Kopiaste Taverna

Amazing place! Great hospitality and wonderful food. The staff is very friendly and professional. Hummus was served with fresh baked bread. We had grilled octopus and kleftiko lamb. The octopus was grilled to perfection, super soft and juicy. Lamb was slow cooked and very tender. They also had complimentary desserts which were equally tasty. I am definitely going back there again.

This is truly a hidden gem in Astoria for Greek food, which has some of the best Greek restaurants in New York City. From outside you can not tell, it is under the subway on 31^st street and although I have lived in Astoria for a long time and love Greek and Cypriot food somehow I never tried it. Usually there is no wait, so I kind of don’t want to tell people about it, but I have to be fair to the owners, it has fantastic food, high quality, served by truly nice professional people, the owners and the waiting staff alike. Everyone knows about Kyclades, MPTaverna and Stamatis, this restaurant is on equal footing with them. In my opinion the top 3 Greek restaurants in Astoria are Kyclades, Loukoumi and Kopiaste. If you have not tried it definitely do so, I strongly recommend it.

Kopiaste has officially become my new answer to the question, «Hey, my friends and I want good Greek food, where should we go?» My answer used to be Stamatis for those who didn’t want to wait 2 hours for Taverna Kyclades. But even then, I was always kind of ‘eh’ about it.
Kopiaste has a very clean interior with great décor of traditional Greek items. You can see some old garb hanging on the walls, cool photos, and even an old-​school iron that used to be heated with coals. Nice. A lot of care and consideration is put into the presentation of the place.
I highly recommend the triple assortment of dipping sauces with bread for $ 10. You get warm, toasted pita as well as some sliced loaf bread to dip into Taramosalata (Fish Roe spread), Hummus, and Tzatziki. All are made in house, I believe, and are freakin’ delicious. The taste is rustic and authentic, and are an excellent start to your lunch or dinner. The taramosalata is great when you’re in a creamy, salty mood, the hummus is, well, hummus, and everyone loves that stuff, and the tzatziki is thick, refreshing, and flavorful. Seriously, it’s a good decision, especially if you’re a party of 3 – 4. Just don’t fill up on it, the entrees are the real star and you want to be sure you have room for them. I also ordered a small Greek salad to split at the table and I appreciated the generous amount of feta cheese on it. I felt less guilty about picking those pieces out and eating them because there was plenty for everyone.
As tempting as the Cyprus Meze was, I actually ordered my favorite dish, Moussaka. The presentation is nice and thought out, unlike some other Greek restaurants that just kinda slab your food on a plate. The beshemel cream on it was velvety smooth, the salt levels just right, and the flavor spot on. The portion sizes are average, but not overwhelming. If you’re quite hungry, this should be pretty sufficient for you.
I also got to taste the chicken souvlaki, which was cooked entirely to perfection. The chicken tasted fresh and was so dang juicy and tender. It was so good that I forgot this level of tenderness could even be achieved in chicken. That’s expert cooking right there.
One of the best things about this place, besides the food, was the incredible service. Sure, it was a little slow for the food to come out and to get the check, but I think that had to do with the fact a party of 6 ordered right before us. This is not the kind of restaurant where you rush to eat, you come and enjoy your meal, and take time to talk to your friends and family. You won’t be hurried out, you’ll be encouraged to stay and relax a little.
Our entrees were followed by a surprise complimentary dessert of a few small pieces of baklava. I’m not sure if they do this normally or just because it was Easter Sunday, but it was certainly appreciated.
On certain nights they have live music for free, which is a great added bonus to an already excellent dining experience. If you’re looking for that entertainment while you eat, be sure to check Kopiaste out on one of those nights. In the meantime, I have the most exciting leftovers to eat for lunch tomorrow at work, everyone is going to be so jealous.

We had the Mezze Platter and it was amazing. Every course was better than the next and well worth the price.

I’m not going to write a long story but the place was empty and the waitress had a hard time taking everyone’s order. After several times telling what we wanted she still didn’t bring the correct food. I got what I asked for but others got their food brought out after ours and 2 people didn’t even get any food… really. Place was empty. I asked to bring everything out the same time but we got our food first and my family had to watch us eat. Also very pricey $ 18 for grilled octopus which was one leg. Need at least 2 waitress for lunch.

