Restaurant owner devastated after second firebombing in less than a year
In the early hours of Easter Monday, Eleftheria Amanatidis woke to news that her Yarraville restaurant had been attacked for the second time.
"How could this have happened again?" she said, visibly shaken.
The family-owned Eleni's Kitchen + Bar was firebombed for the second time in less than a year, leaving Amanatidis and her family gathering outside their damaged business in disbelief.
"I was in panic and shock, and just anger that this has happened again," Amanatidis told The Age. "It was just the same feelings as last time. I think everyone's just a bit shaken – obviously not something that we were expecting to see on Easter Monday morning."
According to police, attackers rammed a car into the back of the Canterbury Street restaurant around 4:20am before setting the vehicle on fire and escaping in another vehicle. Firefighters contained the blaze within 20 minutes, but not before it damaged the restaurant's outdoor dining area.
This latest incident follows a similar fire at Eleni's last June, which also affected the neighbouring Jimmy's Deli. Both businesses are deeply personal for Amanatidis - she opened Eleni's eight years ago and Jimmy's in 2023, naming them after her grandmother and grandfather.
The family has deep roots in Yarraville's restaurant scene dating back to 1971, including the suburb's first Greek restaurant and several other food establishments that served Melbourne's growing Greek community.
"The businesses came about because both myself and my sister wanted to be able to show the community what we grew up with and share our culture and our family history," Amanatidis said.
In a strange twist of timing, Amanatidis had just released a cookbook called Ela na Fame four days before the attack, inspired by the first fire at her restaurant.
Police have already charged a 35-year-old Narre Warren man for last year's fire, with a County Court date pending.
Amanatidis remains puzzled about why her business has been targeted twice. "Generally [Yarraville] is pretty safe, but it [crime] is sort of a growing issue throughout Melbourne now," she said.
The restaurant had been operating normally on Easter Sunday and was preparing for a busy holiday week before the attack.
"It really depends on when power and gas can be reconnected, so that's not up to us, but Jimmy's Deli will probably be back up and running this week," she said, uncertain about when Eleni's might reopen.
While the financial impact remains unclear, community support has been strong. "The community has been messaging all pretty much in support: that they're thinking of us and can't wait to see us up and running again," she said.
Jonathan Jackson, 21st April 2025
