Cypress Estiatorio

This place is kind of hit-​or-​miss, especially when it comes to service, but if it’s not a long drive for you, it’s worth a shot!
My husband and I have been here three times, most recently with a girlfriend of mine. We ordered drinks and appetizers (half price for ladies on Wednesday, what what!) I was the only vegetarian, but we had plenty to choose from that everyone enjoyed. The biggest hit, oddly, were the fried Cypress Chips, which comes with Skordalia (think cold whipped potatoes, perfect for dipping with toasted pita chips.) YUM!
The specials are great! One Friday evening, we went just for the $ 5 Calamari and beer flights. The first time we went, I got the fettuccine entrée, but the pasta was very oily, so it wasn’t very appealing. Since then, I’ve stuck to appetizers, which works for me!
Our bill is wrong every time we come here. The servers and bartenders seem not to know about the specials and we’ve seen the owner (manager?) explain them to his employees right in front of us, rather than somewhere more private. Eek!

Great service! Had dinner with girlfriend. Friendly staff, excellent service, and a great atmosphere. We had the bronzino and the lamb shank and both we excellent. It was our first time there and we will definitely go back soon.

The place has a nice atmosphere! The food is a 6 on a scale from 1 to 10. The owners are very nice and warm people. Very nice décor —– but the bartender should of left with Piccolo’s not the best personality.

I was very impressed with this restaurant. The bar area was done very well, decorated appropriately, giving it it a more upscale feel to it. The food was pretty damn good too. The prices are not cheap, but worth it, because they don’ cheat you with portion sizes. They started us off with free pita and hummus. The pita were cut into strips and baked until they were crunchy like a cracker. The hummus was tasty and creamy. The Moussaka was unbelievable, had its own spin on it. It was served looking more like a Stromboli than the usual casserole style, and they put sesame seeds on top which gave it a nice texture in addition to the crispy/​flaky filo dough. I will be back.

We were seated in the outdoor section downstairs. The landscaping was very nice and serene esp listening to the water from fountain in nearby pond. The service was friendly and attentive. Even the owners came over and asked how things were, which showed me they really care about customer feedback. I ordered the lamb chops which were very delicious, tender and flavorful. My wife ordered the red snapper which was very fresh. She really enjoyed it. For dessert we had the red velvet cheesecake which was out of this world. Def will be heading back soon. Only thing that could of been better was the sausage that came w our cheese and sausage appetizer. Will def be heading again soon. Great place for romantic or family dinner

Our party of three had a lovely dinner at Cypress Estiatorio. Had originally made the reservation (which was not necessary on a Wednesday night) and requested to be inside, upstairs. Well, they had closed off the upstairs and placed us at a table in the very noisy bar area — uh, I don’t think so. We requested to be moved outside on the quieter, covered patio (which we had hoped to avoid due to the possibility of — but not an issue until the end of our meal — mosquitos). Not a problem.
We were three ladies and we opted to order drinks, hors d’oeuvres and dessert. The Dirty Martinis and Pino Grigio were OK. I would have liked my martini served in a nicer, classier glass like the wine, but OK.
We ordered two plates of Bluepoint Oysters (fresh, succulent and delicious) and their special trio of Greek spreads called Piklia. The latter appetizer was a generous serving of three spreads from the six they offer, including our choices of Taramosalata, Tzatziki and Melitzanosalata. This was served with warm pita quarters and could have fed a small army. We actually took half of it home to enjoy a second time.
For dessert, we shared what was the largest piece of baklava that I have ever seen! Food-​wise, that was the only disappointment. It was meh. Now, I should mention that I am a bit spoiled because my Mom makes it from scratch at Christmas, so I know what the ‘real’ stuff tastes like (she had an excellent teacher, an Armenian neighbor). It did not have that delicate buttery flavor garnered from painstakingly painting each thin layer of phylo with butter.
I would have given this restaurant a four star rating except that the service was deplorable. Well, maybe not deplorable but really bad. We waited far too long for our drinks, she forgot (twice) our request for a glass of ice, and we had to hunt her down to get the check. The place was not busy and there were other servers on the patio, so there was no excuse for making us feel like unwanted stepchildren.
We would all go back and give the restaurant another shot but we do hope that the owners of Cypress Estiatorio hire more attentive servers because service quality can make or break a good meal.

