Avli the little Greek kitchen — Restaurant in Town of Hempstead

I recently ordered from Avli, a Greek restaurant that I had heard good things about. However, my experience turned out to be quite disappointing. The quality of the food I received fell far below my expectations, leaving me unsatisfied and dissatisfied, especially considering the hefty price tag.

Firstly, the salad I ordered, priced at $18, was a complete letdown. It arrived drenched in an excessive amount of dressing, making it overly soggy. I appreciate a well-dressed salad, but this was beyond acceptable. The excess dressing completely ruined the texture and taste, making it an unappetizing and messy experience. To pay such a high price for a salad that was mishandled and soaked in dressing was truly disheartening.

To make matters worse, the Greek meatballs I ordered were clearly undercooked and had a mushy texture. It was evident that they were not cooked thoroughly, and biting into them was a rather unpleasant experience. The lack of proper cooking compromised the flavors and left me questioning the overall hygiene and attention to detail in the kitchen. For the price I paid, I expected a well-executed and flavorful dish, but unfortunately, that was not the case.

Adding to the disappointment, the meatballs were supposed to be accompanied by tzatziki, a classic Greek sauce that adds a delightful touch to the dish. However, it was missing from my order entirely. The absence of tzatziki was a significant oversight, as it would have complemented the meatballs and elevated the flavors. It felt like a complete disservice to the traditional Greek cuisine that I had been expecting, especially considering the high price point.

As a paying customer, I believe it is essential to receive quality food that meets the advertised standards, especially when paying a premium. Unfortunately, my experience at Avli fell short in several aspects. The soggy salad, undercooked and mushy meatballs, and the absence of tzatziki were all major disappointments, particularly given the $18 price for the salad. I hope that the restaurant takes these criticisms constructively and makes improvements to ensure a more enjoyable dining experience for its customers in the future but I will not...

The lemon in the potatoes was delicious. The lemon service experience was not. Dined here with my young child on October 4th at about 1pm. The food was good and I've been here several times and the food has been good each time so if you don't care about the service and only care about the food you're good to go and don't need to read further. If you do however care about service you may be in for a rude awakening. They have a sign posted that they pass on credit card charges to their customers (an unfortunate practice favored by many long island restaurants....what's next, charging me for your utility bills?) but that wasn't my issue. I pay in cash when I can to avoid this practice and tried to do so today. I only had a $100 bill (which is a rarity for me) and the girl at the register told me she.could not break the bill. I completely understood and wouldn't hold this against anyone. I produced my credit card and she told me there was nothing she could do about the service charge. I pointed out that she was forcing me to pay with a credit card and that I had offered her cash. She repeated to me she could not break the bill. Again, I said that was fine but the fact that they had no small change was their issue not mine. After a huff, a pout and a death stare she told me she would "waive" the service charge. She then proceeded to drop our lunch plates heavily in front of us and served up enough stink eye to fill a pint glass. I'm sitting with my 6 year old. Please grow up miss. I understand I may be petty in not wanting to subsidize their business costs (you accept credit cards because it brings you more business!) but it's not my issue that you can't break a bill. Treat people with respect. I really don't want my support for your restaurant to come with a side of stink eye. Not sure if I'll be back but if I see this girl at the front again I'll...

“The owners yell at us and don’t let us do that anymore.” -Avli Employee

Before my most recent experience I’d of given this place 5 stars.

A friend had mentioned they were craving Greek food, so I suggested Avli because the food is delicious. I always get the same thing when I order from there; Chicken soulvaki on a pita and I ask if they can add rice into the pita(normally they question rice in the pita, as it’s odd, i know lol) but they ALWAYS accommodated me, may have charged me a little extra which was fine and never gave me a problem.

A recent Sunday I called to place an order for said friend and myself for pick up. We order 2 platters and I order my usual Chicken soulvaki on a pita. The girl who answered the phone seemed annoyed when I asked for rice to be added into the pita and stated, “We don’t put rice in the pita.” To which I informed her that Its never been an issue before. As someone who has worked in the food industry and is now in customer service her response baffled and annoyed me. With an attitude she said, “Well the owners yell at us and don’t want us to do that anymore. If you want a side of rice we can do that.” Could I have taken the side of rice and added it in myself? Of course, but her attitude and dismissal of the situation, especially when this accomodation has been done for me every time for well over a year irritated me. Needless to say I ended up canceling my order and haven’t ate at Avli since.

If the owners or employees won’t accomodate something as simple as adding rice i’ll trek to Lynbrook...