Yefsi Estiatorio

Very good neighborhood Greek restaurant. Actually, the food is probably the best Greek food in the area. But the prices are a bit high for the portions served. Food is always very tasty and fresh, but again, pricey for what you receive.
Wine list is pretty decent… as you’d expect, they have some good Greek options, but one of my favorite Greek wines, while on the list, has been unavailable for quite some time. Time to update the list if that’s going to the be the case.
Always crowded and service is good, but what could be a 4-​star resto does lose a star due to prices and out of date wine list.

Wonderful atmosphere, fantastic service and excellent Greek food!
I’ve passed this place countless times and didn’t realize what a great find of a restaurant was located here until I had it bookmarked on Unilocal and wanted to give it a try.
The host and manager/​owner were so extremely welcoming and friendly, and the table service was also attentive and friendly.
The back patio area felt cozy and romantic, and when many of the other tables cleared it was like we had our own private area.
The food was wonderful, and my friend is a Greek food snob:
— bread and pita with the white Greek dipping sauce (I forget the name) very good
— squid was fabulous
— halibut was delicious and the accompanying rice paired perfectly
— lamb chops — so tender and delicious
Martini was also fabulously made.
Highly recommend for dinner with friends, family or a date. I will absolutely go back!

Tucked away in Yorkville. (parking is tough around this area). Yefsi was a delight and very romantic ambiance. Wifey was dazzling and had a sparkle in her eye. This was in 2015 and I have been procrastinating on this draft. The menu was pretty diverse but we stuck with the goodies. Ordering calamari and a few entrees (pictures below). The picture don’t do it justice. Everything was appetizing and juicy. The wine paired well and it was generally a great night. Will pay another visit in 2016.

We ate here last night, on the new year’s eve. Ordered the zucchini keftedes, octopus, shrimps & beans, lamb chops and the grilled salmon. Everything was extaordinary! I’m turkish and i thought it was excellent turkish food! just kidding :) Best greek food i’ve ever had on this side of the world. The little backyard felt like home. I’m definitely going back soon. Serving ouzo with a straw though??? :)

Yefsi never disappoints. Today I hosted a large brunch there and everyone enjoyed their meals. The beet salad is my favorite, sweet with the spanakopita! The grilled calamari and lemon chicken soup are also must haves, be sure to go with an appetite. We will be back for sure!

What a nice place. Good food, good service and wonderful atmosphere. Must try.

Was very excited to have Greek food tonight! Unfortunately the choice was not right. Have been to Yefsi before. It something has changed… we sat down and immediately or smelled like a wet towel that had not been washed for at least 6 weeks. Probably should have mentioned this to change but it didn’t seem like the right thing to do. I must say that the food was quite tasty wth a tad bit pinch of too much salt. The kolokothokeftedes were tasty! This was followed by a Greek salad marouli which was tasty but not as crispy as I would have liked. The waiter team forgot our other appetizer special of scallops and shrimp so I can’t comment on how good it is or not. The mysterious stinky towel the got the best of us and we had to leave as quickly as possible so just paid the bill and had to wait a bit longer to remove the appetizer charge. Not too sure if I’ll be back…

I ate here last night and really enjoyed the food. I disagree with other reviewers who found fault with the lamb kebabs. They were delicious (I did make sure to ask for them to be medium and not too charred). However, I liked the braised lamb dish (over noodles) MUCH better than the kebab. The kebab was just light on flavor. The braised lamb, however, was tender and juicy and in a delicious sauce.
My other favorite of the night was the grilled octopus appetizer, it was delicious and fresh.
The fried calamari were probably the best I’ve ever had – very lightly fried, the squid was tender inside, and I really loved the tsaziki-​style dipping sauce!
I also LOVED the Greek wine I got. I forget the name, but it’s the first on the list of whites and was described by the waiter as having a piney flavor. It was FANTASTIC. I appreciate the authentic/​Greek wine options alongside the normal everyday wines.
The service was great. Our server was very warm and friendly and helpful. The owner/​manager also stopped by our table to seat us and also to check on us.
I am giving 5 stars for food, great atmosphere, and good service.
However, I do think the prices are VERY HIGH. The dishes are priced like some of the top tier restaurants with white glove service, while here it is more casual.

