12 Islands Greek Taverna

We had a fun time here! The dining rooms are small but we had plenty of elbow room, the place was packed. Most of the staff seemed to be European as well as some of the patrons.
The drinks were flowing and shouts of Opa! were in the air. The beer offerings are limited but our bartender suggested a nice Greek wine for us.
The food was excellent. To name a few: the char-​grilled Octopus and Melitzanosalata was the perfect beginnings. The Youvesti braised lamb shank was fall-​off-​the-​bone deliciousness, sitting on a pillow of perfectly cooked orzo. The Stifado braised beef was very good. Though, their rendition of Saganaki was not my favorite (sad face). The water glass refresh intervals could of been a little better.
Our server was an old-​school gent, stern but very proficient. Our dinner companions graciously payed for our meals but from the looks of the menu, the pricing seems reasonable.
We hope to return in the not so distant future!

Saturday lunch. Ordered the zucchini fritters to start, followed by the moussaka and stuffed tomato & pepper dish.
Some bread came out with a beet, cheese, and olive spread combo — very welcome sight that didn’t disappoint. Fritters were nice, served with mint and a greek yogurt. Our mains were really good, too. Moussaka balanced the natural flavor of the ingredients with the seasonings and spices. Same with the stuffed dish.
Our waiter was really nice and definitely European — you are there to enjoy the food and relax with company under no rush and get the bill only when you ask for it. We were quite pleased and will be back!

This was our first time at this restaurant and our first time enjoying Greek cuisine. Although the restaurant was hopping, we got our seat on time and the food was outstanding. It certainly would have been worth a wait if needed. We enjoyed clams casino, red snapper and another fish dish and all were delicious. The bartender did goof up a couple drinks but they corrected that immediately. Overall, the experience was outstanding and we are certain to return.

Delicious and friendly — like all the other reviews said. Portions are quite large. The gyro and mezzes were great.

If you are looking for delicious authentic Greek food and deserts this is the place. Friendly attentive staff. Only wish it were closer to my home it’s a fifty mile trip but worth it.

Definitely the best authentic greek food in the area. The ambience of the restaurant is big and welcoming, with very greek décor. We were immediately given water, pita bread, and dipping sauces upon being seated. we ordered a hummus appetizer and i got a salad (started with an M but i cant remember the greek word) with chicken souvlaki. My boyfriend ordered the pastisio which is what i call greek lasagna. The hummus was rich and creamy. My salad had romaine lettuce, fresh dill, and feta with a lemon juice and evoo dressing. The lettuce was finely chopped and the salad was well dressed, two key things to a perfect salad. The chicken souvlaki was moist with a charred and slightly crunchy exterior, just how it should be. The pastisio was good, the ground beef was well seasoned but it wasnt any better or worse than other greek restaurants. It seems like seafood is their area of expertise so i will definitely order a seafood dish next time.
For dessert i had greek coffee and galacktomboureko (spelling??). I cant spell or pronounce the dessert but it was totally delicious. I like that greek desserts use honey instead of a ton of sugar to add sweetness.

On weekdays, this place would easily merit 4 stars – and also offers early bird specials. Our first visit was on a Saturday and the noise volume was much too loud. It speaks well of them that they have so many devoted customers, but places with many entrees above $ 30 and not BYO can afford some soundproofing.
The food is very good and portions are generous. The menu is quite extensive and both meat and seafood dishes are prepared very well. There are entrees below $ 20, such as gyros, too,
Service is good and people are friendly. Décor is ok.
Particular hits were the house special salad; zucchini chips; grilled calamari; lamb chops; lamb shank; and swordfish.

Have been a few times for lunch now. Octopus is excellent and the Maroulosalata salad with gyro meat is very good also. Their lemon roasted potatoes are some of the best I’ve had. There is a small bar with full liquor license.
Staff is always very knowledgeable and make good recommendations. All in all its a great stop.

great food and service. I was debating between 4 and 5 star as the place /​ambience is 3 – 4 star in my opinion. However, the service was SO good, I had to give this place 5 star. The food was better than I expected. If you are looking for NYC quality, you will not get that here. However, I do feel it is one of the best Greek places in a 10 mile radius. I had the halibut which was perfectly cooked and flaky. good apps. The best things about this place are that it is very reasonably priced and good portions. the waiter was very attentive and friendly.

It was the second time we ate at 12 Island, the staff especially our server Johnny was exceptional. He intuitively found a dessert my husband would like. He served us both times and we think he’s very personable. The food is delicious, braised Lamb with Risotto and their Bronzino were cooked to perfection. The restaurant has an authentic Greek vibe. The staff and guests all seem to enjoy themselves. Great after dinner drinks. The servers are a are efficient and seem to bond with the tables they serve. 12 Island’s wait service is top notch. When we make our reservations next time we will request Johnny as our server, he definitely takes pride in his service. We have definitely discovered a restaurant we would recommend to anyone for date night or a special occasion.

