The notable Greek restaurant, which in its heyday was a hotspot for Rundle Street diners, ceased trading after going into liquidation.

A notice displayed on the front door says the lease of the premises has been terminated as a result of unpaid of rent.

Eros Ouzeri was owned by restaurateur George Michail, who purchased it in 2007 from Jim Dimitropoulos.

Dimitropoulos initially opened Eros Ouzeri in 1995 alongside Eros Kafe, which he still runs.

Landlord Steve Maras, whose company Maras Group owns a strip of commercial property along the southern side of Rundle Street from East Terrace to Union Street including Ebeneezer Place, says the Eros Ouzeri premises went up for lease yesterday.

“We want to ensure that this news is seen as having no bearing or relevance to Eros Kafe, which continues to run as a successful family business,” Maras says.

“We hope to bring in somebody not dissimilar to some of the fantastic restaurants currently operating in the East End.”

Maras, whose family has owned property in the East End for more than 35 years, says the Rundle Street precinct is going well.

“The precinct has continued to evolve and with The Vardon opening at The Stag and joining Orana, Street, Africola, Golden Boy and Nola in the East End, we’re looking now to secure another high-quality operator to deliver a restaurant to be up there with them,” he says.

“It’s unfortunate that Eros Ouzeri has had to close, but these things happen and we’re realists – we move on and look forward to breathing some new life into Rundle Street.”

Across the street, South Australian food industry entrepreneur Yazan Akeel this month opened a permanent outlet for his artisan ice-cream brand Mazzoni Gelato, which operated on the same site as a pop-up during last year’s festival season.

Akeel says he is hoping that in the next few weeks his Dolce & Co cakes and patisserie store will also open next door to the gelato shop.

“In my view, Rundle Street is the strongest it has probably ever been – there’s only one vacancy that sits right between Mazzoni Gelato and San Churros,” says Maras.

“Nothing else is available. The demand and vibe is pretty damn good; we just need to keep the precinct humming.”