Astoria, Queens is a very diverse, large neighborhood. It has a really big Greek community with a lot of great restaurants and markets serving the area, specializing in Mediterranean delicacies, basically straight from Greece. You can find really good Greek desserts here such as baklava:

And spanakopita, spinach pie, which has become pretty mainstream and is now sold at Trader Joe’s:

I love Trader Joe’s. Anyway, Astoria is a great place to find authentic, delicious Greek food. And it’s so convenient because it’s right here in our borough!

One of my favorite movies is My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which, if you haven’t watched it (which you should), is a romantic comedy about a Greek woman who falls in love with a non-Greek guy, and how her big Greek family gets involved.

Throughout the movie there is a lot of food shown, because, according to the movie, a Greek woman’s main goal in life should be to marry a Greek man, have Greek babies, and feed people until you die.

So, whenever you need your Greek food fix, take the train to Steinway Street, Astoria Boulevard, or Astoria-Ditmars Boulevard and visit some of these fantastic places:

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Taverna Kyclades

Located: 33-07 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria, NY.

This place is one of the most popular Greek restaurants in Astoria. You can tell because whenever you try to come here there’s always a crazy line and a long wait. But. it. is. so. worth. it. 

They specialize in seafood, and according to their website, every morning they choose fresh fish, meat and other ingredients to serve that day. Everything on the menu is so good and prepared so well, every time.
Their dining area is beautiful with brick walls, and they have an outdoor section, too. You can even sit outside during the winter; they have really strong heating lamps. Tavern Kyclades has been Zagat rated and Michelin guide recommended.

My favorite thing to get there is the grilled shrimp. But the salmon is also amazing. And so is the grilled octopus. Just everything is so good. And they have really tasty side dishes such as lemon potatoes and horta, which are steamed greens with lemon.

According to their website, their name– Kyclades– is the name of a group of islands in Greece known for its wonderful beaches and unique food.

They also have a location in the East Village in the city. Come check out Tavern Kyclades! They have really great lunch specials, too.

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Omonia Cafe

Located: 32-18 Broadway, Astoria, NY.

This Greek bakery has been open since 1977. It’s also a restaurant, located right next door.

Its known for it’s Greek baked delicacies such as sokolatina, which is a sponge cake filled with soft mousse and fudge cream, or pontikaki, which is a chocolate sponge cake filled with soft chocolate mousse that’s shaped like a mouse and has a semi-hard chocolate coat.

They’re also known for their Greek coffee. I love coffee, so this is very important to me. According to their website, the coffee is made in a traditional Greek coffee pot called a briki and the foam is called kaimaki. You can get your Greek coffee metrics, which is medium strong, glykos vrastos, which is sweet and boiled, varys glycol, which is strong and sweet, or sketos, which is plain with no sugar.

I think the coolest thing about the bakery is that they made the cake from My Big Fat Greek Wedding right there. They have a sign on their wall. With that being said, they make really cool specialty cakes, including wedding cakes.

They have traditional Greek desserts such as kataifi, which is a baked shredded wheat pastry filled with a mixture of nuts and syrup. Omonia also has galactoboureko, which is a traditional milk custard dessert baked between phyllo in a light syrup.

According to their website, they are known for experimenting on traditional Greek desserts and making them more unique. For example, they have a cheesecake baklava.

Come visit Omonia Cafe for your sugar and caffeine fix! It’s also open late, until 4 a.m. some nights!

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Titan Foods

Located:25-56 31st Street, Astoria, NY.

According to Titan Foods’ website, this Greek supermarket is the largest Greek specialty store in North America.

When I first heard about this place, which was from my mom, I was told that they have a really large and diverse olive section. I LOVE olives. All of them, give me all of them. I sometimes ask for a cup of olives along with my drink at bars. No shame.

So, when hearing about these olives at Titan, I was so excited to go. And I was not disappointed. They have a whole olive bar. It’s literally called an olive bar. The cutest, most hopeful sign I’ve ever seen.

They have everything you could possible ask for. They have kalamata olives, green olives, pitted, non-pitted, in oil, not in oil, picked peppers. The list goes on.

And the best part is that it’s so inexpensive! I got a pound of olives for $4.oo. At an organic supermarket you can get the same amount for like, maybe $1o.oo. Therefore, the cheaper the olives, the more you can buy.

They also have a really good variety of feta cheeses– who knew there were so many?! I had no idea. There’s also a whole bakery section of the supermarket filled with Greek baked goods and desserts.

I definitely recommend checking out Titan Foods; it’s one of the coolest, most unique supermarkets I’ve ever been to.

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BZ Grill

Located: 27-02 Astoria Blvd, Astoria, NY.

When I began to look up Greek places in Astoria to visit, BZ Grill always came up on every list. It’s really popular, and is best known for its succulent pork gyro. Everyone raves about this gyro.

And everyone was right, by the way. So. Good. So juicy, so tender, so perfect. And big, too! It’s just $7.35 for a large portion.

When I went, the entire restaurant was full. It’s relatively small, but there were a ton of people waiting for take-out. There’s a section in the back you can sit, and it’s near the kitchen, so right from your table you get a very intense whiff of what you’re about to devour.

When they brought the pork gyro to my table, I took a photo of it, and then I literally inhaled it. It was so delicious that I still think about it. I just concentrated on eating this magnificent gyro.

Elbows on the table, tzatziki sauce all over my face, no conversation (except offering some to the person I was with, because they HAD to try it). I was in the zone. And then it was over. Too quickly, unfortunately.

They also have a really good beef kabab platter, which comes with salad, pita bread, french fries, tzatziki sauce, and a spicy sauce. They also have a really great falafel dish, which comes with pita bread and hummus.

Come check out BZ Grill! You won’t be disappointed, it’s easy to get to by the N or Q trains, and the staff is so nice.

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Artopolis Bakery

Located: 23-18 31st St, Astoria, NY.

This Greek specialties bakery was opened in 2003 by people who just came from Greece. It sells some of the best, darkest Greek coffee I’ve ever had. Artopolis translates to “baker” in English.

As you walk around you see shelves and shelves of Greek cookies such as kourambiethes, which are traditional pure butter cookies with almonds and brandy, covered in powdered sugar. So good and so messy. Powder gets everywhere, but it’s so worth it.

The bakery itself is big, with a seating area in the back.

I’ve never seen so many cookies and sweets on display before in my life. It’s a bit overwhelming at first; I didn’t know where to start. The staff is so friendly, and if you have any questions about any of the pastries they will help you.

Artopolis also has cookies called musto and cinnamon koulouri, which are made with brandy, orange juice, lemon juice, grape nectar, and cloves. They’re topped with crystallized sugar and cinnamon. These cookies are famous from Artopolis– they’re even sold in Dean & Deluca. You can find them on Dean & Deluca’s website here.

I definitely recommend coming to visit Artopolis, it’s authentic and there’s so much to choose from.

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Thanks for reading! I hope you will enjoy the delicious Greek contributions of Astoria as much as I do.

Astoria natives! Did I leave out your favorite Greek place? Tell me in the comments below!

Until next time!