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Beloved Lyric Diner Closes After Owner Decides to Retire, Broker Says

 Lyric Diner sat closed on Wednesday, after its owner decided to retire, according to a broker.
Lyric Diner sat closed on Wednesday, after its owner decided to retire, according to a broker.
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DNAinfo/Noah Hurowitz

MANHATTAN — A beloved Gramercy diner has closed for good after the owner decided to retire, according an agent brokering the space.

Lyric Diner, a 24-hour eatery at the corner of Third Avenue and East 22nd Street, sat empty on Wednesday morning, with paper covering the windows. A glimpse through a small gap in the paper covering revealed a dark interior, with much of the old furniture missing.

The diner closed within the last week after the owner, George Kalogerakos, decided it was time to bring to a close his decades operating out of the space, according to James Bullaro, a real estate broker.

“He kept it private, but from what I know the current owner decided after 31 years it was time to call it a day,” Bullaro said.

Bullaro said he’s not sure yet what will take Lyric’s place, but that he’s got his fingers crossed for something similar.

”Hopefully it will be another diner,” he said.

Kalogerakos reopened Lyric in 2013 after a brief stint operating a more formal Greek restaurant, Taverna, in the space. At the time he said he was resurrecting the diner with a bar and “better quality food.”

Kalogerakos did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The closure of the diner will be a loss for the neighborhood, according to one local, who discovered the diner was closed on Wednesday when she arrived for lunch with a friend.

"This was our spot!" said Lisa, who declined to give her last name. "I just ate here last week. I guess we're going to have to find a new place."