Fantastic place to eat.
My wife and I have eaten there three times and the meals are of great verity and quality.
Their fish dishes are fresh, tasty, and reasonably priced.
This has become our go to restaurant.
Highly recommended!

Where do I start? Maybe with a warning that this is going to be a lengthy review. We love this place!
We drive by Cypress Estiatorio regularly but never took much notice because it sits back a bit from Kinnelon Road. We’ve been looking for a good Greek/​Mediterranean restaurant in our extended area and when I saw a Living Social deal for Cypress Extiatorio, I thought, «Why not?» All I can say is wow, what a great find for two foodies!
We had a late lunch there around 2:30 pm on a gorgeous Saturday summer afternoon. Understandably, it was slow. The staff was remarkably friendly and we were completely surprised by the appealing, somewhat hip/​upscale décor. Good vibe and nicely done. Bravo to the owners.
We decided to take a table in the bar area where we were waited on promptly. Our server, a young man with dark hair and glasses — I wish I could remember his name — was delightful. He was attentive and helpful with questions we had about the menu. We were starving (no breakfast and this was 2:30 pm), so we ordered two starters, burrata and tzatziki. The tzatziki was spot on with a perfect balance of creamy yogurt, garlic, grated cucumber dill and mint. I especially like that they included mint as well as dill. Many restaurants omit the mint. I think a hint of mint makes for great tzatziki. This was wonderful. The portion was large with lots of pita to accompany it. We ended up taking much of it home and it was gone before nightfall. Our daughter loved it!
The burrata was simply exquisite. Burrata cheese, thinly sliced grilled eggplant and roasted red peppers with a reduction balsamic vinaigrette. Burrata cheese is like a ricotta, creamy and light on the inside with something akin to a thin shell of mozarella on the outside holding all of it in. Amazing! The roasted red peppers were definitely fresh and perfectly prepared, as was the eggplant. The drizzling of balsamic reduction was just right. The flavors were subtle and did not over power the delicate cheese. We sat and raved about this stacked appetizer until our entrees came. From the presentation to the carefully orchestrated medley of flavors, it really stood out. We’ve dined at some of the finest restaurants in NYC (La Bernadin, Bouley, etc.) and throughout the U.S. This appetizer impressed us.
My husband ordered a special lamb shank braised in a seasoned tomato sauce served atop orzo. I’m not a lamb lover so I didn’t try a bite, but he was absolutely thrilled with this dish. I ordered the gyro platter and made the mistake of getting chicken instead of beef gyro meat. No matter where you go, the chicken just doesn’t measure up to regular gyro meat, in my opinion. I had actually meant to order the souvlaki platter with grilled chicken. My mistake, not theirs, so I didn’t send it back. I asked them to substitute salad for the fries and they were more than happy to accomodate me without upcharging. Everything was delicious, including the rice with vermicelli — wonderful full flavor. (I’m waiving comments on the gyro chicken meat because to me, it just doesn’t measure up no matter where you get it.) Of course, this entrée came with their amazing tzatziki sauce and pita.
We ordered from the dinner menu beause we were seated right between the lunch and dinner hours. The portions were substantial. We took as much food home as we ate at the restaurant. We were so full, but decided to try the baklava. I’m not a baklava fan but I have to admit that Cypress Estiatorio’s baklava truly wow’d me. Oh my! We shared a serving which was wise. It was an ample portion stacked high with lots of filling with oh-​so-​light and flaky phyllo crust. The honey had soaked in — you could tell they let this dessert rest for a day so all the flavors melded together perfectly. It tasted fresh and each bite was absolute heaven.
After we paid our check one of the owners came up to chat with us about our experience. We told him how delighted we were to have found Cypress Estiatorio. He was super friendly and showed us the outdoor dining patio, which is a must on a nice day or for an evening meal. Even the landscaping surrounding the outdoor dining area as nicely designed and maintained.
We have our list of favoriate local restaurants and Cypress Estiatorio is now officially on the list. From the décor to the cuisine, we love this place. I’m dying to go there on a beautiful summer evening and dine in their outdoor area. It’s lovely.

