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    Telly's Taverna

    4.1 (516 reviews)
    Closed 11:30 am - 11:00 pm

    Order Telly's Taverna Takeout or Delivery

    Telly's Taverna Photos

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    TELLY'S TAVERNA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Telly's Taverna

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    Maria S.

    My family and I are fans of Greek food and I had been wanting to try this place, i'm glad I did! We all got a combination of things to try and everything was amazing. The server was also super sweet, and was patient with us being indecisive. She definitely made the experience better! Our food didn't take too long to come out. My favorite things were the zucchinis , calamari, and of course the greek salad. Another thing I recommend for a sweet treat is Loukoumades, which I had never tried but they are fresh little doughnuts with honey and cinnamon. 10/10 I definitely will be coming back, and so will my family.

    Calamari Fresh Fried
    Lorenzo M.

    This was my second visit to Telly's, and once again, it felt like a quick escape to the Mediterranean. The moment you step inside, the restaurant gives off that authentic Greek warmth -- rustic décor, inviting energy, and the unmistakable sight of fresh seafood on display. The staff make you feel genuinely welcome, and there's something therapeutic about watching dishes emerge from the kitchen -- vibrant plates of grilled fish, fragrant herbs, and citrus aromas filling the air. It's both aroma and sight therapy in the best way. Our table tried a range of fish dishes, and you could taste the freshness in every bite. A couple of people in my party mentioned the fish could use a touch more seasoning, but the simplicity allowed the natural flavors to shine. Clean, comfortable, and full of life, Telly's continues to deliver a true Greek dining experience -- one that feels both authentic and fresh. Keep up the great work Telly's! If you're ever in the area. GET SOME!!!

    Menu
    Emm C.

    Been here twice for lunch and after a terrible experience nearby I'd prob only come back here or Taverna Kyc. The lunch is so good when I'm starving after a stressful long morning. Pretty quiet yet amazing service and such filling meal. Both times it was so pleasant and a nice treat. The interior is all white and the server is so sweet and able to answer my questions about GF in the plates. I'm a loyal customer now after chking out the competition. Wins HANDS DOWN

    House wine
    Kat N.

    Great food, great service, beautiful taverna-style furniture! Felt like i was in Greece! The bread was fresh, the tzatziki had just the right amount of garlic, the hummus was the best i've tasted... the fish was fresh and the Araka tasted like my grandmother's! The best was that the tomatoes in the salad were ripe and tasty like the old days!!! The servers were attentive and thorough. We had a large group and every person felt cared for.

    Greek Salad
    Jenny H.

    My friend had eaten here many times and decided to invite us for dinner. Since dinner service were just starting we were quickly seated at a table by the windows. The place is large but had a cozy feel. Upon entry, you will see the fresh fish and meat you can order to grill. We decided to order the lemon chicken soup, small greek salad, spicy feta dip & grilled octopus. The waitress and waiters were attentive and filled our water when best empty. The food came quickly. As my friend remembered, the food were prepared well and entonces was tasty. I highly recommend the octopus, brazino, calamari, & anything grilled. The charcoal smoking on the fish & meat are outstanding. Definitely come back next time for the fish!

    Lamb Shish-kebab
    Andrea H.

    The vibe is very relaxed here. The food had a nice charred flavor. The Nana's green salad was light and refreshing. The service was excellent. Servings are big enough to share.

    Chicken Grilled Breast
    Angelina G.

    lol do not go. we went to astoria to go to Hamido but the line was so long so we found this place instead. the place was super busy too but the food was shockingly not satisfying lolol. i feel like i was eating a dialed meal and there was so seasoning or wow factor to any dish. we had to salt and pepper every dish and it literally felt like they just cooked everything for us so it wasn't raw. we also had to wait a long time to get our waters refilled. maybe we ordered the wrong stuff lol

    Chicken Grilled Breast
    Annie V.

    Came here for a date night with the hubby and honestly, it hit the spot. We had a reservation and got seated right away - love when a place is on top of their stuff. The restaurant's pretty spacious too, so it works whether you're rolling in as a couple or with a whole crew. The decor is that classic white Santorini vibe with a bunch of sea-themed touches - super cute, gave me island vacation feels. Naturally, I took that as a sign to order fish. Our server was suuuper friendly and professional, which makes all the difference. They started us off with fresh warm bread (like actually warm and soft... not that sad cold roll some places give you). So good. We got the garlic and potato spread (Skordalia). - kind of obsessed with it now. Also shared a Greek salad, and then for mains we did the grilled chicken with fried potatoes and the Branzini. Chicken was fine, not mad at it, but like... nothing to call your mom about. But that fish? Whew. So good. Fresh, no weird fishy taste, and they deboned it table-side which was a nice lil fancy moment. I lowkey wanted to eat the whole thing by myself. We wrapped it up with baklava, which was solid. Everything from the vibes to the food to the service was on point. Definitely coming back. Might skip the chicken next time though and go all in on the seafood.

