Is Kati Allo still open?
Current Status: >> CLOSED <<
(keep reading to learn what happened)
Season: 7 | View All Season 7 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: April 18, 2014
Kati Allo Address: 2906 172nd St Flushing, New York 11358
Episode Recap
Kati Allo was a Queens, New York City restaurant featured on season 7 of Kitchen Nightmares.
Though the Kati Allo Kitchen Nightmares episode aired in April 2014, the actual visit from Gordon Ramsay happened almost a year earlier in mid-2013.
It was Kitchen Nightmares Season 7 Episode 4.
In this episode, Gordon Ramsay heads to Kati Allo, a Greek restaurant in Flushing, New York City (Queens).
Kati Allo is owned and maintained by Husband and Wife team Manny and Christina Zavolas.
Manny’s full name is Emmanuel Zavolas.
At the very beginning of the Kati Allo Kitchen Nightmares episode, it is obvious that the couple’s marriage is not in the best shape.
There were good number of comments and reviews on their strained relationship especially on their disclosure that they were on the verge of getting a divorce.
Gordon Ramsay, as usual, starts with asking the couple how they ended up in the restaurant business,
Manny (the husband) explains that he had bought the restaurant when he had come to the barbers shop for a haircut right next door.
The couple also explains as to how all of their children have worked in the restaurant at one point or another and currently only their daughter Evelyn worked in the restaurant one day a week as a waitress.
They also revealed they are in huge debt and had to sell their house to finance the restaurant.
Basically, Gordon Ramsay has his work cut out for him if he’s going to save the Kati Allo restaurant.
To start assessing the restaurant’s current state, Gordon gets to eating.
Gordon decides to order food during lunch service.
He orders pastitisio gyro platter and a pork dish.
As you’d expect, Gordon is clearly not even close to being impressed with any of the foods.
Thoroughly disappointed with the dish that was served to him, Gordon explains how the sausage was garlicky and greasy and the pastitsio was very bland.
He also took issue with the gyro having been frozen before being served.
Gordon then sits down to explain to the staff of his dining experience at the restaurant.
Gordon asks Manny of the sausage, regarding how it was prepared whether it was fried.
Manny rather carelessly doesn’t answer to the point and says it’s an old recipe that they used to prepare the sausage.
Gordon then asks Evelyn (Manny and Christina’s daughter) about their problems.
She bursts to tears and claims that the restaurant has ruined her family and that her parents were in fact on the verge of divorce.
Gordon Ramsay then joins them on dinner to try out what they had to offer for dinner.
Manny, in order to check if the chicken is grilled cuts deep into the chicken, which an experienced professional would not do, which ticks off Gordon immediately.
Gordon then finds out that there is another kitchen downstairs and the kitchen is maintained in a run down state.
Manny blames it on inexperienced staff and wants to hire good staff to fix the issues.
Gordon then heads to their home and talks to them about their business and family.
After a brief conversation, the couple agree to better both their business as well as relationship.
Gordon then teaches them to prepare a sea bass dish then goes on to give a huge makeover to the restaurant overnight with all of its furniture, table cloths and crockery replaced.
When the new restaurant is revealed, Christine is too ecstatic and screams on top of her voice.
After Gordon’s changes, things seem to be looking up for Kati Allo restaurant.
So was the Kitchen Nightmares Kati Allo episode a success? Keep reading our update to learn what happened next and if this Queens, New York City restaurant is still open in 2023 and beyond.
Kati Allo Update - What Happened Next?
Now that we’ve recapped the Kati Allo Kitchen Nightmares episode, let’s talk about what happened to the restaurant after Gordon Ramsay and his crew
Gordon’s makeover of the restaurant got mixed reviews, with some people liking the changes and some people not.
Is Kati Allo still open in 2023?
Unfortunately, the Kati Allo restaurant closed down in April of 2014, just a few days after the Kitchen Nightmares episode aired on TV (though around 10 months after the actual visit from Gordon Ramsay).
Initially, the stated reason for closure was a temporary break to make renovations.
However, the restaurant never reopened after its initial closure, so Kati Allo pretty much was already done by the time the Kitchen Nightmares episode aired.
While there were some positive review of the standards of food being served at the renewed restaurant, there were also complaints about long delivery times.
Another Greek restaurant called Kalamaki opened at the old Kati Allo Queens NY location in July, 2014.
The reviews for the new restaurant are mainly good and most regulars from Kati Allo have become customers there as well.
For example, consider this Yelp review on the Kalamaki Yelp page, which references the transition to Kati Allo:
We went for the first time since Kati Allo closed.
Beautiful décor, lots of people (who apparently missed Kati Allo), and nice servers.
No liquor license yet.
Although pretty the chairs and benches were uncomfortable.
The portions are small, and if you are really hungry, oh well.
Reasonable prices, but small portions, nothing to take home with you, The menu also was needs expansion … no fish, not much selection on it.
The best feature, and the reason we always went there, was to sit on the back deck. Its pretty and airy, and that’s what makes this place.
Definitely will go back, as we have been regulars at Kati Allo for many years, and its convenient to our home, but I do hope they add more to the menu, and get some cushions for those hard chairs. Enjoyed the meal.
The old Kati Allo Yelp page redirects to the Kalamaki Yelp page, so it does appear like there’s some connection between the restaurants.
As of 2023, Kalamaki is still open and doing well.
It has a 4 star review average according to the Kalamaki Yelp page.
So it appears that even though Kati Allo has disappeared, the Greek food tradition remains at the location.
Here’s what the old Kati Allo Queens location looks like in the most recent picture from Google Maps street view:
Did the Kati Allo owners divorce?
A lot of people are wondering if Manny and Christine from Kati Allo divorced after the episode.
As far as I can tell, Manny and Christina are still together.
On Christina’s Facebook page, she still uses Manny’s last name (Zavolas). Additionally, I don’t see any divorce records for the couple.
I hope they’re happy and divorce is no longer something that they need to think about!
What happened to the owners of Kati Allo?
I’m not sure what Manny and Christina did after Kati Allo closed.
Unfortunately, they don’t have much of an online presence beyond Facebook.
If I find anything out, I will update this section.
What happened to Evelyn (Kati Allo daughter)?
Evelyn was the daughter of Kati Allo owners Manny and Christina.
According to her LinkedIn page, she seems to have a pretty successful business career in business operations.
She’s now working at JP Morgan Chase of 2023 – good for her!
I wish Evelyn the best.
Final Thoughts on Kati Allo
The Kati Allo Greek restaurant closed just a few days after the Kitchen Nightmares Kati Allo episode aired on TV, so there isn’t much to report on it.
However, the Kati Allo owners didnot divorce as far as I can tell, so maybe it was actually a good thing that Kati Allo restaurant closed.
The old Kati Allo Queens New York location is occupied by a new Greek restaurant named Kalamaki that seems to be doing well.
A lot of the Kati Allo Greek restaurant regulars seem to have moved over to Kalamaki, which has helped it achieve success.
If you want to see some other Greek restaurants from Kitchen Nightmares, you might want to also check out our updates for Yanni’s Greek in Seattle WA and The Greek at the Harbor in Ventura CA.
If you want to see some other nearby New York City Kitchen Nightmares episodes, you can check out my updates for PJ’s Steakhouse / PJ’s Grill in Queens, Trobiano’s in Long Island, and Mojito Cuban Cuisine in Brooklyn.
Thanks for reading!
More Information
https://www.yelp.com/biz/kati-allo-flushing
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Last updated: 2023-02-10 06:01
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