The food here is decent, but I’ve been here four times and EVERY beer I’ve gotten has been flat. The first couple of times, we thought it was just the one tap, but we’ve tried a half dozen different types and they were all flat, no joke. Also, out of the four visits, only once did the kitchen get our whole order right. One great thing about this restaurant is their waitstaff, which is top notch. If they dealt with the beer issue I might go back, but the food is not good enough to make drinking flat beer worth it.

I’ll update this review as I keep trying out new dishes but for our first takeout dinner we were happy campers. Octopus app was super good and the KEBAB SOUVLAKI PLATTER had tons of food, to the point that I couldn’t finish it.
When picking up the food we were met in the restaurant by a super warm friendly guy and we were digging the décor. Super nice outdoor seating area (live music some nights), a very chic dim lit (in a good way) bar area and a nice formal dining area upstairs. There is about 15 things I want to try on the menu so we will be back.
menu

Dinner was disappointing. Service was very slow. The wait staff is very nice but inexperienced. We waited 20 mins for our bar drinks. the other half of the table had already received theirs. Dinner was so-​so. Pork chops were great. Grilled to perfection! Rib eye steak was ok. Not what you expect for $ 28. The lump crab meat appetizer was a crab cake!!! Also not what we expected. Most of our meals were ‘just ok’. Unfortunately, we won’t be back.

Really big, BEAUTIFUL place! The bar is absolutely gorgeous, the outdoor sections are my favorite. Beautiful décor, fixtures, ambiance. Great for a romantic dinner or a family/​friends get-​together. The owner came around a couple of times to see how our meal was– he was so welcoming and accommodating! Between the Greek and the Italian sections of the menu there was soo much I wanted to eat. We’ll definitely have to go back!

The remodel is nicely done from when it was Piccolo’s.
Mother’s Day afternoon service was beyond slow. It took over one hour for entrees to come to our table. The food was fine. The service really dampened the overall experience. There is a kid’s menu that charges $ 9 per entrée which seems like a misdemeanor.
I’d go back, but stick to the bar and bar menu.

All of these 5 star reviews have to be a joke! I don’t know where to start! My husband and I ate here last night and arrived at 8:30. It took 23 minutes for our order to finally be taken (the place was NOT full). We sat upstairs next to the stairs. What I thought would be a quaint seating area (away from all of the other tables), quickly turned into a joke. The large chandelier, which is over the stairway, blinked THE ENTIRE TIME, which drove us both nuts. We also had a front row seat of the totally frazzled and very confused staff.
We decided to start with an appetizer and ordered the Bourekakia. My husband also ordered a Mojito. 10 minutes after putting the appetizer in, the waiter (not our original one…) came and told us that they were out of the app. We decided to go with the Saganaki. My husband ordered the Pork Souvlaki and I ordered the Spanokopita. The Saganaki was boring, a little greasy. I thought my Spanokopita was OK, the salad it came with had way too much feta cheese on it (and I love feta), and my husband said his Souvlaki was OK. We were eventually brought out pita, long after our Saganaki was finished, and they served it with butter, which I thought was very odd! The best thing I ate the whole night was the Tzatziki sauce that my husband’s platter came with. The flavors were spot on.
After a few sips of the Mojito, my husband described it as «gross» and didn’t finish the rest. There were diners at another table on the other side of the restaurant, who (as described by one of the waiters by the stairs), said that what he or she ordered was «the worst thing they have ever eaten.» I did see staff try to rectify the situation, but by the looks of it, it didn’t go over too well.
I actually felt bad for the staff. They were running up and down the stairs like maniacs. Each time a drink was ordered, a confused bartender would stand at the top of the stairs waiting for the waiter to tell her where to serve the drink. It was total confusion and disorganization, but quite entertaining.
The 1 star rating (not 3, like I was originally going to leave) comes into play since both my husband and I have been SICK since last night! As soon as I came home, the nausea and shivering started! What a waste of $ 60! Definitely NOT returning here!

I stopped in for a lunch with co-​workers. The place is beautifully redone, and although it was cold in there, it was still inviting. The outdoor patio looks like it will be lovely in the spring. We were only the second table there for lunch; it was practically empty.
I didn’t hear much of anyone at my table mention their food was good. I ordered a simple grilled salmon with a side greek salad. I asked for the salmon to be cooked at medium, so not overdone, but alas it came out incredibly dry and rubbery. If I wasn’t with co-​workers, I would have asked to have it sent back. I did mention it to the waitress, she apologized, but that was it. My co-​workers plates looked a little underwhelming — the chicken gyro dry and the other salads kind of ho-​hum. Even my side greek salad was boring. Come on people! Better quality feta, ripe non-​mealy tomatoes, zesty dressing! zzzzz
Hopefully what they put out for dinner is better. I may give it another chance, but it was unfortunate to have such a disappointing meal at a new place that wasn’t even busy.

