Kellari Taverna

(212) 221-0144

19 W 44th St (nr. Fifth Ave.)
New York, NY 10036 40.7552 -73.9806

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Neighborhoods: Midtown Center, Midtown

KELLARI.US

Hours:

Daily 11:30am-12am

Last updated 8.14.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Discover, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Romantic Dining, Special Occasion Dining, Fine Dining, Brunch, Business Dining, Lunch Spot, Group Dining

Cuisine:

Greek, Mediterranean, Seafood

What People Are Saying About Kellari Taverna

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

Cozy Midtown gem serves authentic Greek dishes and also offers an array selection of cocktails for a grand ol' time.

Editor's Tips

What to Drink:
The restaurant offers a wide selection of Greek wines to accompany your meal.
When to Go:
Dance and sing along every first Friday of the month as live entertainers play Greek music to fill the ambience.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. The atmosphere and decor are wonderful.
  2. The staff was attentive and friendly, and the atmosphere was warm, elegant and relaxing.
  3. love the decor too (warm and cozy atmosphere), but the food is what really stands out.
  4. Also the decoration there is something amazing.
  5. The wait staff is friendly and curtious the atmosphere is tran.
  6. If you want to enjoy fantastic Greek food and atmosphere with a significant other, family or friends in town visiting or for any other occasion, don' t pass up a visit to Kellari.
  7. Dim light makes for a real romantic setting.
  8. golden lighting, rustic yet classy decor, a beautiful display of fresh seafood, and live Greek music too.
  9. The ambiance is incredible.
  10. This cozy restaurant is right in the center of the most famous city, New York.
  11. Everything from the ambience to the food was absolutely perfect.
  12. Kellari is a beautiful restaurant with a convenient midtown location that serves delicious Greek food.
  13. The decor is beautiful, service is decent, but most importantly.
  14. This place was gorgeous- beautiful colors, dramatic draperies and fabrics, warm lighting, minimal but modern decor.
  15. It gives you a romantic dinning.
dessert
83.33000183105469% positive
  1. their chocolate cake with fig icing was the perfect end to a perfect meal.
  2. My mouth is watering just thinking about the wonderful appetizers not to mention the superb entrees and devine desserts!
drinks
87.5% positive
  1. Good wine list with many Greek and domestic selections by the glass.
  2. enjoyed fresh kalarmai, a whole grilled medditerranean lavraki, and fished the meal with fresh pressed yogurt with walnuts and honey and coffee.
  3. My wife enjoyed a spanakopita, which are spinich and feta filled phyllo dough pies, a generous fillet of halibut topped with feta cheese, (she loves cheese:), and finished with tea and a greek custard delicacy, Galactabourico.
  4. The portions are sizeable, wine is priced very reasonably, service is so friendly and helpful and the lighting is perfect!
  5. If you want good seafood and great drinks this is your place.
  6. The food, wine and professional service were the best.
  7. We loved the fish and chicken and especially the Greek wine.
  8. The bar is almost always full with folks wating for a table.
  9. The big mirrors, the tables, the candles and the full bar, are much more of any expectation.
  10. My friends and I like fish and good wine.
food quality
91.21000289916992% positive
  1. am being slight dramatic its true - I've frequented this for lunch as the $25 pre fix is pretty good value and tasty for a slightly fancier midtown place.
  2. could believe the excellent Greek food this restaurant is preparing.
  3. When the server approached our table instaed of a welcome we were told we could not order food for a half hour because the kitchen was not ready but could have a cocktail
  4. The very fresh fish and the friendly atmosphaire, are the strong point of this restaurant.
  5. In a town where the standard is high for good Greek food, Kellari stands out.
  6. The dining room is beautiful and that is a shame because this place will not last with reheated food, unorganized staff , terrible food and poor service for a $200 meal.
  7. had an amazing experience at Kellari Taverna one Friday night starting at the hospitability of the staff and the food which was so fresh and delicious.
  8. Kellari has delicious and fresh seafood.
  9. If you want good seafood and great drinks this is your place.
  10. eat fish daily and have trouble finding good places in NY.
  11. The veggie "chips" were great (most things fried are), the meatballs were savory and better than I expected, the rice and spinach mostly made of spinach and tasty, and the Greek salad a delicious bowl of tomato chunks, feta, and spices.
  12. We loved the fish and chicken and especially the Greek wine.
  13. golden lighting, rustic yet classy decor, a beautiful display of fresh seafood, and live Greek music too.
  14. and the bread is really amazing.
  15. You want good greek food go to Astoria.
  16. If you want to enjoy fantastic Greek food and atmosphere with a significant other, family or friends in town visiting or for any other occasion, don' t pass up a visit to Kellari.
  17. The hostess the waiter and the food was all amazing.
  18. Awesome service, food and vibe
  19. Kellari is a beautiful restaurant with a convenient midtown location that serves delicious Greek food.
  20. The food was excellent and very fresh.
  21. As for the main course, at a Greek restaurant, always order whole fish, especially if it is imported.
  22. enjoyed fresh kalarmai, a whole grilled medditerranean lavraki, and fished the meal with fresh pressed yogurt with walnuts and honey and coffee.
  23. Their seafood is the best in town.
  24. Best fresh fish in the City!
  25. had fresh Whole fish called Lavraki or Bronzino and was cooked perfectly.
  26. Octopus, squid and whole fish were delicious.
  27. without tax or tip - it was nice I suppose but for that money you should be getting a plate full of fecking kobe fillet with gold leaf bernaise I reckon as opposed to a lightly grilled piece of greek haddock with chips (okay, quite nice lemon roasted juli
  28. Everything from the ambience to the food was absolutely perfect.
  29. Very very fresh fish and a great selection of mezze.
  30. The salad (xoriatiki) with excellent farm tomatoes, oysters, octapus, tzatziki, and grilled calamari (not a favorite on the table, but good).
  31. am a New Yorker and i love good Greek food.
  32. The excellent selection of psaria (fresh fish) was gorgeous; we had red mullets to start and they were so sweet and flavorful, just as our server tells us.
  33. The mousaka was cold in the center and obviously a reheated casserole with a dreadful yogurt sauce.
  34. The seafood, while a bit expensive, was wonderful.
  35. the food is amazing.
  36. First time it was costly but food was ok, last time food was mediocre and therefore way overpriced.
  37. Everything was fresh and delicious.
  38. outstanding fish
  39. The food, wine and professional service were the best.
