Souvlaki GR

This restaurant has cramped, uncomfortable seating to a degree rarely found even in Manhattan (note: I’m well over six feet tall, your experience may vary), and yet that fact makes no difference to me at all. If I could give it more than five stars, I would.
It’s authentic, cheap and amazing in every single way. On top of that, staff is friendly and I’ve never had to wait.
If you’ve read this far, you really owe it to yourself to try it. I know dozens of places within two blocks where you could easily spend ten times as much on food and not get anything that’s even remotely as good.

I placed my first (and last) order to Soulvaki GR (Midtown) on seamless today at 11:40am, to be sure that my coworker and I would have lunch before a meeting. Soulvaki had a 25 – 30 minute delivery estimate. Here’s the breakdown of incompetence and un-​professionalism that followed:
12:30pm: I get a call saying my food has arrived. I take the elevator to the lobby, to find no delivery guy. I wait 5 minutes and then call the number back. No answer. I go upstairs. The number calls me back. The caller tells me that the food is at 555 E57th not 555 W57th. I give the proper intersections, tell them its not East, but West, and am told he is on his way. As if this isn’t bad enough… I don’t even call the restaurant to complain.
12:40pm: The current manager of Soulvaki calls me screaming that his delivery guy has been downstairs in the lobby twenty minutes wasting his time and I haven’t picked up my food. Where am I?
12:42pm: I explain to this screaming, discourteous, tactless individual that I went down to look for my food but it wasn’t there because it was wrongfully delivered to 555 E57th St. I tell him the delivery guy had called and said the food was at 555 E57th. He talks over me exclaiming that he is at the right location, and I am not there. He also says his guy is a «professional» and is downstairs. I attempt to continue explaining but he rudely hangs up on me.
12:45: To be certain, I take the elevator back downstairs to find no delivery guy. Although I knew he couldn’t have gotten from Madison Avenue to 11^th Avenue, that quickly. I call the delivery guy’s number only to find out it isn’t even the delivery guy’s number, but instead the security desk at 555 E57th that had called to explain what happened. So, I call the restaurant back to reach the same unpleasant manager who tells me «you think you know more than me, right? You know everything.» I repeated over and over that his delivery guy was on E57th. Information, he in fact, still did not know or want to accept at this time. Instead, I get bombarded with attitude and condescending remarks about me not being there to get my food when it arrived. I tell him I won’t ever order from somewhere that treats their customers with such disrespect. I tell him I am canceling the order.
1:01pm: seamless credited my account for the order and said they would call the restaurant to understand why the manager was so argumentative, rather than just be calm and let the customer fill him in on the wrongful delivery that he wasn’t even aware of.
1:30pm: the delivery guy actually shows up with the 11:40am order, which the manager hadn’t had the courtesy to even tell his own staff had been canceled
I hope you never have to experience this, and I hope you choose to support a business that values and respects both its paying customers and hard working delivery staff.

I hesitate I review this place only because I want to keep this midtown gem to myself. But alas, my resolutions won’t let me be so self-​interested.
This place is a great retreat from midtown madness, and midtown prices. The average sandwich is $ 8, and if you’re a vegetarian, $ 7. That’s about half the price of a grab and go meal elsewhere, and a third of the price of a sit down lunch.
I had the Bifteki pita with the spicy feta — note, they put fries in it although it doesn’t say so on the menu. It was tasty, but just FYI. I decided to treat myself to a Greek yogurt with walnuts and honey — best gift to myself EVER. Two to three people can share this dessert.
Be warned, there’s no Babganoush on the menu — but what they have to offer makes up for it. I’ll be back!

ordered from here for lunch and the salad was super fresh and crisp and pitas still warm! Will definitely order again: D

We eat out a lot and value the experience. This was our first time at S-​GR.
The place is very small with tiny tables. Waiter was nice and struggled with English but we admired him and his warm desire to assist us. Food was ok, definitely not great. I really did not like my stuffed peppers and cheese (it just tasted off) but the waiter said management refused to comp it. The tzadiki overwhelmed with garlic. They were generous with the pita. Really limited desert menu (two items, fried dough and yogurt with honey) and I couldn’t get an answer on what kind of tea they served me. The fried cheese balls were nice but be forewarned, they are very salty.
Probably won’t be back. It’s not about the price, which was reasonable, it’s about the food and ambiance. If management is not dedicated to giving me a good food experience, why should I give them money? Just ok. Other places have better food.

