Exo

Tasty and headed in the right direction… Problem is consistency and trying a bit too hard …

This place has gone down hill over the last few months. It is now CLOSED. Hopefully something new will move in here soon.

The food was great if a little expensive. Our waiter was great and very attentive. He allowed is to try these lamb meatballs like thingy which were great. I had the burger which was better than expected. The lamb was good as well as the shrimp. We had the pita sampler which was good as well.

Not worth it. Food was not good. Octopus dish was horrible. Friendly wait staff. Mediocre entrée, adequate desert

This place is such a gem in the most unassuming neighborhood. I probably would have never checked it out on my own, but my friend asked me to join her for dinner over a year ago, and I’ve been going back ever since.
First of all, the space is beautiful. It’s inviting, it’s cozy and romantic with the low lights. Their outdoor seating is great for those warm summer nights. And lastly, their food. You really can’t go wrong with any of their dishes on their menu. I have never been disappointed.

I went on Unilocal and found Exo– based on the pictures and the comments I wanted to check it out. I noticed they did wine Wednesday and that was the icing on the cake. Amazing food and good vibes. The chef was very accommodating to diet requests such as allergies, vegetarian, and vegan. The food was amazing. The appetizer sampler is a must. The wine list is extensive and superb with very reasonable prices. The ambiance is cute and you have the option to sit inside or outside. The service was exceptional and the staff is very nice.

The moussaka and the new york strip steak was cooked perfect tonight. Every spread is amazing in its own way. This place very expensive and the amount of heart that goes into making there greek food is second to none. Five stars hands down!

So this review is going to be a bit biased as I went yesterday for my birthday after a morning at Spacastle. I saw online that they had a brunch menu that looked quite tasty… only to find out that they are in the process of redoing their menu and they no longer serve brunch…
WTF!!!
Then why the hell are you open that early anyway!!! What restaurant would NOT serve Sunday brunch!!!
Since I’ve heard good things about this place from one of my girlfriends, I stayed for a bit longer to try some of their food. They had a tiger shrimp dish that was pretty good. My mother and boyfriend split the steak gyro… they overcooked that poor cow so much it was pretty sad.
At least the service was good, but I’m sure that’s because the place was dead since they foolishly stopped serving brunch. Overall, I wasn’t too impressed with the food. I found a much better place in Astoria to go to and my mother commented «Wow, this place [Exo] is missing out! Look at all the people here!»
Won’t be coming back here anytime soon

This place is so surprising for this neighborhood. Its not classic Greek, but mixes it up lovely with modern takes on the food.
I’ve had the Mousakka twice and it is unbelievable, rather heavy though so come hungry! On Sundays they do this lamb pre fixe, and I must say, some of the most tender and savory lamb I’ve had, and i’m cypriot I grew up on it!
Get everything, drink wine, and be happy you didn’t have to travel too far from home (if you’re a Whitestoner that is) for a great dining experience.

It was just okay the first time I tried it because we got delivery. But dining in makes all the difference. We had a delicious dinner one Saturday night of pita/​hummus spreads, souvlaki trio, ravioli, and chocolate lava cake. But even better was when we went back 10 hours later for Sunday Brunch. It was beautiful, I tell ya. The eggs were perfectly runny, the feta tots were wonderfully soft. The bacon was thick, crispy, and so very greasy. I’m not a big fan of lamb but the lamb sausage and lamb hash were as good as breakfast lamb can be.
The galaktoboureko is better than any flan I’ve ever had. And the yogurt with honey is so photogenic that you won’t want to eat, but at the same time you will want to eat it because it has the consistency of mascarpone.

Service was great. Food was great. I loved everything we ordered. they had garlic butter crossings and pita as free starters. We ordered the EXO flatbread pizza and Slovakian platter as well as the spread of eggplant and spicy feta which I loved. The spreads came with ample warm pitas which was such a great plus. Everything was delicious especially the tendrr lamp and the arygula on the pizza. The place was very casual and inviting. Great place for friends or family. definite recommend it. They also have a stocked bar of wines, beers, liquors with a few drafts on tap.