  40. An incredible deal, amazing food, fabulous service
  41. have been many times in this restaurant and I find it to be one of my personal favors in New York for the food, fresh fish and friendly service.
  42. Everything was very fresh (fish was excellent).
  43. The service is impeccable, and the food leaves absolutely nothing to be desired!
  44. The food I fantastic, the waitstaff knowledgable and charming.
  45. So overall, the food, what is most important, was very good.
  46. My friends and I like fish and good wine.
  47. The main dish as good as the appetizer, we share a nice Fagri (Mediterranean white snaper).
  48. The fresh fish display had from Live lobsters to a 10 pound Red Snapper.
  49. The food was delicious.
  50. their chocolate cake with fig icing was the perfect end to a perfect meal.
  51. Great Greek food!
  52. Dinner was nice - very traditional Greek menu which means alot of fish.
  53. While I do not enjoy seafood, all of my friends have told me they have the best seafood in the city.
  54. love the decor too (warm and cozy atmosphere), but the food is what really stands out.
  55. think the vino was by the glass at north of $13 perhaps (rather steep) and where we really got hosed was the fish - the best fish in greece we were told and if you buy it, it serves two - its $35 a lb or so, waiter confirmed we'd get a pound or thereabo
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. The excellent selection of psaria (fresh fish) was gorgeous; we had red mullets to start and they were so sweet and flavorful, just as our server tells us.
  2. The pre-fixe dinner menu was a surprisingly good value.
  3. Dinner was nice - very traditional Greek menu which means alot of fish.
  4. Good wine list with many Greek and domestic selections by the glass.
  5. Very very fresh fish and a great selection of mezze.
overall
100.0% positive
  1. The best restaurant in Manhattan
  2. highly recommended because i thing its the best Greek restaurant in the city period.
  3. The best restaurant in Manhattan is Kellari for sure.
  4. Our server was very nice but she should not have been working in this place, yet.
  5. Hands down the best greek restaurant in the city.
  6. Very nice restaurant
  7. am being slight dramatic its true - I've frequented this for lunch as the $25 pre fix is pretty good value and tasty for a slightly fancier midtown place.
  8. Very nice place!
  9. If you want good seafood and great drinks this is your place.
  10. The best restaurant!
return potential
33.3299994468689% positive
  1. without tax or tip - it was nice I suppose but for that money you should be getting a plate full of fecking kobe fillet with gold leaf bernaise I reckon as opposed to a lightly grilled piece of greek haddock with chips (okay, quite nice lemon roasted juli
service
87.22000122070312% positive
  1. The staff was attentive and friendly, and the atmosphere was warm, elegant and relaxing.
  2. When the server approached our table instaed of a welcome we were told we could not order food for a half hour because the kitchen was not ready but could have a cocktail
  3. The excellent selection of psaria (fresh fish) was gorgeous; we had red mullets to start and they were so sweet and flavorful, just as our server tells us.
  4. had an amazing experience at Kellari Taverna one Friday night starting at the hospitability of the staff and the food which was so fresh and delicious.
  5. The portions are sizeable, wine is priced very reasonably, service is so friendly and helpful and the lighting is perfect!
  6. The service is very good also.
  7. The wait staff is friendly and curtious the atmosphere is tran.
  8. On the two recent occasions I ate there, the servers were just so helpful, with a lot of extra attention.
  9. have been many times in this restaurant and I find it to be one of my personal favors in New York for the food, fresh fish and friendly service.
  10. We had an early reservation and were seated promtly by a very nice hostess.
  11. The host and wait staff were very attentive and not over bearing.
  12. The dining room is beautiful and that is a shame because this place will not last with reheated food, unorganized staff , terrible food and poor service for a $200 meal.
  13. The service was a little slow, but friendly.
  14. The decor is beautiful, service is decent, but most importantly.
  15. The server was also very friendly and made us feel right at home.
  16. sequence of may 10 people in total attended to us which seemed very inefficient and didn't really make one feel like one was receiving "good" service - rather served to discombobulate the whole thing.
  17. The food, wine and professional service were the best.
  18. The very fresh fish and the friendly atmosphaire, are the strong point of this restaurant.
  19. All the staff was just wonderful.
  20. The service is impeccable, and the food leaves absolutely nothing to be desired!
  21. Service is friendly but slow and extremely uninformed.
  22. Awesome service, food and vibe
  23. have never been as outraged by terrible service as I was at Kellari Restaurant.
  24. An incredible deal, amazing food, fabulous service
  25. think the vino was by the glass at north of $13 perhaps (rather steep) and where we really got hosed was the fish - the best fish in greece we were told and if you buy it, it serves two - its $35 a lb or so, waiter confirmed we'd get a pound or thereabo
  26. The hostess the waiter and the food was all amazing.
  27. We didn't have a reservation, but the hostess was awesome and received us with a smile.
  28. The staff is very friendly and attentive, but not at all bothersome.
  29. The waiter was friendly and knowledgeable -he wasn't Greek, but he was able to pronounce and explain everything, even the manager came by to welcome us.
  30. Our server was very nice but she should not have been working in this place, yet.
value
70.37000179290771% positive
  1. The pre-fixe dinner menu was a surprisingly good value.
  2. The portions are sizeable, wine is priced very reasonably, service is so friendly and helpful and the lighting is perfect!
  3. am being slight dramatic its true - I've frequented this for lunch as the $25 pre fix is pretty good value and tasty for a slightly fancier midtown place.
  4. Very poor value
  5. The dinner situation is pleasant but the pricing got waaay out of control.
  6. First time it was costly but food was ok, last time food was mediocre and therefore way overpriced.
  7. The seafood, while a bit expensive, was wonderful.
  8. My wife enjoyed a spanakopita, which are spinich and feta filled phyllo dough pies, a generous fillet of halibut topped with feta cheese, (she loves cheese:), and finished with tea and a greek custard delicacy, Galactabourico.
  9. without tax or tip - it was nice I suppose but for that money you should be getting a plate full of fecking kobe fillet with gold leaf bernaise I reckon as opposed to a lightly grilled piece of greek haddock with chips (okay, quite nice lemon roasted juli
wait time
58.33000183105469% positive
  1. Service is friendly but slow and extremely uninformed.
  2. The service was a little slow, but friendly.
1 Star Rating: Poor

