It's Greek to Me Taverna E Parea 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 reopened the restaurant in 2020 with a slightly altered name.
Arambadjis was the 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, it 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.
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."
