Astoria. No, not Astoria, NY – an area right outside of Manhattan that is largely populated by Greeks – but Astoria, the restaurant on Monroe Avenue, just a few short miles away from the University.
As a Greek guy from Astoria, NY, I can tell you that the food at this place is as Greek as it gets, especially for a restaurant that is close to the River Campus. The menu largely consists of Greek food with an American twist that even non-Greeks will enjoy.
I ordered a Greek salad, which was fairly priced. As for sides, I ordered Greek lemon potatoes and pita bread. The Greek salad? Delicious.
Usually, at least in my experience, Greek restaurants cheap-out on the feta cheese. Not this place. The amount of feta, and good feta at that, was more than generous. It’s definitely worth the $10 for the restaurant’s large portions, each of which can easily last you for two meals.
The pita bread and lemon potatoes? Also great. The pita bread, which I believe is whole wheat, was grilled to perfection. The portion? Definitely more than one person should eat. Worth the $2.
The lemon potatoes? While not as tasty as either the pita bread or salad, they reminded me of authentic Greek cuisine. Sure, they could have been cooked slightly more, but the delicious lemon flavor and oils made the potatoes burst with flavor. Again, worth the money.
For $15, you can get an excellent and authentic Greek dinner. This little gem definitely surprised me, but with a name like Astoria, I’m not surprised.
Mavrelis is a member of the class of 2017.