I ordered for a pickup here and had the greek salad and kleftiko lamb. The salad was okay, but nothing special and there wasn’t enough feta cheese. The lamb was very tender and juicy, I especially liked the lemon potatoes. However, I feel like the food didn’t taste particularly amazing because it wasn’t eaten fresh in the restaurant. I look forward to trying the food at the restaurant and hopefully bump my review up a star or two.

Been 2 times.
First time = It was amazing. Char on tender octopus laden with a good olive oil, generous salad portions and Impeccable service.
Went recently and unfortunately things changed a bit. Octopus had no char and was not half as good as last time, portions (especially salad) were not as generous, Service was just a bit sloppy. The Food was also not presented as well as in the past. It’s almost like they have a new chef. Didn’t feel it was as good a value, either.
Music is a nice touch on weekends but be aware it’s quite loud and takes over the whole room. Still though it was like being in someone’s living room. It was fun!
Will probably come back. Hoping the food is better again since this place was so awesome last year! I hope they make a comeback.

My friends and I were a very large group of 8 and we were seated in the middle of the restaurant by the fireplace. The people were charming and extremely helpful in ordering the right amount of food for the group. Everything was superb and I loved the authentic Cypriot cuisine!

This is a hidden gem in this part of Astoria which has some very well known and popural Greek restaurants that have almost 2 hour long lines for dinner. It’s almost hidden and not so obvious, but almost wished it stayed that way as we loved everything about it that doesn’t include massive waits, lines, and crowds.
Being undecided because we were unsure of how their food was going to be, our waiter recommended we try the Cyprus Meze, which is the Mediterranean version of tapas, so we can sample a little bit of everything for the evening. Everything that came out was in a nice and timely manner, especially being busy with every seat in the house occupied for dinner, and everything that came out was amazing!
Our waiter, Dimitri, I believe, was the nicest person who explained everything that came out to us in complete detail. He was fun and very personable, not pushy, joked, spent time with us and made us feel very friendly and comfortable; even joked that we should dance to the live music being played, as others were and enjoying the atmosphere and evening.
The food here is just as good as the other places in the area, in our opinion, but the atmosphere was far better and more enjoyable than others! We love this place and will continue to come back and recommend to others who want good authentic Greek food without a very long wait!

3.5 stars…
After declining to wait for Taverna Kyclades’s 2 hour wait on a Friday night and MP Taverna’s wait just to put your name down was too long to bear, the girlfriend and I decided to try Kopiaste a couple blocks away due to its 4.5 star rating. The charming white tablecloth restaurant had a couple live greek musicians entertaining the mostly empty restaurant. There were some audio issues with the speaker system but it was a nice touch overall. The service was friendly and prompt but far from rushed. Prices and portions were about average. To start we got the grilled octopus ($ 14) which is one tenticle. It was good but wasn’t quite as tender as Kyclade’s and had a bit less grill flavor to it. For an entrée I got the Arni Psito (oven-​roasted lamb with potatoes and vegetables) for $ 16. This came with two relatively small pieces of lamp on the bone with a bunch of lemon potatoes but not vegetables. The lamb was tender and cooked well and the potatoes were delicious and not overly lemon-​y. My girlfriend had the Pastitsio (layers of pasta and ground pork with spices topped with béchamel sauce) and loved it. This dish is actually a bottom layer of noodles, a layer of seasoned ground pork, and a top layer that seemed like mashed potatoes. There wasn’t any «sauce» present on the dish but we both liked the amount of cinnamon in the dish, particularly on this first day of fall. The menu did seem more heavy on the pork than on the lamb or seafood which I found interesting but liked the variety and that they didn’t have an overbearing amount of options. In the future Kopiaste wouldn’t be my first choice unless I wanted a more quiet date night type of place but if I make it all the way to Astoria and don’t want to wait at one of the more popular places I wouldn’t mind coming here again.

