Kellari Taverna

Had a wonderful experience here! Best meal I have had in a long time. After living in New York for 8 years, I haven’t been to a Mediterranean place like it! Wasn’t expecting such a good meal in such a touristy area. Grilled octopus is a must try. We got the Lunch Prix Fix and got to enjoy all the best food this place has to offer. The service and ambiance was incredible. Lefteris was a wonderful server! We will be back to try the rest of the menu soon!

This was a last minute booking, they were very accommodating. Fab atmosphere for new years eve and good service however the vegetarian options were very minimal bland and pricey
Sorry

We visited Kellari cause it was recommended by friends! The vibe and the staff of the restaurant are amazing! We were so welcome that we felt like home! The food was mouthwatering! We order the Avgolemono Soupa, Wildmushrooms Kritharoto and the Lobster Giouvetsi! Try the Malagouzia from the wine list, amazing variety! Special thanks to George!

A must-visit Greek restaurant in New York with old-fashioned service and delicious food. We could not fault a single aspect of our dinner on a recent very busy Saturday night. We loved the food, the drinks, the service, the atmosphere. We especially loved the nice touch of providing complimentary Greek biscuits with the bill. Talk about leaving on a sweet note! Thank you for a wonderful meal and happy memory, team Kellari.

We made 5: 30 reservations. The place was jammed even with our reservations we did not get a table until 5: 55PM. I had to numerous times speak to hostess and she kept saying soon, soon. We were four.two friends had to specified trains at specified times. Dinner was a rush.not fun. We waited so long to see each other.only be so rushed and so conscious of time.
A restaurant should never overbook at the risk of keeping people who made reservations high and dry. Just not cool. Will not go back nor recommend.

This place is a real gem if you are looking for excellent fish and seafood in Manhattan. The dishes are creative without being pretentious, and they are cooked to perfection. Service is fantastic also!

Overpriced and not authentic Greek food. What kind of agvolemono soup doesn't contain lemon? They Americanized the food and it's become very bland.

Pros:
- Staff was friendly
- Lamb chops cooked to right temperature throughout every lamb chop. For some reason places struggle to get it consistent.
- Octopus tender and not rubbery
- Atmosphere and ambiance was pretty nice
- Food and plating looked beautiful

Cons:
- Never in my life have I had an avgolemono soup with such little flavor. It's listed as chicken egg drop soup. Traditionally there's a bunch of lemon in it, but not here. While that isn't a major problem the soup had no seasoning. Was incredibly bland.
- Almost all of the food ordered was under seasoned or had no seasoning whatsoever. Salt? Not at this restaurant. It's also a sign when the salt shaker at the table is empty. It's like every other guest thought the same thing.
- I probably am dumb to assume that when I order a Greek dish and pronounce it correctly (soutzoukakia) that I'm not going to get the dish I wanted. Ordered the lamb meatballs but got fried zucchini (zucchini kefte). I said it in the traditional Greek way but should've said it in plain English. The fried zucchini wasn't terrible and I'm not awfully mad, but if the staff isn't sure what someone says when ordering they should probably verify it.
- My knifes tip was missing. Not that it can't cut without the tip, but feels lazy to keep broken silverware at a restaurant. Maybe at home that's normal but not when you're at a dining experience.

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Final remarks; Atmosphere is nice but food utterly bland. Maybe this is just a style of Greek cuisine, but being Greek I expect a little bit of salt. Probably a better choice to buy a hotdog down the street or BYOS (bring your own salt).

Kellari Taverna is a culinary gem that transports diners to the heart of Greece with its authentic Mediterranean cuisine. The warm and inviting ambiance sets the stage for a delightful dining experience. From the moment you step in, the staff's hospitality is as impressive as the flavorful dishes they serve.
The attention to detail extends to the presentation, as each plate is a work of art, reflecting the restaurant's commitment to excellence. The wine list complements the menu beautifully, offering a variety of options to suit every palate.

Boisterous lunch crowd but the kitchen keeps up with the pace. Recommend sustainable grilled octopus and tomato arugula salad.

