Maria's Mediterranean
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Move over Tavernas, there's a better Mediterranean spot in town! Ok so there are a few stand out dishes here that is in our rotation and that we randomly crave and just have to get every so often. Pita chips and dips: omggg the fried pita chips are so addictive, the only problem is they don't give enough! Not even a huge fan of hummus but they do it so well, I generally get the potato one, eggplant, and hummus! So yummy Chicken souvlaki: Cooked to perfection!!! But why oh why we do we get only two slivers of lemon potatoes, cmon guys that's like half of one potato. Potatos are cheap! Have tried a few other entrees before and while good, we always end up back to the souvlaki. Last but not least the standout star is the blueberry baklava with a generous heap of tahini ice cream that is just to die for. Ugh, craving it just talking about it but I can see why she won an award for this. It's super sweet and I don't generally like super sweet things but it's not overpowering and it works so well together, the tahini ice cream helps tamp the sweetness down to a perfect melody. I think I'm overdue for another visit to Maria's honestly...
Ordered take out for my moms bday. The order took longer than expected time. Overall it was okay. I think they rushed our order bc it sounded like it was the same time with a catering order. They forgot a side salad that we added on to order, the pork souvlaki was over cooked so the meat was very chewy. Branzino was good but bit under seasoned, lemon potatoes and the dip appetizer were delish. Felt like it was an off day so hopefully I'll have a better taste next time around.
Came here for a special occasion. The wait for our server was long but when he did come over he apologized and brought us complimentary sangria made in house. The branzino had two sizes, I ordered the larger size and it was a great portion because I had food to take home. Calamari and octopus was good. I was told that the lamb was taste as well. The Greek salad, not pictured, was fresh as well. Overall, the place was nice and good family setting.
We came on a weekday where there were only 2 tables with customers when we arrived. We were seated next to the window. The waiter kept focusing on the table behind us that already finished eating and were just getting to go boxes. We hadn't even been given water or menus yet so it took a while for someone to finally get to us. It also took a long time for the waiter to take our order. I had to ask the busboy if we could order food. We ordered the grilled calamari, chicken souvlaki, and the bifteki. It took half an hour for our appetizer to come out. I didn't understand why it took so long if there weren't any customers. We had pita bread and only olive oil, carrots and olives to dip. If you want hummus you have to order that on the side. The calamari was the best thing we ordered. When we finished eating, it was hard to flag down the water to get the check also. At this point there's only 3 tables in the whole place and it was hard to get anything from him. I'm kind of done with this place, it takes too long to get service or food on rainy day.
Our group ordered the pita chips with three dips, rib stew, stuffed flounder, and blueberry baklava. The pita chips and dips were better than the actual dishes. The chips were fried to have a crunchy exterior with a soft, cheesy like consistency inside. The dips were all fabulous. Perfectly seasoned. We got the flounder with the lemon potatoes which I think was the right pairing. Flaky fish with a mild stuffing. I think the acidity of the lemon potatoes went well with it. The rib stew came with vegetable rice. Although not very unique in terms of its taste profile, it was a very nostalgic. I think the proteins fell a tad short compared to the pita chips and dips. They weren't terrible, but definitely not memorable. The blueberry baklava was the star of the show. The tahini ice cream had a nice mellow but nutty flavor. The honey drizzled on top gave it a nice sweetness that varied from bite to bite (which I prefer). The acidity from the blueberry compote complimented the richness from the ice cream and the sweetness of the honey. Then you also have this variation in textures from flaky to crunchy and then to creamy. It was a very well thought out dessert. The staff was very attentive and polite. We were seated right away and they constantly made sure to refill our glasses. They happily answered our questions as we were not to familiar with Greek food. We appreciate their patience. The restaurant itself was cute and clean. It had a bit of a rustic feel to it. However it was very organized and refined.
It was a very cold winter day and I decided at the last minute to try this place after seeing that the reviews were good. It was nice and warm here and I loved the ambiance. After being seated, you are given warm pita with three different dips. I don't know the names, but I like the one with the chickpeas a lot. For my entree I had chicken souvlaki with a side of lemon potatoes. It was cooked to perfection and everything was so flavorful! For dessert, we was recommended to try the Blueberry Baklava. I love how flaky it was and how there was ice cream on top as well. The perfect dessert after a delicious dinner.
