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Categories: Greek, Mediterranean [Edit]
Neighborhood: Long Island CityBroadway (N, W)
Steinway St (G, R, V)
Mon-Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
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I've been here twice in the last week and i absolutely love this place. Its nice inside, like someones home, friendly, clean, busy, but the tables are far enough apart so your not on top of the next table as you might be in Manhattan. You can take your time here, they wont rush you out at all, infact, its slow food, as its excellent. The wait staff is very friendly, knowledgeable about the food and attentive. The prices are very good for huge portions.
The food is the best part, huge portions of perfectly cooked/prepared greek food. Excellent flavors, and textures, everything was fresh, nothing was disliked at all. The first time we went to Zenon was on Thanksgiving for their thanksgiving meal. Not your average thanksgiving dinner. Started with a cream of turkey soup, and as expected it had lemon in it. Great flavors, the lemon was a perfect fit. The stuffed grape leaves are some of the best ive ever had, sweet and salty filled with i believe pork and other things. The fried pork and potato meatballs are good, but not my favorite thing here. The turkey was moist, included some dark meat which i enjoy and was accompanied by a great rice stuffing with raisins. Great meal and at $22.95 or so, it was a great value.
The Meze platters are what they are famous for, and reading about them here on yelp, I had to try it. It was extra special for me because one of the best meals i've ever had was at a well known restaurant in Rhodes Greece called Ta Kioupia , where they just kept bringing plate after plate of wonderful food. This meze platter is the closest thing i've had to that. A huge feast of a meal for 2 or more people, choosing from either fish, meat or vegetarian options for around $20. A tremendous amout of food and an excellent price. Appetizers were excellent, Tahini, tzaziki, tarama, salad too was excellent, few more items too. We had the meat option and it was a huge portion of quale, pork and more pork. Would have been good to have a little lamb with the meal, but thats my only complaint. Smoked pork loin was excellent, so were the grilled pork meatballs or sausages. Grilled hallumi was excellent and salty as expected. Best quail i've ever had, very tasty. We dident have room for desert but we ordered it anyway, both items we had were just alright, passable to say the least. Fill up on the meal.
Overall a wonderful meal. Very inexpensive for what you get, tasty, cooked well, excellent selection, friendly service, perfect meal. I'll be back soon.
Great price for great portion. The seafood / meat course for two is great deal (I'm sure Greeks have the special name for the dish...sorry I didn't take note.) Meatball is great and so the rest of parade of meat. Seafood selection is awesome too. What separats this place from the rest is that with the course meal you can try a little bit of everything without breaking bank. If you have a group of four who hasn't tried Greek in Astoria / LIC before, this is great place to start.
Waiters and waitress are very friendly and fast serving.
I want to start off by saying the only reason it doesn't get four stars is because for an established restaurant it should accept credit cards. Welcome to modernization.
Went here with a friend cause I searched for good greek food in astoria and this came up so we decided to give it a try. I personally think if you come here come only for the appetizer meals on the first few pages(theres like 10 pages). You have either the meat, veg, or seafood appetizer combo dinners. We opted to create our own.
For apps we had the tsaziki of course, it was very well prepared with delicious crispy cucumber pieces and fresh yogurt and mint all well balanced. also we had the grilled zuccini and eggplant with lemon zest and oregano which was simple and tasty with some cold garlic mash puree on the side. very tasty. the greek salad was very simple lettuce tomatoes and cucumbers, however it was not seasoned at all and had no feta cheese or onions on it, this was a disappointment to me. We also sampled the Halumi cheese, it was grilled and had a very unique texture to it, almost like a combination of the string cheese you ate as a child plus some additional chewiness, again this is served with fresh lemon. not bad.
For main course we had the grilled chicken combo, which was HUGE cubes of chicken breast charcoal grilled and about 4 chicken sausages which were fatty and greasy, but tasty, the chicken breast cubes were flavorful but the 2 more enormous of the bunch were actually still a bit on the raw side inside which was a bit disappointing. their version of french fries was a nice original idea, however they use dried oregano as opposed to fresh and it really doesnt bring out the flavor potential you can have from these. All in all I would go here again probably just stick to appetizers and the KEO beer from Cyprus (I think thats what its called)
P.S. the waitress that served us was beautiful.
