Gregory’s 26 Corner Taverna
“He enjoyed them with the lemon potatoes which were OK but their french fries were homemade and very tasty.”
“They must sprinkle their grilled octopus with crack or something because it is highly addictive.”
“We ended up ordering the following:
Large Greek Salad
Saganaki (Fried Cheese)
Bekri Meze (Various Meats, Livers, Sweetbreads) sauteed in a Wine sauce with a tangy/peppery twist.”
Gregory’s 26 Corner Taverna
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Gregory's is the Greek food I've been looking for in Astoria. Yes there are tons of options, and yes they are pretty much all good, but Gregory's has got to have the best quality:price ratio all while maintaining a completely unpretentious, welcoming atmosphere.
For $75 before tip, my date and I got the cold appetizer platter, grilled octopus, peppers stuffed with cheese, salted cod with lemon potatoes, and a half liter of house wine. Of the 4 dips on the platter, our two favorites were the babaganoush (super deliciously creamy and eggplant-y) and something we couldn't name that seemed seafoody with teeny tiny roe (surprisingly great). The peppers were also tasty, though a bit heavy for 2 people to split as you get I think 6 big pepper pieces. The octopus of course was perfect. And even though I wasn't really in the mood for anything fried, I have to say the salted cod was very well done, lightly battered & fried and silky inside, not at all overdone or dried out.
The lemon potatoes and wine were the only two things I could directly compare between Gregory's and Kyclades. The wine is perfectly on par, and while I don't remember the Kyclades pricing I can tell you I was stoked to find $12 half liters and $24 full liters here. The lemon potatoes, however, were phenomenal. Significant step up from Kyclades. I had no idea I could appreciate potatoes so much.
The only off notes were the items that came free: the bread and dessert. Neither were terrible but just meh. Though the olive spread in olive oil that came with the bread was yum. Service was friendly and helpful throughout. I will definitely be back and recommend to anyone looking for a great Greek meal.
Food is authentic and well-priced. The hidden gems were in the appetizer section! Highly recommend the whole-roasted fish of the day (happened to be Branzino when we visited). The octopus appetizer was tender and lightly charred. I don't recommend this place for an early dinner spot. The restaurant is very accommodating to large families, however since it's small, it can be a bit overwhelming.
I loved eating at Gregory's because it was a restaurant with friendly people who just wanted to serve you good food. It's just a little unassuming spot on a corner in Astoria, but it's serving up some really yummy food in a charming atmosphere. I really loved the cute decor filled with photos of Greece and little knick knacks.
As everyone else says, this place is welcoming, unpretentious, and a solid dining experience all around. The food comes out quick and it's easy to feel comfortable and at home here. When my boyfriend and I couldn't decide whether to get a half liter or a liter of wine, our waitress reminded us that "it's Friday night, guys!" And so we decided on a liter.
We each ordered the chicken souvlaki and were served really delicious bread / olive oil mixture to start. The entrees came with the most DELICIOUS lemon potatoes, two chicken skewers, two large pieces of perfect pita bread, tzatziki sauce, and a small Greek salad. It was a good amount of food and I couldn't even finish the chicken! I actually didn't think the chicken was that flavorful, but the lemon potatoes and bread and tzatziki were good enough to make up for that.
Gregory's is such a nice break from going out in the city or even certain places in Brooklyn, where you feel the need to dress up to go out and whatnot. I loved the super relaxed and leisurely atmosphere. I also loved that there seemed to be a bunch of regulars who knew everyone who worked there.
I came here for dinner on a Monday evening and the place was almost completely empty. We were seated immediately and had pleasant service. I shared a few dishes including the Greek salad, grilled octopus and the grilled chicken (with lemon potatoes). Astoria is well known for its Greek background, but this failed to hit the mark. The salad was quite good and I'm always down for some quality feta, but the grilled Octopus was chewy and the grilled chicken even chewier. The lemon potatoes were a nice touch, but you can get better Greek food elsewhere in the neighborhood. The ambience is nice and I loved a touch of the Greek music in the background, but where it counts: the food didn't deliver.
