Uncle George's Greek Tavern
Category: Greek and Mediterranean [Edit]
Neighborhood: Queens/Long Island City3319 Broadway
Astoria, NY 11106 (718) 626-0593
- Nearest Transit:
Broadway (N, W)
Steinway St (G, R, V)
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
8 reviews
Neighborhood: Manhattan/East Harlem
"Aurum strikes gold. This neighborhood eatery is exactly what the locals have been waiting for. With it's sexy atmosphere and great food,…" read more »
12 Reviews for Uncle George's Greek Tavern
We had the friendliest waiter possible, and the dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves) were incredible. In a tangy, lemon sauce and stuffed with the perfect combination of meat and rice. The spanikopita was home-made and delicious.
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I have been here twice and the second time was by accident. I meant to go to Romano's. Both times I was here I was seated in the back of the "patio" area and forgotten about. Both time it took like 15 minutes to order and then like 15 minutes to get the check. Both times I had a gyro and both times it sucked. The waiters are not nice to you unless you are greek. There are so many better Greek restaurants in Astoria that I wouldn't waste your time with this one.
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When I moved to Astoria in 2002, I went to Uncle George's every other day, no exaggeration, for the first 3 weeks. At a lot of other places, once they've seen your face 10 or 11 times, they will say hi or at least not make you wait 15 minutes before taking your order during an uncrowded lunch hour. Not so with Uncle George.
The real final straw was when we ordered some taramosalata to go: the fellow I was with picked up the container, and it felt unusually light. He opened it, looked inside, and it was half full. He pointed this out to the guy who rang us up, who replied that we had ordered a small, and "that's how a small is." My dining companion replied that we'd ordered the same thing two days before and received a full container, but apparently this logic was not enough to score an actual regular order of taramosalata.
Needless to say, I haven't been back in 6 years, and I don't feel like I'm missing a thing. Astoria is full of great Greek food, and none of it is at Uncle George's.
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I've heard random reviews about Uncle Georges and when i came across a delivery menu i finally decided that i should try it. I ordered a pastitio with lemon potatoes, and tzantziki. I asked for pita for the tzantziki and the man asked me if i wanted two pieces, i agreed.
The food arrived after 15 minutes, which was good time b/c i was hungry, but as i would soon find out my hunger would not be satisfied. First off i looked at the bill and saw that they charged me 2 dollars for the pitta, now it may sound like im a cheap person, but im really not. Usually when you order a dip from a greek place the pita comes with it... I mean... am I wrong?
Anyway, I am a huge fan of greek pastitio; my family is from cyprus and therefore we make our pastition a little differently with mint and pork instead of beef and cinnamon. I honestly prefer the greek version (but don't tell my mom) haha. When i tried the pastitio i was extremely dissapointed. First of all the cinnamon was extremely overpowering, every bite i had just tasted worse and worse. The bechamel cream was stiff, normally when i eat pastitio the cream is smooth, creamy, rich, and soft. And i know there's suppose to be oil at the bottom of the pastitio but it's normally not that much, The tzantiki was pretty good but the lemon potatoes were a little too well done for my liking, they tasted ok.
I might give them another try, maybe it was just an off day.
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my husband and I have been going for years and we always had a great meal. we ate here tonight and had great service as well. it disappoints me to read that people aren't as happy...but to each his own I guess. You just have to see for yourself. the grape leaves are a must indeed!!
I have gone to Uncle George's twice--once for lunch when it wasn't crowded and once for dinner when it was a madhouse. Lunch was amazing. The fried calamari, Greek salad with feta and gyro platter more than stuffed three people and my dining companions claimed it was the best gyro experience they'd ever had. (I'm not so much of a gyro expert)
For dinner, we had to fight for them to bring us water, take our order, give us the check. The waitress told us to wait five minutes when we wanted to order, and when we asked for an additional glass for water she very curtly told us, "We're busy" and she stomped off. They apparently had run out of glasses. By the end, we were going up to the faucet to fill up our own cups and they didn't seem to mind. Also the gyro platter was quite different--not as well cooked with thinner slices. But otherwise the food was all still tasty. We enjoyed the spanikopita and the dip platter (tzatziki, taramasalata and garlic potato).
So I recommend the food (which is very reasonably priced) but be prepared to be aggressive if you want to be served your dinner.
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Not Astoria's finest. Mainly the problem was the sucky service. The waiter left the other table's garbage on our table, which was a first for me. My lentil soup was decent. Saganaki is inherently good. Maybe we should have ordered the baby lamb?
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Four stars for five reasons: when it's good, it's very, very good. When it's bad, it sucks. It is more often good than bad. The service is not good. The roast lamb.
What else to say?
The fricase rocks and so does the fried calamari. The half chickens
are so dry they are inedible. They have been overcooking birds for years. Why don't they get it? Warning!! They look good but are TERRIBLE!
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Worst service I've had. This is a town with so many restaurants. There is no need to put up with this. So don't.
I really like the food here, but it's a herculean task to get my boyfriend to go back to Uncle George's because the waiters are so rude. I try and explain that it's worth the abuse for that Greek salad! They serve it with a monster slab of feta cheese that's like manna from heaven, I tell you! I also like the checker table cloths and lively atmosphere of the place. It has a time-capsule feel that I appreciate. Don't go with great expectations for service - they're not going to kiss your feet, but they're going to feed you well!
Now this is good, home made Greek food like you won't find anywhere else. It's a little dingy, and the service is not the best, but the food is unbeatable. Forget the typical gyros (although they are excellent as well) and go for some of the stuff you won't find anywhere else.
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First of all, the story of Uncle George, as printed on the menu along with a few snapshots, is charming. But moreover, this is my neighborhood version of comfort food. Definitely recommend the pastitsio, and their tzatziki is thick and chunky--great with the souvlaki on a soft fat pita. They make these incredible simple but delicious lemon potatoes--best when they've been broiled on top to have a sort of crunchy crust. I don't like lemon anything, but i love these potatoes. The last time I went they were out of all three things my brother tried to order (mostly from the nightly specials), but I don't remember that ever happening before. And it's dirt cheap.
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