When great expectations fall and shatter …
There are some ingredients in Cypriot cuisine that are absolutely critical, and make a dish and the experience perfect. These are love, passion, warmth and great service. Without these, the food tastes so different and foreign.
The place is beautiful with nice decoration and elegant design, yet the food was mediocre and subpar. The bread was cold and dry, the octopus was dry and oven-​broiled, while our traditional BBQ was undercooked and flavorless. What a disappointment!
In a not-​so-​busy night, the manager could have also done a bit more to direct the waitresses and provide a better service, including doing the basics. Yep, that includes «refill the water cups, please» without being said aloud.
For a place whose name means «please, come in», it was a true misnomer, and so different to authentic Cypriot dinning.

Went for a bridal shower… no parking lot which was a bummer… had to park in a lot around the corner. All table apps were great… cheese, olives, hummus, tzastiki, pita, etc… entrees were good… lamb was a bit greasy but salmon & grilled chicken were on point. Service was nice but harried since it was a bit crowded due to the size of the party. The inside atmosphere was pretty basic & plain, nothing to write home about. Overall the food was worth it & I would def go back to check out the total menu & have lunch/​dinner…

The food was fresh, simply and carefully prepared and presented, and delicious. Service and hospitality were warm and very good without being obtrusive.
Before our meal, we were brought excellent bread, as well as a fresh and colorful leaf salad to share — never been served that way, what a great idea. I tried a piece of the grilled octopus and also the country pork sausages — both light, delicately seasoned, and delicious. My main course was the 6-​hour baked lamb with a side of lemon potatoes. Although the lamb contained too much fat and bones for my American sensibilities, doubtless those are part of what gives the meat such great flavor. And it was incredibly tender. The lemon potatoes were delicious, as lemon potatoes usually are. The entrée portion was not huge, which I really appreciate. Just perfect. I also ordered a Cypriot beer, a Keo, which was very light and easy to drink and went well with my meal.
The restaurant space is a big, open dining room, with street-​side natural light only. I find it a bit gray but can imagine it works well for parties.
Food 7 + ambiance 5 + value 7 + service 8 = overall 6.7 /​10 (good)

Did the Cypriot mezes prix frixe and they did not disappoint!
1. The mezes are very pork centric — sausage, souvlaki, etc.
2. The meats are really well prepared. Seasoning was great and unlike many other Greek places that over cook their meat, Kopiaste keeps their meat tender.
3. The owners are an older couple. They are nice, maybe too nice by NYC standards. But ask them for advice on ordering!
4. It doesn’t have the ultra casual vibe of most Astoria Greek places. There’s a lot of tile and it feels a little fancy (there’s a full bar!) but then there are paper napkins. So that makes the place feel a little off.
5. Didn’t try the seafood but doesn’t sound like that is the direction to go here.
6. Really loved the care put into all the dishes — lemon cured olives were outstanding, I founds the dips to have great taste and a perfect consistency (smooth and thick), cabbage salad had great juicy red tomatoes in the middle of winter which I had not found at other Greek places in the hood. So seems like there is some real attention to detail where the food is concerned.
7. $ 22 for the mezes! What a deal, great variety and you will be stuffed.

People were raving about this place and it got some good write-​ups in ny magazines so i figured I’d give it a shot.
Overall I thought the staff was very friendly and it truly felt like you were in another country. There was never a rush with the meal and unlike many other restaurants they let you relax and not quickly send you out the door.
Along with that they had a man on piano signing greek music which I thought was fun.
My boyfriend and I had the mezze menu. While I do love to try everything, I think if I come back I will just pick one item. Overall it was fun to try but I personally found many of the meats a little on the greasy side and we didn’t get any seafood dishes.
My favorites were the lamb, the stuffed grape leaves and the garliky dip with pita bread.

