Alabama oldest restaurant receives praise for its historic character and long Greek culinary tradition

The oldest restaurant in Alabama is getting recognised for its nostalgic character. The Bright Star Restaurant in Bessemer, Ala., has been serving up Greek-influenced comfort food since 1907 and was recently recognised in Food Network's top nostalgic eats by U.S. state.

Owner Andreas Anastassakis told PEOPLE about the restaurant's 119-year history steeped in tradition and daily connection. Anastassakis said the restaurant was started in 1907 by Tom Bonduris, an immigrant from a small town in Greece called Peleta. The restaurant moved three times around Bessemer before settling in its current location in 1915.

In 1925, Anastassakis said Bonduris “was ready to retire, but he wanted his restaurant to carry on, so he went to Greece and brought four nephews with him” back to the U.S. They ran the restaurant until one of their sons, Jimmy Koikos, joined in 1960.

The Bright Star Restaurant serves up comfort food, specialising in snapper. Carmen K. Sisson/Shutterstock In 1969, Jimmy's brother “came into the fold,” and they ran the restaurant together before bringing on their niece Stacey in 2000 and Anastassakis, who is their second cousin, in 2010.

The Food Network recognised The Bright Star on a list of U.S. restaurants with the best nostalgic vibe and food, noting in particular The Bright Star's ham steak and pineapple and cheese pie. “The recognition's huge,” Anastassakis shared. “It really goes to the lineage of the restaurant and how all the hard work that everybody's put in [has] paid off."

Anastassakis said that everything about the restaurant's “history” and “atmosphere” has made it a nostalgic staple. “A lot of people say that when they walk in the door, they feel like they're going back in time,” he said. One customer told him last week that “this is what restaurants are supposed to look like.”

He said the main dining room is preserved as much as possible to mirror how it was when it opened in 1915, with restored murals that were painted in 1915 and the original tiled floor. The marble walls have also been maintained and restored since 1915, he said.

The homey, nostalgic spot specialises in snapper and features Southern and Greek-inspired items on its menu like Fried Catfish, Ham Steak, Mac & Cheese (along with a whole host of other Southern sides), Gumbo and Baklava Cheesecake. The menu has “been very consistent,” Anastassakis told PEOPLE. “We try to keep it as consistent as we can.”

Customers tell Anastassakis they feel like they're going back in time when they step into the restaurant. Carmen K. Sisson/Shutterstock “As people come here over the years, they want what they've always had,” he added.

“Our regular guests here at The Bright Star that have kept us here all these years, they don't look at the menu. They know what they want before they come.” He shared the top-selling items among regulars at the restaurant.

“Our number one selling item for lunch would be our Fried Snapper Almondine, and that's been on the menu here for oh, I don't know, 50 or 60 years,” he said. “At dinner time, our number one selling item would be our Greek-style Tenderloin, which has been on the menu here, I believe, since 1975.”

He shared that the restaurant was recognised by the Alabama Cattlemen's Association for that dish in 2013. He said The Bright Star buys from the same fishmonger for all of its snapper – Greg Abrams Seafood in Panama City, Fla.

“We buy whole fish. We process the fish here in the restaurant,” he said. “We have several ways that we prepare snapper.” That includes a Greek Snapper, Fried Snapper Throats and Broiled Snapper Throats, according to the restaurant's menu.

In terms of standout memories from his time at the restaurant, Anastassakis said he wouldn't “know where I would begin with that.” “Things like that happen every day,” he said. “Like last night, I had a man [who] drove here from Chicago to come eat here.”

“I was on a radio show yesterday, and the man heard me, and he was driving here from Chicago to go to pick up his daughter in Tuscaloosa from university. He picked up his daughter and came straight here,” he said.

“It's just a special place,” he added. “We have these special stories happen every day.” Looking forward, does Anastassakis hope to keep the century-long tradition of the restaurant in the family? “I would hope so,” he said. “That person hasn't emerged yet, but I would hope so. That would be the ultimate goal.”