Odessa Restaurant not closing, just renovating, owners say

Iconic East Village diner Odessa Restaurant was set to close for good this Sunday after 25 years of serving perogies, stuffed cabbage, and other Eastern European fare. Or so we thought. Gothamist now reports that according to co-owner Steve Skulikidis (who also co-owns the building with his brother, Mike), Odessa is merely closing for renovations and should reopen next year. “We’ll be back,” he told Gothamist.

We were told it was closing for good when we called Odessa on July 12, and EV Grieve spoke to manager Dennis Vassilatos who told them Odessa was shutting down due to loss of business during the COVID-19 crisis. As Gothamist wonders too, it is unclear whether Odessa’s owners changed their minds, or if it was all a misunderstanding, but we’re glad to hear it will be staying on Ave A.