Well, this is not the update a lot of Savannah wanted to hear.

Olympia Cafe, one of River Street’s most recognizable long-time restaurants, will not be returning to its original home inside the historic Thomas Gamble Building. The decision came after the restaurant’s ownership group was unable to move forward with the lease agreement previously approved by Savannah City Council.

Mediterranean cuisine, however, is not leaving Savannah’s Riverfront.

According to a City of Savannah press release issued Wednesday, the city will now reopen the competitive bidding process for the ground-floor restaurant space at 5 E. River Street. That space is currently empty while the Gamble Building undergoes a substantial renovation. Olympia’s previous lease expired at the end of 2025, and because the building is city-owned, the city was required to publicly re-solicit the lease opportunity.

The story was first reported by savannahagenda.com. (a solid follow, by the way, for any number of civic matters around the city).

Olympia Cafe actually won that process. In October 2025, Savannah City Council awarded the new lease to Olympia and authorized the city manager to negotiate final terms. At the time, it appeared the beloved Greek-inspired Mediterranean restaurant would return after construction was complete.

But that is no longer the case.

The city says Olympia later notified officials it would not move forward because of internal business matters. Savannah Agenda reported additional details from a letter sent by the restaurant’s attorney, explaining that the ownership group had been unable to resolve differences following the death of longtime co-owner Nick Pappas. The letter also indicated that co-owner Vasilis Varlagas had left the business and was pursuing another restaurant elsewhere, while Laura Pappas was unable to operate Olympia on her own.

We can report that Mr. Varlagas has entered an agreement for the River Street space formerly occupied by Lizzy’s Burger Bar at 417 East River Street. Work has been underway in that space to covert it to a new Mediterranean restaurant called Limani (Greek word for a coastal harbor for ships) since January. They expect to open sometime in June.

The facade already looks like something you’d expect to see along a Greek waterfront.

For anyone who has spent real time in Savannah, Olympia Cafe was more than just another River Street restaurant. For more than 30 years, it was a familiar stop for locals, visitors, downtown workers and anyone looking for Greek salads, gyros, seafood, hummus, spanakopita and a little old-school River Street charm.

River Street has changed a lot over the years. Some of it for the better, some of it not-depending on who you ask. But Olympia was one of those places that felt like it had always been there.

Now, officially, it will not be coming back.

The next question is obvious: who takes over one of the most visible restaurant spaces in Savannah?

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