On May 4th, the Greek facility will offer a song of Saganaki Swan, the last grilled rum engulfed in flames, the last potato in the pillow. 77 years later, Papa Cristo, a family-run restaurant, has been closed and the building is on sale.
What began as a Greek market in 1948 expanded to a full-fledged restaurant and community staple over decades. Flocking to the edge of the Pico Union for special items from the three generations of the Kreis family and for Greek East Feast, it is Angelenus’ united generation. The restaurant, along with the nearby St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral, became the informal center of the Byzantine Latino Quarter, a small historic cultural district.
“Finally, we’ve come to the point where we decided to take our terms,” said Mark Yodon, cousin of owner Kreis Kreis and a family-owned member for nearly 40 years. “I’m not going to wait for the buyer to come in and say, ‘OK, I’m going to turn it into a hotel.’ ”
Yeodong refused to confirm that the rent increase had affected the decision to close, but Kreis told Reist that the rent increase was the culprit. “The rent has become too high,” he said. “And there’s nothing we can do about it.
Yodon, who works as general manager, said the decision came when the family learned that the building was listed for sale. The Papacrist lot, zoned for compound or high density residential use, is currently listed for $5.2 million.
The list agent could not be contacted for comment.
“The whole corner is on sale and never sold,” Yodon said. “It belonged to the same Greek family that had Kreis’ dad and the current association. [lot] The owner’s grandfather. It dates back to 1948. ”
LA Agency
Sam Kreis founded what became Papa Cristo’s in 1948 as C&K Importing Co. The market sells imported Greek food and wine, and today it continues to do so along with the wider Mediterranean and European specialty items.
In 1968, Chrys Chrys bought a business from his father, and eventually took over the adjacent burger stand, transforming it into Papa Crist’s Taberna.
Annie Kreis, left, 2016 Papa Crist Kreis Kreis and Mark Yordon.
(Marcus Yum / Los Angeles Times)
The generous portion and cheerful environment cemented Papa Crist as and far beyond the staples of the neighbour’s decades-long community, and in 2010 Kreis’ youngest daughter, Annie, joined the trade.
The past few years have not been so easy for Papa Christ. This, like many local businesses, saw a sudden slump in revenue during the pandemic. However, some sales were possible in the market, and the restaurant’s catering business (which is primarily supervised by Yodon) helped to maintain the family business and its staff employment.
Inflation then led to slimmer profit margins. Now, with tariffs on the horizon, Yodon mused, “Maybe this was a good time to go.”
Since the news broke, a flock of fans has flowed into restaurants and markets. Hundreds of online comments are screaming for someone to save their business.
Yodon said that fate will be determined by his cousin, Nie, but there may be a future where Papa Cristo is somewhere else and in a smaller place. It is also possible that Kreis, now 80, will retire on this occasion.
“He’s kind of reached a limit,” Yodon said. “Heavy things are lying to the head wearing the crown.”
However, an official statement from Kreis on Thursday suggested that this may not be the end of Papa Crist. “It’s time to say goodbye (for now) 77 years later at the corner of Pico and Normandy,” he wrote on the restaurant’s Instagram page, “The story of Papa Cristo doesn’t end here. Something exciting is coming.”
More classic restaurants are struggling
Some of the city’s longest and most precious restaurants have announced struggles or closures to survive in the past few weeks. Opened in 1946, Burbank’s Chilijons recently launched a fundraiser to bring the business to light. The owner said last month that it could close in the coming months without increasing sales.
An early dinner special at Du-Par’s, the original farmers market.
(Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
Recently, the CEO of Du-Par said that the diner, set in 1938, famous for pancakes on the corner of the original Farmers Market, is also struggling. Francis Talio told “LA in a ginory” podcaster Evan Lovett that the crackdown on immigrants, rising egg prices and losses in business from the city’s January wildfires have hurt one of the city’s oldest surviving restaurants. Talio could not be reached for comment.
Last week, decades ago, French restaurant Lucett Foe closed its doors amid a string of West Hollywood closures. Last month, after 101 years of service, the original pantry was closed and Angelenos left.
Customers lined up outside in the rain for a table at the original pantry cafe in February.
(Nick Agro/For the era)
New restaurants are also closing in quick clips, with many notable closures in the first half of the year, including Guerilla Tacos at Grand Central Market, Kosab Ona, Sage and Wexler’s deli.
“It was really an avalanche,” said Kim Cooper, a local historian and tour guide. “A lot of factors are stacked up on top of each other and people are making very difficult decisions.”
Cooper runs walking tools and historic preservation-oriented company Esotour with her husband, Richard Schave. The two were restaurant patrons for years.
Especially given the closure and struggle rash of some of the oldest restaurants in the city, Shave and Cooper want to see more local and state programs that support and provide support for legacy businesses before they’re too late.
The pair proposed two potential scenarios that could save the restaurant. Maybe they said that the new state law SB 4, designed to help faith-based organizations build affordable housing, could support the surrounding Greek Orthodox communities with deep connections to Papa Cristo.
Or the history-oriented restaurateur said he could buy the business from the Kreis family, promising to ensure its survival, as Mark Rose and Med Abru did at Fairfax’s Gengis Cohen restaurant.
“By the time people who love these places hear they’re in trouble, it’s often too far away and they’re announcing the closure,” Cooper said. “It feels like Los Angeles is gone. We have to save it.”
