Photo courtesy of Nicholas Vouras
The Kozy Korner restaurant in Wilmington takes a trip down memory lane in anticipation of its 100th anniversary.
For almost 100 years, the Kozy Korner in Wilmington has served locals delicious breakfast and lunch dishes.
Owner John Vouras originally opened the diner’s doors on the corner of Delaware Avenue and Washington Street in 1922, offering not only a hot meal but a feeling of family.
Since then, the Kozy Korner has been passed down three generations, moved locations and even had a change to its menu.
“In the ‘80s, the original building was torn down to make a high-rise hotel and the Kozy Korner was closed for about eight or nine years,” says Nicholas Vouras. “Then my grandpa reopened it at its current location on Union Street in Wilmington.”
Vouras is next in line to take over the family diner, where he is enhancing the menu and bringing his customers on a trip down memory lane.
“What makes [the diner] really unique is the historical aspect. I wanted to see how the place was like in the past because I knew a lot of our customers were regulars,” he says. “So, I went on Facebook to old Wilmington groups and started talking to people about how their mom and dad met at the Kozy Korner or how it is a family tradition to eat there.”
“I set up a bulletin board in the diner full of old pictures, newspapers and more and this one boy came in and his grandmother, great-grandmother were waitresses at the original location. So, there is a photo of four generations of his family on there,” Vouras adds.
Not only does the diner share its history with the Wilmington community, but it also brings delicious pizzas to its menu.
Once the pandemic hit, Vouras wanted to not only help small businesses during this time, but he was on a mission to find the best pizza. He traveled from Delaware to Connecticut, visiting around 50 different pizza spots and over 60 restaurants to learn their cooking methods.
“I went up and down the East Coast, taking weekly trips to great places to eat and, in my travels, I developed a great pizza recipe,” he says. “The pizza style is Detroit–style pizza, so there is cheese around the crust and it’s caramelized.”
Kozy Korner
906 N. Union St., Wilmington
658-0812
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