Pegasus Restaurant and Taverna is closing at midnight Saturday after the dinner service, bringing an end to its 27-year presence in Chicago’s Greektown neighborhood.
“It was a pleasure serving our customers over the last 27 years,’’ said Ceasar Melidis, general counsel for the family restaurant. He said his father, Yiannis Melidis, and his uncle, Antonio Katsoulias, were retiring as co-owners of the restaurant.
“There are many great memories,’’ Ceasar Melidis said.
Pegasus’ closure will mark the shuttering of a second Greektown mainstay in as many years. In September 2016, the Parthenon closed after 48 years in business on Halsted Street, where it was generally credited as inventing the now-iconic dish of flaming saganaki.
But Pegasus got to host Oprah Winfrey, who was taught a few Greek dance steps by the Orpheus Hellenic Folklore Society as part of a 2002 taping of her eponymous show featuring Nia Vardalos, star of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”
The 130 S. Halsted St. restaurant wrote on its website that the menu was “comprised of true Mediterranean cooking that our families grew up eating and, we are proud to serve our guests these special recipes.” Ceasar Melidis said popular dishes included the grilled lamb chops, broiled octopus and whole broiled fish. Pegasus was noted for its 120-seat rooftop space, which offered a full bar along, with views of the Chicago skyline. Pegasus had recently marked its anniversary by offering Customer Celebration Days, with specially reduced prices on some menu items through much of November.
George Melidis, Caesar’s brother, said Pegasus on the Fly will continue to operate at Midway International Airport. Artopolis Bakery, Cafe and Agora, a sister restaurant at 306 S. Halsted St., will also remain open, he said.
wdaley@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @billdaley
