Kefi

The food was magnificent, but the staff was slow and inattentive by way of hanging out at the register chatting when we had asked them to come over to our table numerous times. The grilled octopus was better than expected, as was the Kefi salad! The sheep’s milk dumplings were absolutely delicious!

I have been going there for six years (except when they were closed after Sandy).
I have never had anything but a great experience. The People could not be more accommodating, and the food is consistently great.
I always love taking guests there.

Wandered in here from Central Park area and was one of the first patrons through the door on a Sunday for brunch. They had plenty of staff and they looked like they were staying busy. When it came to service, it was a bit inattentive. Also, food service seemed slower for not being a full restaurant and they offered no communication to let you know your food is being made or coming soon.
Well, the 4-​stars aren’t for everyone. The food is good… side Mediterranean salad was on point. Fresh, flavorful, and I needed more! The egg skillet was enough for two, but too much of the same flavor for one. Be warned, it takes a solid 30 minutes to bake.
If you aren’t in a rush or have anywhere you want to go, you may not mind the hands off approach and slower pace. Also, the dishes are easily $ 15 each, even breakfast sandwiches. I find that a bit steep when you can get an egg-​white wrap at Starbucks for $ 4. In any case, you decide.
Overall, average experience. I left full, but not wowed.

Those dumplings me están matando. Directamente del parnaso a tu paladar. Cien por cien recomendable, mejor reservar.

Wonderful, wonderful staff here! They were so accommodating to my reservation for 10 people because I was arranging an after work dinner. They even let us start sitting down without everyone present and allowed my group members to trickle in a bit late. Our waiter (I forgot his name) was GREAT and CHARMING and just SUPER! He got our orders correct and gave awesome recommendations… since my work colleagues really enjoyed their dishes!
I ordered the Branzino for the main and it was delicious! I L-​O-​V-​E seafood and this restaurant did not disappoint. I can’t wait to come back!

My go to healthy choice in the neighborhood. Hint: bar bites at happy hour at the bar at great deal. Get a few and you can have a taste of everything, inexpensive and delicious. Their Feta is great, as are the beets. Also, brunch is excellent. Try their eggs.

This review is based on my visit Monday, January 18, Martin Luther King Day and the start of Restaurant Week. For those that may have a negative review because of slow service and long waits, I later found out from an employee that two people called out, leaving only two servers for the entire restaurant. With that said they did the best they could and brought out an exceptional meal.
I went for the restaurant week lunch, $ 25 for three courses. I had the meatballs, shrimp with orzo and feta and the chocolate mousse. My companion had the butternut squash soup, braised lamb and the walnut cake. Everything was outstanding! The portions were very plentiful. So aside from the staff problems, I was very pleased and I plan on returning another time.

My gf and I wanted to have a nice dinner after visiting the Met, as there is nothing opened on east side at that time, I searched the west on Unilocal and randomly selected this spot. Omg, I didn’t regret it once! The atmosphere is amazing, menu is mouthwatering and when we finally got our food… We were speechless! We shared tzatsiki, grilled octopus and grilled dorade, finished up with walnut cake and Greek orange dessert. Rose wine and some red dessert wine (can’t give the name, it was on the house) gave a nice touch to our unbelievable dinner. I highly recommend this place to all foodies out there either if you are looking for a good meal in fun atmosphere or if you want to feel yourself in Europe/​Greece for few hours.

Food was good like their octopus and shrimp dishes but their service was really bad on a Sunday brunch. They looked understaffed and our waiter seemed he was really tired. Not sure what was going on.

I guess as middle easterns, this place was not our type.
We tried 1– Sheep Dumpling and beef sausage and 2-​chickpea eggplant sandwich.
Both were very over-​priced and tasted awful.
1– the dumpling dish was a disaster the sausage taste was very bad and we basically did not eat any of it.
2– the chickpea and eggplant sandwich was mostly salad and only 2 pieces of the fritter that did not taste good anyway. 15 $ was way over price for a salad sandwich!!!
— dessert portion was very little. We had ordered from the prefix menu so the desert was part of it. Otherwise i would never had ordered desert in this place
— greek sparkling water was good.
— environment not welcoming. It struck us as soon as we entered but honestly decided to rely on the good reviews.
— the salad was not fresh. I guess from yesterday.
— the bread was also old.
We will not go come back.
Always rely on your senses more than reviews!

My friend insisted on this place and I’m not sure why. The food was okay. I ordered the Butternut Squash soup and enjoyed it. However, I was so hungry, a cardboard box was beginning to sound appetizing. My friend and I decided to share the swordfish entrée, with broccolini and roasted potatoes. The potatoes were great, the rest not so much. The swordfish was really undercooked and the broccolini was horrible. We asked if they could cook it a little longer and give us asparagus instead. This plate was much more appetizing. You could tell the server was a bit annoyed, but she was still plenty accommodating. Overall, the experience was decent, but I would not go out of my way to come here.

I’ve done both take-​out and dine-​in at Kefi. The branzino and leg of lamb with orzo were both top-​notch and I highly recommend them. The lamb was cooked thoroughly and had just the right seasoning. The creamy orzo was the perfect complement to it, this entrée can definitely feed two if you want to get it to share. The branzino was well done and nice and flaky over a bed of vegetables and olives (I love olives!). Wine was just ok, not the best I’ve had. Not sure why they don’t serve egg lemon soup — what’s a Greek restaurant without egg lemon soup?
Service was ok, not the warmest at the hostess stand (which is half way down the restaurant and up the stairs) and our server was a bit slow, but those are very minor complaints. Overall, really good, fresh food — I would come back.