Tasty flavors at a local event.
I tried the stuffed grape leaves--filled with rice, pine nuts and pepper. The rice was vinegar-infused and the pine nuts were overpowered by the peppers. Well constructed, but not my cuppa.
The grilled pork meatballs, though, YUM. Nicely seared, flavorful and spicy. No random bits of questionable meat as so often end up in pork products.
Look forward to visiting and choosing off of what seems a rather full menu. Given their traditional tastes, I am certain to find plenty to enjoy.
I live in Brooklyn and work in Manhattan, and rarely find myself crossing borough borders into Queens. But the past two times I have, I've eaten at Zenon.
Kypriaki Salada - Cyprus Salad w/ Grilled chicken was delicious. Dressing was a simple oil and vinegar with walnuts mixed in - to the dressing - brilliant!
Saganaki - not only did I impress my less-familiar friends by ordering cheese on fire, but this was delicious. It had a bite, but not too much that it had that funky, stale aftertaste that saganaki sometimes can. It was perfectly melted too. I previously dated a Greek guy from Queens, so I've had a bit of saganaki, and this was some of the best.
Cyprus fries - Not going to lie, I wanted these because the kids at the table next to me had some and I'm a sucker for anything potato-based and fried. They were good, nicely seasoned.
Kotopoulo Sheftalia - Chicken Sheftalia - Chicken meatballs, although shaped more like sausages, are DELICIOUS. I may even say my favorite part of the meal.
Tzatziki - 2-extra-baskets-of-pita, lick-the-plate glory.
Cheap too - all this, and baklava - for $49! AND, they brought out a tray of grapes and oranges afterwards (as if we needed to eat more). My Astoria-resident friend who I was with claims their fruit to be some of the best and freshest - and that's not even the stuff they charge you for.
Not to mention, service was excellent! My friend noticed that his water glass was not empty the entire time. We stayed probably an hour after we'd finished our meals, talking (and digesting) and relaxing. No rush at all. Really nice.
I know there's a lot more Greek food for me to try in Astoria, but I don't think I'll ever get over my first love...
5 stars for food balanced out by 3 stars for ambience and cash-only policy (hey some of us live on our credit cards for entertainment!).
Anyways, oh my! I am so mad at myself for doing one of my vegetarian/not eating much that night (relatively speaking) deals here! But even still, what I had was amazing!
The zucchini/eggplant grilled appetizer with garlic fluff...amazing! So fresh and delicious, I could eat a lot of this if I started my diet back up.
The greek salads were my only beef...not enough feta!
I ordered the spanakopita meal...flaky and wonderful, the way spanakopita should be. And the potatoes were hands-down excellent.
Galaktopoureko was a solid 4.5 as well.
My main complaint? The ambience. I brought my boo here for a treat and was dismayed at the amount of lighting (a lot) and lack of music (none). Bummer. There were also a lot of high school kids randomly.
I want to order this take-out right now.
Came here as part of a culinary tour of Greek Astoria that I organized and my group was not disappointed. We arrived around 2:30 p.m. and had no wait for a table.
The best thing to do at Zenon is get the Meze platters. You can order these traditional Cypriot samplers in meat, fish and vegetarian versions for 2 to 5 people. Just tell the extremely hard-working waitress how many people will be eating from which meze.
We ordered 2 people for the meat, 2 for the vegetarian and an additional fish sampler that was not the meze but included salmon, crab-stuffed mushrooms, shrimp, octopus and calamari. It was more than enough food for our group of 5 and they were very accommodating of all our questions. The menu is vegetarian friendly to boot and they even have vegetarian soup options - a rare treat in smaller restaurants.
Best to come with a group, but it would probably be good for two people as well. The total bill for our enormous meal that included beers was $30/person. Not cheap but an incredible value for flavorful, home-cooked, authentic food and a lot of it.
The best thing about Zenon are the Mezedes specials. You get a little bit of everything at a very affordable price. I've done the Fish and the Cypriot mezedes with a group of friends. I loved the Scordalia and the Keftedes. We have never yet been able to eat all the food.
