Pete The Greek - Old Bethpage — Restaurant in Town of Oyster Bay

Title: A Unique Dining Experience at Pete the Greek

On a quiet Sunday in late October, my wife and I visited Pete the Greek in Old Bethpage. Our anticipation for a traditional Greek dining experience met with a different reality. The restaurant's setting in a shopping strip brought a distinctive touch.

The restaurant's ambiance diverged from the usual Greek-themed decor, presenting a more straightforward, deli-style environment. This setting, while different from what we expected, had its appeal. The ordering process was direct, with customers voicing their choices in an open, bustling atmosphere.

Regarding the food, there was a mix-up with our soup order, where we received Lentil Soup instead of Chicken Lemon Soup. Although not what we initially wanted, the lentil soup was palatable with its subtle flavors. While satisfactorily prepared, the falafel didn't fully capture the rich, herby flavors typical of Mediterranean cuisine. The chicken shawarma was commendable for its well-seasoned, tender meat, offering a taste closer to traditional Greek fare. Though lacking the rich, honeyed flavor we've relished in other Greek establishments, the baklava was still a decent dessert.

We rate Pete the Greek four stars. This rating reflects our appreciation for the restaurant's unique approach to Greek dining and its adequate culinary offerings, balanced against the areas where it diverged from our expectations of traditional Greek cuisine...

A more appropriate name would have been 'Pete The American', though this place seems par for the course in these parts. Let's start with the good - this place delivers value, especially if you go for the family meal. The fries are also pretty good. However - this isn't Greek food. It is merely the heavily Americanized, pale version of Greek food. The salad is almost entirely romaine and seasoned with vinaigrette, both of which are essentially unheard of in a real Greek salad. I could barely even detect the garlic in the Tzatziki, which disqualified it completely. The hummus was worse than store-bought hummus and certainly nothing like what hummus should taste like (although this isn't even a Greek thing so not clear why it's on the menu). The meats were all dry to the point where I didn't even bother keeping the leftovers. Bottom line - if you've ever actually been to Greece and are hoping to enjoy similar food - this isn't it. If you're looking for great value on fresh, relatively healthy food, and are not very particular, maybe this place is...

Food is very good. Delivery and service, not so much. They are disorganized and dishonest and do not issue refunds they promise they will. We order the same thing every time: Greek salad with chicken gyro, dressing on the side, large lemon chicken soup, and an order of pitas with tzatziki. This was a weekly order for us for about a month. First order - missing dressing. No big deal, they send back the driver with dressing. Second order - missing the pitas. Ok.... we call, they send the pitas. Third order - everything is correct! Fourth order - missing the tzatziki. We call at 6, they say it's on the way. We call back at 7 and they say it's on the way. We call back at 8 and I ask for a refund for the whole order as we can't even really eat the meal now. They apologize, say the refund will be issued and the tzatziki will still be delivered. None of this was true. Beware missing items and not getting your money back for...