Stamatis

Our last weekend living in Astoria, we tried out a Greek restaurant that we had heard great things about, but had never been to. Stamatis is one of many Greek restaurants located on 23rd Avenue but it has repeatedly gotten good reviews and was recommended through word of mouth many friends. We went on a Saturday night and were able to get a table pretty quickly. The atmosphere was relatively plain, and maybe reminiscent of a church fellowship hall, but the tables stayed full all night, and it seemed authentic because there were a large number of Greek groups and families there (I'm pretty sure some Greek Orthodox ministers came in at one point). The service became more friendly as the evening went on, largely due to our group's efforts and jokes and willingness to adapt.

We started with the spread sampler, that included three dips with pita bread. We liked the tabouli, tajzihki and eggplant spreads. These were a hit with our group, and we easily went through two servings of pita bread. We had some difficulty ordering our main course, as it seemed they were 'out' of many of the dishes we ordered. They were even out of the moussaka. Clark and I ended up ordering pastitsio, a baked pasta dish with a filling of ground meat and a bechamel sauce top. We both agreed that it was good, but pretty plain. It came with lemon potatoes, salad, and bread on the side. We were also given a complimentary dessert: custard wrapped in filo dough and topped with cinnamon for dessert. Delicious!

For the price, we got a lot of food, and it was a good culmination of Greek food in Astoria. -V

Taverna Kyclades

Taverna Kyclades is your first stop for what Zagat calls "perfectly cooked seafood at a modest price". Step in and immediately feel at home as our friendly staff cater to your every need. Enjoy brilliant dishes made with the freshest ingredients including seafood brought in every morning from the fish-market.

It is always a good sign when a restaurant is crowded, you know right off that it has got something going for it. And in Astoria, in a Greek place, you know it is authentic. Taverna Kyclades is right on my corner, all the way out in Astoria, on the last stop on the N train, yet it is always packed, and gets amazing reviews. I'll have to add mine to that list — even after the up-and-down experience we had at dinner.

Reservations aren't accepted and with my parents in town, we came around 8:30 to put our name on the list for a table. There's no bar, or real waiting area, so we stood on the sidewalk, waiting almost an hour for a table. I eventually got a few menus for us to look at and ordered a round of drinks to hold us over. Eventually we got an outside table and sat down to dinner.

It was worth the wait. We started with a few appetizers, including Fried Calamari, Fried Squash and Eggplant with Garlic Dip, and Pan-Fried Greek Cheese. Note the 'fried' theme. All these dishes were great — to start, I love cheese, and the fried cheese was salty and chewy and hot, with a spritz of lemon juice it was delicious. Along with these appetizers we ordered a carafe of Greek red wine which was good, and reasonably priced.

Continuing our fried theme, we ordered a plate of fried sardines (mom's favorite) as an entree, along with a Swordfish Kebab with Vegetables. I'm not the biggest sardine fan, but these were good even with the bones. The swordfish was tender and moist.

Then, as we were each sampling our variety of dishes, and as the restaurant continued to be very busy, a waiter ran by our table, knocking the entire carafe of wine over and into my white linen shirt. It was a mess, and I quickly went to the bathroom to clean up. As I was walking back to the table, the manager approached me to ask how they could help me with my shirt, and offered to clean it and replace it. By the time I returned to the table, the waiter had cleaned up the mess and replaced the carafe of wine. A few minutes later they quietly gave me some cash to buy a new shirt. So really, even with the unfortunate circumstances, the staff handled it very well, and luckily for me, I was able to get my shirt clean just by soaking it overnight in a little laundry detergent - so in the end we came out ahead!

Even with the spill and the wait, I was really happy with this meal, and I'm sure I'll be back the next time I'm in the mood for some good seafood. There's lots more on the menu that I'd like to try, and plenty of what we had, I'd order again.

Grand Cafe

Grand Cafe is another Greek place in Astoria, surprise. I've walked past multiple times and I always see people enjoying big salads and other good looking food. We dropped in for a bite to eat and were pretty satisfied. The decor was nice, nothing amazing, they have a revolving door which i found amusing because every other window/door was open to enjoy the outside air. We sat at a window and had a nice view of the people walking by. Because the salads were always so appealing, I tried the cobb salad, and V had the portobello salad. My only complaint was the dressing which was too mustardy for me, I prefer blue cheese or ranch, but still it was a nicely composed salad. V's salad was "quite delicious" the best part was the cheese, she said. It came with goat cheese, yellow, red and green peppers, and of course the mushroom. She ate everything, except the lettuce, but really the toppings are the best part - I guess there wasn't any dressing on it (or it was on the side). They served a nice pile of pita slices on the side which were warm and fresh from the grill, giving them a nice, subtly charred flavor. The prices were pretty reasonable for the area, about $12 for a salad, and we added a bottle of wine too. I liked it. I'll go back someday.

