Downtown Keene staple Timoleon's closes; eatery is for sale
Oct. 26—After 36 years of serving food to patrons in Keene, Timoleon's Restaurant closed its doors Wednesday.
The Main Street mainstay has long been owned and managed by couple Timoleon N. "Lindy" Chakalos and Kiriaky "Kiki" Chakalos.
Inside the restaurant, which served American food for breakfast and lunch, Kiki said Wednesday that she has fond memories of serving so many customers young and old over the years, and that she's saddened to say goodbye.
"I feel bad because we have had the business for so many years and my husband is very sick," she said. Lindy turned 90 in 2017, The Sentinel previously reported.
Kiki said the restaurant is for sale, but declined to comment further.
Customers and employees alike have described the eatery as a classic, family diner with many long-tenured employees and regular customers.
When Lindy Chakalos celebrated his 90th birthday, his grand-niece Lydia Chakalos, who was working there as a server, said her great-uncle was the driving force behind the restaurant's charm and warmth.
"I think that's how a diner should be," she told The Sentinel at the time. "But he definitely set that up."
Keene resident Jenny Laclair said Wednesday she was sad to learn of the restaurant's closing and described it as a staple in Keene for many years.
"For me it has always been the friendly waitresses who know you by name and know what you like," she said in a Facebook message. "... It will be missed in Keene."
Luca Paris, president of the Greater Keene and Peterborough Chamber and owner of fellow downtown eatery Luca's Mediterranean Cafe, said Timoleon's Restaurant has had a profound impact on the dining scene of Keene.
"People have grown up with Timoleon's and their kids have too," he said in an email Wednesday. "The essence of a place like this is generational and, although we are used to change, it is always difficult to say goodbye to the memories and experiences that many people have had there."
Lindy Chakalos started running Timoleon's in 1985 and, but has been on the city's culinary scene for decades. In the late 1950s, Chakalos — a graduate of Keene High School and Keene State College — took over the Marlboro Street Restaurant after his father, Nicholas J. Chakalos, died, according to previous Sentinel reporting.
Lindy Chakalos opened Lindy's Diner in 1961 and sold it in 1975. The Gilbo Avenue restaurant remains open, under different ownership.
Mark Rebillard, chairman of Keene Downtown Group, said Wednesday that he could always count on Timoleon's Restaurant for a good meal with comfort food and friendly service.
"When you think about it, the Chakalos family and the restaurants they created have welcomed hundreds of thousands of people to downtown over the years. I'm wishing them the best in the next chapter of their lives."
According to city property records, Eighty-Eight Lambert Avenue Nominee Trust purchased the building that houses Timoleon's Restaurant, at 27 Main St., from Lindy in August 2019 for $650,000. The three-story brick structure was built in 1900, and also features office and apartment space above the ground-floor restaurant, according to city records.
Robert Patton-Spruill, co-owner of the trust, could not immediately be reached Wednesday for comment on future plans for the space.
Hunter Oberst can be reached at 355-8546, or hoberst@keenesentinel.com.
