Eleni’s — Restaurant in New York

I want to preface this review with the fact that I almost never (haven't ever so never really) write a 1 star for review especially during/post pandemic. I understand how hard it has been for restaurants during this time as my best friend is a chef/restaurant owner. Let me start with it was a group of 5 people for the most part as the 6th member joined us at the end and did not order anything. We had 3 mediocre apps (mussels, halloumi, spreads) none of which being awful or particularly good. We had two bottles of wine for the table. Now the interesting part. The waiter offeres us a "meat tower" for 4 people. We were under the impression this would be another app but for 4 people with the option to pick as you please so we went with this. We received the item and were not overly impressed but again it was just a meat tower gimmicky item that you'd find at a bar with wings etc. The top tier had pita chips and french fries. Middle consisted of tomatoes, a few olives, and two spreads we already ate with our appetizer. The bottom, the main focus here, was the meat. This consisted of grilled cubed chicken, little meat patties (looked like hamburger patties), grilled steak (not expensive cuts of meat), and tiny tiny overcooked lamb chops. We ate about 20% of the food and continued to wait for the last member of our party. She showed up eventually and we actually didn't end up ordering more food. I repeat we did not order ONE ENTREE. We got 2 espressos and 2 desserts. Long story short, when the bill came (3 apps and a "meat tower" with French fries and pita chips on it, 2 bottles of wine) it was $600. We did a double and triple take to make sure this didn't include tip or any erroneous items. We noticed that one item labeled "catch of the day" was $240.00. I asked the waiter to fix this as we had no fish nor any catch of the day, to which point he "explained" that the meat tower (french fries, pita, bad meat) was $240.00. We were all taken aback to say the least. After much discussion amongst us and the waiter there was no wavering. The Meat tower was somehow, surprisingly, $240.00. The scam had been completed. This was not only misleading but extremely improperly priced. This item may be worth $90 at a similar scam restaurant. In short, I would NEVER come to this place again not only because of the shady practices but the poor quality of the food as well. Sorry about the verbose...

DO NOT COME HERE WITH LARGE GROUPS!

While you may be enticed by the ability to book large parties on Resy for Eleni’s you will leave feeling taken advantage of and underwhelmed. We came in with a large party for a birthday celebration and thought we were going to have a great night. Our server told us he had 15 years of experience with the chef and knew all the best things on the menu.

We were not given any menus and our server assured us he knew how to take care of big groups and said he would provide us a great menu for family style dinning. He quickly ran through what we should order and it sounded nice. We tried to amend one of the items he listed and our server flat out told us no. With little other option, we trusted him to order the menu he suggested.

When we got our food we quickly learned that he had ordered enough food to feed 25 people not a group of 12. He added on 4 additional dishes from what he had originally listed and ordered varying quantities of each dish. He never gave us a final review of what we were getting and there was no possible way to eat all of the food.

The food its self was also underwhelming. Our final course included two ridiculously priced meat towers that were served on broken dishes, with piles of fat that looked like the trimmings intended for the garbage, chicken that was so tough you could not cut through it and so many other inedible, unappetizing components.

When we received the bill for the meal it was exorbitant for even Manhattan’s top fine-dining establishments, which this was absolutely not. After seeing other reviews and speaking with other patrons it appears this is a scam they continuously run on big groups.

I am truly shocked by the behavior of our server and the restaurant as a whole. I would not suggest going here to anyone I know and I urge you to take your business elsewhere where you can find better food, better service and support a business that is run with integrity.

I have never been so disappointed in a dining...

Haven't tried Greek food in a formal setting...i.e. real Greek restaurant and this was such a great introduction. The outside is so cute and clean along with the outdoor seating and covered area. Inside it's like stepping into a different world with the decor so lively. I love the 'lemon' trees to help break up the space along with the various plaques with Greek words to help immerse yourself into the setting.

The service was amazing and so patient as we took at least 20 minutes to decide what to get with so many options! Once we finally decided, the list was long.

Dolmadakio - grape leaves..never had before, and will be adding to my list of things to get at other Greek restaurants.

Octopodi Sharas - octopus...first time with this as well and wow, It was cooked great, not chewy and the char on the outside made it so flavorful.

Horiatiki - veggie salad...again, didn't disappoint with the flavors right on point

Eleni's - Salmon linguine....well...after those apps..didn't really eat this here...took it home...and again, very flavorful and salmon cooked well even after reheating.

Lavraki - Bronzini, whole fish..and cooked perfectly. Melted in your mouth and was so moist...man....delicious!

Once the mains came out...our 2 seater table was filled to the brim...and without hesitation, they opened the 1/2 leaf to give more space! They know peeps like to enjoy and pre-planned that you'll have enough space! Love it!

Dessert..can't pass that up. Eleni's Chocolate Mousse, looks like ice cream...however, was wonderful and light. Paired nicely with the Galaktompouriko - a custard that had a flakey top and creamy inside. Last by not least the Baklava...one of my favorites! Needless to say...this is why it took us so long to leave as we couldn't let that...