I had to update my review, now that my fiancée and I stopped in tonight to celebrate our one-​year anniversary, and our engagement, because Kopiaste deserves 10 stars, from its excellently and lovingly prepared food, to its warm, welcoming staff.
George Georgiou is perhaps the sweetest, most gentle restaurant owner in Astoria.
I’ve never before dined at Kopiaste, as I’m usually a lazy bum and if I’m not cooking, will opt for delivery over dine-​in.
I’m going to change, because Kopiaste was just so lovely.
I told our waitress that I was a vegetarian, and she went through a list of things they could give me – we ended up choosing gigantes — lima beans in tomato sauces with herbs. So delicious. I asked for it with a side of feta, and I’m so glad I did. The dairy worked really well with the seasoning of the tomato sauce.
We started our meal with an appetizer of skordalia — SO GOOD — and I had the trahana soup. The trahana is great, and reminds me of the Cypriot cuisine I’ve had at Zenon, with the benefit of being much closer to my apartment.
There was really too much food and it was so good that I had to break my no boxes rule to take it for lunch tomorrow. I was raving to the waitress about my love of their skordalia, and so she brought me EVEN MORE to add to the little bit we had left.
Our waitress promised to teach me about other delicious Cyrpiot vegetarian cuisine each time we came in.
We met Mr. Georgiou before we left, and he was so sweet, and remembered me from my order over the phone.
Like any good family dinner — which is exactly what a dinner at Kopiaste feels like — our waitress brought us the complimentary dessert of semolina havla and baklava.
In short, for a full dinner with leftovers, and free dessert, our bill was just around $ 50 –totally appropriate for date night.
Kopiaste is inviting, so much so that I can’t wait to make this our weekly date night spot.

Have you been to a restaurant where a large committee is meeting right in the middle of the main dining room? Loudly reviewing proposals, making resolutions, identifying opportunities, engaging in back and forth debate, minutes being maintained… while other diners are having dinner??? I just witnessed a committee meeting of 14 at Kopiaste. It was weird, but amusing at the same time.
Kopiaste is a Cypriot Taverna, proudly asseting its distinctive identity from the Greeks. Accordingly, in each of my visits the restaurant has had a large group of Cypriot patrons. The menu reinforces the distinction: I’ve never seen as much pork on the menu of a Greek restaurant! It’s almost as if this were the Cypriots’ way of thumbing their nose at the Turks, with whom no love is lost over the past thousand odd years…
I think one can probably order 5 dishes that feature seafood, another anomaly when you compare the menu with that at other Greek restaurants. When I insisted at getting the red snapper with lemon potatoes, the endearing owner (absolute sweetheart!) talked me out of it by saying that the fish wasn’t fresh. This left barely a handful of entrees that I could eat, given that I don’t eat pork. After much hemming and hawing, I assented to the rabbit (Stifado Koneli) — but only after the owner almost pleaded with me to do so: «it is delicious. If you don’t like it, you don’t pay.» Not only was that amazing confidence, but it was absolutely true as well. For one who likes onions (yes, I find ways to discouraging social intimacy), choosing the stew was a no brainer. But, the caring owner warned me of the starring role of pearl onions in the dish. He needn’t have. The meat was fall off the bone soft, the stew extremely tasteful, with a hint of vinegar livening it up. Rabbit stew is the dish I’ve enjoyed most at Kopiaste (5 stars), much more so than the lamb wrapped in foil (Kleftiko) that is slow baked for 6 hours to make sure that it is also extremely soft (4 stars).
Sadly, I haven’t liked anything else. The trio of dips (Taramasolata, Tzatziki, Skordalia) had been refrigerated at a lower temperature than necessary (and also didn’t spotlight the garlic, lemon tastes as much as they should’ve), and the single, long tentacle of the Octopus was more chewy than I like, not too well charred, and inadequately capturing the tastes of lemon and olive oil.
The lasting memory for me is that of the graciousness of the owner. He remembered me from a prior visit, has guided me away from dishes I wouldn’t like, been honest about his menu, regularly replenished the basket of Pita bread with warmer bread pieces, and offered me complimentary desserts (semolina halva, Baklava). I feel like an ingrate for being critical of the free Baklava (served at cooler than room temperature), as well as the Halva — both obviously refrigerated.
Stick to the Cypriot dishes only, not the Greek ones, and you will leave rewarded.