I love this restaurant! Everything we have ordered has been wonderful! And the staff treat us like family. The owner, Manny, and his family have always been welcoming and friendly. One of my favorite dishes is the whole fish. It’s so fresh and grilled to perfection. Go, have wonderful food and let them spoil you!

This place is a very traditional Greek restaurant. It is worth the drive if you’re not a local to the Long Hill area. It is family owed, the same people who own Manny’s Diner in Montclair, and the family and staff are all speaking Greek. It’s great. I think they could even out white table cloths down, it’s a nice place. It does get very loud during peak ours.
You must get the octopus appetizer and the Bronzino whole fish. Holy crap. It’s so good and they fillet the fish right there in front of you. So fresh, healthy, and high quality food.

Probably the best Greek food in New Jersey. The Chef is great! Keep it up!

We’ve been here a few times with friends and family. Every time, the people are really warm and friendly. Not just a smile on their faces. We’re certainly not there often enough that they know us at all. but they make you feel like they do :)
Food is great, portions range from really nice to huge! And everything is delicious.
Oh, if you tell them someone in your group is having their birthday, they sing to you with a candle in your dessert… and they give you a plate to break, signifying breaking old habits. Googling that now and I’m seeing that the Greeks are known for breaking plates. Never knew that :)
Visited September 2015

Unexpected gem of authentic Greek food a few miles off Route 78. Totally worth the detour. Do not miss the grilled octopus — they promised me the best and it was. Better than some we had in Greece! The moussaka and the gyro platter were both excellent. The kids meals included Greek budget and home made fries — rave review!

Very authentic and fresh. We had a great avgolemeno soup, perfect grilled octopus and a nice Greek salad.

I love Greek food, and I have enjoyed 12 Islands. Really the only reason for 4 stars rather than 5 is in the «bang for the buck» category. But the food and service are quite good.

We came to 12 Islands on Valentine’s Day after looking for a good Greek restaurant in our area. We were definitely NOT disappointed!
We started with the Spanakopitakia, which was your traditional spinach pie. Very flavorful and light. We also had the Horiatiki Salata, which is the traditional greek village salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, green peppers, feta, and olives. I couldn’t get enough of this salad! It was SO delicious and I’m thinking about ordering it with some grilled chicken or salmon as a meal the next time I visit.
For our main entrée, my husband had the grilled lamb chops (Paidakia). He said they were some of the best they had. I managed to steal away a small piece and I had to agree– flavorful and juicy!
I had ordered the Stifado based on a previous Unilocal post but when my dinner arrived, I ended up receiving what I think was the Souzoukakia, which essentially was small little meatballs, cooked in tomato sauce serviced with rice. It was still really tasty so I couldn’t complain.
We ended our meal sharing the Krema Pagoto Me Baklava, which was vanilla ice cream topped with pieces of baklava. A MUST. Seriously, if you order nothing else– get that! It’s incredible!
Since it was Valentine’s day, the owner came around gave us a shot of Ouzo– OPA!
All in all, a great experience on a snowy Valentine’s day. Can’t wait to go back!

Great food. They Always fresh seafood and you can tell they take pride in their food. Have never been disappointed. Love the octopus appetizer. The servers are very accommodating and know the menu. While overall it is a bit pricey, there are plenty of less expensive dishes on the menu to choose from.

I have passed this place before and did not give it much of a thought. Seemingly in the middle of no where I just did not think much about trying to remember to find it again. Then, looking for a place to eat one night on Unilocal I plug in an address and, well, back to here I came without even knowing it.
Our reservation was taken on time and right at the start you could tell it is not just Greek food but a Greek experience. The person who kept trying to give us still water when we ordered a bottle of sparkling did not even speak English. It was a sort lived comedy when it was explained to him what was going on by what seems to be the owner.
To start we shared the Horiatiki Salata — Traditional village salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, green peppers, capers, feta cheese & Kalamata olives /​Island Chips — Pan fried thin zucchini & eggplant, served with a feta mousse /​Dolmadakia — Hand made grape leaves stuffed with ground beef, rice & herbs, topped with avgolemono /​Garides Saganaki — Sautéed shrimp, ouzo, tomato& feta cheese. A wow on the feta mousse and everything else was quite good.
For the main course I had a lamb shank on special and finished the meal with some Baklava. All good and wonderful service that helped us sort out a couple of desires on the menu that worked out very well in the end.
Bottom line — I know we will be back and with so many wonderful options on the menu I also know that our selections will be completely different on the second time around.