On behalf of The Center for the Women of New York, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Maria's for their generous and delicious donation to our Taste of the World at Fort Totten gala. They provided spanakopita that was absolutely delightful. The phyllo dough was perfectly flaky and golden, and the filling of spinach and feta was savory, well seasoned, and wonderfully creamy. Each bite was a perfect balance of crisp pastry and flavorful filling, and it was clear that this was made with care and tradition in mind. Our guests couldn't get enough of it! It is because of wonderful local businesses like Maria's that we are able to successfully raise vital funds for our mission of supporting women in the New York community. Their commitment to giving back shows a genuine care for the people around them, and it is exactly the kind of business I want to support. We highly recommend Maria's Mediterranean for their authentic and delicious spanakopita and their tremendous generosity. Thank you for your kindness and for helping make our event a success.
Came here on the day of Halloween and it wasn't crowded. We were welcomed by the restaurant staff and also owner, Maria. Everybody was so nice, especially the owner who took her time to talk to us and chatted with my 2 little kids who are 3 and 5. Before we left, both my kids felt so comfortable and gave her a hug. The food was great, the lamb shank which was my personal favorite fell off the bone, there really was no need to cut it with a knife. Poking and slicing it with your fork was all it took to get the meat off the bone. My kids ordered the pork skewer, which they both enjoyed. The dessert was quite a bit to handle, because it was bigger than expected. Wished I paid attention to the names of the desserts, but both were very good! The one that is topped with ice cream is what allowed the owner, Maria to become a champion on the show Food Network series: Chopped. Overall, an amazing experience. Will definitely come back soon.
My friend and I had such a great meal at Marie's Mediterranean! The food was packed with flavor and great portion size for sharing. We were stuffed by the end of the meal but were determined to try the blueberry baklava, which was the highlight of the night! The service was just as great as the food. Our servers and staff were all attentive, kind, and genuinely wholesome. See you again!
This place took me to the Mediterranean. The staff was quality. Saki and Maria were gracious and kind. The staff works hard here. The drinks blew our minds. Know they self cocktail and better late than never were insanely good. Both I will definitely order again. They have gluten free options too. The dips and chips blew my mind. Fried pita with quality dips. Best thing i ate this month. Yhe stuffed baked clam and crab cake were fresh. The lemon potatoes are insanely good. Memorable. The meat platter is massive. The stewards and chicken yummy over perfectly seasoned fries. The lukomad stuffed with cheesecake devine. Best I've had. The blueberry baklava was the best dessert of the year.
While the place was somewhat small and intimate with a large party the staff was very attentive and friendly. Seafood was fresh and nicely cooked, there was no wait for the appetizers and entrees to arrive at the table. One minor thing that was left out was the cocktail had no garnish for the presentation it just looked like a blue drink. If you're there for the Greek ambiance and the food and in the neighborhood give it a try.
We celebrated our friend's birthday at her favorite Mediterranean restaurant! They give you complimentary pita (YUM) and side dishes to start. My fiancé and I ordered their chicken souvlaki with fries, and their pork souvlaki with rice. Both were really good, but I preferred the pork. Note: - It is a bit pricy, but the food and service is great. - Cake cutting fee is $2/person, but they do actually cut the cake for you (unlike some restaurants). read more
Came here for an early dinner on a Wednesday which was nice because after seeing some reviews, it gets packed out so I'm glad we came when we did. Had a table for 2, started us off with some pita, chick peas, carrots in olive oil and olives. As our app we got the pita with 3 spreads, we chose the eggplant, tsaziki and hummus. The pita chips were perfectly fried and all the spreads were delicious. For our entrees we got baby lamb chops with lemon potatoes and beef souvlaki with rice. Both of the entrees were delicious, the meat was cooked perfectly for both entrees. We also got a bottle of their resiling wine which was sweet and delicious. Overall a very delicious cozy restaurant. read more
8 months ago
Business owner information
Samantha J.
