The Parthenon, A Greektown Classic, Has Closed

By Anthony Todd in Food on Sep 7, 2016 8:00PM

Photo via Facebook.

Today in "news we never, ever thought we'd hear," The Parthenon, a classic of Greektown (and the supposed inventor of flaming cheese) has closed after 48 years in business.

We've been a bit worried about the Parthenon for a while now. The upscale restaurant from the same owners, Aviva, opened and closed so fast we didn't even get a chance to visit, and while Aviva was having troubles, the original restaurant was closed for weeks for a health code violation (and sort of lied about it, claiming they were renovating).

That being said, we were shocked to see on Eater Chicago this sign on the door of the restaurant:

Photo by Ashok Selvam, Eater Chicago. Used with Permission.

The restaurant, according to Eater, closed Tuesday and will become something called the "Ambassador Public House," outside of which I may have to stage a vigil.

A personal aside: Normally restaurant closings are part of the normal course of business in this city, which has an incredibly competitive restaurant scene. However, I have been visiting the Parthenon since I was 3 years old, when kind older greek waiter brought me plates of olives. The loss of this classic restaurant is a small blow to the Chicago restaurant community. It won't be forgotten.