The atmosphere is very comfy and feels like you've stepped into a small country tavern. The artwork murals are obviously done by a friend or family member. A good portion of the staff is part of the family, and it is great to be in a real 'mom-and-pop" place. And watch out for those male waiters--they're cute.
Go hungry, and take friends!
My cousin and I, both Greek, decided we had to find an authentic Greek restaurant in Astoria while he was visiting for the weekend. After doing a little research we settled on Zenon Taverna. For one, this place is definitely authentic. How do I know? Well aside from the plethora of Greek meals on the menu, an old Greek guy, I'm assuming the owner, was strolling about. The place reminded me of Greek Town in Detroit so my expectations were high.
I ordered the chicken Greek salad and my cousin, the spanakopita. The bread they brought out before our meals was a nice touch I have come to expect from a good Greek restaurant. My salad was very good. They gave me an extra cutlet of chicken for free and my cousin's pie was massive. Usually spanakopita at restaurants is a square, but at Zenon's the spinach is wrapped in a massive phyllo triangle which is a plus in my book. He also ordered the potatoes and rice- the man likes carbs.
The rice with the mizithra cheese was just like my Yai Yai would make. The only issue we both found with Zenon was the red sauce. Typically on Greek dishes, a red sauce is served on vegetables, such as green beans, peas, or potatoes. The waitress wasn't exactly sure what the red sauce was when we inquired, but she brought some out anyways. It wasn't marinara, but it wasn't the authentic red sauce I'm used to. It didn't have any cinnamon and just didn't taste right. Don't get me wrong, it didn't taste bad, but it didn't taste like the red sauce we grew up with.
After stuffing our faces with more than enough food, we were pleased to receive a free after dinner treat- orange slices and grapes. We left completely full and reminded of our holiday dinners at our Yai Yai's growing up. If you're looking for some good, authentic Greek, Zenon Taverna is spot-on.
I recently went here for my birthday dinner with my girls and can I say, YUM! Everything we had was stupendious! I didn't have one complaint!
The only thing I didn't like was that they accept only cash. Now, this would be okay if the prices were super cheap but not here.
Overall, I really liked this place and can't wait to go back!
Solid four-stars.
Had the Cypriot mezedes. So much food, and it was fresh. Loved the homemade olive bread and the toasted pitas for the spreads. Some of the standouts were the tzatziki, the beet salad, grilled haloumi, grilled keftes, and pork souvlaki.
The one disappointment for me was the tarama. I was hoping it was a light and fluffy taramousalata, but this version was made with a potato base. Not bad, but just not what I was craving/am used to/grew up with.
But, the food was really good, plentiful, and a huge deal. It's definitely worth the trek from Manhattan, especially with a group. If you have four of more people, they'll do a full grilled fish for the fish mezedes - looks like we'll be bringing back some friends!
I love this place for having nice group dinners where we all get stuffed, tipsy and food coma together. The fixed menu "for two people or more" is truly a great combination with some 20 different dishes or so. It really allows you to eat a variety of different things from seafood, salads, dips and meats.
I highly recommend this place for groups. And also be prepared to eat loads as they make enough food to feed you twice or thrice over.
I'm writing this review as a vegetarian.
This place is accommodating and friendly. My friends and I ordered the mezze for vegetarians. We had cold and hot appetizers. A lot of healthy food (steamed veggies with oil etc.). I liked the haloumi cheese A LOT, meatless balls, cyprus salad, and potatoes. Some of it was a bit too vegetableish, but I liked the balance for lunch. The price was great for so many choices. It also has great homey feeling inside. Definitely a winner.
We came here after taking my parent to Taverna Kyclades on Ditmars which they really liked and they were craving different Greek food.
We ordered the seafood mezdes for 2 people and 2 specials and an extra appetizer (went on Sunday, rabbit stew and spring lamb) for 5 people. We were overstuffed and STILL had leftovers... no room for dessert because the food was very good.