    Fried Dough
    Jessica F.

    Large well lit restaurant with speedy service. Perfecf for families, dates etc. We ordered the tzatziki with pita, octopus, the lemon potatoes, the chicken kebab with beets all perfectly made, cooked and grilled. The complimentary fried dough with honey is always a treat as well.

    Ralph T.

    The atmosphere was cozy, welcoming, and relaxing. The service was attentive and friendly. We ordered two grilled fish, lamb, baklava, calamari, Greek salad, and Greek meatballs. Most of the food was really good. The only downsides were the meatballs, which were a bit tough, and the lamb, which didn't have as much flavor as I'm used to. Overall, it was a great dining experience.

    Lamb chops were a 10.

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    28 days ago

    Great service great food..fried calamari and prasini salata and the biftekia were amazing and delicious

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    Business owner information

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    Dianna L.

    Thank YOU!!

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    Dianna L.

    Thank you so much!!! We are flattered :)

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    Dianna L.

    Thank you so much for your kind words!!!! WOW! I’m flattered!!!

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    10 months ago

    The service was friendly. The portions were generous and well cooked. The restaurant space was clean and bright with a good amount of space.

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    Page 1 of 13

    Ask the Community - Telly's Taverna

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    Taverna Kyclades

    Taverna Kyclades

    4.2
    (3k reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$$

    I came here a bit ago and have been thinking of it ever since as I am not from New York. I was here…read moreon a bachelorette trip and this was the last restaurant we stopped at. I'm so glad we did. It was wonderful. Some of the best greek food i've ever had. The service was lovely. Thank you to Daniel. My friends and I ordered a bunch of stuff on the menu and it was absolutely wonderful. There is also very delicious complementary dessert. It is a small restaurant so it's very tight. Everyone is kind of crushed together. The food is a bit on the expensive side but absolutely worth it. I can't wait to come back one day. Amazing experience with wonderful food and service!

    I came on a Saturday night and it was BUSY! We were only a party of 2, and luckily there was a…read moreseating available at the bar with full menu service. If we wanted to get a table in the main dining room, the wait was estimated to be over 2 hours (we went around 8pm), so I highly recommend making a reservation if you plan to go. The staff were very quick with service and very friendly. We were offered toasty bread with some lemon and an olive spread while we waited for our food (which also came out super quick!). We ordered the octopus and lamb chops. The octopus was incredibly tender, the meat was very soft - I personally would've preferred a little more bite to it, but it still tasted good. The lamb chops were flavorful. The medium here is on par with medium rare at most other places, and one of our pieces was borderline rare. At the end of the meal we were also offered complementary desert, which was a pleasant surprise. We enjoyed our meal overall, but just know that it's a little on the pricey. The octopus and lamb chops came out to $80~ pre-tax and tip. Would recommend if you're a fan of seafood!

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Shark grilled and spreads
    Shark grilled and spreads
    Farmer's Salad

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    Farmer's Salad
    Stamatis Restaurant

    Stamatis Restaurant

    4.1
    (585 reviews)
    0.0 mi
    $$

    I have been going to Stamatis since I was a child and it never fails to impress. It has all of the…read moregreek favorites with generous portions -- perfect for sharing family style. The octopus was a standout as it is always tender, perfectly grilled, and seasoned simply to let the natural flavors shine. The lamb chops were also a must-order and probably my favorite main dish. The meat is always tender, flavorful, and cooked beautifully with that delicious char from the grill. There's something really satisfying about being able to order a few dishes and have everyone try a little bit of everything.

