Kavala Estiatorio

I’m not sure where to begin, because everything about this place is utterly fantastic. I suppose I’ll start with the food. The saganaki is the best I’ve ever had. My favorite entrée is the chicken. It’s very tender and juicy with a lot of flavor. The filet mignon is also delicious. I’m a big wine person, and I have to say the Greek wine selection here is fantastic. If you’ve never tried Greek wine, this is the place to try it! The service is impeccable and well-​experienced.
You simply cannot go wrong here, my only complaint is they don’t charge enough for the amazing food, wine, décor, and service they offer! It truly is worth it and one of the neighborhood gems.

I have to admit — i came here with a Groupon since I’ve never been here before, but man would I return back without one. This place is SO GOOD. We ordered 3 apps, 1 entrée and dessert. ALL were the bomb. The souvlaki, octopus, and fried zucchini apps were amazing. Such great flavor with a twist to the classics. The fish of the day was Bronzino and side of horta — delicious! And a twist to the Baklava dessert — not sticky and more on the chocolate side. All-​in-​all I really recommend this place and I hope they keep up the food quality and quantity since they’ve only been open for less than a year!

Very Cute spot, that’s great for group dinners. The food was fresh and delicious. But the must get is the lamb duo. Even if you don’t like lamb, find someone to order it and steal half of it.

Beautiful ambiance, pretty authentic greek food, definitely delicious. A great place for a date if you’re looking for Greek food.

Dining here was a five star experience. From the warm staff, to the decadent lamb ravioli, all the way down to how special they made my mom feel on her birthday. The entrée was one of the best Ive had in my life, it was a rabbit special that came with delicious sides like seasoned carrots and lemon potatoes. I would absolutely recommend this restaurant to anyone that wants to enjoy amazing food and hang out in a friendly environment.

I had my bridal shower here in May and I can’t say better things about Kavala Estiatorio.
I had trouble finding a place that was in budget, had a nice private space, good food and fit my aesthetic vibe.
Kavala is a neighborhood favorite — my husband and I just LOVE their food — but it didn’t have a private room so I didn’t initially consider it for my shower.
Well, it’s a good thing I did — they closed the entire restaurant for my Sunday brunch event and were amazing to work with and a great value as well as conveniently located between Long Island, Staten Island, Manhattan, CT and Westchester where my guests would be coming from (and right next to the 7 train).
Amanda, the event planner, was super accommodating and helpful leading up to the event with good suggestions on how to set up the tables and decorate etc.
On the morning of the event, they did not disappoint! The space (GORGEOUS pristinely decorated with natural light), service and food was great. Multiple guests commented on how great the food was and how they’d be coming back to try it for dinner.
Highly recommend not only for dinner or lunch but for private events!

I’m a regular and we absolutely love this restaurant. It is a gem of LIC since it opened. The food and the atmosphere are things we come back for over and over. The owners and the chef Arthur (I believe) have treated us very well. We celebrated our 5 year anniversary and they went above and beyond to the point that I felt so guilty how well they treated us. Thank you guys.
I recommend dishes that you can’t get better anywhere else and I don’t mean just in New York. The red pepper dish and the lamb ravioli are the best versions we have had to date. Highly recommended.

Amazing eats, drinks and wonderful service! Dined here on a Thursday evening with 2 lovely girls and had a wonderful evening! The restaurant was warm and inviting and food was deliciously fresh and more than satisfying! We stuffed ourselves silly and even had to cancel one of our mains! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves over 2 glasses of Santorini wine that perfectly complemented our meals and felt welcomed from the time we walked in.
The absolute must-try’s are:
(1) Side of mushrooms-​something about these shrooms really make them stand out!
(2) Chicken souvlaki served with fresh pita-​flavorful and tender
(3) Grilled fresh-I’ve only tried it grilled and it was a sure hit! I was stuffed silly at this point of our meal but was so good, I just couldn’t resist!
Overall, a great spot to dine with friends, family or even for a date night!
I will most definitely be back!!!

First and foremost, when this place opened I was super hyped because my father happens to be from Kavala. Come to learn none of the owners are from there, they just have friends that are. Anyway, You definitely get a star for not being a cheesy greek place thats always blue and white. I love the ambience here. I came for brunch and Ordered the Stuffed french toast. You can definitely taste the ouzo in the blueberries, and the syrup is the same honey we use on our pastries. This was an overload of sweet. Staff was great, very nice and attentive. I have to take away a star because it seemed as if the staff was overwhelmed with a packed house for brunch and they forgot my coffee and the drinks. I will be returning for dinner!

Came in with a groupon tonight.
We ordered grilled branzino, wood grilled filet mignon
And the oregano brushed wild salmon.
Everything was amazing.
We ordered the filet medium .
Cooked perfectly.
Tender and flavorful.
The salmon sat on a bed of spinach filo pie, surrounded by a roasted butternut squash.
purée. Over the top delicious.
Staff was accomodating and very pleasant.
I will definitely be back with or without a groupon.

The food is not bad — not great either. The server mixed up our order with the people’s next to us, but was really really nice about it. Food service was also incredibly slow despite it being a fairly small restaurant with not a lot of people on a Friday night. But again, the guys here are super nice and despite the lackluster meal and service, seemed to be trying really hard to make the experience positive for their guests.
Don’t get the seared tuna appetizer. Not sushi grade — tasted really fishy and dry. Filet mignon was Soooooo dry. The salmon, however, deserves its own star. Spreads and pita were good. BF felt like food tasted pre frozen. I thought maybe just the tuna. Shrug* so many new restaurants to try — might not be able to make it back here …

I haven’t re posted many reviews, but I feel obligated to support this magnificent restaurant.
This is easily one of the top contenders for best restaurant in Hunters Point. The fish is so good, the brunch is unbelievable (previous post). I usually don’t like desserts, but their cheesecake is just super delicious. The lime potatoes is my favorite side
If you haven’t tried it I would thoroughly recommend. You won’t be disappointed

Two of us went there for brunch for the first time. It was a slow Sunday day. The service was impeccable. The food presentation is gorgeous. The restaurant is beautiful.
We had Lamb Neck Hash Benedict and Spinach Omlette, both great! The eggs are organic which always makes me very happy :)
The have amazing flavorful spicy Bloody Mary.
Overall great tasty brunch but a bit on a pricy side.