To be honest the fish itself wasn't that great... but their calamari, octopus were both good. Their fried calamari is very good... no "fried in old oil" as another reviewer stated.
We also ordered the sweet breads which were great, flavorful and done honestly. The spring lamb was very juicy and tender, the rabbit stew was good but not quite as good as the awesome lamb.
Our waitress was great, friendly, very patient and helpful. Attentive and responsive. It wasn't crowded and it was a very good meal. It's too bad we didn't have any room for dessert in such a great neighboorhood.
had dinner here (2 people).
ordered:
*cypriot salad (large) - very nice though nothing extraordinary or special
*sheftalia (pork meatballs) - good, but not great. wouldn't order again and wouldn't recommend ordering unless you f'ing needed pork meatballs, stat.
*pantzarosalada (beets) - very good. would definitely order again. there was no garlic in this dish, though possible that the beets are marinating with garlic in the kitchen.
*melitzanosalada (eggplant0 - eh. wouldn't order again. was fine, just not really worth eating.
*seafood salad (as part of the pikilia) - surprisingly good. don't know if i'd order it alone, but as part of the selection of mezedes, totally enjoyable.
*tzatziki (or, in the words of guy fieri, "tazeeki sauce") - a nice tzatziki. went nicely with the pork meatballs.
*octapodaki - great grilled octopus. very tender, nicely charred.
*arni tava (wednesday's lamb special) - fantastic. one of those simple, rustic dishes that it just ridiculously good.
*keo (cypriot beer) - a nice, light, refreshing beer. our waitress told us it was darker than mythos. which doesn't seem possible as keo is *very* light. enjoyable, but very easy drinking.
*greek coffee - actually a very good greek coffee.
we ordered a lot of food - took home a bunch of the lamb.
would definitely go back. they have a couple of tremendous prix fix options for under $25 that sound (a) great, and (b) like absolute feasts. a HUGE menu in general.
After staring, glaring, and ogling the menu for a good 5 minutes, the friend and I decided to get whatever it was we wanted.
I came for the lemon potatoes and fried squid. She ordered the stuffed mushrooms with crabmeat. Everything was scrumptious;Prices were mediocre, but service was indeed a bit
on the slow side.
Who cares though. For lemon potatoes, how can I not go back?
The wife and I went here with another couple. They were open to sharing the mezzes, so we ordered two mezzas, which was supposedly about right for four people. I think we ended up getting enough food for six people!
The mezzes were a great way to try a lot of different foods.
I didn't think the octopus was as amazing as another reviewer suggested, but in general, everything was very satisfying.
Our favorite place in Astoria is Aliada; I need to come back to Zenon Taverna for entrees in order to be able to determine if Zenon has overthrown Aliada as my favorite.
Anytime I have friends or family in from out of town, I always take them to Zenon. It's a real-deal only-in-Astoria dining experience. The old skool decor, Greek staff, fair prices and AMAZING FOOD... I mean, what more can you ask for?
The mezzes are where it's at, no doubt. The calamari, the kefta, halloumi.... my mouth is watering just thinking about it!
And you gotta love the kind, patient staff who take the time to explain and describe every single dish they deliver to us ignorant non-Greeks.
Nothing beats Zenon!
The food is fresh and cooked right. You get great bang for your buck which I like. In my opinion most Greek restaurants don't vary their seasonings too much and Zenon Taverna is no exception. All in all, fresh plentiful food at good prices make this a must try for everyone.
we had the cypriot mezedes. they served us tons of small dishes, so we were able to sample all kinds of food. all were decent with that home made quality.
they get an extra star for the fantastic walnut dessert they served us. imported from cypress were these walnuts that hadn't formed their shells yet. they were drenched in honey and oh so wonderful. you must try it.
i would go back only for that dessert.
I get this place about once a week. Cyprus fries rule, so do lemon potatoes. Salads are good too if that's your thing. When I have gone, the staff is friendly there and it's cozy inside. Remember to ask for the yogurt if you get delivery, they sometimes forget to throw it in if you don't.
Compared to Aliada(another popular Greek restaurant in the surrounding area), it's pretty similar but I prefer Zenon's tzatziki sauce which is a big factor for me.