Unassuming from the outside and bearing a pretty generic name, Souvlaki turned out to be a little gem around the corner from Carnegie Hall.
The whitewashed interior really does feel like you’ve somehow wandered into a traditional Greek village, and the service is as warm and charming as you’d expect. The tables are close together, but the effect is cozy, not cramped.
The food is just terrific – and I mean the four of us loved everything we ate. And boy, did we eat a lot: a trio of spreads (spicy feta is recommended), a pile of perfect little lamb chops, skewers of a juiciest chicken chunks, perfect fries sprinkled with feta and oregano, and a delicious plate of peppers stuffed with creamy seasoned cheese. There’s a nice assortment of Greek beers.
Everything comes with warm, tasty pita, and no one stopped us from ordering extra, an unnecessary and wasteful mistake. Ditto with the tzaziki: Don’t bother ordering it as a appetizer, as most entrees came with an extra bowl on the side.
You’d assume that prices would be high because of the midtown location, but nope, everything was very reasonable. Souvlaki will become one of our go-​to options when in the neighborhood.

Came here for lunch with two of my coworkers. Man does this place feel like Greece. For an hour I forgot I was in the New York. We decided to share the Kalamakia Paketo which was our choice of six Chicken or Pork skewers with Tzatziki and pita. I was expecting kebab size meats on a stick but it was more like appetizers. Good thing I ordered a side of fries! Service was a bit slow but the food was delicious. Also they didn’t have ketchup so BYOK!

best greek food in all nyc! THE SOUVLAKI were perfectly cooked. the fries were great, just a very good experience.

If you want authentic Greek food this is the spot! The food is incredible. I just finished up here with my sister and mother and we all love this place. We started with 3 dips. Hummus, fava bean dip and tzatiziki. We followed that by getting the horiatiki salata no feta (Greek salad no lettuce) and dakos (pretty much a bread salad). My sister and I got pork skewers and fries and our mom got a hot veggie pita. Everything was excellent and so filling. If you are looking for a good white wine to pair with your meal I suggest wishes eratines white. Incredible!

Came here for lunch for the first time and I have the say, the atmosphere is definitely different from the surrounding area. Immediately, you’re transported to a Mediterranean atmosphere! I was surprised at the affordable prices for a place in midtown for lunch. We got the entrees anyways and it was pretty great! My friend had the double burger and it was amazing! No real bread, just pita which is fine by me. I had the moussaka (apparently a special of the day) and it was alright. Well, this is a Greek place after all and I feel like Moussaka should be a stable dish… If i were to reorder again, I’d definitely get my friend’s double burgers. Portions were just right. Would definitely come here again!

First off, the décor is absolutely gorgeous and makes you feel as if you’re on a Greek island with the blue and white color scheme. Such a quaint place in the city of NY. I also love how they want to bring an authentic Greek feel and taste to the city.
The service was great. My Greek friend began speaking to out server in Greek. He was so personable and friendly! He even came outside to say goodbye to my Greek friend as we were waiting for our other friend to come out. Our food came out quickly and everyone was impressed (including those that had never had Greek). We all pretty much ordered a souvlaki pita wrap. I do suggest getting an appetizer though, because one wrap may not be enough if you’re really hungry. This isn’t an issue with the very affordable prices (I’m a college student and saying thay the prices are adorable). But what really won us over were the desserts! All of them were fantastic.
I hope to come back the next time I visit NYC!

Let me start out by saying that I love food from all different origins. I don’t know why I neglected Greek food for a very long time. It might have been because the last time I went to a Greek restaurant, it was on a terrible awkward date. Anyhow, my dear friend picked this place and I’m still drooling over it.
This place was small, intimate, and perfect for a small group of friends on a Saturday night. The lighting and interior of the place was very home like and inviting. The staff was truly wonderful, from the the host to the waiters who were all very down to earth.
Down to the nitty gritty a.k.a the food was the
. Fresh meats, cheeses, and salads. I haven’t been so impressed with a place for a while. This place was perfect in its own way. Everyone at my table raved about their food. Like a foodie I am, I tried some of their dishes and everything was finger licking good. The Greek fries with feta cheese, sprinkled with some herbs were above and beyond. The Psita tis Oras Poikili was my meal which I shared. The platter is made for two people to share and it was as good as a dream. The grilled meat platter came with: lamb, sausage, chicken, pork, and beef skewers, along with pita and tzatziki. This platter was great because we got to taste several seasoned meats in one. I also tried Horiatiki (Greek Salad) which was so good that I would come back just for that. I would absolutely come back here.
I couldn’t have had a better dinner experience, one where I left stuffed but feeling good and not gross. The combination of great food with good company is unbeatable. Thank you for a wonderful restaurant and atmosphere.

I went to this restaurant with my brother soon after the midtown location opened. Its a cozy little greek getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city.
We ordered a few of the spreads to start: hummus, spicy feta, tzatiki, which all came with pita. Each spread was better than the next! Then we ordered a spanikopita and our own entrees. I had the Bifteki Pita, which was a beef greek burger with veggies and some of the spicy feta we had earlier. My brother ordered something similar, but he had pork. We were worried that we over ordered and then we were worried that we did not order enough, but we were fully satisfied when we finished every bite of the meal.
I went home that night and woke up the next morning feeling terrible and as the day went on I developed a severe allergic reaction with my body covered in hives. I went to urgent care multiple times that weekend and then to the allergist who ultimately settled the hives down and requested that I return to the restaurant and ask for a complete list of ingredients even down to the secret ones.
I went back and spoke with the manager who was incredibly apologetic and accommodating with the recipe list. He also asked that I keep him updated as I figure out what I was allergic to so that he could make any necessary changes or accommodations to any other potential allergy risks.
If I learn that my allergy was not from anything I ate at this restaurant I would be pleased to go back!

