Greek restaurant Opa! Opa!, slated to close in East Sacramento, will re-open in midtown

When Opa! Opa! co-owners Phil Courey and Mariann Isola announced their 14-year-old restaurant’s impending closure on Facebook last month, they said it would take a miracle to open up in a new location.

Then Christmas came around.

Opa! Opa! has signed a new lease in midtown Sacramento, the owners said on the the Greek and Mediterranean restaurant’s Facebook page Thursday night. The current 5644 J St. location will remain in business until the midtown restaurant opens in late February or mid-March, the post said.

“Because of your love, prayers & continued support ... Opa! Opa! has found a new location & executed a lease today in the heart of midtown!!” the post read. “We can assure you that you’ll see us on Second Saturdays, the farmers market & after you dance the night away at one of your favorite nightclubs. We are so excited!!!”

Opa! Opa! had originally been scheduled to close Dec. 15 after the owners said they were struggling to keep pace with rising expenses, including the state-mandated minimum wage increase, and an increasingly saturated dining market. The closing date was later pushed back to Dec. 29, and Courey and Isola repeatedly hinted on Facebook that a new location might be in the works.

In the original closure post, Courey and Isola said a prospective new location would have to be much smaller in a high-traffic neighborhood with a built-in kitchen. Getting all that together, they wrote, “would be miraculous.”

Courey and Isola said in a Facebook comment that the new location, the address for which has yet to be released, will rents for one-fourth of their old property.

This story was originally published December 27, 2019 at 10:05 AM.