Been here a few times, and am very impressed. The seafood is excellent — octopus appetizer, mussels, whole snapper, salmon were all terrific. Greek salad was enormous. The more traditional Greek selections (e.g. Moussaka) are also very good.
Logistics: forget the former Piccolo’s, it’s been completely redone. Downstairs is the bar and a more hip dining area, while the new upstairs is more quiet and stylish. Staff is friendly but not always as attentive as I’d like.

Live about 5 minutes from Cypress and pass it every day. Love the location of the old place that was here, Piccolo’s, but never really had a great experience there so was excited to try Cypress.
As mentioned in other reviews the makeover of the place is great, bar has a very cool feel and is 100% than the old place. Saturday night, we had reservations for 6PM so the place wasn’t packed but by the time we left every seat filled and the bar had a nice mix of folks. Wasn’t sure what to expect on the food because I am not a huge greek food fan but everything was very tasty. Service was good and the owners couldn’t have been more appreciative that we stopped in.
Will definitely go back. if you are local its a great place to stop for a drink and appetizers or dinner.

Came here with my husband, looking to see what replaced the old Piccolos.
Really nice Authentic Greek food; some of the highlights for us were the «dips» 3 for $ 12 … We chose a delicate caviar cream dip, tzatziki and the babaganoush roasted eggplant type dip… the char grilled octopus appetizer was the most tender We’ve ever had, with a hint of cinnamon/​allspice, and a generous sized portion… and the fettuccine (shiitake, asparagus, tomatoes) was delicate, but not overly seasoned. The only complaint we had was that the $ 16 seafood salad was mostly a green salad with just a «side» sized portion of calamari, 4 mussels, and one large shrimp… overpriced and not a true «seafood salad». Overall, we’ll definitely be coming back again in the near future… Ask for servers Lucy or Dave — they’ll take great care of you!

On the back road of Kinnelon NJ in the old Piccolo’s lays a sleeping giant of Great Greek delishiousness! I say Sleeping giant because they just opened and The other Greek and Italian restaurant’s in the area will be consumed by this place. It is no longer dark and old looking. The entire restaurant is redone in hues of The Mediterranean bright blues and soft greens adoren the tables in the lounge like dining room with a crackling fire place. 50s style long bar adds great charm.
Upstairs sheek and NY style feel leather booths and round tables and clean beautiful lines! Giant fire place is a romantic feel for date night.
Let’s get straight to the good part THE FOOD!
Awesomeness can’t even describe the culinary adventure you will have.
Start with the Cypress Chips and Grilled Octopus. Tender and full of flavor the Chef has matched this dish with delighful greens and white beans. Its a must dish not to miss.
Fresh whole fish grilled tender most and plenty
Traditional Greek dishes hit every mark Mouska and Greek Lasagna traditional and very large portions. We were very impressed. Service was accurate and accomdatimg not pushy and visible at all times.
Although very new and just opened it packs a great punch for a new restaurant once the staff and kitchen get the flow down this is the new in place to dine! They are also a great Steak house with Prime Rib and Filet.

Our group of 16 probably through the kitchen for a loop. They handled it fairly well. The bread is a semolina style roll…
Our appetizers of fried calamari, sesame chicken fingers, were hot and tasty. The blue point oysters tasted fresh and cold. There is a huge selection of beers on tap and even more bottled. Specialty drinks like Silas Cider were quite spirited.
Dinner included a veal chop, veal milenase, a bone in Ribeye, Filet Mignon, pork chops, lamb chops, Bronzini, Chicken Mediterraneo…
Only open a few days at this point — the bussing was a little slow… the staff is friendly and checked in many times. Comments on the dishes varied from delicious to slightly over or under cooked. Nothing rated poor. some average to mostly above average.
Dessert consisted of vanilla crème in phylo, a sold out salted butterscotch Crème Brule, tartufo…
Definitely a great addition to Kinnelon.