by Jackie Nunnery –
Often restaurants have one or the other: great food or a comfortable, relaxed vibe that encourages you to enjoy the setting along with the food. At Southwind Café & Pizza, you get both.
Situated across from Mathew’s historic Courthouse Square, the charming building, constructed in 1921, features shady front porch seating in addition to indoor dining. Along with historical photographs and memorabilia, the inside has much of the architectural detail that signals to its former life as Lee Miles’ general store.
Also lining the walls are the many awards the restaurant has received over the years from Chesapeake Bay, Coastal Virginia, Virginia Living and other magazines. The restaurant has also appeared in the “Best of the Rivah” for its pizza.
Dean Tsamouras (pronounced cha-morris) took over Southwind in 2012 and since then has kept what was working—“the pizza was always fantastic”—and kicked a few other things up a notch.
“I wanted to diversify the menu,” Tsamouras said. The addition of Boar’s Head brand deli meats and cheeses for their sandwiches, fresh pasta, Mediterranean flavors (a nod to his Greek heritage) and local seafood have all been winning expansions to the menu.
In addition to a regular menu that features salads, sandwiches and pizzas with a nod to the local geography with names like the Piankatank and Gwynn’s Island, Southwind also has daily lunch and dinner specials that keep things interesting. They’ve also expanded the drink options, adding a number of craft beers available on tap or in growlers to take home and enjoy.
Tsamouras knows a thing or two about making people happy with food and drink. He’s been in the restaurant business nearly all of his life and operates a number of other popular eateries in the area, namely Mobjack Tavern, Hole in the Wall and Yorktown Pub. “I love this business,” he said. And clearly it shows.
With the Southwind Café, Tsamouras wanted a casual atmosphere where you could bring the whole family. There are plenty of menu options for the younger set, and adults can kick back and enjoy a beer with their meal “and just hang out and talk,” Tsamouras said.
On the day my husband Blaine and I visited, people started arriving as soon as they opened. The Sunday afternoon lunch specials included Southern classics like fried green tomatoes and gumbo, as well as local fried oysters, parmesan baked salmon and a fried flounder sandwich.
On Tsamouras’ recommendation, I ordered the crabcake and I’m glad I did. The Jumbo Lump Crabcake Sandwich was true to its name: generously sized and full of flaky crab meat and little else. If you can make a good crabcake without relying on fillers, you have me. It was served with lettuce and tomato on a freshly made bun and toasted to perfection. Sandwiches come with a side of chips, potato salad, French fries, sweet potato fries or cole slaw. I went for the slaw and it paired nicely with the crab. It was fresh and with just the right amount of dressing, so the flavor and crunch of the cabbage held up.
My husband ordered another lunch special, the blackened mahi over wilted spinach. He too was impressed with the freshness of the ingredients and flavors; so much so, he allowed me just two bites. But those two bites packed a lot of flavor. The mahi was topped with a green tomato salsa and a fresh lime that were tangy, bright complements to the blackened crust of the fish. It was all served on a bed of fresh, wilted spinach and I was definitely left wanting more.
You can’t go to a pizza place and not try the pizza. We split a small 8” pizza, although a larger 12” option also is available. On our server Faith’s recommendation, we went with one of the specialty pizzas, the popular Big Island with mozzarella, pepperoni, Italian sausage, onions, green pepper and mushroom. If the 12 different specialty pizza combinations are not to your liking, you can create your own, choosing from five different meats, seven different cheeses and 14 other ingredients.
The Big Island pizza is big in every sense. No tiny diced vegetables or thin soggy crust here. Fresh, chunky vegetables that still had some bite to them, generous helpings of meats, and a tangy tomato sauce all on a thick bed of a freshly made, hearth-baked crust. In a word—delicious!
As good as things are, Tsamouras is always thinking about ways to improve the experience at Southwind and respond to the new realities of operating a restaurant in a COVID-19 world. He’s thinking about more outdoor seating with a wrap-around porch, and possibly opening a market next door to sell Southwind’s sauces, fresh cuts of fish, or ready-made pizzas you can take home to bake.
Whatever direction Tsamouras takes Southwind Café & Pizza, the community is sure to follow. “Mathews is a supportive community. They’ve stood by us and have been patient and understanding during all this,” he said.
I, for one, can’t wait to see what’s next or go back for more. There’s the Goodwin Island pizza with fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, tomatoes and garlic. There’s the Chesapeake chicken salad sandwich. Or maybe I’ll catch the blackened mahi on special again. And I won’t be sharing.
Southwind Café & Pizza
44 Church Street, Mathews
725-2766
Open
11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays
Closed Tuesday
11 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturdays
Noon- 8 p.m. Sundays
Chef’s Picks
Big Island pizza
Crabcake sandwich
Fresh daily specials
Did you know?
Southwind Café & Pizza hosts regional musicians on second and fourth Saturday evenings and a local jam night on Thursdays—bring your own guitar!
