Kiki’s
“We ordered the shrimp, grilled octopus, saganaki, spicy cheese, and zucchini chips.”
“I don't even love Greek that much but this hidden gem (on the cusp of Chinatown, ironically) is a must-try.”
“The moussaka is amazing and I fantasize about it on the regular.”
Kiki’s
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Ok so it started off bad…. Put our name down, was told an hour wait….didn't get seated until 2 hours later. Gave our name number and went to their sister restaurant/bar "forget me not" two doors down. Had some.., well a lot of drinks before we realized how long it had been. One person from our group went to check on our status… They gave our table to someone else without even calling us and then we finally got seated 30 min after. Why still 4 stars? The best octopus I have EVER had! Better than marea… Yup I said that. It was so tender and juicy I was in heaven. The food here is phenomenal!! Everything we ate was amazing and despite the long wait the service once we were seated was exceptional. I officially love this place and am dying to go back. We had tzatiki, feta fries, octopus and the whole red snapper and everything was on point! Only downfall is no full bar but they have awesome Greek wines. If you like Greek/Mediterranean food you have to try this place. It is in a slightly strange area but totally worth the trek and the 2 hour wait… I don't think I have ever felt like food was worth a two hour wait… The margaritas next door definitely helped diffuse the annoyance.
My close friend and I visited Kiki's as he lives in the neighborhood and spoke highly of their cuisine. We were greeted promptly and ushered quickly to our seats. The place was lively and strewn with couples sharing small plates and entrees, seemingly enjoying each bite. The food was delicious and the service was amazingly attentive. Of all the menu offerings that we tried the baklava was hands down the most amazing that I've ever had!! We will definitely return to Kiki's.
solid greek restaurant in chinatown / two bridges, which makes it unique given its location and probably contributes to its hype.
dishes are simple (which isn't a bad thing) so expect that. this isn't the type of place where you see simple descriptors on a menu and then get a rainforest of flowers on your toast. the grilled octopus is exactly that and it's a lot of octopus – i like it tougher / more cooked, but otherwise, it tasted fresh. the potatoes were also really good – the wonders you can do w olive oil, salt, and lemon juice huh?
lastly, ekmek kataifi is an impressive looking dessert.
Kiki's is this place that everyone recommends you! And you know what? you should listen to everyone! because this place is DELICIOUSKAS ! I am not very sure about the layout of this restaurant but there is a back of the restaurant which is very nice. They don't take any reservation so go early or late or with a small party. I went yesterday with 2 friends and we got 2 liters of white wine ( according to one of my friends, the red wine is very bad and you will wake up the next morning with a headache), tzatziki, Grilled Octopus, Moussaka, Saganaki, Zucchini Chip and Melitzanosalata and a cheesecake . The price are very reasonable and the food is amazing…REALLY !! I wish this place 500 years of success …
Had been meaning to try Kiki's for a really long time, but also hadn't found myself in this part of Chinatown in a while either. The place is sort of divey, and not particularly well-kept, but that's okay, because the food is great. The menu has a number of Greek staples, from all sorts of cold and hot mezedes, and the usual grilled mixed meats.
We were incredibly hungry, so we decided to go for the taramousalata (fish roe dip), and the pastichio (sort of like a Greek lasagna). We were torn between the moussaka and the pastichio, but chose the pastichio because it seemed like it would be slightly more filling. The buttered, grilled bread and warmed pita really put us in a really good mood, and paired with the taramosalata, the result was a great salty, creamy combination. Not to mention, they gave us a huge basket of the bread, so it wasn't like we were going to run out of carbs soon. The pastichio was excellent, and very filling. It came out piping hot, although it's evident that it's prepped ahead of time, given that it came out very soon after the taramosalata. Yet, we didn't really care, because it was delicious. And that bechamel!
Service was very attentive and friendly, and we were in and out in less than 45 minutes, while never feeling quite rushed. The prices were decent for everything we got. $12 might seem like a lot for lasagna, but they give you a very healthy portion, and we were stuffed by the end of it. Also, the sheer amount of complimentary bread really makes this a pretty great deal, and we were quite filled up by the end of it.
I've heard that it gets incredibly busy during dinner hours, and they don't take reservations, so it's wise to plan accordingly. I'll definitely be back for some good Greek food, in an attempt to mix it up and not always go to Taverna Kyclades. The location doesn't make it quite easy for most people, but the food is worth the trip, in my opinion.