Kefi is always a high quality experience. Here’s what to expect:
— Close seating quarters
— Extensive wine list
— Sharable appetizers
— A good mix of healthy and unhealthy entrees to choose from
— $$$
— Good for a date or table for 2 – 3
Make a reservation. Hang at the bar while you wait. Definitely check it out.

Wow! Kefi far exceeded my expectations for a Greek restaurant because of their unique offerings! I ordered the braised lamb manti (ravioli) and about half of my party of 10 ordered the dumplings — all amazing! And, as a condiment fiend, I must recommend the 4-​dip plate!
The restaurant itself is deceivingly large because of its massive basement. Even for the crowd and the stairs, our waiter was very attentive and kept the wine flowing :)

I’ve wanted to try this place forever and ever. Finally, fiancé and I tried it one Sat night, and even though the resto looked crowded on the main top floor. you’d be surprised they have a BUNCH of tables downstairs so getting a res is super easy. You might not even need one! They can accommodate a lot of people. The restaurant is also a lot more casual than I expected, with affordable prices.
We started off with the delicious grilled octopus appetizer– this is a must-​try. Very fleshy, perfectly charred and a great portion. Absolutely delicious from head to tentacle. We also had the sun dried tomato hummus which was just ok. Not enough tahini. The pita, which is complimentary and free flowing is really good.
For dinner, I had the famous sheep’s milk dumpling which in a yummy, rich red sauce and light as clouds– awesome texture. The lamb sausage was also really good, very well spiced and not too gamey. Normally I hate lamb. The dish is heavy though– I didn’t finish much of it.
My fiancé had the chicken souvlaki platter which came as two kebabs on a stick, with grilled veggies and buttery/​yummy rice. A little pricey for what it is and not really a hard dish to make but fresh and high quality nonetheless.
We didn’t do dessert but I had a glass of the house red wine which was like a yummy temperanillo. Service is quite fast… there isn’t a whole lot of good Greek in the city, so it’s worth trying it a try and bonus points for being healthy too!
$ 70 for two.

One of my favorite greek restaurants in the city. The restaurant is a lot bigger than expected. We walked in and sat at one of the tables across from the bar, but there is a much bigger seating space in the back.
They started us off with some bread. I ordered the paella which was simply delicious. It came with mussels, clams, shrimp, sausage on a bed of orzo. It had a little bit of spice to it which added a little kick. My boyfriend had the lamb shank which just fell right off the bones. Everything about the meal was perfect. We ordered a couple of cocktails, which were strong. The service was great and food came out in a timely manner.

Simple but tasty captures Kefi best. The dumplings and other pastas are well made and the sheep’s milk adds a countryside rustic feel and flavor to these dishes. Octopus is a must! Compared to their competitor within a 1 block radius (Bustan — super tender dissolves like a melody in your mouth experience) the octopus here has mildly more bounce and a light delicious crisp, different but equally tenderly smokey and mouthgasmic.
Try the mezzes! The Branzino and a few other mains are good standard fare, but don’t overlook the sweet assortment of small shares — a tasty variety of finger lickin good (literally, with the hummus and mixed spreads platter) flavorful options. Good place for family gettogethers.

I’ve been to Kefi many times for both lunch and dinner and it is consistently good food. Service has always been fine as well.
On my most recent trip, two of us shared the appetizer spread plate (4 Greek spreads and pita), the grilled octopus and the mussels. All were excellent, particularly the tender octopus. I don’t think you can go wrong with anything on the menu — every dish I’ve had has always been tasty.
It’s a pretty space, too, and very large so you never feel cramped. Good spot for large parties!

Two Words: In Love
I was pleasantly surprised by this place. I was not sure what to expect. I came here for a late lunch after touring the MET. The place is standard in décor. There is a main level and lower level. I am sure that this place is packed around dinner time, so make reservations then. But, for lunch, it is not needed.
We ordered off the specials menu, so I cannot find the exact names for the dish. *See photo below. The first dish was a grilled salmon salad — it was a VERY generous portion. I thought it was cous cous in the dish, but it was actually bulgur wheat which is common in Mediterranean cuisine. The dish was out of this world. It was not a typical salad with lettuce, but it came with cherry raisins and a light sauce. This incredible dish was light even though there was a lot! I also ordered a whole fish. I am not sure what kind of fish it was, bu if I were to guess it would be the lavraki fish. It has a very distinct flavor. I was blown away by the flavors.
Overall, the dishes I had were very bold and light. I may have left the restaurant full, but I felt light.
I adored my dining experience at Kefi. When I come back to NYC, I must stop by again.

They have a $ 25 prix fixe 3 course lunch menu that I should have chosen off of. Instead, I ordered a la carte because I knew dessert wasn’t Kefi’s strong suit. Portion sizes are big but my lunch also ended up being really pricey. I started with octopus salad and got grilled swordfish as my entrée.
Grilled octopus is always a win. Waitress didn’t ask how I liked my swordfish cooked and it was way too overdone. Tomato flavor made the dish very hearty, and the cauliflower and olives complemented the protein very well.
In the end I must say: do not get their coffee unless you like charcoal hot water.

Definitely an UWS gem. I was scrambling for a Mother’s Day reservation and managed to get one here — I’m glad I did!
We started with the octopus salad which was served on a bed of chickpeas. The octopus was perfectly cooked, and the dish was over way too soon. Next was warm pita and taramasalata dip. I couldn’t stop eating it, though it was a tad salty. For entrees, we shared the Sheep’s Milk Dumplings served with tomatoes, pine nuts, spicy lamb sausage, spinach and feta cheese, the Flat Pasta With Pulled Braised Rabbit served with graviera cheese and the pork suvlaki platter special. The dumplings were a standout, though I also really loved the rabbit.
They were also offering a free cocktail for the moms all day, which was a nice touch. I would definitely return!