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As the most celebrated Greek restaurant in Astoria, it was only a matter of time before Taverna Kyclades made its way to Manhattan. Kyclades opened its East Village location in 2013, giving Manhattanites a new excuse for not visiting their neighboring borough!
This Stuytown location is substantially smaller than the one in Queens, and has more of a contemporary Manhattan feel to it. You won’t find the mother restaurant’s Greek old-school charm, but more of an intimate setting instead, with a view on the open kitchen and fresh seafood on display as a decorative bonus. And most importantly, you’ll have much less of a wait for a table! They also have a bar area in case you do need to wait to be seated. The menu is overall the same, but prices are (expectantly) marginally more expensive (about 20% higher).
Make sure to leave room for their complimentary dessert
Whole Fish – www.tavernakyclades.com
Taverna Kycaldes is the place to go to for a traditional family-style Greek meal, and more precisely, for delicious fish and seafood. The menu has the widest selection of amazingly fresh fish, meat, appetizers and sides, at a reasonable price and generous portions. Make sure you order the grilled octopus, calamari, a whole fish, along with lemon potatoes, a tradition Greek feta salad, saganaki and veggies to balance it out. Just avoid all their stuffed fish recipes (NOT authentic). If you’re not a seafood lover, Kyclades has all the other classic Greek dishes (including a great spanakopita). Wash it off with one of their affordable Greek wines (no cocktails nor hot beverages here).
Octopus – www.tavernakyclades.com
Greek Salad
Kyclades Fried Zucchini – www.tavernakyclades.com
Grilled Squid – www.tavernakyclades.com
Fried Calamari
Servers aren’t always the friendliest (dropping an “efxaristo” here and there could help!) but are efficient (food comes out super quickly).
I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, but I’ll always pick trekking to Queens rather than going for second best in Manhattan. This East Village location does not compare to the authentic charm of Astoria’s original Kyclades, but nevertheless worth a stop for a casual, Greek seafood craving.
Mon-Thurs: noon-11pm
Fri-Sat: noon-11:30pm
Sunday: noon-10:30pm