Best new addition to the neighborhood. The food was exceptional and reminiscent of the food I had in Athens. I cannot stop thinking about their crispy artichokes and creamy, cheesy risotto. Their zucchini fritters with saffron dip, magnificent. Their pita bread is salty and warm and pretty much perfect. The highlight of my meal was their wonderfully charred octopus, covered in shallot goodness with a tart and delicious vinaigrette. I love the rustic white walls and chic european décor. I am ecstatic that they deliver, I know who to call when I am too tired to cook but want a delicious home cooked meal.

I have been wanting to try this restaurant since it opens. The place is nicely decorated and it reminds me of several restaurants I went in Mykonos.
Appetizer wise —
We ordered tzatziki, which became my fav dip after visiting Greece. The prawns was good and nicely grilled. The grilled octopus though — too much vinaigrette.

Main course —
We got the roasted half chicken. The meat isn’t dry but a bit too salty to my taste. The lamb was so tender and juicy! My favorite dish of the night. But I’m not a big fan of the roll-​like sides underneath the lamb
Dessert
I am not a big fan of traditional Greek dessert as they tend to be too sweet for me. But I appreciate that they modernize baklava — it is more like a crunchy roll with hazelnut and chocolate, which I found very enjoyable.
I would give Kavala 3.5 stars if Unilocal has this function. Regardless, I’m glad that we are getting another nice restaurant in the neighborhood and I look forward to trying different dishes the next time!

Happy to have a new restaurant option open up in the neighborhood. This new Greek restaurant is near the Manhattan bound 7 station next to Dorian café. The décor is simple and cozy. It was fairly empty when we went in around 7pm on Saturday, however it began to fill up towards the end of the night.
We had:
Saganaki — fried cheese with baguette slices. Pretty tasty! I’ve seen it presented in more exciting ways elsewhere (flambeed tableside), but tasting good is good enough.
Grilled octopus — the portion is quite large. I’m a bit on the fence with this dish. Some parts of the outer edge were quite charred and it was chewy, indication of being overcooked.
Greek salad — hard to mess this up, this was not called a Greek salad but was basically the same sans olives. The feta cheese came as fried dough, which was an interesting touch.
Salmon — the fish was cooked very well. The wrapped spinach was only okay, and the squash purée was delicious.
Chocolate hazelnut baklava — this wasn’t really anything like a traditional baklava. The only relation is the philo dough and nuts. It was more dry and served cold, so it was more like a chocolate bar. Nonetheless it tasted pretty good. The raspberry sauce and whipped cream were a good balance to the chocolate and hazelnut.
This is a nice option for Greek food, but not sure it would be my first choice for dinner in the neighborhood.

Always delicious! The table spreads to start are fantastic (I’m partial to the Htipiti) and the Saganaki is among the better versions I’ve had. I always enjoy the Souvlaki as well. My wife and I freak out over the Spanakopita!
The interior feels very authentic, warm, and welcoming. And the staff is accommodating and thoughtful, and always attentive
I have not loved the takeout/​delivery, but I feel Greek food generally doesn’t travel well anyway, so I’ll give them a pass here and just visit the restaurant more. :)

I give this place five stars for flavors, atmosphere and service! They are also super accommodating for families with small kids. We had a booster seat and was able to enjoy dinner with our son.
For an appetizer, we had the octopus which was amazing. For entrees, we ordered the fish of the day and the lamb duo. Both were delicious, but I prefer the fish next time. Dessert was the show stopper. We followed the other reviews and ordered dessert, cheesecake. It was the best!
If you are thinking about giving this place a try, do it! It is a breath of fresh air to the LIC restaurant community! Let’s just hope three other Greek places don’t show up…

Note, this review is just for the desserts.
After my friend and i came back from Greece this past summer, we were really craving some Greek food. We decided to pop into this amazingly decorated restaurant and the service was fabulous. Warm and welcoming like the Grecians.
If I had an apartment. I would probably make a duplicate of their décor and ambiance.
We decided to order the strawberry shortcake and the baklava. Both were just… meh. the dessert felt not so delicate and just like cookies and quickly assembled structures… I wanted to love this place but now know that the dessert menu will be off limits.

What a great addition to the neighborhood. Being so close to Astoria, we were waiting for a great Greek restaurant to come around. My boyfriend and I went in last Saturday and sat at the bar for dinner. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. The bartender immediately asked our names and provided excellent service throughout our meal.
We decided to split several appetizers since everything sounded so amazing. We ordered the saganaki, grilled octopus, house-​made lamb ravioli, and chicken souvlaki. The portion size is perfect for sharing, without leaving you stuffed. All of the plates were a great reference to the traditional Greek food but with a twist. All dishes were seasoned perfectly and were very flavorful.
We ended our meal with dessert. We had the strawberry shortcake. We also tried the pistachio cheesecake katifi on another visit. I am extremely impressed by their desserts. I suggest not skipping this! Both were executed with so much thought. They were acidic, sweet, crunchy and creamy. They made it a point to include all of these elements to create some amazing desserts.
The restaurant itself is beautiful. They renovated the space perfectly for the theme. It includes nautical ropes and soft blues that create a calm and enjoyable atmosphere. I look forward to returning and making this a regular spot!