    The food was amazing , and the portions are pretty big. Menu was varied with traditional Greek food…read moreand prices were reasonable. I subtracted a star (maybe I should've subtracted more?) for service, because I have never felt so rushed during a meal. We sat down and immediately a waiter came to take our order. We are not regulars, didn't even get a chance to look. When the food came (pretty quickly), he practically threw the plates in front of us. Then he tried to take the dishes away THREE DIFFERENT TIMES when it was very obvious we were not done. (We'd been there barely 30 minutes at this point because I was parked at a meter and was keeping my eye on the clock). The restaurant was half empty for dinner so no one was waiting for our table. I don't know why they were in such a hurry for us to leave. As amazing as the food was, my experience was so bad that I will not be coming back. Maybe this should've been 3.5 stars...

    Photos
    Another private room in the back. Great for large groups!
    Another private room in the back. Great for large groups!
    Charbroiled Lamb Chops (comes with side of French Fries)  $39.50
    Charbroiled Lamb Chops (comes with side of French Fries) $39.50
    Beautiful murals

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    Beautiful murals
    IBN Hamido Seafood

    IBN Hamido Seafood

    4.4
    (658 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$$

    Do you want an authentic Astoria seafood experience that will leave you and your party stuffed and…read morefeeling like you made a great choice? Look no further. Everything I've had here was fantastic, and the seafood is fresh and prepared exquisitely.

    We were excited to try IBN Hamido and came on a Sunday. There was no wait to be seated (lucky us!)…read moreand we were told to go to the back and to pick out our seafood before picking seats. It's a little overwhelming because there is definitely a lot of seafood to choose from. The fish selection looks fresh but they do have some previously frozen seafood like large prawns and lobster tails. They have the names of everything and the price per pound posted which can be a little intimidating because it's a bit expensive. We ordered a grilled branzino and asked for the large tiger shrimp. The staff behind the counter said it would be the ones without the head but when long at the sign, it said head on tiger shrimp so I was a little confused but we just went with it because we assumed the staff knew what they were talking about. We did also get the head-on large prawns. We asked for everything to be grilled and confirmed that they don't use butter or cheese or cream on anything and then we went upstairs to get a table. Upstairs by the window is nice because you can people watch on a good day. We asked the staff member if there were any butter or cream or cheese in the mezza or rice and she said no, so we proceeded to order those and also asked about the soup of the day. She told us it was a shrimp and corn soup and that sounded good so we ordered that as well. The mezza came and the babaganoush and moussaka were good. The lemon potatos were fine but other places have made it better. The tahini was tahini and nothing special. The soup came and we took a sip and it tasted like cream so we were confused because the staff member didn't mention cream when she was taking about it. We asked about it when another staff member came by to drop off the rice. The original staff member who helped us came back over and we asked her if there was cream in the soup. She told us that yes because it's a chowder and the chowder has dairy and told us that we ordered the soup. I'm not denying that we ordered it. My issue is that we specifically asked about avoiding dairy in other food menu items and she didn't even stop to mention that hey the soup of the day that you want is a shrimp and corn chowder and has dairy. She took it back but I felt like we were inconveniencing her because of her tone. The mains arrived shortly after. The head-on prawns came and then the branzino. The large head-on prawns were overcooked and a little rubbery. The branzino was a touch too lemony but that was probably my fault for squeezing lemon over it. The fish was firm and smooth. There wasn't a lot of flavor on either dish. By this time, our table is pretty full and one of the staff members came by with the tiger shrimp and he more or less just stared at the full table and then plopped the plate down right next to my husband's phone. We barely even had time to move plates around to clean up space for him, but I feel like they should have definitely looked a little harder because one of our plates was just full of bones and shells and could have been taken away which would have made room for the shrimp. They were also over cooked and rubbery. Throughout our meal, no one came to check on us once. At the end of the meal, I used my own hand sanitizing wipes and was a little puzzled that they don't give any to customers. We got the bill and were a little peeved that they charged us $3 to butterfly the branzino. We weren't told about that and we didn't particularly ask for them to butterfly it. There's individual hand wipes by the stairs and it's odd that staff don't bring them to you once you're ready to pay. Are customers expected to walk around with dirty hands to go grab the wipe by the stairs? It's definitely a one time experience and overall, I wouldn't recommend it for the poor service and seafood being overcooked and underwhelming.