This place was good but I was a bit disappointed. Small portions and overpriced compared to food quality. It certainly was good but for the price, it should have been bigger and better. I had the lamb kabobs which were good but honestly were just as good as lamb kabobs that I could have gotten at a very cheap restaurant for a quarter of the price. The ambiance is very nice inside and the service was great but that’s about it. They were even very cheap on the bread. My advice, try out another Greek place. This one isn’t worth it.

In short: amazing but over priced food. We went there for dinner. Service was ok although it did take them long time to bring our cheque. We had horiatiki (aka Greek salad) which to my astonishment was priced at $ 15; horiatiki is made from tomato, cucumber, onion, feta cheese, black olives and some oregano and decent olive oil. I make it at home regularly and it doesn’t cost me more than $ 4-​$ 5. So I feel the price tag is too high. We had two glasses of wine, two starters and one main (lamb chops) followed by shared baklava and it cost us around $ 97. Note that we shared all these dishes. We did enjoy the food quality and decent service but I probably won’t go back because of the high price tag.

Delicious FRESH food here. I emphasized fresh as each time (4 so far) we are so pleased with the fresh ingredients offered throughout the menu. The specials are simply the best options here.
Grilled octopus is are favorite and the special of fish has been a consistent favorite too.
The staff here are kind, accommodating and pleasant to interact with then dining.
What a treat of a restaurant.

There is a lot of Greek food in NYC but few places that make you feel that you actually IN Greece. Yefsi is one of those rare places. Great quality ingredients, a master chef with a versatile menu, a strong wine list and terrific service. You can’t ask for more than that in a place. I’ve been several times and the food is always spot on. Getting a seat at the bar is getting tougher but I’m sharing the love nonetheless. Congrats Chef Christos and continued success!

Nice food, nice décor, and nice service.
Will definitely visit here again

This was a fun Greek experience. The restaurant is really nice and looks recently renovated. We sat outside in the garden which was lovely.
We had:
— Horiatiki — Greek salad — it was very tasty. Tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, feta and olives. No lettuce which was unique.
— Pikilia — Taramosalata, Melitzanosalata, Spicy Feta, Tzatziki — All delicious. I especially liked the spicy feta. The tzatziki was delicious.
— Kotopoulo Souvlak K– chicken kebobs — tasty if a bit too charred.
— Saganaki — lightly fried cheese served with lemon, delicious
— Mousaka — terrific. Savory delicious.
— Calamari — tasty
— Mojito — too watery
The service was great and the bathrooms were exceptionally clean.

I’ve been coming here since I moved to the neighborhood two years ago and it’s my favorite restaurant in the area. It’s always easy to get a reservation, the food is great, cocktails are fantastic, and the service is quick/​friendly. My recommendations are the Greek salad, Yefsi chips, chicken kabab with rice, and the roasted chicken with lemon potatoes. The margaritas are also fantastic.
I love that the tables are spaced far enough apart that you’re not forced to listen to your neighbor’s conversation the entire time you’re there. It’s the Upper East Side, meaning the demographic is older, but even though the husband and I are in our late 20s/​early 30s we enjoy the atmosphere.

Went here because Greek food is my favorite cuisine and it was close to our Air BnB we were staying in for the weekend. I have to say the octopus was some of the best octopus I’ve ever had. The consistency was perfect. Our server was excellent and suggested a perfect wine after I told him what I usually like. I had the whole fish and it was delish, but I was unfortunately too full to finish the whole thing. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone on the UES looking for some quality traditional greek food.
The only cons:
— I had reservations (only for 2) and when we arrived it took them a bit to seat us.
— There was a lovely outdoor court yard area and I would have loved to sit out there rather than inside as it is small, cramped, and noisy when it gets crowded.

