Opa (QueensPost)
Feb. 5, 2018 By Tara Law
Opa!, a well-known Greek restaurant that had served residents for nearly 50 years, closed permanently last month.
Opa, which operated at 28-44 31st St, was known among Greeks for it familial atmosphere, serving favorites from the old country, such as kebabs, spanakopita, souvlaki and gyros.
The restaurant’s sky lit dining room invoked a grotto and was festooned with Greek flags and large potted plants.
The property was sold in November for $1.275 million to Livadi Realty LLC. No building or demolition permits have been filed with the Department of Buildings at this time.
The restaurant’s shuttering comes four months after the 30th Avenue subway station closed for repairs. Astoria locals have complained that the subway closures, which are slated to last eight months, have harmed nearby businesses.
The owners of Opa! could not be reached for comment.
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21 Comments
Went there when I lived on 30th rd. that was in the 90’s. Went there on Friday ,& it was shuttered.
All of these complainers.”Too greasy,” “food went down,”” I got food poisoning there 2x’s. The food was great, my girl ,& I went there whenever we were in Astoria. It will be missed. As a matter of fact I went to another Greek rest.in the neighb. ,& they did ‘nt have the beef / lamb ready.
sorry to disappoint all you posh little foodies, but it’s back open
Just literally walked by and it said closed for renovations
Place looked grimy, no loss
That is true. The quality has gone down since the current owners took over. They seemed to have gotten to comfy with their food thinking they can get by on their current customers instead of upping their game and doing some menu changes/renovations to get keep and get new customers. In this sizzling Astoria market where the prices keep going up you have to innovate or be left behind.
well ate many times sitting out back and always loved the food. Glad I haven’t eaten the food since the new owner moved in. Thank goodness though that there are still great Greek restaurants to be found in Astoria, but its a changing nabe for sure.
Omg so sorry to hear this. Am remembering so many great gatherings there over many years. Bring it back.We need Opa; am still mourning the loss of Cavo, another longtime Greek restaurant. Zito Opa!
I guess if you like this sort of food you can still get it through street vendors and food trucks all over Astoria. The Ditmars area has like 6-7 of them within a two block radius. Many male old residents and construction workers eat it.
not talking street food here Jackie.
Opa wasn’t the type of place the last couple of years you went to for good Greek food other than eating pork on a stick (well done) with french fries if you knew the place. You can get a lot from a food trucks nowadays and it is much cheaper. This place was equivalent to Chinese food take out but Greek.
The Greek community is dwindling in Astoria and from what I have seen the younger Greek immigrants who come here seeking work and tourists from Greece are much more open to trying new cuisines than the previous generations. This makes it difficult for older restaurants who originally opened to cater to the surrounding community and only serve one type of cuisine to stay open especially when there so many other places similar to it. Nowadays, the only community that can thrive in Astoria just by mainly catering to the long term and growing residents are the Arabic shops.
You make some good points. As far as the the Arabic shops. They survive and prosper because they keep getting new immigrants so for the time being they will keep growing. The Greeks don’t seem to come America anymore now that Europe has the Euro. They prefer moving to Germany , UK and other European destinations because of the short flights from Greece. The only exception is Australia. Even though it’s very far. The Greek and Australian community is much more unified and welcoming to Greeks from what I hear.
The food there wasn’t THAT good. Too greasy.
Tasted like it was a month old and preheated in oil.
the current owner is not the original owner… he only purchased the restaurant a few years ago.. thats when the quality of the food started to change… cut corners etc. before him the food was excellent with a lovely owner.. she would always greet you on the weekends.
Oh OK, because it was always very authentic when I lived there.
the current owner was on TV last week I believe channel 2 or 4 and said he was
closing blaming it on the MTA, etc.
about time. been there 3 times over the yeas including next door bakery. got food poison from the restaurant twice — and a cheese pie once bought had grown mold on it….
Opa! Was great at one time. Now we are stuck with the likes of the likes of the whiskey bar
he was on the news last week and said he had to close — but did he have to close because of the building being sold or the construction with the MTA?
did Opa own the property at all?