Cinque was never meant to be just a wine bar.
It was meant to feel like home.

And that feeling has a name: Evangelia Tseliou.

She is the quiet force behind the warmth, the smile that arrives before the glass, the presence that turns a visit into a memory. Where others speak of service, Evangelia speaks the language of care, intuition and generosity. She is not part of the Cinque experience — she is its heartbeat.

A life born into hospitality

Evangelia was born in Lamia, in a house where the door was never closed and the table was never set for a specific number. Guests arrived unexpectedly. Food was shared instinctively. Time stretched. Conversations mattered.

Hospitality was not learned.
It was inherited.

That early rhythm — welcoming without conditions, giving without calculation — became the emotional foundation of everything Cinque would one day stand for.

When passion became purpose

In 2004, during a journey to Northern Italy, Evangelia and her husband, Grigoris Prassas, rediscovered wine not as a product, but as culture, ritual and emotion. What followed was a shared path of discovery: wine seminars, tastings, cooking lessons, endless conversations around tables.

Slowly, a dream took shape.
Not a business plan — a calling.

In 2012, that calling became Cinque.

The courage to choose what matters

Before fully dedicating herself to Cinque, Evangelia studied at the School of Dentistry, University of Athens, and worked for over twenty years in the family business. Stability, structure, security — all were there.

And yet, in 2015, she chose differently.

She moved to Athens with her family to stand at the heart of Cinque, day after day. Not behind an office door, but on the floor, welcoming guests, reading moods, sensing needs before they are spoken.

Because for Evangelia, hospitality is not managed.
It is lived.

A language spoken by the heart

With ten years of French studies, two years of private Italian lessons, fluency in English — and now Spanish — Evangelia connects effortlessly with people from every corner of the world. But her true language is universal.

It is warmth.
It is presence.
It is the rare ability to make someone feel they belong — even if only for one evening.

Her journey continues through private wine seminars, masterclasses and cooking lessons. In 2022, together with Grigoris, she earned certification in Extra Virgin Olive Oil Tasting from Paratus Europe, expanding Cinque’s sensory world beyond wine.

The philosophy that defines Cinque

For Evangelia, hospitality is not a role, a title or a profession.
It is an act of love.

She lives by the words of Nikos Kazantzakis:

“Like in love, so in hospitality — giving makes you happier than receiving.”

This belief flows through every Cinque space, every table, every glass poured with care.

If Cinque has a soul —
it is hers.