Ovelia

What sets Ovelia apart is the emphasis on their charcoal grill. They grind their own sausage in-house, in addition to several other homemade specialties. The dishes are full of flavor, and there is a full bar to complement any dish with a glass of wine or cocktail.

We’d been in Ovelia once before, for a drink after sushi across the street at Go Wasabi, and found the décor and drinks very appealing. The bar has integrated fiber-optic lights and in the back there are cool flames shooting up the walls tornado-style.

Upon our return for a meal though we weren’t quite as satisfied. The drinks were expensive for the neighborhood at $8-10, and the food wasn’t anything amazing. Though admittedly we didn’t have the aforementioned homemade sausage, we did order from the grill. V tried the pork chops, which were tough and over dry. I had the ground beef and lamb kebabs which one review called a “dish worth scrambling for.” I disagree. The meat wasn’t anything special, cooked well done, and more chewy than anything else.

The best part of our meal though, was the cheese appetizer, which consisted of three hot cheeses, including halloumi, feta and saganaki. Each was distinct in its taste and texture, and I enjoyed them all (even though halloumi remains my favorite cheese of all time).

Overall, I may go back for an appetizer, maybe a drink if I’m in the area and in the mood for the atmosphere, but otherwise, I didn’t find the service or the entrées that good.

Athens Cafe

Athens Cafe is one of the best Greek places in Astoria. You can sit there for hours on end and enjoy watching people walking by with a cup of coffee or a beer without any trouble. We were there from 8 p.m. till about 1:30 a.m. this night. I think our waiter was happy to have us because we ordered plenty of wine and food as we sat and talked throughout the night.

You can tell this place is authentic because it is always crowded. When we arrived the crowd was watching a Greek soccer match, with everyone waving flags and wearing yellow AEK jerseys.

We ordered a dip sampler which came with four traditional dips: one with feta, another with dill, and two others I can't remember. Oddly there wasn't hummus. The portions looked small, but we had to order extra pitas to finish it all.

Next we tried a "Greek Pizza" which was served with feta, halloumi (my favorite), Greek sausage and tomatoes. It was pretty good, but the pizza wasn't very large around and the crust wasn't too sturdy, so I had to eat my slices with knife and fork. The sausage was fairly dry, but had a nice flavor.

Dessert was the traditional loukoumades, fried dough balls glazed in honey and sprinkled with cinnamon. They remind me of the state fair. The portion was huge - we had the plate on our table for hours and still didn't finish everything. This definitely isn't the healthiest dessert, but divided between 3 or 4 people, it is a good treat.

Really the best thing about Athens Cafe is the atmosphere and the attitude of the place. You can sense the friendliness and the community. It is always crowded, and the food is always good. I've been there many times, and I'm sure I'll be back many more.

Agnanti

Agnanti meze was founded in December 2002 in Astoria, the heart of the Greek culture in New York. This family oriented restaurant, offers an outdoor patio in the summer overlooking Astoria Park, and a cozy atmosphere with a fireplace in the winter.

What a surprise. Many times I've jogged past this small corner restaurant, next to Astoria Park, just a block from the river, and almost a mile from the last stop on the N train...I thought it looked quaint, quiet. I convinced V to walk down there to dinner on Saturday night, not expecting a wait, let alone a crowd. As we approached the restaurant, I thought there was some kind of emergency because there were so many people congregating outside. As it turns out, Agnanti is a hot spot! The space is small, probably seating 50 max, and there is no bar area, so if you're waiting for a table, you're waiting outside. The crowd was diverse: older couples, families, and an odd number of pregnant women, I think there were three at one table.

I was happy we decided to go and the food was great, but there were a few downsides to our experience. First, I was lucky V was willing to wait with me for a table. We stood outside for at least an hour. Our name was never on a list, the hostess just knew what order to seat people.

Things got off to a better start once we were seated. I figured out it was a Greek restaurant (I couldn't tell by the name or decor, and there wasn't a menu outside). We ordered a few appetizers and smaller items instead of main entrees, starting with Saganaki. This is a traditional Greek cheese baked in a dish and served with a lemon wedge. You just eat it, and it was very good, and very cheesy. You can't go wrong there. We followed that up with Mushrooms Kalitsounia, homemade dough wrapped around mushrooms and herbs. These were amazing. Kind of like little raviolis, they were hot, crispy, creamy, and salty all at the same time (sounds familiar).

I then had an order of mussels which were seasoned with a white wine sauce and sprinkled with feta cheese. They were great, and a nice dish to take your time eating and enjoying. I shared a few with V, but she was busy enjoying the swordfish, which was a little dry, but flaky and really very steak-like. It was quite good. Both were reasonably priced too. I found it surprising that the seafood was less expensive than the meat and poultry dishes.

