A popular Raleigh restaurant closed abruptly for a ‘transformation’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Giorgios Epicurean Market is closed for a few months to revamp dinner service.
- Dinner relaunches as Kipos Gardens with Greek skewers, mezze and meats.
- Morning and midday service stay; patio will get furniture, landscaping tweaks.
Everything is poetry to Giorgios Bakatsias, the busiest restaurateur in the Triangle — even a restaurant closing.
The owner of Giorgios Epicurean Market announced this week that the popular all-day foodie destination would temporarily close for a bit of a transformation. In other words, Bakatsias is planting seeds and waiting for things to bloom.
“It’s the Fire Horse year,” Bakatsias said in a phone interview, referencing the Chinese zodiac year. “Be ready for action.”
GEM’s rather abrupt closing announcement said only that it would be back after a transformation. Bakatsias said that while its breakfast lunch and brunch services are popular, the restaurant is closing to help GEM find its footing in the dinner hours.
To do that, he’s is looking to one of his most popular brands: Kipos
The dinner service at GEM will now be known as Kipos Gardens, bringing in familiar skewers, salads and mezze, slow-cooked meats and keeping pizza on the menu.
Giorgios Epicurean Market temporarily closes
Kipos is Baktasias’ longtime Greek tavern, best known for fire-roasted meats and shareable mezze. The flagship Kipos is in Chapel Hill, with another location in Wilmington. (The Chapel Hill location, which flooded last summer, expects to reopen Saturday, Feb. 21, the restaurant’s social media says.)
The morning and midday hours from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at GEM will largely stay the same, with breakfast pastries and coffee and lunch. It’s the dinner hours from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. that will be changed.
“GEM has its special place, and actually its brunch experience has been very popular,” Bakatsias said. “The full success comes when dinner and catering and late night come together.”
GEM opened in late 2024 in Raleigh’s East End Market development, where Bakatsias and chef William D’Auvray also have East End Bistrot. The News & Observer reported at the time.
Conceived as an all-day restaurant, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, GEM plays into what Bakatsias calls the next generation restaurant, where the space remains active beyond the evenings.
“The space was created for multiple functions all day long,” Bakatsias said. “There’s not a set dinner time, when all the reservations come in at 7 and you’re home by 10. ... You use the space all the time. You’re paying rent for the space, so you want to use it all day long.”
When will GEM reopen?
The restaurant space will be closed for a few months, with plans to reopen later this spring.
During renovations, Bakatsias said most of the work will be done to the patio, mostly rearranged furniture and built up landscaping.
“We’re adding some magic and having some fun,” he said.
This story was originally published February 13, 2026 at 3:57 PM with the headline "A popular Raleigh restaurant closed abruptly for a ‘transformation’."