Dined here last night after seeing School of Rock (don’t miss it). Very crampled space, but all appetizers and entrees were very tasty. Good addition to the nabe if you don’t want the big bucks at Molyvos or Milos.

This place is so cute and cozy. It’s a bit tight in space after all the seats are filled (for the waiters or if you need to head to the restroom).
Appetizers:
* hummus spread: good flavor and thick
* spicy feta: thought this was going to be better; not spicy at all; the feta is not well mixed (you can still see white chunks)
* tzatziki (cucumber yogurt): this is really good here! it’s a good blend and not one flavor overpowers the others
* salmon roe: VERY salty (but some people dig it)
* fries: perfect amount of crispness !
*** note: we ordered a the 3 spread combo and only had one plate of pita (approx 2 full sized pita), which seems very LITTLE since we ordered the salmon roe one separately and it came with a full plate of pita. They charge you for extra pita, which is really lame cause they gave us too little to begin with
Gyro:
* souvlaki chicken: good; the red onions are super spicy and adds a kick; it could use more of the sauce; chicken is JUICY (not dry and bland)
* SGR chicken: didn’t know spicy feta was not super delicious, but this pita was put together nicely. see above for regular gyro ^

I recommend the following: tyrokafteri, keftedes, tzatziki, horiatiki salad and the loukoumades for desert. lastly, theYellow Donkey beer was ice cold and refreshing. Loved it.

The place is so charming. Designed as a Greek village: think white walls with fake blue shuddered windows, a fake little Greek market in the front stocked with Greek goods, fake bougenvilla adorned from the ceilings. It’s nice to see more affordable, quality places pop up in this pricy neighborhood. As I’ve been to their other location in the LES, I knew what to expect, however, my visit wasn’t as memorable as my previous.
Although prices are low, I was surprised that you definitely need to order 2 items to fill up. My $ 6.50 veggie pita was teeny! Not bursting with fresh veggies, but more a few slices and some cold fries. I left hungry. I didn’t want a side of fries or salad, I would have paid more for a larger veggie pita.
My parents opted for the Greek salads with a skewer of chicken. These salads rang in at about $ 15 and again, not quite the robust salad you look for when dropping $ 15. Cukes, tomatoes, a ton of feta and pita topped with a small skewer of incredible seasoned chicken, but no bargain here.
A definite solid, but expect to drop $ 15 on lunch. Not outrageous, but menu doesn’t quite honestly reflect that. I’d suggest for an inexpensive casual dinner in the ‘hood, this is absolutely great option. For a reasonable healthy lunch, not quite.

this place is super cute with delicious authentic greek food. my roommate and i came in here later on a friday night and it was pretty full, fortunately we were able to get a table. may need to make resos next time.
we started with Tyrocroquettes, per reco of our very greek server. these were served piping hot and gooey with delicious homemade tzatziki. we also got an order of salad which was loaded with nice ripe tomatoes and piled high with feta. the salad also came with warmed seasoned pita slices.
we shared the Psita tis Oras Poikilia (meat platter for two). seasoned really nicely, a bit heavy on the salt but still really good. i wish there were more skewers as there were only 3 total– 2 chicken and 1 beef. it seemed like the platter was more heavily weighted towards the sausage.
i plan to come back here again to feast on some more salad and try the greek fries, saw a lot of these coming out of the kitchen and they looked delicious!

Super tasty! Came here for lunch at 12:30 on a Friday with a friend. Bit of a wait and the place is a bit loud when its packed — but the food was really delicious and the waitress was very kind. We each had a glass of wine, entrée, shared the greek fries, and one of the dessert specials (yogurt mousse with dark chocolate and oranges). My warm SGR veggie pita was very delicious — nice fresh veggies and warm fluffy pita bread. I will go back and may try take out since I live in the hood (and am addicted to feta cheese).
A welcome addition to midtown! :)

Amazing. Hardly feels like Midtown (thank god) with its cozy, adorable décor and deliciously affordable food. Everything is fresh and well-​prepared and the pita is spot on in terms of warmth and fluffiness.
I walked in late one weeknight recently after hearing rave reviews from a friend who works nearby. The staff was warm and friendly and eager to accommodate my request for a takeout order. Even though I’m sure I diminished the meal’s quality by eating off-​site, my chicken souvlaki and Greek salad were the best I’ve had in a long time. I should have tried the Greek fries, as everyone raves about them from Souvalki GR’s LES location (what can I say, I’m a fool). Can’t wait to return here — it will be a neighborhood go-​to for sure!