Let's start at the beginning: the NYTimes review of Kiki's in July 2015. It first caught my attention because I'm related to women with the names Kiki and Katerina. Even better, it sounded like exactly the sort of Greek food I like best, the foods I grew up eating at home. So when my cousins recently suggested getting together for dinner, I begged them to try Kiki's, and they said yes because they love me (and also because they trust my judgment on anything food-related).
So as Greek-Americans (and more importantly, as Greek food snobs), I'm happy to say that our dinner at Kiki's was truly excellent. Not because we ordered anything fancy (no fancy dishes here) but because it was like eating at the home of a truly gifted Greek cook. We chose to do a classic meze-style of dining: the four of us shared the grilled octopus (OH MY GOD), the melitzanosalata, the tirokafteri, the sauteed shrimp, the horiatiki salad, and the beet salad. Every single dish was delicious, with the following notes: the grilled octopus was my favorite, perfectly charred, superb flavor, maybe the best I've ever had in all honesty. I'd pass on the beet salad in the future, it wasn't really anything special and the better way to do roasted beets is with feta, not apples and yogurt. I have to admit that I couldn't try the melitzanosalata because I can't eat raw garlic, but my cousins quickly cleaned the plate, so there was still no absence of love for this meze at our table.
Wanting to keep the deliciousness going even after we'd snapped up all of the mezedes, two of my cousins also got an order of grilled lambchops, which were served over a green salad as well as fries, and they declared them perfectly cooked, with just the right amount of char on the outside and still juicy on the inside, and ridiculously delicious.
The service is excellent, friendly and very helpful (just a heads up that they don't take reservations), including Kiki herself, who was there running around making sure that her patrons were happy, and that all was running smoothly in her restaurant.
The restaurant is divided into three sections, a dining area and bar in the front that leads to a larger iteration of the same in the back. But my cousins and I were seated in the special new "private room" in the front that is basically its own little section with a door-less entrance and window to the front room of the restaurant, with a large communal table that seats 8. We had it to ourselves for the first 45 minutes that we were there, and then a second party seated with us, which was really no different than just having a completely separate adjacent table, so it definitely works.
I definitely want to return to Kiki's try the briam and imam baildi (or melitzanes imam, the name by which I know this dish from home). I feel like those two would be a real test of the restaurant's chops, because if they get those right, Kiki's will officially be my favorite Greek restaurant ever.
Super tricky to find! It looks like a Chinese warehouse store. Located on the corner, don't let it fool you lol.
We ordered 4 dishes to share for 3. With tax and tip was $24 which is pretty good. We were stuffed!
1. Octopus – bomb 🙂
2. Chicken w potatoes – I didn't know chicken could be fall off the bone!
3. Pastachio- skip it, unless you're craving pasta
4. Moussaka- good
Warning: if you have the table in the back, next to the "doors", you will experience a lot of confused people knocking on those windows. Then smile, nod sorry, and point in the direction of the real restaurant entrance lol
Wow. Once in a blue moon comes a 5 star. I don't even love Greek that much but this hidden gem (on the cusp of Chinatown, ironically) is a must-try. It checks all the marks. Friendly, trendy, moody, authentic, and affordable given the quality of the food. And variety. You'll find all kind of Greek stuff here but rest assured, it's very authentic.
My fiance and I walked in around 8sih and got a seat right away on a Sunday night. We ordered the fava bean dip which came with onions and capers atop. The dip was interesting- had a bit of a bitter/smokey flavor – but it was something different and, it came with delicious grilled bread (not pita). We share a horiatiki (Greek salad) which had a delicious Greek dressing, big block of yummy feta, good olives, onion, cucumber, and tomato. Mm mm. Prior to this, Snack Taverna was my number one Greek salad (it still might be).
For dinner, I had the most incredible steamed whole Dorade and that's pretty much the reason for the 5 star. I don't even like that, that much but it was so well done, lemon-y, and well salted, moist, with good meat on it (albeita lot of bones) and an incredible clarified butter on the side. It came with really hearty tomato/spinach rice which we enjoyed.
My finance had the bifteki (beef sausages) and substituted the fries for a simple Green salad (romaine, dill, feta). The patties were well seasoned and delicious.The salad was good and standard.
Service was prompt, fast and polite. Food came out super fast. We stared off each with a glass of house white and red. I did not love the white – too acidic. The house red tasted like a good tempernillio to me if you like spicy reds. Our meal was $77 (for two).
We skipped on desserts. But I think they had baklava and the like.