The food here was okay, but my dining experience here was just awkward to the point where I won't be returning. The restaurant was only half full when my boyfriend and I came in one night. However, the waitress decided to pull a table into the center of the room and seat us there, jammed next to other tables. It made me feel very claustrophobic. The room was fairly small, which meant that each time she had to bring something over to the table next to ours, she had to squeeze behind me and stand right next to me with her behind 3 inches from my head. The table was a bit wobbly, so she spent the first 5 minutes trying to stick a piece of cardboard under one of the legs. There's no other way to put this, but being the only Asian/non-white couple in the restaurant, there were many stares. An elderly man sitting across the room probably stared at me for the entire duration of the meal because every time I looked up, his eyes were on me. A middle aged couple next to us also felt the need to stare at our table every time food came out and comment on it to each other. Almost as if they thought we couldn't hear them or didn't understand English. I was so bothered by the experience I didn't even get to enjoy the food much, hence I can't say much about it other than it was okay. I probably won't be returning. It's not really the fault of the restaurant, it was more so the other diners, but this whole experience just left a very bad taste.
Came here for dinner with a group of 3. We had no issues getting a seat. As we walked in there were plenty of open tables. It's a nice cozy place.
We weren't sure what to order so we asked the waitress to recommend some dishes. We ended up getting what she recommended. As she described her recommendations, it had a homey touch/feel to it. It is as if she enjoys her cultural food so much that she is trying to pass it down to us.
The bread they gave us was surprisingly soft, warm and easy to eat. They give it to you with olive paste and olive oil. It was good.
For appetizers, we got the grilled octopus.
– this dish was amazing. The octopus was not rubbery. It was very soft/tender. Much much different from others that I have tried. I definitely prefer this one. I was surprised by how tender they were seeing that the pieces were relatively thick! It was seasoned well. Could taste the olive oil, some zest, and some salt. It was well balanced.
For main course, we got the lamb chops, moussaka, and shrimp santorini with rice.
Lamb chops: they were grilled nicely. I would have preferred it they were a little more medium rare but the meat was still tender. The meat relatively fell off the bone without any issues. The meat was seasoned well with spices and herbs. The vegetables that came with the dish could use some more work. They were overcooked and soggy. They were seasoned well, just not cooked properly.
The moussaka was their special for the day. It was amazing. You could taste the subtle olive oil at the base of the dish. The potatoes were cooked to the point of being soft They had a nice subtle crisp and browning to the top layer of the custard. The meat was seasoned well, not dry at all. The eggplant was not fried, which is different from the traditional one where it is fried. I actually like it not being fried because it would have gotten soggy once baked. With each bite, the dish felt heavy and light at the same time. It looked like a delicate dish and once you cut into it, it fell apart easily. I highly recommend this dish.
The shrimp santorini with rice was good. The rice was a little al dente. I think the tomato sauce needed to be thicker and more flavorful. Not enough tomato taste to it. The size of the shrimps were good but they were a little over cooked. Dish was seasoned well with lots of flavor. Overall it was a well composed dish but lacking in some techniques to make this dish truly perfect.
Service was excellent. The staff did come by to ask us how were doing. Food came out almost immediately. Only thing we had to ask was for more water. The place was not busy at all so there wasn't really any excuse. One nice thing they did was gave us some dessert on the house. It was really nice of them. I don't know what it is but it tasted like rice pudding but in a cake format. It was overly sweet. It hit the spot just right. They did put too much cinnamon on it though. You can just dust it off.
Overall I consider this place a nice gem/hole in the wall place and would highly recommend this place.
The best no frills classic Greek food in Astoria: Yes please!
The service is always very nice and welcoming. They start you off with fresh warm bread and the most delicious olive spread with olive oil to dip in.
The Fried Smelt appetizer was lightly coated and fried without being too greasy. They give you a lot in the order. Great finger food to munch on for the rest of the night.
The grilled octopus was nice and tender and simply cooked well. Very tasty but wished it had a bit of a char to it.
The Pork or Chicken Souvlaki platters came with perfectly cooked skewers with a side of fries and feta salad. I asked to substitute my fries with lemon potatoes and they happily obliged. They have the best flavored lemon potatoes in the area!
Bifteki can be stuffed with cheese if you'd like. I tried the one without the cheese and it was well seasoned and flavorful. They were like round balls of meatloaf seared on the outside but tender ground meat on the inside. It comes with rice or lemon potatoes.
At the end, they give you a small piece of cinnamon cake for dessert.
This place is great. I love the atmosphere. The servers were nice. I think it is one of those greek restaurants that no body knows about and should. I love the grilled octopus and the chicken souflaki was great.