It’s Greek to Me Has Closed After Nearly 40 Years on Lake Street

It’s Greek to Me has closed on the corner of Lake Street and Lyndale Avenue. The restaurant has been an icon of the neighborhood since opening in 1982. Originally run by Argyrios and Denise Arambadjis, the lively restaurant serving all the comforts of Greek food and hospitality was sold in 2017 to another family, Nick and Athena Karos. The Karos family did all that they could to bring the aging eatery into a new era with fresh menu items, entertainment, and even a market of imported Greek goods for purchase.

Unfortunately, it’s been a rough summer for many neighborhood restaurants, and the Karos family made the difficult decision to close after dinner Sunday night, sharing the announcement on Facebook at noon on Saturday. It’s Greek to Me will carry on in some form as a catering operation, however.

When it opened, the neighborhood and city were completely different. The Replacements were still thumbing through vinyl at Oarfolkjokeopus, and getting rowdy at the CC Club. Prince was pulling together plans for filming his little indie movie Purple Rain inside First Avenue. And the area surrounding the building at the intersection of Lake Street and Lyndale Avenue was surrounded by affordable housing and had plenty of parking. Nearly all of the area businesses from that time have closed. Dulono’s Pizza, the hub of bluegrass and motorcycle Thursdays was one of the last to go, closing in 2017 after 60 years in business.

It’s Greek to Me follows the path of another family-run Greek eatery. Dinkytown’s longstanding Kafe 421 shuttered in July, also changing the business model to all catering.

• After 60 Years of Music, Motorcycles, and Pizza, Dulono’s Has Closed [ETC]
• Where to Eat in the Lyn/Lake Neighborhood [ETC]
• It’s Greek to Me [WEB]
• Dinkytown’s Greek Eatery Has Closed, Moves Operations to Catering [ETC]