Dafni Greek Taverna

If Greek/​Med food is not your thing then skip this place.
Otherwise, this is an excellent choice a few blocks from Time Square based on price, location, portion size, diverse menu, and quality of the food. Nice service and food allergy friendly. Restaurant was clean, not cramped, and not noisy.
I was surprised that 8 people dined here with 5 appetizers, 4 glasses of wine, and 8 entrees for $ 240. Portions are generous – so order accordingly.
The grilled octopus was tender and very large for $ 12. We all enjoyed the spreads with pita.
As to the price, consider a whole grilled fish, with two side for $ 23 on 42^nd street – wow!
Reservations suggested.

The good: the portions were big — the bad: the worst Gyro I have ever in a Greek restaurant — unevenly cooked, dried up, barely warm and unevenly cut — some pieces .5 inch thick, some .0125 inch thick. Pita bread stale. Stomach upset afterwards. I would avoid.

I typically avoid Times Sq like the plague since everything is an overpriced tourist trap. However, this place has made me reconsider.
They serve unlimited baskets of warm pita bread. Unfortunately, there is no complimentary dip (e.g. tzaziki, hummus) since I know some other places have it, but our meals came with it on the side so it wasn’t the end of the world. I ordered the Mesanatolitiki ($ 9, incl 4 grape leaves, slices of tomato, huge chunks of feta, cucumber, baba ghanoush, & mustard dressing) with Gyro (+$ 4) while my friends ordered the Gyro platter (incl potatoes & tzaziki). When our food came, the portions were surprisingly large! I believe the dishes could have been split into 2 meals because we all groaned how we felt sickeningly full afterwards.
One complaint though is that while everything was tasty and seasoned beautifully, we were all complaining of thirst for hours after our meal. But overall, the waitress was friendly, food was delicious, and it didn’t break the bank either! I would definitely return and would order their baklava and moussaka!

My wife ordered the Moussaka which was cold in the center when served. We let the waiter know, and didn’t receive any apology or comment at all — he just took the plate and walked off.
10 minutes later he returned, and dumped it back on the table — again with no apology.
When the bill arrived, he had the audacity to ask for a 20% tip.

My friend and I got here on a Monday evening, we got seated right away and everything went smooth. I ordered the chicken souvlaki and my friend the pork souvlaki.
A decent meal to a good price, big portion!

So so good. You can get Greek food at many places throughout NYC, but it’s not always memorable.
I don’t know Dafni, but she doesn’t disappoint. I tried the salad that starts with an H and it was so delish. Try the 3 meze platter to start with the eggplant. The chicken kebab = thumbs up too.
For ordering in or dining out, this may be my new spot. Check it out!

Fresh ingredients, solid execution! I spent a lot of time eating Greek food at family functions as a kid, and everything we ordered here tasted just right to me. The portions were more than generous, and prices were quite reasonable. We had horiatiki (fresh, fresh, fresh, with notably tasty olive oil), souvlaki, spanakopita (huge and delicious), pastichio, horta, baklava, and galaktobouriko. I really wanted the farolakia and half a dozen other things, but we had too much food as it was. Big thumbs up.
Edited to add, after reading some other reviews: we had food delivered, so I can’t speak to service or ambience, but everything arrived quickly and at the perfect temperature.

What an amazing surprise! I never thought I’d find on 42^nd Street near Times Square a good sit-​down restaurant with wonderful food, low prices, and top service. This is a gem.
I had only a short time before a matinée and didn’t want fast food places mobbed with tourists. The menu looked good, so I asked if they could accommodate my tight schedule. I ordered the Avgolemono (egg lemon soup with chicken and rice) – made in house daily – and got a big bowl for only $ 5,00! Mouth-​watering! Then the Mesanatolitiki (Middle Eastern) Salad (with dolmades, eggplant spread, cucumbers, feta, red onions, tomato). The portion was generous, the ingredients VERY fresh, neatly arrayed on the plate (with three stuffed grape leaves, to boot!). It was heaven – for only $ 8.95!
The food was on my table within 120 seconds of ordering (no kidding) and I was in and out in 30 minutes, satisfied and with a big smile on my face. I’ll be back for a more leisurely meal when next in town!

