Abu's Middle Eastern restaurant, which has had its doors shuttered since early December, will likely reopen in early February, said landlord and former Abu's operator Michel Aboul-Zelof.

A sign in the window of the tiny restaurant at 1978 N. Farwell Ave. said the restaurant was closed as part of holiday tradition, but for lease signs that popped up in the windows recently suggested otherwise.

Aboul-Zelof sold the restaurant in 2009, and the new owners can no longer run the restaurant, he said. Aboul-Zelof said he will likely resume his role operating the restaurant in early February, although there remains a slim chance new owners will take over.

Abu's and its signature rosewater lemonade have been a fixture on the East Side since Aboul-Zelof's father-in-law Abu Nasr opened the restaurant under the name Abu's Jerusalem of the Gold almost 30 years ago.