Thank you for your review, M.K.! We’re glad you enjoyed the food,…
5 years ago
Pre-Covid was a very nice dining experience. During COVID however, the food was only mediocre and the service lacking. Clear plastic partitions separate the diners from each table from being too close but a simpler dining room layout would have served it better. These partitions are a tripping hazard if you don't notice the curved rod on the floor. Service was lacking once the waiter took our order. He never checked on us and only refilled our water and drinks when we flagged him down. The night was not in his favor either, clumsily the serving spoon and cocktail sauce that accompanied the fried calamari appetizer we ordered, was dropped as it arrived to our table. Sauce spilled onto my jacket! And he didn't offer a napkin to clean it! The food was lackluster as well. Seared scallops were not fresh and had a mild taste of ammonia. If it's not fresh, don't serve it. I'm very disappointed. My friend ordered the crab cakes entree and they were practically burnt. Too crispy if you will, see photo. And the inside, was more of a minced meat mix rather than a chunky crab filling. Very unsatisfying. She barely ate the one (comes with two). I raved about the lemon potatoes as I've had them before but to my dismay, they were only ok. Sadly my party of four all ordered it as our sides and it was not the same formula as before. I'm sad as this place used to be bustling and the food was delicious at one point in time. read more
2 years ago
The Ambiance was great, dim lights and everyone was spaced out to my liking. The service was above average and they were dressed well. The food was delicious but over seasoned with too much lemon. Someone was heavy handed that day in the kitchen, most of the entrees had an overwhelming taste of lemon. It took from the great taste of the food read more
Maria's was an okay meal for us- we ordered the grilled octopus and the moussaka. The grilled octopus did have a delicious char on it and it was seasoned well. The moussaka was alright, the flavors are decent. We didn't love the lemon potatoes here. Our whole meal was just okay, nothing special but if you're looking for an easy and comfortable Greek seafood meal, this would be a reasonable choice. read more
3 years ago
Not a big fan of lamb meat but everything else was very good. Octopus was tender and tasty. Wish we came in a larger party to try out more items. The Blueberry Baklava was excellent, we packed another one as a take out read more
2 years ago
Beautiful restaurant just from walking past when inside was greeted by the staff who was amazing, helpful and knew the menu and were able to explain questions asked about the menu. When food came to the table, it was delicious down to the last bite. I will definitely return. read more
Looking for a mediterranean restuarant, it had good reviews. When on saturday night with party of eleven. We ordered Dip& Chips sampler, the chips were nice and crispy the sauce was also good just not enough sauce for amount of chips, also mussels greco was good, seafood salad was good, grill octopus was nicely grill and tender, fried calamari little over fried, lamb souvlaki meat was tender but could use more seasoning, and finally a larger meat platter, it had sausage, grill chicken, chicken bifteki and pork souvlaki and frech fries, this dish the grill chicken needed more seasoning and pork souvlaki also. Service was good. read more
Chef Maria Petridis is a Chopped champion (That's still a thing right?) - a large sign outside the restaurant, in the story on their website and in a number of reviews mention this.. it certainly sets diners expectations high. I know it did mine. Reading on Maria's website this passage "her toughest critics in the kitchen were always her 3 children. They pushed her to modernize and put a twist on the cuisine she knew best. That is exactly what she did. Always playing with recipes and ingredients to turn everyday Greek dishes into re-imagined masterpieces. ". Re-imagined masterpieces, you say? I'm intrigued Unfortunately in my experience Maria's fails to hit those claims, but its not necessarily a bad thing. Hallmarks of great Greek food is taking fresh ingredients and preparing them simply - no overly complicated seasoning or treatments. The menu here focuses on grilled meats, seafood and standard Greek dishes. I didn't see or taste anything that made me think re-imagined, at least not in a good way. I enjoyed the pikilia sampler - the three dips I went with are tzatziki, Melitzanosalata and Taramosalata. Melitzanosalata had a nice char smokiness to the eggplant and was creamy and flavorful, Tzatziki incorporated dill and the cucumbers here were little cubes which I found interesting. Taramosalata was light and airy capturing the caviar flavor perfectly. Lemon is the stand out flavor component in all the dishes I tried (yet, oddly the lemon potatoes were lacking) which were chicken souvlaki, spanakopita and mousaka. The souvlaki pieces were on the small side, but well cooked. I enjoyed the spinach pie as well. The mousaka missed the mark for me - where was the seasoning? It seemed re-imagined without the nutmeg which is a deal breaker for me - its the main seasoning I want in a comforting piece of mousaka. Maria's is coming up on a decade in this space, I wish her many more decades of success. If its worth it to you to pay a little more for the "freshest ingredients" in standard Greek dishes then you will find it here just don't expect a reinvention of Greek cuisine. read more