First off 2 of us were an hour late for our reservations, and nobody blinked an eye, so I was impressed from the start lol. Very nice décor, clean, friendly staff. The food was good. I had shrimp with olives and feta. I should have gone with something more traditional Greek, because I didn’t get that greek feeling, but what do I know, lol. The Baklava was delicious!

The stars are for the enormous amount of food served (great bang for your buck) and the quality of vegetables — I like mine with some olive oil and salt — pure — and these were (specifically the beets and the Swiss chard that comes with them).
We are here during Passover — I will still eat out but avoid bread and other unkosher things. I was obvious about this as we returned the bread basket and said we were keeping pesach. We ordered the bifteki which clearly was full of breadcrumbs and our waiter didn’t tell us when we ordered — we were in a rush so we couldn’t return it. It also was extremely lemony to the point of inedible, and didn’t taste right — it may have not been fully cooked (very mushy).
The service was very thinly stretched — it was hard to flag him down, he seemed like he didn’t really care, and I wish he payed more attention to what he served us so I didn’t have to unknowingly break a holiday that’s important to me.
It’s hard to find a good meal in the Times Square area and this place is no exception. (It was also incredible loud and hard to have a conversation).
I would suggest heading a few more blocks north and west into Hell’s Kitchen.

Went here prior to the theater and it was pretty good. Started with the spanakopita and it was better than many I had. For dinner had the gyro plate and the meat was cooked nice and tasty. The pita bread was very good. The portions were quite large-​the spanakopita appetizer was enough for 2 people easy or combined with another appetizer would make a good meal. The gyro platter had a lot of meat and I had the roasted potatoes which were good but the spanakopita filled me up. I had to try the galaktoboureko which I had enjoyed in Greece and it was quite good. My friend had the roasted vegetables and enjoyed them. Service was pretty good although the waitress did not seem to fully understand the questions asked though she was very nice. It is convenient to the theaters and food is pretty good.

Nice Theater District find. Tasty food and generous portions — I had a Greek salad with salmon, and also tried lamb gyro with lemon potatoes and chicken with fries. The pita and tzaziki is great, too. Our service wasn’t great but the food was delicious so I would come back. It’s easy to get a reservation.

As authentic as it gets for greek food and drinks. We were visiting from Texas and went to this place a few times. Nice people with great food. I recommend the pikilia grill plate. yum yum.
Potatos and fish are real good as well.
Don’t miss the place if you are in the area.

Came here Valentine’s Day weekend, and it was PACKED. But with a reservation you were accommodated immediately. The service at first was slow, but Achilles serviced my boyfriend and I and offered excellent hospitality.
We started with the octopus and next to Puerto Rico, it was the best octopus I’ve had. I got a shrimp dish and my boyfriend got lamb, the flavors were incredible. He’s hard to please when it comes to lamb and he practically licked his plate. I was so full since the gave me a salad along with my other sides. Having to hand peel the shrimp did get a bit messy but definitely worth it!
Their wine selection was nice as well, I love whites so I ordered Mythic River, and it was so subtle and paired perfectly with my meal.
The restaurant itself was nothing fancy, but it was comfortable. It offered a warm escape to the freezing temperatures outside and you could wear a dress or jeans, no one will look twice.
Achilles gave us complementary baklava to end our evening and it was the best I have had. My boyfriend agreed, saying it was next best to the one his grandmother used to make. I would highly recommend this place, and if it’s busy have patience because the food is worth it.

Finally a decent restaurant in tourist hell. This place was so good! Nice atmosphere. Reservations are definitely recommended.
Ordered the grilled octopus — this is a must for me anytime I eat in a Greek restaurant. Their grilled octopus did not disappoint.
Ordered the loukaniko (grilled sausage with leeks) absolutely amazing. The leeks were so good too!
We ordered the Greek salad. It’s standard but that doesnt make it boring. The feta tasted very fresh and the dressing they gave us was so unique tasting. Not what you’d expect on a Greek salad. Loved it.
Lastly we ordered the plaki (baked filet of striped bass with tomato sauce, onions, garlic and white wine). This dish was mind blowing. The sauce was superb. The fish was excellent.
I will definitely be back to this place. What a fantastic find!

