The Greek goddess Hestia guards the hearth of the home, ensuring that hospitality and light are a constant, flowing essence, and that its inhabitants were warm and comfortable. In Mashpee Commons and on Main Street in Falmouth, Estia pays homage to this goddess; each of Estia’s two restaurant locations have the same coal-fired oven, centered in the dining room, which gives off a beautiful heat and glow, as the goddess’ power touches each one of the guests who comes to drink and dine. 

Nick and Catherine Markantonis had owned a pizza business in Belmont, Massachusetts since 1979, and they and their family were no strangers to the lively restaurant scene. “Our family summered in Mashpee and New Seabury, and my two sons, Stelios and Demetri, eventually opened up Stelios’ Pizza in the Popponesset Marketplace. That’s how we got our roots on Cape Cod,” explains Markantonis. “As we grew older and became empty nesters, our goal was to move out of Belmont and live on the Cape full time. But we were still young enough to work, and that’s when we created the location in the Mashpee Commons.”

Opening their first location on Steeple Street in Mashpee Commons eight years ago, the Greek-inspired restaurant flourished. “Once we knew everything was going great, we wanted at least one more location with our own building,” Markantonis says. “We found an old Eastern Bank building on Main Street in Falmouth, bought it, renovated it, and created our second Estia location. We really felt that Mashpee Commons and Main Street Falmouth were the two top locations for us on all of Cape Cod.”

When it came to...