TV Restaurants

What Happened to Vasi's Restaurant and Bar? (Waterbury, CT)

Closed verified

As of September 2026, Vasi's Restaurant and Bar has closed — confirmed via ctpost.com, January 2020.

Primary source
ctpost.com ·
Secondary source
i95rock.com ·

Last verified

What the source shows: The Connecticut Post quoted owner Vasilios Kaloidis confirming the restaurant closed for good in January 2020 after a planned sale fell through; local outlet i95 Rock separately reported the last day of business as December 28, 2019 and that the space held a new, unrelated restaurant by May 2020.

  • Season / episode Season 2, Episode 3
  • Original air date
  • Address 1700 Watertown Ave, Waterbury, CT 06708
  • Current name Vasi's Taverna

Interactive map — loads when you ask for it.

Everything on this map is also in the list below.

© OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO

What happened after Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back?

Vasi's Restaurant and Bar was an Italian-leaning restaurant and banquet hall on Watertown Avenue in Waterbury, Connecticut, opened in 2002 by Vasilios 'Vasi' Kaloidis in tribute to his Greek immigrant family's restaurant background. By the time of Gordon Ramsay's visit in November 2018, the business was carrying roughly half a million dollars in debt, a large share of it owed to Kaloidis's own mother, and the owner's marriage and family relationships were under significant strain. Dining undercover, Ramsay found a confused menu that mixed French onion soup into an ostensibly Italian restaurant, along with calamari, clams, and shrimp he found poorly prepared. Hidden-camera footage shown to the staff documented a cook tasting food with her fingers and returning them to the dish, along with dropped food being plated and served. The kitchen's head chef, frustrated with the direction of the business, nearly quit during filming before Ramsay convinced her to stay.

For the relaunch, Ramsay introduced a Greek-inspired menu that leaned into the family's heritage, retrained the kitchen around new signature dishes, and pressed Kaloidis's mother to stop covering the restaurant's debts so her son would take more direct responsibility for the business. The overhaul also included new dining-room decor incorporating family photographs. The relaunch dinner drew a positive reaction from diners, including a food critic in attendance.

According to a 2020 interview Kaloidis gave to the Connecticut Post, the show's Greek concept did not resonate with his customer base, so within a few months he renamed the business Vasi's Taverna and shifted the menu back toward Italian dishes, burgers, and wings. In that same interview, Kaloidis said business improved for a couple of months after the episode aired before returning to its earlier pace. Kaloidis told the Connecticut Post that he ultimately chose to close the restaurant after a planned sale fell through and he had already told staff and returned customers' event deposits, adding that the decision was unrelated to the television appearance. Local outlet i95 Rock reported that Vasi's Taverna was permanently closed as of December 28, 2019, with the closure publicly announced in mid-January 2020, and that by May 2020 the space had been renovated into a new, unrelated restaurant called RiverHill Restaurant.

Featured on Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back

Season / episode
Season 2, Episode 3
Original air date
Episode title
Vasi's Restaurant and Bar
What was featured
Debt-ridden Italian restaurant and banquet hall with sanitation and menu problems
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Vasi's Restaurant and Bar

Frequently asked questions

Is Vasi's Restaurant and Bar still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Vasi's Restaurant and Bar has closed — confirmed via ctpost.com, January 2020.

What happened to Vasi's Restaurant and Bar after Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back?

Vasi's Restaurant and Bar was an Italian-leaning restaurant and banquet hall on Watertown Avenue in Waterbury, Connecticut, opened in 2002 by Vasilios 'Vasi' Kaloidis in tribute to his Greek immigrant family's restaurant background. As of September 2026, Vasi's Restaurant and Bar has closed — confirmed via ctpost.com, January 2020.

Is Vasi's Restaurant and Bar permanently closed?

As of September 2026, Vasi's Restaurant and Bar has closed — confirmed via ctpost.com, January 2020. We publish a closure only with a dated source behind it, and we say plainly when it has not been independently confirmed.

What is Vasi's Restaurant and Bar called now?

Now: Vasi's Taverna (formerly Vasi's Restaurant and Bar). As of September 2026, Vasi's Restaurant and Bar has closed — confirmed via ctpost.com, January 2020.

Where is Vasi's Restaurant and Bar located?

1700 Watertown Ave, Waterbury, CT 06708. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back featured Vasi's Restaurant and Bar?

Season 2, Episode 3 of Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back, first aired January 16, 2019. The episode is titled “Vasi's Restaurant and Bar”.

Did the makeover last at Vasi's Restaurant and Bar?

The episode first aired January 16, 2019. Our most recent check was September 7, 2026 — 7 years later —: As of September 2026, Vasi's Restaurant and Bar has closed — confirmed via ctpost.com, January 2020.

Is Vasi's Restaurant and Bar still using the Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back menu or branding?

Dining undercover, Ramsay found a confused menu that mixed French onion soup into an ostensibly Italian restaurant, along with calamari, clams, and shrimp he found poorly prepared. Anything newer than our last check on September 7, 2026 may not be reflected here.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

More from Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back

Every Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back restaurant we track

Other TV restaurants in Connecticut

All Connecticut locations

Nearest tracked restaurants

Visit info

Address
1700 Watertown Ave, Waterbury, CT 06708
Venue type
restaurant
Official website
None found

Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources

  • ctpost.com — https://www.ctpost.com/business/article/Vasi-s-Taverna-Gordon-Ramsay-show-had-nothing-to-14978040.php
  • i95rock.com — https://i95rock.com/new-restaurant-emerging-at-former-vasis-location-in-waterbury/
  • realitytvupdates.com — https://realitytvupdates.com/24-hours-to-hell-and-back/vasis-restaurant-taverna/

See something wrong?

We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.

See something wrong? Tell us →

Share this page

Record 24h-011 · last verified .