Detroit's Historic London Chop House To Reopen

DETROIT (WWJ) - An iconic Detroit restaurant will once again reopen this month, two decades after shutting its doors.

The historic London Chop House will be run by Nico Gatzaros and his family. He said they've decided to reopen the site, which closed due to a lack of patrons, because he believes the city's coming around.

"My dad's been downtown since 1962 and he's never lost faith in the city of Detroit and its ability to come back around," said Gatzaros. "And we really think that this new era coming up in Detroit has got some, you know, some grip. And I think Detroit's just on the verge of really taking off."

Gatzaros said the Chop House's resurrection symbolizes that revival.

"Detroit has become something to be proud of in a lot of regards now. It always has, but there's so much opportunity out there," he said. "I tell people that Detroit really is the land of opportunity."

Gatzaros said and menu's better-known specialty items, including Dover sole and the Pancho Burger, will be back.

They've spent the last year restoring the restaurant, which first opened in 1938. "We've maintained the entire integrity of the dining room. The original bar is there. The original booths are there. The wood paneling is still there," said Gatzaros.

The London Chop House re-opens to the public on February 20.