Overall this place has never let me down and the meats, greens, potatoes and sauces are always quality.
Okay so here is the deal. This is a Greek Cypriot restaurant. It feels homey. The food is delicious.
A bit about Greek Cypriot cuisine. While it is predominately Greek, the various influences of Venetian, Turkish, Lebanese, and Persian cuisine make for a unique taste. Its geographic location in the eastern Mediterranean make for a tiny nation that has been influenced by just about every dominant culture the ancient world had to offer.
No it really won't taste JUST like the food in Cyprus, but for a little place in the Greek enclave of Astoria - an ocean and a sea away form the Mediterranean island the food is very authentic.
For first timers I recommend you try to eat Mezze style. Mezze is most comparable to tapas, eat it slow, but there will be a lot. Try they Cypriot Mezze or Seafood Mezze.
Also you should definitely try KEO, the Cypriot beer.
Zenon serves the food of the gods. Per my dining companion, who spent some time in Cyprus, the grilled halloumi was squeaky perfection. And he had dreams about the pita. Seriously, it showed up in a dream of his. I was convinced by the baby octopus that melted (MELTED!) in my mouth. I'm usually happy when octopus isn't rubbery. This place changed my standards completely. Now, I expect all octopus, squid, calamari, etc. to be perfectly grilled and seasoned with flesh so succulent it immediately acquiesces to my teeth. I assume I can only eat it here from now on.
And though food this good would be enough, the service is extremely friendly. It's clearly a family place.
I was tempted to knock off a star for the inconvenience of being in a full fledged restaurant that doesn't take credit card.
However the more I think about it, it makes sense. I'm sure they try to save money where they can in order to offer such a great value.
Prices here are very low for high quality food. Especially when you're in a group that can take on their various mezze meals. Just check out the news spot they got on CBS http://www.youtube.com...
I did the meat mezze (there's also seafood and vegetarian) and everyone I was with agreed it was extremely filling and delicious. All the meats were perfectly seasoned providing a surprising explosion of flavor once it made contact with your taste buds.
Only item that we found unimpressive was the Lunza (Smoked Pork Loin). Which we all found overly salty, especially when compared to all the other meats that it was served with.
Staff are super friendly and patient and have no issues with answering any questions we had about the food.
Oh yeah, that watch your step sign on the door to the downstairs bathroom? Take it seriously, there's an uneven floor and I nearly ate it down the stairs....twice....or that just might say how adept I am at walking.
Yum. This was the first time dining at this taverna. I usually have my staple Greek restaraunt in Astoria I visit every time im in NYC and decided for a change once I read these reviews.
Zenon was very good, the fish was fresh and every one was very friendly. In regards to service, don't ask for much at a Greek place ;-)
A must- try the Cyrpriot sausage, it was soo delicious. Also, the octopus was perfect...tender and fresh. I will be going back to Zenon!
Kali orixsi!
My boyfriend Andrew J. and I hit this place up for Restaurant Week recently. We wanted to hit up their deal of- you ready for this?- 16 mezedes plates for two, for $35. You heard that. The thing is- the deal was kind of the best thing about it. We weren't totally wowed by any of the dips, although the red caviar dip was pretty good. The eggplant dip was way too sweet. And I'm very picky about hard bread- yuck- so I wish their pitas had been softer, but that's a matter of preference.
Things picked up when we got to the hot plates. We both really loved the calamari, I'd say that was the high point. I could have eaten a bucket of the calamari (Andrew pointed out that it's not like they were KFC. I pointed out that KFC wouldn't serve calamari, but that I bet it's a matter of time before Long John Silver offers a bucket of fried calamari, so hen that happens, I called it first). Also very good halloumi. I was kind of on the outs for this, though, because I don't like pork if it tastes like pork (meaning not sausage or bacon), so there was a lot I missed out on, but what I did have, I enjoyed.
I probably would have given Zenon Taverna 3.5 stars, because this really is a tremendous deal, and it's a nice space with attentive and friendly staff. If it isn't my most favorite Greek food in Astoria, it's not like it's bad, and it's definitely cheaper. And who doesn't like cheap? Now if only they'd give me a bucket of their calamari...