So all the food was great. The odd thing was the service. We waited forever to get in and then our food was brought out so quickly we felt rushed. Perhaps because we were one of the last seatings, the kitchen was closing down. Then, after our rushed meal, our server never came around to see how things were, offer coffee or dessert, or even the check! We waited another half hour before flagging someone else down to get the bill. Then after paying, by credit card, they told us to tip in cash. I needed to make change to leave a proper tip, but the server never came by again...I felt bad leaving a measly tip, but there wasn't anything I could do. The food was good enough that I'll give Agnanti another try. Next time I'll make a reservation, and hope for the best.

Ploes

You'll feel like you've stepped onto a Aegean isle when you enjoy an evening at Ploes - the ambiance and food make this the next best thing to being there.

Dinner at a Greek restaurant in Astoria has got to be authentic, and Ploes is so authentic we couldn't even read the name of the restaurant on its sign: PLOES. The restaurant is decorated very nicely to the effect of a wine cellar. It has an arched brick ceiling and mosaic tiled tables.

We ordered several appetizers for a lighter dinner and enjoyed a carafe of the house red wine. Overall the dinner was good, and exciting! Our first dish was Saganaki, which is imported Greek Kefalograviera cheese, pan-fried in olive oil, then flambéed table-side! The cheese was very good, it came as a slightly crispy wedge probably 6 inches long, and about a half-inch thick. We felt that the brandy used to flambé it and the lemon juice the drizzled over the top added a weird flavor.

We also tried a mushroom saganaki, (manitaria) which was a portobello mushroom grilled with the same cheese and sautéed in red wine sauce. This was delicious and definitely was a favorite. The only thing I noticed was that the cheese slipped off of the top of the mushroom making it hard to cut the two together. I thought it was odd that the cheese was melted on the top of the mushroom rather than the gills. Regardless it was very very good, the sauce was almost like barbecue sauce and was slightly chunky with tomatoes and onions.

Finally we tried a meatball dish served with sliced mushroom and an herb sauce. These were tasty - but we really kept going back to the portobello. They surprised us with a little plate of bite sized backlava at the end of the meal which was a great way to finish a nice dinner. Overall, maybe a little pricey, but sticking with the appetizers kept the bill down and still satisfied our appetite - and the carafe of wine was a great deal!

Mezzo Mezzo

Mezzo-Mezzo might mean “half and half,” but this place gets the whole Hellenic taverna thing right. - Time Out New York

Valentines dinner at Mezzo Mezzo was cool, literally. Each of the five courses of the fixed price meal were delicious but some could have been served hotter. My guess is that a lot was pre-prepared for the menu and the holiday and was simply waiting under heat lamps - the service of each course was speedy and right about on time if a little early.

The lobster bisque had enormous chunks of lobster meat and was quite tasty. I wished it were warmer. The salad was nothing special, but tasty and refreshing before the stuffed portobello mushroom caps. These had a crab/cornbread stuffing with some melted cheese on top and were very tasty. I expected the mushroom caps to be larger (just 2.5" across) but in a five-course meal, portion size is important and this was just right.

The main course was "flounder stuffed with crab" which used the same cornbread/crab stuffing as the mushrooms. Very tasty, a little sweet, a little buttery. I found a few bones in the fish, but nothing outrageous. We also got mixed vegetables and mashed potatoes making it a very filling course. I brought home leftover fish, which was great for lunch the next day. Finally, baklava for dessert was flaky and sweet and delicious.

The service was friendly and the manager/owner even came by to see how the meal was. He seemed like a good person to know (I saw him offer another table a free round of drinks). The decor was warm with log-cabin style exterior walls and heavy wooden tables and chairs. The stone/brick walls added to the look. Apparently the weekend scene is big too with bell dancers and what appeared to be a dance club upstairs.

Ditmars Gyro Place

The first place I went to eat after stepping foot off the moving truck, this restaurant, on the corner of my block will definitely become a standby for me if only because they serve Halloumi. This Cypriot goat cheese doesn't melt - it browns on the grill and is so tasty it ranks as one of my top 3 favorite cheeses of all time. You can order it as a side or it comes on some sandwiches (though in rather thin slices). I feel like you really lose the taste of the cheese if you eat it with bread or many other flavors, so I prefer to eat it alone. Other good food is the gyro, which I believe is available on the spinning rotisseries in chicken, lamb and beef (or pork, not sure which).

I felt like the service is friendly and welcoming - you can take-out or sit down to eat. It is one place where I hope they begin to recognize me, I'm guessing I'll be dropping in a lot at least!