E Taverna

This spot is the favorite Greek restaurant for the wife and me, because of the warm, friendly service and fresh delicious food. The décor is fascinating. As opposed to the blue & white seascapes found all over many Greek restaurants, E Taverna provides the classic country feel of a Greek tavern. And the authentic Greek music gets me in the mood to drink wine and eat fantastic Greek food. I am always torn between ordering several small plates, or a main course. Most of the time we get small plates. Our favorites include the garlic mashed potatoes with beets, feta stuffed peppers, country sausage (loaded with leeks), and the octopus — which just may be the BEST IN TOWN, tender with wonderful dressing. I often get the charcoal grilled vegetable plate, because the grilled onion and grilled carrots are so sweet, smoky and superb. We usually get the classic Prasini salad, but the Manouri salad is a must! The huge chunks of grilled Manouri cheese are soft and beautiful. Even if we order several small plates and salad, Dimitri never has to write down our order. And he always remembers perfectly.
The main dish Specials are always delightful. The zucchini pie, the stuffed tomatoes, and the lamb are a treat. And of course, the complimentary galaktoboureko for desert is a nice touch.
Both Dimitri and Nikos have always treated us with kindness and respect over the years. Last year, my wife celebrated a Birthday here with a whole lot of friends and family. Dimitri was a pro the whole time, and he really took care of us. The prices are reasonable too. This place is a dream. Why would anybody wait two hours for a seat at that Ditmars Greek place, when you can instead come to E Taverna and get the royal treatment? Yasou!

Joined 16 family members to meet here for lunch today, and it was pretty spectacular. The restaurant itself is very comfortable and charming, with artifacts from Greek life and popular culture artfully assembled on the walls, and a soundtrack of vintage Greek folk and popular music. The great team working there makes you feel entirely welcome, and the food they serve is especially good.
Some of the most popular dishes today included the leek pie, tourlou (eggplant and zucchini cooked in a tomato sauce with feta and yogurt), horiatiki (Greek salad), fried zucchini chips, saganaki, calamari, octopus, meatballs, sausages, roasted lamb, and their special roasted chicken kontosouvli. The meal was capped with galaktoboureko (delicious semolina custard in phyllo dough) for everyone, on the house. Quite a lot of food pleasure and great hospitality for a large group. This is a really fine restaurant.

Wow. I’m not sure how this place fell off the radar for me. It’s adorable — with indoor and outdoor seating. The wait staff was friendly and made you feel like family. I was surprised by the vegetarian section on the menu and had a hard time deciding on what to get. (A great problem to have!) Then, I was told the specials… Yum! I don’t know the name in Greek, but the dish I choose was something like «mixed». It was zucchini, potatoes, and tomatoes baked with feta and topped with Greek yogurt. It was simply delicious! Can’t wait to come back!

Probably my favorite restaurant in Astoria. 10 times better than the more «famous» Greek restaurant in Ditmars with the line every night of the week (You know who I mean). Pretty sure I’ve eaten at least half of the menu at one point or another, but if I had to recommend a few things then try the moussaka, saganaki, Kolokithakia, grilled octopus or shrimp, and the fried calamari. Honestly you can’t go wrong with whatever you order, just make sure to wash it down with some ice cold Mythos.

Just came here for dinner.
Shared the greek salad as an appetizer. For the entrée we had the Branzino and the Beef with Orzo. The Branzino was cooked really nicely and really tasty. The orzo was really good… the beef a little dry. We also got a side of the lemon potatoes which was ok.
It’s a nice little place and even though it’s a corner spot, a little easy to overlook. The service here is what really stood out. We did a groupon deal and even though we were saving a bunch using it, the host still recommended the more pricier dishes (he could have just asked us to pick the cheap dishes since the dinner was already paid for). We went off of his recommendations and he did a good job occasionally checking up to make sure everything was going. Service really went above and beyond.
This would have been a 4/​5, but the service added .6… 4.6 rounds to a 5.

This place was great! Food was delicious and the staff was lovely (father and daughter — a wonderful family owned experience.) The pita was some of the best I’ve ever had and the service was awesome. Will definitely be going again. Highly recommend the greek salad and trio of dips to share at your table.

This is a small restaurant on a side street in Astoria. It’s warm and cozy and you get an «authentic» feel. (There was a party at the time, with Greek music. I don’t know if they have music all the time.)
We went on a Groupon and had salad, spreads and fish dinners. I had salmon/​broccoli. Both were excellent. The broccoli may have been the best I ever had. My husband had bronzino with spinach, and he was happy with that.
The service was excellent. The prices (w/​o Groupon) were reasonable.
The hours listed on the door and the hours I’m finding on line are different, so if you plan on going before 5PM during the week, call to make sure they are open.