My boyfriend and I had our VERY FIRST DATE almost 3 years ago at Dafini. This past Valentine’s Day we saw a show on Broadway and went for an early dinner after (Dafni is conveniently walking distance from the show which was at the new Amsterdam theatre).
I remember how much I enjoyed the food on our very first date here so I was looking forward to a good Greek meal and spending our Valentine’s Day at the restaurant we had our first date at, call me a mush but it’s special to me!
We walked in around 5 on a Saturday, there were 2 other couples eating. The hostess/​waitress greeted us and asked if we had a reservation (no, we did not). She responded with «we are going to be very busy in a while, but if you want to eat quick, our food comes out fast, mumble mumble, an hour, mumble, I can seat you».
My boyfriend graciously apologized for not making reservations and we were seated promptly. We ordered spanakopita for an appetizer (mediocre)… The spinach was dry inside. I ordered keftedes which is a pasta with a delicious stew and meatballs on top, my boyfriend ordered the moussaka. Both came out very fast, they prepared the dishes very poorly. I had minimal sauce on the pasta (which I later asked for more of). Both dishes were good, but unfortunately were not as good as the first time we came. For dessert we had baklava– absolutely scrumptious. Probably the best baklava I’ve had.
Overall, the food is good here don’t get me wrong. Yes, it was our fault we did not make a reservation but I would rather have been turned away then be rushed through a meal.

What a times square gem! Located literally across from hell, aka port authority, is some super delicious, affordable, greek food. When we arrived they put some DELICIOUS pita on the table. I am a girl who has been to Israel three times, so trust me, I know good pita.
I got the old standby – spanikopita. Huge portion and absolutely delicious. My friend got the meat moussaka and loved it.
Service was great.
Also, we went super early – like 5:30. We were the youngest people there by about 40 years. I dont hate it.

Diamond in the Times Sq jungle rough.
Not a HUGE fan of Greek food, but it is relatively healthy so my friends and I gave this place a try.
The restaurant is very warm, and very bright… service was a touch slow… but they were pretty busy and our full party wasn’t there. So not really their fault. Our server had no problem splitting 5 credit cards, which was super nice of him.
FOOD:
Apps– we had a ton, and all were REALLY REALLY good. Even the octopus which I typically don’t like was very tasty. Tzaki– delicious. Zucchini Fritters are a MUST.
My entrée is the reason this didn’t get 4 stars. I ordered the Moussaka, and it was ehhhh. I don’t know, something about it wasn’t great. It was tasty, don’t get me wrong! I just wasn’t blown away by it.
However, this place was very reasonably priced even by Times Sq Standards. I would definitely say, if you HAVE to go to TImes Sq… this place makes up for it.

We shared the Pikilia, a charcoal grilled combination platter ($ 17.95), and a side order of the Greek fries ($ 5.00). The platter came with gyro (sliced lamb), bifteki (ground beef), souvlaki (marinated chicken cubes) and sides — rice (or potato), tzatziki and cucumber relish. I enjoyed the gyro as it wasn’t as gamey as most lamb dishes I’ve had before. The popular Greek fries was a bit disappointing. Perhaps, I prefer regular salted french fries (that crispy, crunchy deep fried exterior) as the Greek fries were more like sliced baked potatoes topped with oregano and cheese.
Bonus: Complimentary fresh warm pita bread! I only wish they had some hummus!
Tip for 2: I would recommend to order an entrée and a side to share together, as the portions are quite large.

Fresh pitas and tasty tzakziki! But what surprised me the most was the grilled octopus appetizer. It was so tender and moist definitely exceeded my expectations. Their grilled shrimp is also very good but I can’t seem to find it on seamless anymore. Even their house salad with feta seems to taste better than those typical Greek salads.
Awesome Greek restaurant with relatively inexpensive dishes for midtown.