For those familiar with Whitestone (was born and bred there) know of Whitestone’s lack of culinary gems. When most people think food and Whitestone, I think 10 times out of 10, you’ll hear someone say «Cherry Valley», but for a nice, sit down dinner I always felt Whitestone was lacking.
Enter Exo.
When I first heard of Exo’s opening a few years back I thought «Great. Another generic Greek/​Mediterranean place with mediocre food». I’m happy to say Exo blew that stereotype right out the water. Situated in the middle of Whitestone, right by PS 79, Exo is one place I would definitely recommend to folks from outside the area to visit. I’ve been here a number of times prior to moving out the area and have literally never had a bad meal or bad dish. Grilled octopus, charred perfectly; horiatiki salad comparable with versions I’ve had in Greece; roasted chickpeas, cauliflower and broccoli that are cooked so perfectly, my fiancé literally just has as a meal unto-​itself sometimes; really solid souvlakia; keftedes balls that are super tasty and perfectly crispy — I’m getting hungry just typing about them and desserts that are just as good as having a live-​in Greek grandma. Add to this a pretty solid beer & wine selection and top notch service and you have the makings of a great date night, a great night out with a bunch of friends or just a delicious dinner for one.
Whitestone, be thankful. You finally have a spot you can brag about, rather than pointing folks torwards Bayside, Flushing and Astoria.

An unexpected find in a forgotten corner of our fair borough. Service was superb, the host (owner, I suspect) was as accommodating as you can imagine. The garden looked like a reason to come back on a hot summer night.
The appetizers were very interesting, stuffed grapeleaves were homemade, so was tatziki sauce. The pork in my gyro sandwich was fatty and bland. In all, a great Greek place in every sense, but the food didn’t reach the 5 star mark.

3.5 stars
I was fortunate enough to eat with a large party so I got to try lots of things… Here we go!
Spread sampler: yogurt sauce was really good. I liked the spicy feta. Not really wow. I was expecting a lot more because this app was so raved about. Also never quite received more pita bread after it was done so… I couldn’t enjoy the rest of the spreads –_​–
Octopus: such a small portion but delicious, even the veggies I had to finish!
Fried cheese: salty. And cheesey… Not my fav
Arugula salad with apples, fig? and cheese in a vinegrette dressing (special): wow delicious. A little over dressed but everything went so well together and the portion was great for all 7 guests to have a nice share
Meatballs: pretty good but not mouth watering. The meatball itself was tasty, lamb. Crispy on the outside. The orange spread it came with was yum, has that with my pita bread
Moussaka: personally mostly highly anticipated dish but really disappointed. I did not like the creamy sauce on top. The meat was on the bland side. Meh, skip. I’ve had so much better
Slouvaki trio: did not try but such tiny portions!
Mussels: mm creamy sour broth. Delightful
Salmon: nothing special really, a hearty serving (but you would hope so for the price)
Lemon potato side: yum!!! Crispy and seasoned, delicious
Service: for such a slow Sunday night id expect a lot more attention from the waitress to refill the darn pita bread but she was more interested in getting us to buy another round of drinks.
The indoor restaurant is kind of small and blah but the outside seating nice (glass walled and heated for the winter). Killed the vibe with the tvs and some unusually bright lights… But fairly romantic if you sit away from these things.
Overall, pretty good but not spectacular

Delivery only: food not bad, wish I could get a regular traditional gyro/​souvlaki though
Pita was BURNT to hell and portions could be larger especially side sauces/​dips.
On the whole though food was seasoned well and not too bad and delivery came quicker then I thought. But seriously bigger portions guys.

I don’t know why the great reviews for this place. Everything is overly oily. The only tasty part of our meal are the complimentary breads, which were unfortunately soaked in olive oil as well.
I had the octopus appetizer and the scallop entrée. Both seafood dish were not fresh tasting. There were some fishy smell and made me have violent diarrhea right after the meal. The scallop were $ 28 for 4 pieces. The califlowers were so burnt, they were bitter and uneatable. The octopus appetizer was soaked in oil or butter and overly salty.
We were there on a weekday, and there was only one waitress for the entire restaurant. She was definitely overworked and forgot my drink order. We still gave her a 20%tip since it wasn’t her fault the meal tasted bad.
Won’t return again.

