Hubby and I have been DYING to go back to Avli - A small greek restaurant located on Bell Blvd. This place is owned by a father and 2 brothers (really nice people) - not to mention that one of my FAVORITE waitresses work here. ( :
I must say that I've dined here quite a few times and haven't been disappointed EVER. (Knock on wood) If anything, I think I've been spoiled by this place. Whenever I go to a different Greek restaurants now, I get disgustingly disappointed and find myself comparing foods with Avli. "Avli's potatoes are more lemon-y... Avli's meat is more tender... Well Avli ALWAYS has the soup available..." So now I don't even bother going to other Greek restaurants... I've been disappointed way too many times. I don't even know why I waste my money "experimenting" on restaurants when I KNOW where there is a GREAT Greek restaurant.
Friday and Saturday nights can get pretty crowded at this place. They don't take reservations so it's first come first serve but be assured - when they says 10-15 min. wait, they really mean 10-15 min wait. I hate when I go to a restaurant and you ask how long the wait is - they tell you, "Oh, 10-15 min..." and you're still standing there 40 min. later. We went there Sat. night and requested for our favorite waitress (Donna) and Fodi (one of the owners) told us that it would be 5 min. Literally 5 min. later, he sat us in Donna's section.
We started off with a large carafe of their Greek wine ($16.95)
For appetizer, we ordered the Pikilia - 2 of the Taramosalta (A Fluffy Fish Roe Dip), Melitzanosalata (A Roasted Eggplant Dip with Garlic & EVOO) and Kopanisti (Spicy Feta Cheese & Roasted Red Pepper Spread) ($12.95)
Of course whole wheat pita instead of regular which I think is $1.00 more
And hubby LOVES tender octopus so we also ordered Oktapodi Skaras - a chargrilled octopus, seasoned with EVOO, red wine vinegar, and oregano. ($11.50)
So tender, so flavorful with the perfect balance of garlic and acidity from the red wine vinegar. I took 2 little pieces and when I looked up to get some more, hubby ate it all!!
As our main meal we shared the 2 meat Combination Platter ($12.95) - we picked the pork doner and falafel. It comes with a choice of lemon potatoes, rice or french fries and soup or salad. We had the lemon potatoes and the salad.
The pork was SO tender - as tender as pulled pork that has been bbq-ing for 6 hours and the falafel was also perfectly cooked. The lemon potatoes are the best I've ever had - so soft, lemony and garlicy. Just plain yum.
Everything here is really good. The portions are big and the quality is top notch. I've had their burgers, fries, and ohhhh my God their soup. If you're a fan of Avgolemono (Traditional Greek Lemon/Chicken Soup) you will DIE when you eat it here. They make the BEST Avgolemono. And the best part about it is that the food is all pretty healthy. Everything is grilled and tossed in garlic, lemon and EVOO. And if it is fried, it's lightly fried - not oily or greasy. The best part about it? It doesn't lay in your stomach like a lead weight after you leave. Oh, and they have delivery too. ( :
Our total gluttonous meal came out to approximately $59.90 (not including tip) which is PEANUTS for the amount of food and good quality we got. When we go to the city or anywhere else for that matter, we don't leave spending a penny less than $200.00 and who can afford to eat that way during these hard times?
I give this place 5 out of 5 stars. Good Job Avli.
Avli Greek Restaurant
38-31 Bell Blvd
New York, NY 11361
(718) 224-7575
** Stay Tuned - Next Week ITALIAN! **
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