Cash only, also. Boo!
(Also, WHAT was with the guy next to us ordering a Seven & Seven? I didn't know my midwestern seventy-year old uncle was in town.)
Loved it. $21.95 each, for my husband and myself, and we got a 14 course meal basically. Greek Tapas, if you will. We ordered the Seafood Mezze, which was delicious! We didn't dislike anything about it. The highlights we agreed were the 'kalamari', caviar dip (which tastes like a lemony hummus basically), the stuffed mushrooms, and the octopus. Atmosphere is bland (very family style - big tables, well lit, cheesy pictures), but the waitstaff is friendly and food came fast. A great place to take out of towners and indecisive people (who aren't too picky). ;)
Solid and authentic Greek Cypriot fare.
Wife used to live in Greece, and she says S'Agapo (just a few blocks south of here) is the best she's had outside that great country. She said S'Agapo blows away Zenon, and as a relatively ignorant eater of Greek food I agree with her. S'Agapo's tzaziki was utterly dense and simultaneously fluffy and flavorful. Zenon's was relatively weak and watery, though still quite good.
The best part of the meal for me was the skordalia, which was practically electric--fully loaded with lemon juice and garlic. The lemon juice smacks you up one side of the head, and--just as you think you're about to recover from it--the garlic smacks you upside the other. A highly enjoyable culinary beating.
Service was friendly and attentive. But if we're ever in the mood for Greek in this neighborhood, we'd vote S'Agapo over Zenon.
Stopped by with my Mom for lunch on a Saturday afternoon.
I thought the decor, which some have found tacky, to be really cute.
I ordered the chicken souvlaki, and my Mom got the pork souvlaki and meatball combo.
I LOVED MY DISH! Big chunks of the most juicy, tender chicken I've ever had with small slices of onion, green pepper and tomato that provided the perfect sweetness to compliment the meat.
I'm not a pork fan, but I tried the meatballs and they were crunchy on the outside, and juicy and pink on the inside. Also, very good.
We considered ordering the meze, but we weren't THAT hungry at the time. But, I was sure jealous as I saw the waitress scurrying back and forth from the kitchen to a nearby table, bringing out plate after plate of deliciousness. DEFINITELY, going to try that the next time I go there.
Went to Zenon with five other people. Friday night, 8:30 pm, they had no problem seating us. We got three orders each of the meat and fish mezedes, and a carafe of white wine. Wine came quickly, followed by pita and bread. First set of plates that came were the cold appetizers - mostly dips for the pita. There were like eight plates on the table filled with tzatziki, beets (mmm), salad, taramosalata, eggplant salad, and who knows what else. And it was all ridiculously delicious.
Had quite a break in between, and then came the hot dishes. Perfectly fried calamari - not greasy in the least; grilled octopus; three or four different types of sausage and meat; souvlaki; a few grilled quail; several kinds of fish, and obscenely delicious stuffed mushrooms. At some point things just started to get ridiculous, and there was a lot of food left over. This is why you should be warned: DO NOT ORDER ONE PER PERSON. THAT IS A BAD IDEA.
But it was so good... and now I have delicious leftovers.
Also, it worked out to around $30/person, which is absurd for how much food we were served.
If you haven't been here yet and you live in the area, you should really ask yourself why. And then go to Zenon Taverna. Just be sure not to eat for like six hours beforehand.
PS: no credit cards. Go to the ATM first.
we went here because alin c. recently quit his job and wanted to stuff lots of food in his face for cheap. we got the mezdes -- plentiful, certainly-- but mostly bland and actually kind of gross. also the calimari tasted like it had been fried in really old oil. yuck.
My daughter Camille found this place in the internet. It is Greek & Cypriot cuisine. She said the reviews were good so off we went to Astoria and checked the place out. The restaurant is 20 years old, very elegant with Greek painting and Sculptor on the walls and pedestals. Very Mediterranean. The food is definitely very dekicious and different. It is really the definition of what a great dining deal is. I had the Mixed Grill - Lamb Chops Souvlaki, Sheftalia, Haloumi, Lunza, Loukanika, Mushroom, Octopus.
