Yiasou Estiatorio
“I love their fish soup and recommend it to try, octopus, which I find perfect, all spreads (I usually get mix spreads cambo), oysters and branzini.”
“If you go, I recommend the Arnaka Yiouvetsi — lamb, tomatoes, cheese and orzo, baked in a clay pot.”
“During my last visit I had Oktopodi Scharas for an appetizer, which is a grilled octopus with capers in olive oil and vinegar.”
Yiasou Estiatorio
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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Appetizer dip combo 4/5 stars. Pita is served warm with 5 dips and beets and olives.
Saganaki has good flavor but is a bit greasy.
Halibut was the fish of the day sautéed with butter capers etc served with rice or potatoes and vegetables
Shrimp scampi had large shrimp not overpowered with butter. Orzo and lamb dish was had good flavor but seemed simple. Lamb was fresh and tasty.
Oh, Yiasou, why you do this to me with the service? Maybe I'll go from good to bad, because, let's face it, this was an open-faced turd sandwich of an experience, with a very thin slice of bread and a rather slick slab of crap.
First of all, the food at Yiasou is very good: 4-star-out-of-5-worthy, no doubt about it, though undeniably overpriced. The mixed spreads are delectable (that skordalia potato-garlic spread!), the octopus is chewy and succulent, and the saganaki (when it emerged, an hour after we finished our entrees*) was mouthwatering. We also ordered the Horiatiki (basic Greek salad with feta), which I always love (though a rather small portion for the price). The calamari was also pretty good, but always a bridesmaid to my first love, the aforementioned grilled octopus.
The entrees also did not disappoint (other than the sheer unavailability of our first choices). My swordfish was meaty with a perfectly subtle touch of lemon and capers and my brother and parents were pretty happy with the rice pilaf dish (kind of a paella). The SO did not have room left to attack the salmon after those appetizers, but it looked reliable. Sides were a little humdrum, with a veggie medley (which I got to try only because they got my order wrong), rice, or potato. The house bread came out warm each time and kept us going for the long stretches of time that passed between food deliveries*.
What really soured the whole experience, and seems to have become the only obstacle to my liking and endorsing Yiasou, is the horrendous service management.
Exhibit 1: Our reservation was for 7 pm on Mother's Day Sunday. We arrived on time. Several recently abandoned tables were still littered with remnants from earlier parties and remained so during our wait. We waited 15-20 minutes to be sat and had to remind the maitre d' that we were still there at least once.
Exhibit 2: When the maitre d'Yiassou finally rejoined us outside to (sort of) welcome us in, she immediately twisted her face at the sight of my mom's Mother's day bouquet.
"Lilacs?" She exclaimed in Russian. "I'm allergic…can you get them out of here?"
"Where would you have me take them?" I replied.
"Your car?"
"I took the train here, I don't have a car."
We looked at each other, unsure how to proceed. "Look," I finally said, "YOU need to figure this out, not me." This made sense and she waved us in reluctantly.
Exhibit 3: As soon as we sat down, we were promptly forgotten. I took out a BYOB wine and, after some deliberation with family over whether or not they would open it and/or charge corkage, I answered the question by pouring the twist-off wine out to the only thing that WAS on the table: glasses. After 20 minutes or so, my brother had to get up to track down a waiter for menus. [Tentative apologies.] After another 20 minutes, he got up to ask for water and Perrier was eventually brought. [More apologies] After ~40 minutes, we were able to order off the menu and the bread was brought later. Step, repeat, step repeat.
The waiter himself was very nice and patient, but he was doing the best he could servicing way too many tables and parties. It was obvious that the management either did not anticipate a Mother's Day rush or makes it a point to skimp on waitstaff regardless of volume (based on other reviews, I suspect the latter). Neither strategy seems particularly prudent or fair to the customers. If they want to get business off reputation rather than just bay-side location, I would re-examine such logistical decisions.
Not my first time here, but it's been awhile since I've been here and I have to say there's a reason why I came back! Food was very good and coming here on a summer night (sitting outdoors) is a must with the bay nearby. I had the grilled chicken with the potatoes and it was wayyyyy better than I expected for a Sheepshead Bay restaurant. I've lived in Sheepshead Bay all my life and was pleasantly surprised at how good the food actually was here.
The chicken was juicy and soft. The potatoes were more like sliced pieces of a baked potato, but nonetheless was still delicious with the pepper on it. Finally, the vegetables were my favorite part of the whole dish. The onions were seasoned extremely well, crispy, yet just soft enough. The carrots and pepper were a nice addition as well. For dessert, I had the baklava and it was something different that I rarely have eaten, but it was excellent too.
I absolutely want to come back here when the weather is nice and also try their other dishes because as I looked around there seemed to be many more great dishes that the restaurant offers!
I have a hard time giving Sheephead Bay restaurants more than 3 stars because there is just better food out there. No matter what you're eating, I guarantee you can find it elsewhere at cheaper prices. Yiasou was decent and I liked the food. Service was attentive and our meal was tasty. I had the grilled octopus and swordfish which was average. Their prices are pretty steep, but what do you expect from a Sheepshead Bay establishment. Set your bar low and you won't be disappointed.
Overpriced and not very authentic Greek food.
Everything is good, but not great. Mediocre.
Beautiful restaurant though with a lovely view of the water
This is a quality Greek restaurant with great food and even better service. My Greek friend took me out to dinner here. I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of food she ordered for the two of us, but she insisted that Greeks like to look out and see a FULL table.
My favorite was the platter of different spreads with fresh pita bread triangles. The tzatsiki (yogurt/cucumber) dip, the tyrokafteri (spicy feta cheese) dip, the skordalia (garlic mashed potatoes), the taramosalata (caviar) dip were all phenomenal. My favorite was the taramosalata.
We also had the grilled octopus and a platter of deep fried zucchini and eggplant which felt surprisingly light.
For my main I ordered the Arnaki Yiouvetsi, a braised lamb shank with orzo. It was DELICIOUS, even though I could only eat a few mouthfuls (I was so full already!) I tried a bite of my friend's baby lamb chops which were tender and flavorful.
It was a great meal with even better company! Definitely a nicer and pricier place, but (like I said before) quality food and service.
3.5 is a perfect rating for this place. Location and ambiance are both very nice, however, dinner wasn't. Ordered the lamb chops which were dry and lacked flavor.
The appetizer of the tuna and avocado was very good and the various dips were serviceable.
This would be a good date spot but if you are looking for unbelievable food look elsewhere.
Very pricey, so I save it for birthdays or special occasions. also delicious. my favorite is a simple one–the appetizer spreads that everyone digs into, family style.