Elia Restaurant

04/29/09

Avoid if you are looking for traditional Greek food.

by Aristarchus at Citysearch

The first time I was in the area, I found a Greek-American and asked where the best Greek restaurant was, and I was enthusiastically directed to Elia. The place looked much more upscale than the Greek restaurants in Astoria, and that should have been my first hint. The second hint was the menu which seemed sort of Greek, but not quite - i.e. you would not find such a menu in an average restaurant in Greece, only in some expensive, pretentious places... Oh, wait, that is an accurate description of this place as well :) So my "lamb ravioli" (not a traditional Greek dish, although we Greeks do like lamb and ravioli is not unknown to us), consisted of 5 little raviolis, filed with some trace amounts of lamb. My wife started laughing nervously, she knew well that while neither of us is overweight, we would each need about 4-5x the portion to start getting "filled" fortunately her plate was a bit more full (I forget what she ordered), but still little and unremarkable.

So, if you enjoy the "pay a lot for tiny portions that are nicely presented on the plate" kind of restaurant (yes, you know who you are), this might be a good place for you. If, on the other hand, you' d rather eat, go somewhere else. If you are looking for Greek restaurants close by there is Yannis, which is also not very traditional Greek (it specializes in sandwiches) but has very good food, and then there is Agnanti which is traditional Greek, but it is not as good as some Greek restaurants in Astoria (still not bad though).

Oh, about how good my ravioli was, I can't really comment. I just had a taste ;)

• Pros: Looks nice.
• Cons: Price, Food.

Editorial Review

by Contributor at Citysearch

Cooks up classic Greek flavors in a comfortable setting.

07/29/05

Greece meets Bay Ridge!

by faracimail at Citysearch

If you haven't stoppeb by already, this place should not be missed. The food and wine selection is superb and the chef brings it all together each and every time. The Waitstaff and Management take pride in delivering quality. The dishes are delicately prepared, the chef's attention poured cleverly into each dish to make it special. The fish is skillfully prepared and trust me, you will walk away satisfied. Enjoy!

• Pros: Food, Service, Wine Selection