Our friends had been here three times before, and insisted we come along for their fourth visit. Really wonderful food and service. Both the owner and our waiter (Dimitri) were attentive and personable without hovering over us. They were helpful and descriptive, but not pushy. In fact, they made us pull back from over-​ordering. Some of the items we had…
The grilled octopus and the lemon potatoes (separate items) were perfect.
Nicely seared, tender, not overcooked. At other Greek places they often dredged these two dishes in olive oil. Not here. The chef placed a small dish of citrus infused olive oil along side each dish. A very nice touch.
The Cyprus Meze is a terrific sampling of 17 dishes. Its a worthy tasting menu. It begins with appetizers and ends with dessert. This is a great value for $ 22 per order. The kitchen does require at least 2 orders to create this. I can confirm that two orders will easily feed 3 or more people. Also, don’t be in a rush if you order this. Its like a Brazilian churrascaria. The dishes are brought to the table in 4 or 5 stages. Pace yourself. Its a lot of food and the food is good. The meats in particular were phenomenal.
This is a new restaurant. It has a fresh pleasant atmosphere. The vibe is easy. Its not pretentious, but its also not super-​casual like 24 hour dinner. We enjoyed it a lot and will return for sure.

This Greek taverna, with a Cypriot twist, had been riding under the radar until last weekend. Opened in January, in an unassuming spot under the N/​Q line, this quaint restaurant is located near the Ditmars station. Recently, it seemed the stars aligned, and created several reasons to visit on a recent Sunday afternoon.
It was kismet because:
1. The Village Voice wrote an exemplary review.
2. I have a friend from Turkey that lives in Astoria, and a quote from the article made me think this would be a interesting place to have lunch. Citing the melding of two cultures, the article stated:

«If Turkey were a skull facing west, the island of Cyprus would be tucked well under its chin, a scant 60 miles off both the Turkish and Syrian coasts. A sizable portion of the Cypriot population is Turkish, but the majority is of ancient-​Greek descent, and the two ethnicities have been going at it for centuries. Control of the island now seems beyond the reach of any single government, yet this apparently intractable schism has led to quite the opposite effect when it comes to food: Cypriot cuisine represents a mellow merging of both Attic and Anatolian, producing a delectable hybrid».
3. So maybe it wasn’t a good idea to bring to light that «the two ethnicities have been going at it for centuries».
4. But it led to complimentary dialogue between my friend and the waiter, who was dressed in the impeccable regalia of the region. He emigrated here and is attending a community college. She emigrated here to earn a degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology.
5. The food was indeed a «delectable hybrid». We shared Tzatziki, Oxtapodi Sta Karvouna, Souvlaki, and Kipriaki. Fresh and tasty!
What was most notable about this lunch was the timing. My Turkish friend was sharing news about an uprising in her country that wasn’t getting media attention. Through her cell phone, she was able to show hundreds of thousands protesting.
And then, the next day, it was covered in the NY Times.
My heart goes out to Turkey. And I hope that social media reinforces the greater good.

My wife, daughter and I were looking for a Greek restaurant near our daughter’s apartment in Astoria. We walked past Kopiaste Taverna, looked at the menu, and decided to give it a try. We are very glad we did. In short, the service was excellent and the food was outstanding.
For starters we had tasty home made Hummus with warm pita and Elliniki, a Greek salad with fresh feta cheese and lots of ripe tomatoes. Each main course was deliciously seasoned and cooked to perfection. The Kleftiko, or slow-​baked spring lamb, was so tender it fell off the bone. The Garides Souvlaki — charcoal shrimp kebab — was outstanding. The Moussaka with lemon potatoes was the best I’ve ever eaten and cost only $ 10. For dessert, we shared Loukoumades, mouthwatering Greek fried dough pastry dipped in honey syrup, and Daktyla, a finger shaped traditional Cypriot dish made with almonds, sugar, cinnamon and honey syrup.
People at the next table were sharing Mezze, traditional small plates. We’ll order that next time. And there WILL be a next time!
We were all happy that we found Kopiaste Taverna and strongly recommend it.