The restaurant’s guests were the Elite of the time such as the Prime Minister El. Venizelos. “EDEM” quickly becomes a reference and it was decided to name the whole area after the restaurant.
Right in front of the villa there was an earthen ramp (the one that still exists today), which led to the beach. D. Remundos in the early 1930s decided that he wanted to move the restaurant on the beach. Following all the legal procedures and obtaining the appropriate permits, in 1932 he commissioned the famous architect of the time Stamos Papadakis, who is considered one of the pioneers of the Modern Movement in Greece, to design and built this small-scale building with a modern exterior. So in February of 1933 “EDEM” opens its doors to the customers in the new building.
During World War II the restaurant was occupied by the German troops and was used as office and storage space. After the end of the war it was returned to the family. The building was in very bad shape and needed immediate renovation. When the renovation was finished, the restaurant reopened.
From father to son five generations of our family have been part of “EDEM” which continues to write its history, a purely family business (103 years old) whose concern is love and respect to the customer.
The inside of the restaurant in the mid 40s.
In this picture taken in 1949 you can see both of the old and new buildings.
Tram stop named after the restaurant. 1930s
*source D.Kakitsis
EDEN restaurant 1931.
1925. At the entrance of the old building the owner D. Remoundos with the chef .
Athenian bus in the 1930s. you can see that the last stop was EDEN.