Exo has multiple culinary personalities and each one pleasant. I was torn between giving Exo 4 stars instead of 3 but I succumbed to three because I needed to be consistent with my preferences. I’m a traditionalist and I don’t tolerate extreme variances to the dishes that have become identify able with Greek cuisine. Take skewered meat in a pita Greek sandwich for example. Virtually anywhere in the works the ingredients are: meat (pork, lamb, beef or chicken), lettuce, tomato, onions, tzatziki (white) sauce in a pocket-​less pita. Not at Exo. They instead offer the unsuspecting traditionalist a heaping of caramel onions sans tzatzkiki. SO for those seeking traditional Greek fare your search continuous but if you want a spectacular twist to the Hellenic staples stop by Exo.

Service was friendly.
We got Sodanaki cheese– good
We ordered drinks on tap– overpriced for Queens
I got the Salmon– they screwed up my sides and didn’t cook salmon enought but ultimately I enjoyed my meal.
Hubby got a meat kabob entrée that he said was mediocre.
Dessert– average
Total cost — $ 115.
The Manager was great because he gave us a gift card for messing up the order which will eventually take me back here.

I always pass by this restaurant and I finally had the opportunity to go inside and try it out. This place is definitely a must try.
Based on all the reviews and also the recommendation of the wait staff, my party and I started out with the grilled octopus and grilled pita w/​5 different spreads appetizer. The octopus was delicious but the pita was even better. My favorite of the spreads was the hummus and tsatziki. The hummus was a but creamier than what I am used to but it was still nonetheless tasty.
For the main course, I went with the fish special of the day which was a grilled salmon that came with a choice of two sides. I decided to go for the chickpeas and the grilled broccoli. One of the things that really surprised me about this dish was the massive size of the salmon!!! (See pictures). I was given a nice piece of juicy fat salmon that was cooked to perfection. For those of you who are fans of the skin, the skin was cooked nice and crunchy. The chickpeas was flavorful also. My date on the other hand ordered the 5 hour mousakka. Thankfully, you don’t have to wait 5 hours but this dish was great! I would highly recommend.
To end the night we ordered the hazelnut crepes. This was probably my least favorite. The chocolate ice cream had a nice taste that did not leave it too sweet. The crêpe itself did not taste as if it was made well. Sort of on the rubbery side.
Overall, my experience at eXo was great. The portions are massive and it’s easy to get full off of the appetizers. The wait staff are extremely friendly, courteous, and helpful making your experience at eXo a pleasant one. Although this place is not cheap, I would highly recommend you give it a try at least once. You sure don’t know what you’re missing out on. :-)

Recently enjoyed dinner here and it was a good one. Had reservations, but clearly didnt need them for a Wednesday night. Arrived, aloofly greeted by a girl behind the bar (seems she was the hostess as well) and she asked us if we wanted to sit outside. Being it was hot and humid, we declined, but she advised it was enclosed and had AC. We say ok. Step into the «outside» area, and feel that its what we feared, warmer and muggy, so asked to be seated inside. The whole time, feeling like we were a bother to her. Not sure if we actually were, it may have just been her demeanor. Anyway, we were seated and greeted by a friendly waiter (who, by the way, made up for the emotionless hostess).
We end up ordering a few apps and an entrée each (i’m a big eater!). for the apps:
–Pita/​spreads (hummus, spicy feta, and tzatziki). All spreads, REALLY good. hummus was really creamy, and feta nice bite and kick.
–Grilled Octopus– nice and tender, and grilled perfectly
–Keftedes (meatballs) — nicely done, maybe a little dry, tasted like falafel.
Entrees:
I got the hanger steak (came with fries). Asked for it medium rare, half of it came out more medium/​medium well and the other half more med-​rare. It was pretty good, but wish it was more tender/​juicy. Fries were well done, lightly salted and not too greasy.
My wife ordered the pasta special, which was Orzo Calamari. Not sure what the sauce was, but it was light and delicious. Had a lot of calamari in it.
for Dessert! Ehkmek and Galaktabourekha — excuse my spelling. the ehkmek is shredded wheat with vanilla ice cream inside, and it came with an extra scoop on top. had a light syrup on top. Probably the best dish of the night! it was REALLY good. nice crunch from the shredded wheat, washed down by the ice cream. The Galaktabourkha is basically a custard pie. I was expecting more of «boston crème» type custard, as opposed to a baked flan. still good, but not my favorite.
Overall, great expericen and great dinner. left STUFFED. And the prices are very reasonable. most of the small plates will run $ 6-​$ 10, unless you order the seafood. And entrees around $ 15. Would definitely recommend and definitely come back!