11 months ago
3 years ago
The staff is really nice. Went there on a Sunday for lunch and I think it just opened up for the day. I ordered the pastichio with lemon potatoes my favorite and the baklava was really good to try out. read more
4 years ago
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2 years ago
No cause this place is so good! We went to this place because agra anya and avli was closing on the block and wow was it the best thing that could have ever happened! Its my new favorite spot! Delicious meat AND seafood! I got the stuffed flounder (10/10) + lemon potato absolutely flavorful and delicious! Im usually skeptical about fish but it was so fresh and so tasty the feta and spinach with the sauce was such an amazing combo! shrimp scampi + veggie rice (9/10) was delicious too a bit small on portion but shrimp was large and supper fresh ! the beef stew (8/10) was so soft and pretty good i just loved the other dishes more so i forgot about the stew the pork souvlaki + pita was (10/10) super soft and flavorful i love their tzatziki sauce read more
4 years ago
Excellent food. Mostly traditional Greek. Good variety of both meats and fish amd seafood. And of course traditional Greek plates. Mousaka is probably one of the best in the area. And even better desserts! read more
2 years ago
1 year ago
Business owner information
Samantha J.
Thank you for sharing your experience. We’re glad to hear you enjoyed…
My only regret is that I didn't try this place sooner! I came here twice in a week, that's how much I loved it! The dips and chips sampler was delicious. You can choose between grilled and fried pita and 3 dips. All the dips are delicious especially the eggplant and tzakiki sauce! The pork souvlaki was tender and juicy! The lemon potatoes had a good kick of lemon but not too strong. The stuffed flounder was delicious and cooked well! The dishes are a little more pricey, but all the food is top quality and delicious! I highly recommend coming here and this will be a regular place I go to from now on :) read more
3 years ago
I've passed by this place so many times that I decided to stop by and try them out. I've always been a fan of Greek and Mediterranean food so I was excited to finally be able to eat here. My two sisters and I set a reservation for 5:30 but arrived sooner at 4:30 on a Sunday. The hostess/waiter was able to accommodate us with seats outside which we loved. The server was very polite and friendly and gave us some options to see if we were interested in trying them. Since it was the three of us we decided to get a meat platter for two people. We also ordered fried calamari along with halloumi cheese and pita and tzatziki sauce. The appetizers were delicious!!!!! Definitely would recommend both appetizers! When it came to the meat platter, it was huge! It was recommended for 2 people but I think it could feed 4 people to be honest. The meat came with French fries and two sauces (tzatziki and BBQ). It was tender and flavorful. I always worry that the meat might be dry but it was perfect. If your around the area I definitely would recommend to stop by! read more
2 years ago
4 years ago
I've lived out this way for many years. Just never had time until now to visit this spot. Love going to restaurants that I've never been to before. Was really hoping to make this one of my regular go-to places. We ordered grilled octopus (I think it's a must if it's on a menu lol), shrimp & scallops, red snapper and the blueberry baklava. Just about everything was a bit overpriced. Idk if it's due to the pandemic or they're relying on the chopped win from many, Many years ago. Grilled octopus was good as our appetizer, flavorful. $25 though... Shrimp & scallops was ok. The scallops were a bit over cooked. The flavor honestly wasn't really anything special or memorable. Came with vegetable rice for $40. Red snapper was boring. Literally gave me under seasoned fish. Tasted bland. Oh i got lemon potatoes which may have been my favorite thing I ate there. That was $60 though and it was far from being worth it. The dessert was pretty good. Actually enjoyed the tahini ice cream. The blueberry part wasn't bad either. Think this was the only thing reasonable priced at $12. We picked up a bottle of wine too for $40. Basically for 2 people in a place like this our meal came to $190. Now I'm someone who doesn't mind spending $300/person for omakase or a really good spot. Food here just didn't justify their price points. Service at first was pretty good until the end. We were one of 2 couples left in the place. After paying the bill a minute or 2 later they let us know we should hurry up and go. They flashed the lights a few times. Idk, we were starting to gather our things already. It was a bit rude to do that. Honestly, I would give this spot a 2 stars if that hadn't happened. If the price on their menu was more on-line with the quality of food I'd probably give them a solid 3 stars. Hands down the Greek spot Avli down the block is better. Better service, better tasting food and overall better experience. read more