Camille had the Chicken Souvlaki w/ slices of green pepper, onions and tomato, cames with ,meatballs which I find very different from the meatball I know. Out of this world taste. I would go there again.
I am not a connoisseur of Greek and Cypriot food, but this place made me very, very happy, and very, very full. I can't even remember all that I ate. There were three of us, we got two different mezedes and left with leftovers for two days. The waitstaff was very friendly and the food was incredible. They kept on bringing dishes out; plate after plate after plate. We ran out of room on the table which is never a problem. If you like Mediterranean food, seafood and salads (not lettuce, more pickley types) this is a great place to go, just be extremely hungry.
As great as advertised. A gem of Astoria. I had the meat sampler menu and had a lot of food for the price. Restaurant like this will survive and thrive in times of bad economy. Delicious food and I recommend to everybody.
My boyfriend and I came here for a last-minute late dinner on Valentine's day. I live in the area, and we wanted Mediterranean food, so this looked promising...
We made reservations an hour beforehand, which in hindsight was probably unnecessary even on Valentine's day. We were seated immediately.
I noticed that the interior decor was kind of weird: there were pictures of windows and scenery but no true windows. I felt like I was both indoors and outdoors at the same time. Also, the chairs were a bit wobbly, but not intolerable.
What got my initial attention was the extensive menu. There were PAGES of dishes in tiny print, plus an additional menu with three specials of the day. There's choices of mezedes (group of tapas style appetizers meant to be shared), specials of the day (changes by day of week), platters, pita pockets... it all seemed like classic Greek/ Cypriot food focusing on seafood, but there was also a vegetarian section with at least 5 or 6 choices (I'm vegetarian, so this really matters to me).
My boyfriend ended up ordering one of the fish specials. The waitress said the fish would be flaky, and although it wasn't, it was still pretty satisfying. Surprisingly, it was not too oily, over- or under-seasoned, and the flavors of the fish came through without tasting too "fishy." I ordered the char-grilled vegetables which were served on a humongous plate and came with very garlicky scordalia dip. We also had salads and soup which come with the entrees, complimentary warm pita bread and tzatziki (yum), a side of lemon potatoes which also came with the entree, and dessert. I believe all platters come with a salad, and your choice of Cyprus fries, lemon potatoes, or rice. We shared a slice of shamali (baked and spiced semolina flour) which seemed authentic (although I'm not Greek and can't say that with even 50% certainty). They also gave us a plate of grapes and orange slices in the end, which was surprising since I've only seen that at Chinese restaurants.
Did I mention that there was a lot of food?? Honestly, there was so much food that I can't remember everything we ate. The portions were quite generous.
Overall, the food was cooked simply and showcased all the natural flavors of the ingredients. And, even after such a large 3-course meal the two of us weren't feeling like we were going to die of heart attacks on Valentine's Day. This was a good thing.
The service, however, was a slow. We had about a 10-15 minute wait per course -- and they forgot my boyfriend's glass of red wine -- but there was such an abundance of food that I didn't even realize the lag.
So: four stars for this neighborhood gem with the large menu, ample food (come hungry!) and seemingly clean cooking. I think I'll be back ...
Important notes: Free delivery (I think the delivery menu is different). Cash only - go the ATM beforehand. There aren't a lot of banks nearby.
When evaluating the quality and authenticity of ethnic restaurants, trust the natives -- if you see a ton of Chinese families eating inside a Chinese restaurant, for example, chances are good its food is legit.
In the case of Zenon Taverna, a very large Greek party was being seated as my friend and I walked by, so we figured that was a good sign.
The menu is quite extensive -- they have three "mezes," which I believe are multiple-course prix-fixe menus that my friend and I will try someday if we come back with a man's appetite. They also have a handful of specials for each day of the week. My friend ordered the stuffed grape leaves, which had generous portions of meat inside, and on our waitress's recommendation I got the chicken cutlets stuffed with spinach and feta and topped with mozzerella.
