Taverna Kyclades
| Address: | 33-07 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria, NY 11105, USA |
| Phone: | +1 718-545-8666 |
| Site: | tavernakyclades.com |
| Rating: | 4.4 |
| Working: | 12–11PM 12–11PM 12–11PM 12–11PM 12–11:30PM 12–11:30PM 12–10:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 7
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Tam Le
Can we just replay those last few hours of my life over and over again so I can eat their grilled octopus for days? Their tender, well-seasoned octopus? No? We dont have that technology yet? Ok besides the grilled octopus, TK also kicks serious Mediterranean booty with their bread, lemon potatoes (warning, these look like some kind of tropical fruit slices when they come out so dont be as confused as I was), spinach pie and grilled sausage. The feta cheese in their peasant salad was amazing, although I wished they sliced the cucumbers and tomatoes into more bite-sized pieces. I was meh on the Mediterranean Sea Bass and broiled scallops as they didnt have much flavor, despite being cooked really well. And with so much good food, the fried calamari ended up being forgettable. This is definitely a place you want to go with a group. We were a table of 8 so we were able to sample a good variety of dishes. Because the portion sizes are so giant (my lame friend just ordered grilled chicken and probably got a plate of 8 breasts), I dont know what 2 people would do here. Just eat 2 dishes?!? Not an option for me. In the end I was stuffed, but like a trooper, I powered through the complimentary Galaktoboureko, a Greek custard pie in phyllo dough that they top with some cinnamon for a nice flavor. In the end, my feast only came up to $20!!! And my friends were $26 because they had red and white wine. Dirty deal! :D
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Michael Stoko
Best Seafood/Greek restaurant in NYC, its my favorite restaurant in NYC, and the prices are a bargain. Heres how to do it right: Ask for the special (stuffed shrimp, stuffed clams, scallops, sole, lobster tail, desert) with lemon potatoes and a Greek salad. It comes to $50, it feeds two (guaranteed leftover to take home), and its absolutely delicious. The special, a large Greek salad and a fish is more than ample for a party of 4. Unprecedented really, to find such high-quality cuisine for that price in NYC. There is also almost always a ~45 min. wait, so give the hostess your phone number, (shell call you when your table is ready) and go to the hardware store across the street - if you have a date - for cocktails (its actually a high-end posh speakeasy). McCanns pub a few blocks down on 38th and Ditmars is a little cheaper, if youre just with friends. Also, the desert is delicious, but it is first come, first served, until it runs out. If you get there late (8pm or after) you might get this Greek pudding whatever, which is not nearly as good, but its not a reason to not sit at 9:30pm, as everything else is excellent. Enjoy!
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Natasa Sevoleva
VERY simple. Much like the SIMPLE stuff in Greece today. Fear of "mystery" ingredients and "who" is preparing things today... makes this type of establishment popular. Unfortunately, some of us crave food that is seasoned. This is NOT that kind of place. When you finally get seated in an overcrowded room, the busboys usually have a bowl of lemons already set down in front of you. I guess we should suck a lemon first??? Then, order a fresh fish, which is available most of the time. Get it grilled and squeeze lemons and sprinkle salt on it. Get a dry salad or something to help it go down. There is NO service here. Just some jerks coming around to tables whenever they like (just like in Greece today). If you must order the calamari, please beware NOT to eat the cold jarred RAGU sauce. It isnt a Greek thing to dip into red sauce anyways.... Thats about it. Nothing special here. Nothing really Greek either. Oh, and for PRICES... its not cheap considering that no chef(s) work here, at ALL, but still cheaper than the same Manhattan places that charge $75 per pound and MORE for the same nothingness.......
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Athena Chang
It will be a long wait before you can eat some seriously delicious seafood here but be patient. It is totally worth it. They even gave out free white wine for the patrons waiting outside. We were here for Saturday lunch and we waited for half an hour. There were a lot of people waiting outside too. The restaurant is full of families enjoying traditional Greek food. The free house bread is worth noted. It is a nice loaf of warm olive bread dipped in olive oil. We started with their grilled octopus and Greek Salad. I love how the octopus is tender, charcoaled and lightly seasoned. The Greek salad is big enough to feed for of us with a huge Feta cheese on top. I got the grilled calamari as my entree and a side of lemon potato. The grilled calamari is one huge plate. I couldnt even finish it. My husband tried their Kyclades Specialty, which is a big plate of Tilapia fillet, lobster tail, sea scallops, shrimp, etc. It is $37 but it has tons of fresh seafood. I would like to come back and try their grilled fish one day and hopefully the wait is not as bad ;)
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Brian Morgan
Its noisy because its busy! Sheesh, people! I had been wanting to go to this place for a while. Its right down the street from my apartment, but it took some convincing to get my girlfriend (who isnt a big seafood fan) to come along. She was glad she did! As others have mentioned, Kyclades serves up large portions. The food as well as the atmosphere is genuinely authentic. This place is cozy, has great wait staff and most importantly serves great food. Add to that a good wine list and you have the perfect date night restaurant! Its always busy. Like, always. They dont take reservations and in true Mediterranean fashion people take their time to eat here. We did not have to wait for a table when we arrived as a group of four at 7:30 on a Monday night, but during the summer when they throw open the doors and tables spill out onto the sidewalk I have seen lines so keep that in mind. Prices are midrange. Its not a cheap night out, but its comparable to its neighbors, and of course its well worth it. Enjoy!
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Christine Tam
Very well-known Greek restaurant that always has a wait. Finally decided to check out what all the hype was about one Saturday evening. The wait was an hr and 45 mins. They take your name and phone number down so at least you dont need to wait there. We did wait in front for a bit and they serve house red or white wine while you wait but never enough for everyone waiting so I never even got to try. When we finally were called to be seated we were seated inside and it is very crowded and our table was constantly being reached over to serve the people next to us. They serve olive bread which was pretty tasty. We got the grilled octopus, grape leaves, quail, and lamb chop with sides of beets and lemon potatoes. All the food was mediocre. The meats were too salty and over seasoned. The appetizers were okay...good portion sizes but average. My favorite was actually the beets but I guess because it was the least salty and you cant mess up beets. I probably will not try again and not worth the wait...
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Tony Castillo
Great food. Went on a Friday at prime time and somehow we lucked out - no one was listening when they called for 2 people and the wife and I got a seat in less than 5 mins! Loved the salad, the unlimited bread and olive oil are really tasty. Wine choices arent great, but the food makes up for it. The octopus is phenomenal, its not easy to cook these things without undercooking or making them rubbery - Kyclades has it down pat. We shared the special mixed seafood platter - probably would have done better with a dish that featured a single item, but wanted to sample everything. Platter was very good - but the fish at the next table was really tempting. The free dessert at the end was a nice bonus - although that also made it clear it was time to go - others were waiting! If you like greek seafood and dont mind a bustling atmosphere, this place is an excellent choice.
