J-K’s Greek Cafe, located at 7749 University Avenue, has reopened in La Mesa under new ownership.
The beloved Greek eatery has officially been revived by Liza Tsolirides and Brooke Saunders, who have collaborated for over a decade at local restaurants, including Cucina Urbana, Snooze A.M. Eatery, and Sisters Pizza, according to San Diego Magazine. Although this is their first venture as restaurant owners, they chose to keep the name after meeting with the original owner’s son, who shared that “J-K” stood for Jacob and Kostas, his father and uncle.
The 950-square-foot space has been refreshed with new paint and brought up to code, while still preserving its vintage charm, including a set of original blush-colored vinyl chairs. With seating for about six tables, the team expects a strong focus on takeout. Several longtime menu favorites will return, alongside new additions like house-made garlic dip, spicy feta, beet dip, and an expanded souvlaki selection featuring pork, chicken, lamb, and beef.
Tsolirides, of Greek heritage, discovered the space while casually browsing online restaurant listings. The duo initially planned to reopen J-K’s on Tuesday, August 19, but postponed the event due to a tragic family emergency. The grand reopening is now scheduled for August 20 at 4 p.m. The post also mentions that the restaurant will be open for the rest of the week with limited hours and, at times, a limited menu.
“We are so happy to announce our new ownership of the long-standing J-K’s Greek Cafe!” the new owners shared when they took over the restaurant. “The cafe has served the community of La Mesa for over 30 years, and we are honored to take over and continue to nourish the community with classic Greek eats and hospitality. My family roots being Greek, Greek food is a staple of my life, a way that I show love to my friends and family, and now the community around us. Opening a restaurant has been a dream of both of ours for many years, and we can’t wait to share our love of food with everyone who walks through our doors. We are so passionate about this endeavor that we just spent two weeks in Greece immersing ourselves in local flavors and centuries-old cooking traditions. Now that we are back, we are hard at work giving the restaurant a facelift along with reinvigorating the menu with the freshest ingredients.”
