The sign on the door marks the end of the relatively new Greek restaurant on Lake Street and thanks its customers for their support.
Chara, the Mediterranean restaurant that offered Greek and Turkish cuisine, closed its doors on Sunday for the last time.
Owner Oktunc Sipahi directed questions to a sign he left for customers on the door of his shuttered restaurant at 733 Lake St.
“This chapter of Greek and Mediterranean cuisine is closing. With renewed energy, 733 Lake St. will bring a new era of culinary delights to the Oak Park marketplace. Special thanks to our primary vendors Corfu, Turano Bread and Panos, who provided Chara with the finest fresh ingredients,” the note reads.
Local realtor David King, of David King & Associates, said in a telephone interview that the restaurant opened about a year ago. It is the former location of Papaspiros, a Greek restaurant that relocated across the street about the same time Chara opened in 2014. It has since rebranded itself as Agora Bistro, but the Papaspiros sign is still visible.
King said a firm has been hired to find a new tenant for the 733 Lake St. location, which he said has been occupied by about five different restaurants over the last 25 years.
The 2,500-square-foot restaurant seats 80 inside and has the ability to accommodate another 24 on the Lake Street sidewalk patio, King said.