Very fresh and authentic cooking, music, ambiance
Try then octopus appetizer, horiatiki salad with feta and tsaziki meze with fried meatballs.
Dinner souzoukakia and chicken kontosouvli are the main events

Food was really good. We had the shrimp saganaki, saganaki, tzatiki and the meatballs. The service was also great. The server have great recommendations and made sure we were happy.

Started with the spreads: Tirofkateri, Taramasalata & hummus, all were delicious! Also had the Greek Salad; the Feta was soft and creamy as you would expect! I had the Shrimp Santorini with rice; it was delicious. My partner had the Pork Chops; she said they were a little dry. I tried the lemon potatoes and I thought they were on point! The place is small and clean. It has a rustic feel. I like it because it was not ridiculously crowded. The service was attentive. The restaurant was clean and the food was good! Street Parking was available. yeah, I’ll be back!

Amazing food and service! Friendly staff that takes pride in what they serve. Delicious!

Wonderful choice for a relaxed, casual Greek lunch on Sun. in Astoria. No res. needed. Old pictures and knick knacks on the walls inside the dining room look like treasured momentos from a happy, music filled life in Greece. The music softly filling the air adds to that ambiance. The food was excellent. Complimentary warm pita comes with hummus. The small size trio meze sampler, Greek salad and a grilled Dorado brought out with a big plate of wild greens was a filling meal for two at less than $ 50, including tip. I don’t know where you can achieve this kind of meal in Manhattan at that price!

got the groupon deal. great food for value. It’s worthwhile too if you don’t have the Groupon. Friendly Ambiance in all.
Lamb Chops and Spread were wonderful!
Will come again!

So where do a Spaniard, Frenchman and Indian-​American go for brunch in Queens? Well a Greek restaurant of course!
Pretty much a perfect experience– from start to finish. The three of us arrived around 1ish. It was not busy at all, somewhat to my (pleasant) surprise. Its a beautiful yet small/​cozy establishment and maintains the vibe of a local, family owned Greek restaurant very well. We asked the owner for recommendations and frankly they were all awesome. We began with a Greek salad — simple yet was well liked by all of us. We then proceeded to order several meze dishes among us, in total a sufficient amount of food and we did not require anything more. In my view, the highlights were the octopus and lamb — amazing. Especially the lamb which was so tender and cooked perfectly. We also had a cheese dish that was glazed with honey… very good. I feel like we ordered something else but cannot recall. Finally, they brought out a dessert, on the house, which was a nice finale to our experience.
It was entirely reasonably priced especially for the quality of the food. The service was excellent as the owner gave us great recommendations but also made sure it met our expectations. Nothing to complain about– when in Astoria and seeking Greek food, highly advise checking this place out.

Absolutely love eTaverna — it’s a favorite neighborhood spot (about a five-​minute walk from my house) and I highly recommend it to anyone who lives in, is visiting, or just wants to check out a good Greek place in Astoria!
The food is delicious — my mom and I almost always share the Prasini salad (romaine lettuce, dill, scallions and feta cheese) and the Kotopoulo Sharas (chicken filet, served with fresh-​cut fried potatoes — we always ask for the lemon potatoes instead of French fries) and it’s a great size to share. Additionally, the avgolemono (chicken egg-​lemon) soup is wonderful — soothing, warm, and great to have when you’re not feeling well or during cold/​gloomy weather (or whenever you’re in the mood for it, lol).
We often order for pickup or delivery, but when we go to eat there, we really enjoy the atmosphere — the staff are friendly and welcoming, and really work to make you feel comfortable and at home. It can get loud sometimes, especially when there are large parties (for those of you who aren’t comfortable with that) — for those of you who noise is an issue for, I’d recommend going for lunch or earlier in the evening for dinner. They have outdoor seating in the summer, and prices are also very reasonable! They also always give a complementary dessert (the pastry with phyllo dough is my favorite) and have pita bread to accompany the meal (both when you eat in-​house and when you take out!). It’s a great place and I hope that everyone who eats or orders from there will have a great experience, as my mom and I consistently have had!

My wife and I love to eat at E-​Taverna. We started going there because of a groupon and its proximity to our house. We continue going back because it is delicious food. The whole branzino is my favorite dish and my wife’s is the dorado. The greek salad is perfect, and the appetizer that comes with the groupon is delectable. If you want authentic greek food in a quality restaurant, then Astoria is the best neighborhood for it, and E-​Taverna is on the list of several great options in our neighborhood. It’s becoming our favorite place to have a date.

My new Astoria fave. So much so that I hesitated reviewing it lest lines begin. Everything I’ve had in multiple visits has been top notch.

