Elia Restaurant
“We had a sampling of spreads with pita and all five spreads were so tasty we couldn't decide which was the best.”
“Arni Youvetsi, which is the slow braised lamb shank, baked in clay pot, orzo, tomato & kefalotyri cheese — frickon AMAZING!!!”
“I had the grilled shrimp with pomegranate couscous (epic dish) and my fiancé had the roasted chicken (I had the leftovers).”
Elia Restaurant
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
6 reviews
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My husband and I came here on a whim because our original dinner destination had a 30 minute wait. So we walked up a block and found this hidden gem. My fondness and appreciation for Greek food has expanded over the past year or so. Greek was never my go-to option when it comes to dinner dates but after trying several Greek restaurants in the city, I couldn't resist trying out new places. Elia is a small restaurant so it's not very group -friendly. But it has an intimate and romantic ambiance to it, which is perfect for dates. For appetizers, I always go for the spreads. The Pikilia comes in 5 different scoops of spreads: manouri kafteri (a type of cheese spread), meltzanosalata (eggplant dip) , taramosalata hummus (fish roe hummus), and tzatziki (yogurt). The warm and toasted pita bread was everything. My favorite spreads were definitely the eggplant dip and hummus. For my entrée, I ordered the oven roasted chicken which was probably one of the most tender chicken entrees I've had. I was afraid it would be too dry but it was cooked in perfect temperature and it retained a lot of the moisture in the meat. They were also very generous in portions. I had to split mine with my mother-in-law. The overall service was ok but wasn't terrible. They could be a little warmer if anything. But as long as the food is good, it's worth coming back here.
Wow, great place in Bay Ridge. Had dinner with two friends and the food and service for all of us was great. Appetizers of crab cake, grilled octopus and shrimp were all delicious. Really liked the octopus and crab cake and the portions were generous. We had a sampling of spreads with pita and all five spreads were so tasty we couldn't decide which was the best. I could have made a meal out of that.
Entrees of lamb shank and shrimp were also good. The lamb did fall of the bone just like the waiter said. So good. Also had the lobster appetizer (like gnocchi) and the calamari appetizer which was excellent.
The portions of everything were satisfying for us so we couldn't even think about dessert. Good wine selection and a few nice Greek beers rounded out the meal.
I would recommend this place in a second…probably some of the best Greek food in NYC. My only complaint is that they have tiny tables and serve the food on ginormous plates. I think that is one trend that must end. There's just no need to serve a food portion the size of a 45 on a plate the size of an LP. (That's a vinyl record reference to you folks who have never seen a turntable).
All in all, great meal, great atmosphere. Eat and enjoy!
I've gone back and forth about giving this 2 or 3 stars. The food was really great here, I had the lamb and it was one of the best I have ever had. My friend had the shrimp and the couscous, I had a quick bite and it was good but my dish was WAY better.
For apps we had the steamed mussels, and the grilled octopus. The octopus was a little bit chewy, but the flavor profile was good. The steamed mussels had a nice broth but so many came out unopened. I felt they should have sorted through them more because having 1/3 unopened is unacceptable for a dish. Kind of a rip off.
The owner happened to be on site that day. He is a bayridge local. The restaurant was pretty empty, and the owner was sitting in the back with some buddies of his drinking and eating. They were carrying on and laughing, not at all using INDOOR voices. On top of that they were cursing, and I felt that was really unacceptable, and directly disrespectful to us. As the owner he should be concerned about his customers experience. I did complain to the waiter about it before we left, but the owner never came over to the table to apologize or acknowledge.
Considering the mussels and octopus issues and then the rudeness and lack of regard for our experience I have to give it two stars. I will not be returning here despite the delicious lamb shank. I can find a comparable one elsewhere with an owner concerned with customer experience. Though, the waitstaff was good, attentive and kind, that's not enough for me!
Hopefully the owner reads this and going forward make the effort.
Been driving by Elia for three years saying I wanted to eat there. After 4 days of being stuck inside cause of Sandy, I finally ate there tonight. It was so good. Had the grilled shrimp with pomegranate couscous. I rarely belong to the clean plate club, but tonight I was president. I ate every last bit of my meal. If you're looking for a romantic, quiet meal, Elia was excellent. Great atmosphere…for a minute I forgot I was in Brooklyn…felt like Greece.
A more elegant Greek restaurant than I am normally used to. We walked in after logging many miles on foot, subway and Uber dressed in shorts and comfortable walking shoes. There wasn't many other diners at 8:30 on a Wednesday night, but they were all dressed up for a night on the town. We initially felt a little out of place, but our quirky waiter immediately made us feel at ease.
Since it had been a typically hot day we were in need of a refreshing chilled vino. We settled on Kouros Patras: "The un-oaked dry white is crisp and elegant with pear-like fruitiness and a hint of melon on the finish." It revived and refreshed us, and was a bargain at only $28
Our pizza lunch at Di Fara's earlier caused us to agree on a light dinner. A large salad of huge fresh pieces of tomato along with cucumber, peppers, and feta sprinkled with a light olive oil based dressing was the perfect starter. A basket of fresh baked bread was brought out as well. We split an order of rare tuna that also came with cucumber and tomatoes, also very refreshing. I always have to order Spanakopita, and this was a good version, although the phyllo dough wasn't as flakey as I am accustomed to. Still very tasty though, and came out mouton lava hot.
Since we went with a light dinner, we rewarded ourselves with desert. Baklava of course! Great recipe, and also a first, it was drizzled with a citrus syrup. And having been a fan of bakalava for many years, this is the only time it came with ice cream..?? It worked though, as it was a not too sweet pistachio.
Whenever I travel I like to try the local Greek restos, and this is right up there with Athens Taverna Market in San Diego, and Hella's (RIP) in Detroit, and also one we ate at in London.
Highly recommended when in Brooklyn!
WOW for Greek food! Yes, this is pricy but omg this is the best Greek food I've had…..in fact I've had my share of Greek food and this out ranks everything I have tasted. (Side note: I was looking for stuffed grape leaves and they were no where on the menu….I'm guessing this is what the upscale Greeks eat).
Oh, and this is quite a fancy place so don't go in there wearing jeans and a T-shirt (like we did, and then felt horribly out of place until the waiter came and served us delicious food with a friendly smile)!