Asian restaurant planned for former site of Zorba's Taverna in Worcester

Telegram & Gazette Staff
Updated ·1 min read
The former Zorba’s Taverna on Stafford Street in Worcester.
The former Zorba’s Taverna on Stafford Street in Worcester.

Correction: An earlier version of this story inaccurately described the style of restaurant planned for the former Zorba's location.

WORCESTER ― The former home of Zorba's Taverna, a family-owned restaurant at 97 Stafford St. in Worcester, is now under the ownership of Asian cuisine restauranteurs who have plans to open a buffet restaurant.

NAI Glickman Kovago and Jacobs announced the sale of the property for $2.2 million by CNTTD Inc. to 97 Real Estate LLC.

Jessica Lin, one of the future owners, said the new restaurant will be called Panda Buffet and will serve both Chinese and Japanese dishes.

Lin added that she also owns Yama Fuji in Providence, while another partner owns Red Mango in Stratham, New Hampshire.

Zorba's closed in February after 11 years in the business. In an interview with the T&G, Zorba's owner Nusa Dimopoulos said the business had never fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The entrance to Zorba's Taverna on Stafford Street in Worcester boasts a portrait of former area restaurateurs and the in-laws of Nusa Dimopoulos. Server Valerie Queirolo attends customers in the background on Feb. 3, the restaurant's last day.
The entrance to Zorba's Taverna on Stafford Street in Worcester boasts a portrait of former area restaurateurs and the in-laws of Nusa Dimopoulos. Server Valerie Queirolo attends customers in the background on Feb. 3, the restaurant's last day.

The building that housed Zorba's was built in the mid-1960s and originally housed a Waldorf cafeteria. After the Waldorf chain folded, it housed various restaurants over the decades including Beefsteak Charlie's, Papeete, Bickford's and Christo's before Zorba's moved in.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Asian restaurant coming to former site of Zorba's Taverna in Worcester