I am truly appalled by my experience at this restaurant. Me and 4 of my girlfriends went out last night to celebrate one of our friend’s 26th birthday. Immediately after being seated, they asked to see IDs from everyone in the group. We don’t have a problem with this, we willingly game them over. The problem was the treatment afterwards. After we showed our IDs, slightly baffled that we were being asked this at the age of 26 but not too bothered, they grudgingly looked at each of them and handed them back to us. The service from then until the end of the night was truly horrendous. We are 4 working women, some in medical school, some working corporate jobs, being treated like we were a group of 20 year olds with fake IDs. The waitress serving us was condescending and rude, whispering to every other waiter and to her manager, and staring at us. We would ask her a simple question about food, drinks, etc… and she would give us a short, rude response, as if we were deeply bothering her. We were paying customers- buying food, drinks, dessert. I do not recommend this place to any group under the age of 30. The crowd is older, and anyone who is not in that age bracket will have quite a horrible experience. On top of that, we have so many other friends in our age group who would have gone and gave them business in the future if we had liked it- word of mouth is important- and sadly, this is off many people’s lists because of our experience. If you don’t make your restaurant appealing to the youth or people in their mid to late 20s, you will not have a successful business. Just pure disrespect to paying customers. Don’t go to this place if you don’t want to feel like an incompetent, disrespected customer. There is a way to act and conduct yourself as a “high-end” restaurant in New York City, and this place stands for the exact opposite- embarrassing for them honestly.

The food here was excellent, but seemed like high price for what it was. Service was difficult because of the layout of the room.
I'm from NY and lived in Manhattan for 10 years, so understand some crowding is expected, but these tables were packed in more than usual to the point it was hard to get into my seat.

If looking for a fancy, expensive restaurant, there are better options.

I along with two colleagues had a very disappointing dinner at Kellari Taverna on West 44th in New York City.
The restaurant has a very appealing décor and atmosphere and there was a nice welcome at the door. Service at our table was very attentive but unfortunately that’s where the positive part of this review ends. We ordered some grilled calamari to share the table and it arrived in some undefined sauce without serving spoons. The calamari was bland and tasteless and a little chewy, which to be objective should be expected. It certainly didn’t taste grilled as there was no char taste.
I ordered the solomos as the main course, which was crusted salmon over a bed of spinach and kale with fingerling potatoes. The crusted salmon arrived looking burnt and overcooked while the fingerling potatoes were completely undercooked. I also ordered a side of rapini was which was served on a bed of some strange orange, lumpy sauce. Suffice it to say, I ate the salmon filet, without the crust, spinach, rapini all of which were inedible.
This was a very disappointing meal, and I will not be back. In a city with so many excellent restaurants, our dinner was a very disappointing experience.

After today's meal we wondered why we don't eat here more often. The service was amazing and the sea bass was memorable.

Super fresh, expertly grilled fish is the charm here. Both Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea bass, for example, are available as is the prized Mediterranean Dorade. The grilled squid was just superb as a starter and the spinach in oil and garlic was excellent as a side. We both ordered the Halibut plate and while we did find it just a bit dry, the bottle of gorgeous emerald green Greek olive oil on the table fixed that minor problem in a hurry. Service was very well organized and friendly. If you are fortunate you will have Luis el Magnifico helping you. The ambience is lovely but be aware Kellari can be quite noisy when full. We will gladly return. Very much recommended.

We stopped in here for brunch after watching the NYC marathon. What a great find! A bright and understated elegant decor, coupled with top notch service and great food make this an ideal spot for a pop in meal or special occasion. Kudos to our server Phillip for going above and beyond!

I’m writing this 1 star review from my bathroom, with food poisoning!

Went here tonight for dinner before a show. Restaurant looked nice but the service was extremely slow and not attentive. Took a long time to put in the order because the servers were more interested in chatting with each other instead of focusing on their guests.

Ordered the surf and turf (prawn, shrimp, steak) and the medium rare steak was over cooked so I had to send my entire meal back. The 2nd time around the steak was cooked too rare, and prawn may have been undercooked as well, but at the time I was running late to get to a show so I powered through to get out of there. That was my mistake.

Well, four hours later and I’m feeling sick and have awful stomach pain. I’ll never be back at this place, and my experience seems common with many others here.

Slow, over priced, tourist trap “Greek” spot and was a waste of money and time. Quite frankly, I’d like my money back for my 60 dollar ticket to bathroom hell.

I came in with high expectations, and I was let down. The place is a great location, very nice ambience, and the hospitality is excellent. The tuna tartare was bland and overpowered by olive oil in the dish. I think they forgot to season the salmon Solomos, because it had no flavor. I recommend the Thalassina - generous portion and the octopus was phenomenal. I would come back for the octopus, but that's about it.