Affordable Greek in Manhattan

I'm looking for a moderately priced Greek restaurant in Manhattan--I'm not interested in traveling to Astoria, or in going to the pricey places around 55th & 7th. I want great fish and yummy appetizers: skordalia and the like.

[jon]

i like ethos on 3rd between 33rd and 34th. great mezze's and the fish is super fresh and tasty. not too expensive either.

[RGR]

While I like the food at Ethos, tables are very tightly spaced (unless you can snag one of the few booths), and the noise level gets uncomfortably high.

[americanafan]

I can't believe we're bumping an 8-year-old thread, but ... the 1st Ave. location of Ethos, Ethos UN, is aesthetically much nicer than the 3rd Ave. location. An older crowd, not as noisy or congested, a more elegant ambience.

[joelraven]

Another one we really like is Kellari, on 18th Street between 5th and 6th. Great value, huge menu, and particularly recommend a unique dish called "Yesterday's Lamb."

[RGR]

Wow! This is an *old* thread!

Re Kellari's Parea, currently, our favorite Greek in Manhattan. Location correction. It's on 20th St., b/t Park Av. S. & B'way. Their strong suit is whole grilled fish. And the moussaka is one of the best we've had anywhere. Sadly -- because I love lamb -- I cannot recommend "Yesterday's Lamb" because it's inconsistent. The first time we tried it, it was not hot when it arrived at our table. We sent it back, and when it was returned at the proper temperature, it was tasty. However, the next time we had it, the meat was totally dried out.

http://www.kellari-parea.com

[joelraven]

Try Persephone on East 60th or 61st between Park and Lex. Been there quite a few times...just can't remember the exact street without checking....and the grilled seafood is fantastic, as was everything else, including the appetizers...particularly liked the Beet Skoralia.

you want to try Rafina on York and 78th. Outside patio, terrific appetizers, reasonable, and have the fish.

[heinlein42]

Second Rafinaa; the fish is excellent and for my husband who is a carnivore, the grilled meats are scrumptious!

I like all the places mentioned, especially Molyvos, but I noticed no one mentioned Gus' Place on Waverly Place in the Village. I've enjoyed this place every time I've gone. I think their food is excellent, and they have a reasonably priced wine list with a lot of Greek choices. Price is right, too.

I also like the fact that the owner is always hanging around. If you don't like something, just chat with Gus about it.

Gus' place: George, may i ask when you were last there and what you had? i'm willing to go back but i've not been for around 5 years. inv, it was reasonably good around ten to eight years ago (when it first opened?), and we were regulars for around 3 to 4 years. then they painted the walls of the restaurant with rather nasty murals, and the food began to decline. not super quality ingredients.

gus' place was nowhere as good as agrotikon (on 14th st--how i miss that place--some of the best lamb chops in town) and if one is going to pay more, nowhere near periyali.

that said I was at periyali around a year ago, and it was still good, esp the apps: octupus and the white beans with lots of garlic. but they seemed to put little effort into the mains *as a whole*. e.g., the salmon en croute was still as good as i remembered it, but it came with heaps of wilted lettuce, as every other main did.

Symposium btwn. Broadway and Amsterdam on 113th. The menu is alot of fun to look at.

Ithaka! It's on Bedford Street. It's absolutely fabulous.

I don't know what your limit on moderate price is but we tried Molyvos last month for under $100 for 2 with drinks and desserts.

Ithaka on Bedford St, off 7th Av
excellent grilled fish!

[financialdistrictresident]

Ithaka is on the UES, used to be downtown years ago.

Is there another Ithaka?

We like Niko's, on Broadway at 76th. The meze are good and the grilled fish is excellent.

I had good food at Uncle Nick's, on 9th Ave. betw 50th and 51st, but that was a while ago. We plan to try it again soon.

yeah, Uncle Nicks isnt bad either. They made a pretty decent turkish coffee too.

and after the mezze, you can go down the street to Grand Sichuan! :)

Thanks for the suggestions.

I've been to Uncle Nick's a bunch of times (probably the only Greek place in Manhattan I've been to), so I am looking for something new. Maybe Ithaka will fit the bill....

Bennie's is three blocks away from my apartment, and since it's one of my husband's favorites we stop in there often. It's a great place for a quick lunch or dinner. But I want something new--and GREEK.

With that in mind, any further suggestions?

send me a private email, I might be able to help you a bit more, thanks.

Ithaka is wonderful! It is as close to a Greek taverna as you can get. They have a garden too and I think it is warm enough to eat out back. My Greek in-laws love it and so do I. It is perfectly resonable and in a lovely part of Greenwich Village. Do a search on Chowhound it has been written about before.
Yasou,
Jo

Molyvos (sp?) two blocks south of Carnegie (55th & 7th)
is worth a visit.

I have not been yet but a friend of mine was raving (particularly the salads) about a new Greek place on E 7th st (I think betw A & B) called Its Greek to Me. Apparently they have another place in NJ but just opened up in nyc.

It's on 7th between 1st & A. I passed it several times this past weekend and was very curious about it. Glad to hear the good report.

They have 3 branches in NJ, one in Cliffside Park, one in Fort Lee and the other in Englewood.

I like the Cliffside branch best. Great avgolegmono soup, great doner and souvlaki. Excellent pastitsio.

Good to hear they are in NYC now.

The owner BTW, frequently eats at Bennies in Englewood. :) I think bennies has better mezze.

There's also a branch in Ridgewood, NJ, on E. Ridgewood ave, near the train tracks.

[aeros]

The name of the restaurant is Pylos. I haven't been but I've heard great things.

http://www.pylosrestaurant.com/

[Pan]

Did you realize this thread was from 2001? It's Greek to Me used to be on 7th between 1st and A at that time - near but not in exactly the same space Pylos is in now.

[financialdistrictresident]

Ithaka is okay. Better with traditional Greek dishes. Their grilled octopus does not compare to Periyali's. We went to Pylos Monday night. These are my favorites (not sure they meet your "moderate" criteria):

*Astoria (Kyclades, etc.) - per your OP Astoria is NOT an option
*Pylos (don't care for the grilled octopus w/ balsamic vinegar or 3 cheeses in a clay pot, otherwise we've eaten just about everything on the menu. Anny's Animus is our favorite wine & ask them to tell you the story.)
*Periyali (grilled octopus is a signature dish)
*Ithaka

Have not been to Ethos or Uncle Nick's. Don't care for Kellari in midtown.

Molyvos is good but doesnt fit your price criterion.

I suggest Bennies (321 1/2 amsterdam between 75th and 76th, 749-7500) if you are looking for good mezze but bennies is Lebanese, not greek -- not like it matters. Lots of mediterranean/middle eastern vegetarian antiapsto/mezze things there. Personally I prefer the Jersey branch because they have better felafel but Bennies is as good as youre gonna get in manhattan for mezze, especially their baba ghanoush (melitzanosalata)