    Photos
    Indoor seating downstairs
    Indoor seating downstairs
    Hamido Salad (~$8)
    Hamido Salad (~$8)
    Scallops

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    Scallops
    Ambrosia Garden

    Ambrosia Garden

    4.6
    (65 reviews)
    0.0 mi

    I came here for dinner with my girl friends one evening and we had a great time. This Greek spot in…read moreAstoria has been rated as Top 50 NYC (on Beli) and I can definitely see why. I recommend booking a RVSP for their indoor garden area if possible as that portion of the restaurant is stunning (pic included). Nonetheless, both their regular indoor and indoor garden area is very reminiscent of Greece. Service was great. We got their fried calamari, dakos salad, spinach pie, and safritos. Everything was great. While I thought that their fried calamari and spinach pie was pretty standard, I truly enjoyed their safritos and dakos salad. Their safritos beef shoulder was so tender and you had the option to eat it with beans, lemon potatoes, or fries. We chose their lemon potatoes and thought that it paired so well. Their dakos salad was also light, refreshing, but so flavorful. Amazing meal and probably my favorite Greek restaurant in NYC.

    The vibe is still great here! Very ambient at night. The server was knowledgeable about gluten free…read morefood items, which is very comforting. He mentioned grilled meats, fish, and modifications that could be done to sauces to make them gluten free. One big difference I noticed on this visit was that there is no longer the kerasma / treat offered at the end of your meal of the portokalopita or gluten free yogurt with orange syrup, so that was a bummer. The change in portions is also noticeable, particularly from the Sofrito having less meat on the plate. But, the food is very tasty and presented well! I can easily eat their Greek salad and Octopus & fava on repeat.

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    Ambrosia Garden
    Lemon potatoes
    Lemon potatoes
    Double cooked Cretan fries

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    Anassa Taverna Astoria

    Anassa Taverna Astoria

    4.5
    (314 reviews)
    0.5 mi
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    The food was amazing and the service was great. The ambiance was very nice also. We went as a group…read moreof lady friends; it was one of the girl's birthdays as well as mine. We all had ordered different food, so we all tasted each other's meal and they were all delicous. I love Greek food. Will be going back with my husband.

    Dinner at Annasa Taverna the day before Mother's Day -- no reservations, but I really appreciated…read morethat they still welcomed us in. The whole vibe felt warm and made it a really nice family dinner. My grandma and mom both seemed happy and enjoyed everything, which honestly mattered most. We ordered two Greek salads (definitely could've gotten away with just one -- they're huge and very shareable). We also had the Mediterranean spreads: tzatziki, eggplant, and a spicy spread. Everything was solid and great for sharing. We also got grilled octopus as an appetizer -- super tender and really well done. For my main, I had the grilled deboned red snapper -- absolutely delicious. It came with a creamy lemon sauce on the side that you can pour over the fish, plus oregano fries and grilled vegetables. The veggies were amazing, especially the grilled onions that just melted in your mouth. We also ordered takeout: kefte kebab with fries, which was maybe smaller portion but it was good flavor. For dessert we had a baklava float (I think that was the name) with coffees to finish. Very happy with the whole meal overall. Drinks at the bar beforehand were also a highlight -- sangria and a gin, lavender, elderflower, cucumber cocktail that my grandma actually loved.

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    Anassa Taverna Astoria
    Seabags plaki
    Seabags plaki
    Litchi Martini

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    Litchi Martini
    Queen's Room

    Queen's Room

    4.2
    (321 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    My friend and I stopped by Queens Rooms after a yoga class, and the food and service was superb. We…read morewent on a Tuesday night which just so happened to be trivia night, and it made the experience even better. The atmosphere and ambience was warm and inviting, while people were engaging and having fun it never got too loud where you couldn't have a convo at your table. It was also still happy hour, so we enjoyed a few glasses of wine, the QR burger, and the Roast chicken breast. Both equal delicious. We also wanted to try the crab and avocado dip to share, but we weren't sure if the chips were safe for my friend to have, who has a GF allergy. Our waitress was incredibly helpful and knowledgeable about the menu. The waitress knew which plates could be modified to accommodate dietary restrictions which was super helpful in decision making process. Overall the food, service, and atmosphere were great. Def a nice place to check out!

    Queen's Room has one of the best brunch menus out there. Everything is so fresh and delicious!…read more We got shakshuka which is a poached egg dish made with tomatoes and feta served with fresh pita. We also got the egg and cheese croissant sandwich with a side of Brussel sprouts. Sooooo flavorful ! The halloumi fries are a non-negotiable for me. 10000/10 served on a bed of tzatziki Sweetest server ever and very attentive. Prices are super reasonable as well. Interior is gorgeous. Don't hesitate!

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Queen's Room
    Back table

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    Back table

    Telly's Taverna - greek - Updated August 2026

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