Great casual spot for some delicious Greek/Mediterranean food. I helped organize my mom's birthday lunch here with 12 relatives, and it ended up being such a lovely spot with plenty of choices for everyone. We started off with a large Greek Salad and Dips & Chips as appetizers to share family-style. Both were perfect for sharing but let's talk about the dips... the variety was ridiculously good! There's an option to get just the dips or to get the dips with pita chips. DEFINITELY order it with the homemade pita chips, they're so wonderfully light and crispy, yet also soft on the inside. Perfect for dipping, and they taste nothing like that Stacy's stuff you might think of from the supermarket. Entree-wise, everyone ordered something different and enjoyed their meals. I shared the Lamb Shank, which came out as a very generous portion of tender, fall-off-the-bone lamb shank in tomato sauce over orzo. Note that there's a $15 cake cutting fee. It wasn't a big deal for us, but we weren't aware ahead of time. Also, the server accidentally left our credit card at the register before returning the bill back to us. It would've been awful if we traveled all the way back to NJ just to realize we never got our card back from the restaurant. Just be sure to check for your card. Overall, this was a fantastic spot for our group. We were too stuffed to try their famous blueberry baklava, but we'll just have to come back to try it next time! read more
Came here from Long Island with my family to celebrate some family occasions... we arrived at 3:00 place was empty inside busy out side seating... we were 9 people in a small cozy space very comfortable... we ordered a bunch of appetizers that were delicious... we then ordered some main courses food was very good... we asked for a candle in one of the desserts for my Moms birthday... service was good... my only complaint was that the owner was walking around the restaurant the entire time we were there almost 3 hours ... and never came to the table to say hi or check on us??? read more
3 years ago
10 months ago
Business owner information
Samantha J.
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re truly…
2 years ago
3 years ago
Reunion with some friends and this was the perfect spot to meet. My friends told me that Maria was on The Food Network Show - Chopped. We were a party of 12. We ordered off the lunch menu and the service was great. We shared the pikilia platter and got to choose what we wanted. We ordered the skordalia (potato and walnut), melitzanosalata (the eggplant), tzatziki and added the grilled octopus. Everything was very tasty but I have to say the grilled octopus was done really well. We each ordered our individual entrees. We ordered a bunch of different entrees and the group primarily consisted of mousaka, chicken souvlaki and pork souvlaki. Everyone loved their meals and we left pretty stuffed after that. Glad that I found out about this place as I will be visiting again the next time I'm in town. read more
5 years ago
I can't tell you what I had for dinner but I LOVED the dessert. Blueberry baklava with ice cream. I plan to go back just for that. Lemon potatoes were also excellent. Street parking was easy during the workweek but could be a challenge on weekends. The outdoor tent setup was charming and would be great for a date. Drinks were strong! read more
6 years ago
My husband and I randomly chose this restaurant with the intention of trying something different. We were seated expeditiously and that was all for good service. We asked an employee for the waiter twice. Most importantly, we felt as though we were not welcomed. We based that on a couple of glances we received, our brown skin, poor service in addition to our trusted intuition. We had water, an appetizer, paid our bill and left. We're never returning. read more
8 years ago
Went to Maria's for an early Sunday dinner with the family. Everything from start to finish was really good. We had a Greek salad, Maria's oysters, and fried calamari to start. The salad was good, the oysters were awesome, and the calamari was good just wish there were some tentacles. For a Main I ordered the swordfish filet with rice pilaf, the fish was perfectly cooked! A Bell Blvd staple. read more
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38-11 Bell Blvd
Bayside, NY 11361
Bayside
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(718) 279-1606
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https://www.mariasonbell.com
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Maria's Mediterranean - seafood - Updated May 2026
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