After more than 40 years, Minneapolis restaurant It's Greek to Me closes — again

It's Greek to Me Taverna E Parea in Minneapolis permanently closed over the weekend.

A message on the restaurant's website from co-owners Alkis Arambadjis and Erik Johnson said that, in part, "due to numerous obstacles, big and small, the restaurant is officially closed." Johnson and Arambadjis had reopened the restaurant in 2020 with the slightly altered name.

Arambadjis was an original owner of It's Greek to Me, along with his brother, Argyrios Arambadjis. Both hail from Salonika, Greece. They opened the restaurant in 1982, along with their spouses. Over the years, they expanded its original footprint, eventually adding one of the Twin Cities' most attractive outdoor dining spaces.

In 2016, the Arambadjis family sold the business to spouses Nick and Athena Karos, who ran the business until September 2019. When the Karoses called it quits, AIkis and Johnson, a longtime employee, stepped in.

The Greek corner restaurant has remained steadfast in its service of Mediterranean cuisine. As It's Greek to Me Taverna E Parea, the restaurant first opened for takeout, then limited seating, before having to pause during the civil unrest that followed George Floyd's murder. Despite the challenges, "parea" meant company, and the soul of the restaurant was as a gathering place for friends and family to toast over generous portions of fresh Greek fare.

With this final chapter, Arambadjis and Johnson wrote, "We humbly thank you for the support over these last few years, and over all the years that this wonderful place has been open."