I was actually considering the pork and malanga stew (another daily special), purely because I had no idea what it was, but my waitress urged me not to, saying that malanga is an acquired taste, one that most people do not have. That actually only served to make me more curious, but I also appreciate a restaurant staff that's actually knowledgable and authoritative, because it makes me feel taken care of.
Although our entrees were really generously portioned, we couldn't resist sharing a square of shamali (a type of cake drenched in delicious cloves and syrup) once we say the dessert tray. And no Greek meal, I have no learned, is complete without a tall glace of refreshing frappe!
BOTTOM LINE: Authentic Greek cuisine, knowledgable service staff (albeit a little slow on a Saturday night with steady business). Cash only!
I've never been to Greece, but I imagine the food at Zenon Taverna is as authentic as it gets. Everything is extremely fresh and flavorful. Amazing.
My go-to place in Astoria. I order in from here once or twice a month and sit down in the restaurant every few months (have for years) and it never gets old. Taverna Zenon's commitment to charcoal grilling, fresh ingredients and simple seasoning with lemon and herbs is a welcome alternative in the sea of Astoria take out options that just aren't health supportive. I've tried several fish (snapper and bronzini most often) and have always been pleased. One fun/economical option is to order a fish and the charcoal vegetable plate (broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, tomato) to split for two - if you go for those two dishes you'll also receive (the entrees come with a variety of sides) a side of sauteed greens, an order of scordalia (garlic potato puree), lemon potatos or cyrpus fries (love the cyrprus fries - think crack) and greek salad as part of the meal (the hot pita bread basket is a charmer as well). Occasionally I sub chicken souvlaki or chicken sheiftalia (like chicken sausages) for the fish but I think the chicken is just solid whereas the fish is great. The pastitsio (greek lasagna) is also very nice but only on the menu a couple times a week. When I'm not up for the festivus style cornucopia I go for the Zenon sandwich (pork and halloumi pita) or the grilled vegetable with feta or halloumi sandwich. You can liven up a pita sandwich order with tzatziki, a spread or cyprus fries on the side but most often I order a large greek salad to round out the dinner (2 sandwiches and a large salad will run you like low 20s and you'll have salad left over for the next day).
All in all Taverna Zenon is very reliable, a great value and run by a likeable father/daughters team which adds to the charm when you eat in (though eating at the restaurant can be a LONG affair on the weekends so we often opt for delivery unless we're in the mood for a leisurely sit down - the aesthetic is a fun with a splash of kitschy but it totally works). Most of the food I've tried falls into the good to very good category with some items peaking in the great category. Considering how reasonable the prices are and how you actually feel good after eating the clean, simple recipes I have to give it 5 stars. Happy hunting!
Okay, so the decor may be a bit cheesy but the food more than makes up for it!
I find the waitstaff here to be incredibly pleasant and helpful but also a little on the slow side. Usually that's okay with me though because I look at it as them giving me a little extra time to enjoy my meal, however I thought I'd let you all know!
The food is awesome. I usually opt to go with a couple of appetizers and it's always more than enough. Try the chicken sheftalia, homemade chicken meatballs with lots of spices and perfectly charred! They are awesome and so is the spanakopita, I'm not sure that I've had flakier phyllo dough anywhere else!!!
To end the meal have any of their tasty desserts and a frappe and you're all set!
I've never had to wait, I'm guessing that since it's not on 30th Ave it gets a little less traffic but that's okay with me. I've never felt unwelcome because they're trying to turnover a table. It's definitely worth the trek up to Astoria for some authentic cypriot food!! YUM.
Went to Zenon on Easter where the atmosphere was very homey where some restaurants in Astoria are lacking especially in the Easter crowds.
The food was good & worth the money but @ the end of our meal the waitress told us they weren't accepting credit cards.
The grilled octopus was excellent & the saganaki was some of the best that I have had in a while.
New York's Most Generous Prix…
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$35 Prix Fixe menu
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Neighborhood: Long Island City
Category: Seafood
Neighborhood: Long Island City
Category: Greek
Neighborhood: Long Island City
Category: Greek
Neighborhood: Long Island City
Category: Greek
Neighborhood: Long Island City
Category: Greek
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