My wife was craving some traditional Greek food in the Big Apple, and I wanted something a little less hip and trendy than Kefi. Then, we got in a huge debate about hummus. She trumped me, as she has spent time in Greece, and I have not. Greeks, contrary to common belief, DO NOT EAT hummus.
Alas, Yefsi did not have hummus on the menu, thus pleased was the wife. Happy wife, happy life.
This joint must exist as a staple for the neighborhood, as it was popping with all sorts of kind gestures from the owner. Though he was warm, the restaurant perhaps had a good problem on their hands – too busy for a Friday night – leading the owner to be somewhat frenzied. As well, our servers seemed a bit speedier than we would have liked.
Portions turned out far skimpier than expected. The zucchini and eggplant chips, somewhat resembling tempura fried, were likely the best bang-​for-​buck. More disappointing was the chicken souvlaki – dry, a measly 2 per, with some redeeming creamy rice. Least filling was the tomato cucumber salad, yielding a mere 3 chunks of feta. For being over $ 10, I could not imagine any circumstance under which this portion size would be acceptable.
On the whole, I thought Yefsi met the desire for a traditional Greek meal, though the experience felt a little stuffy.

Had lunch at Yefsi today, here are my thoughts:
– Ambiance — Restaurant was nice enough, but tables were a bit dirty, as was the floor. Fairly empty at 2pm on a Saturday.
– Service — Terrible. The waiter was abrupt, unfriendly, and disappeared for the most part. Hostess was quite nice though.
– Food — I was very disappointed that most of the online menu was not available at brunch. Since I was very much looking forward to crabcakes, scallops, and gigantes, I wasn’t thrilled to settle for an average omelette and just okay horatiki (sp?) salad.
– Overall — If we return it certainly won’t be for brunch. Hopefully we’ll have better luck with their dinner menu!

I came here on a Sunday afternoon around 2pm and was greeted by a man walking by out front who highly recommended this place as he had been going to this place for years being in the neighborhood. We decided to give it a shot and sat down at the bar. Overall, the restaurant was pretty casual and it was quiet enough to maintain good conversation.
We tried the octopus that was cooked very well as well as the cheese puff pie that was also good. I tried the lamb burger that came inside a pits that was very moist and was accompanied with some nice tzatziki sauce. I can’t remember what my gf had but I know she said she enjoyed it as well.
Overall, the price came out to about 50/​person after one drink and tax and tip for everything so I would recommend if you are in the mood for some Greek food upper east side.
Buon appetito.

For one of our girls night dinners, my friend who is a resident of the Upper East Side recommended we hit up Yefis’s for some authentic Greek eats, and man am I glad we went! Yefsi Estiatorio is a hidden gem nestled in the middle of Yorkville offering a rather diverse menu with authentic food that is absolutely delicious. It also fills up quickly so I recommend you make a reservation. By 7pm on a Thursday this place did not have an empty seat. (Side note: They have an enclosed patio in the back, it’s really cute if you want an outdoor seating experience without actually being outdoors).
We started our meal off with their special drink of the day: WHITE SANGRIA! It’s like they knew we were coming in to dine! It was perfectly crisp and refreshing with just the right amount of melon and pineapple to balance out the slight kick with sweetness. Mmmmm.
For our appetizer we ordered the Htenia (scallops). They were delicate, not dry, tasty, tender, and full of flavor. Then in an attempt to keep our meal «light and clean,» my friend ordered a Greek salad (I didn’t try it but it looked fresh and good), and I ordered the octapodi (grilled octopus) from the appetizers.
Let’s discuss this octopus for a second. Probably… actually no… definitely the best I ever had. They must have Zeus in the kitchen cooking up a storm.
The only reason why this review is four stars and not a full five is because the menu on the restaurant’s website shows cheaper prices. we were shocked when our meal came out to almost $ 75! I guess it all adds up but still! Regardless, I’d come back in a heartbeat. I need me some more tentacles.