An old friend from the neighborhood was visiting Astoria. Other friends have recommended this place, and neither of us had been here before, so we decided to meet here. It was a great decision.
Our lunch didn’t have an auspicious start. The waiter came in and apologized, because the chef was running late and hadn’t arrived yet (we were there at 12:30 pm). He said that we could order a salad, but that any cooked dishes would take a while. We decided to stay and start with a Greek salad.
Granted, Greek salad is hard to mess up, but the salad here was very good, with feta cheese, olives, red onions, chunky tomatoes, and lettuce.
I guess the chef had arrived shortly after we made our order, because the appetizers came while we were still eating the salad. We had ordered grilled octopus and shrimp. The grilled octopus was outstanding. it was spiced and cooked perfectly. I am not a big fan of shrimp, but the shrimp here was pretty good.
For our main course, we shared the country Greek sausage and a chicken dish. The Greek sausage was great. I forget the name of the chicken dish, but it was cooked in a very nice sauce, which was great for dipping pita bread.
And, as in many Greek restaurants in Astoria, we got a complimentary dessert at the end of the meal. I don’t know the name of what we were served, but it was basically a lemon custard in filo dough. It was really good.
After the dessert, we checked our watches and realized that we had been there for 3 hours!!! Yes, time flies when you’re having fun, and we had a great time there. Yes, the company was wonderful, but we were not rushed and were surprised that the waiter hadn’t given us a bill yet.
The décor and atmosphere were wonderful. Our only complaints were that they hadn’t turned on the air-​conditioning, and that there were a few annoying flies. Although, in a funny way, it did make the restaurant have a more authentic Mediterranean vibe.
My friend and I had a wonderful time, and I definitely plan to come here with other friends in the future!!!

I feel torn giving E Taverna a two-​star rating. Things started out well — it’s a charming spot with pleasant outdoor and indoor dining space. We were promptly seated. Prices were reasonable (dinner for 6 people with wine and lots of food came to $ 35 each) and we ordered the meze spread plate with pita, the grilled octopus and the manouri salad to start. These came out promptly and all were delicious, particularly the tender octopus.
Service started going downhill from here. We waited about 30 minutes for our main dishes. The whole branzino was nice but our favorite was the beef in orzo, which was much like a stew. My least favorite dish was the Santorini shrimp, which were drowned in tomato sauce and came with a side of rice pilaf, which I always find uninteresting.
The problem really started, however, when we could simply not get our waiter’s attention for more water or for our bill — we waited close to an hour to be taken care of. It was horrendous. The issue is not the waiter’s attitude (he was friendly and quite frankly I felt badly for him) but simply that this restaurant is completely understaffed! One waiter (and occasionally I saw the manager or owner came out to take orders) was in charge of the entire restaurant! Other tables were outraged too — the couple next to us ended up canceling their entrée order after waiting too long. I saw another customer get up and walk toward the kitchen in order to get his own beer!
Needless to say, while the food was good, I would never recommend this restaurant because of the service, especially when there are so many other Greek options in Astoria.

Great spot with excellent classic selection. I appreciate their tapas menu so you can have a little tasting, flirt a little over a date, and not cram food in your face.
My girlfriend and I ordered all tapas. the octopus, country Greek sausage, traditional Greek salad, and chicken egg lemon soup.
We came in for lunch on a Saturday so it wasn’t packed, which had a nice atmosphere, although I bet the restaurant would still have an intimate feel because of the European country décor.
Our server was friendly and informative. The soup wasn’t ready until the end because making it is a several hour process– which we really appreciate.
At the end of our meal, we were presented with a beautiful Greek custard (I cannot spell the name of it!) but can’t forget the sweet but light flavor profile.
Everything was great and we will return. I would recommend this place over Taverna Kycladies because of the low key atmosphere and crowds but still have better or similar food at a better price that’s served with courtesy.

This place is great! My husband and I came in to dine on a Thursday night. It’s a small, cute little place that seems to be family owned. The owner and staff were super friendly!
We started off we glasses of house red wine and their famous spreads appetizer with h to pita. Honestly, this was probably my favorite part of all night. The spreads came with 4 types, hummus, a spicy feta jalapeño dip, tzakiki (yogurt dip), and Tarama (caviar with potato) *OMG THIS WAS AMAZING!!! Don’t miss out on it! I’m definitely coming back for this! All the spreads were delicious! I loved the hot pita basket and they were kind enough to refill it for us.
For entrée I went with their Branzino dish, while my husband had the lamb chops with lemon potato on the side. The Branzino was ok, not the best I’ve had… definitely needed more seasoning and flavor to it. My husband’s lamb chops were also lacking seasoning, but were cooked perfectly.
We ended the night with some apple pie type of dessert, which was also ok, not something I’d order the next time. Overall, I’d recommend checking this place out, at least for the appetizers. The food was at best mediocre, but the service we received was excellent. I’m definitely coming back to pick up some pita and Tarama! :)