Papa's Taverna Closes

Papa’s Taverna, Petaluma’s only Greek restaurant, is no more.

The much-loved venue, known for its live dancing and sumptuous platters of Greek food on the banks of the Petaluma River, closed its doors January 19, the Argus Courier is reporting.

The restaurant opened in the early ‘90s by brothers Ted and Leo Papageorgacopoulos. But the venue has had a place in Petaluma history since 1880s, when it first opened as a dock, known as Donahue’s Landing, according to the article.

It was later known as Gilardi’s Lakeville Resort, a hoppin’ place where celebrities like Jerry Garcia would stop by, play some songs and move on.

A Greek band came up from Los Angeles every weekend to play at Papa’s and the dancing was notorious.

But with the economy tanking, running the restaurant became more and more difficult. However, owners Ted and Glynnis Papageorgacopoulos plan on maintaining their catering company, Acropolis Catering.

To read more, check out the Argus Courier article.

Have you dined at Papa’s? Share your memories in the comments below.