02/27/11

Big Disappointment

by ackgirl at Citysearch

Maybe it was the fact that it was Sunday Brunch. Or maybe this is just not a good restaurant anymore. I had Sunday Brunch at Kellari's with 10 people and not one of the people in the group was happy with the food. It took forever to get the food - this while there were only two or three other tables with diners. Once we received the food no one got food that was warmer than room temperature. There was barely any actual Greek food on the menu. I ordered Greek Toast and it turned out to be french toast and nothing more. I will never come back to this place even though maybe the food is more Greek at dinner. I couldn't care less. If you don't want to be bothered with brunch then don't open your restaurant. Yuck!

4 Star Rating: Recommended

03/07/10

Terrific Greek Cuisine

by gbarry at Citysearch

We had a wonderful Valentine's dinner there. The seafood, while a bit expensive, was wonderful. Octopus, squid and whole fish were delicious. Our server was very nice but she should not have been working in this place, yet. Still too green. She had help from the wine captain and the floor manager so it was not a disaster but just a bit too many times craning my head to see where xxx was (water, wine, food,dessert menu, etc.)

We will return. Highly recommend a coupon at restaurantdotcom. We saved $50 off the bill with wine!

  • Pros: Flavors and quality
  • Cons: Service a bit lacking
4 Star Rating: Recommended

05/15/09

Very nice restaurant

by disneyqueen at Citysearch

I had never dined at Kellari and decided to try. We were a party of 8 with reservations for 6pm. Arrived early and had cocktails at the bar. The bar offers a selection of Greek olives, crackers, dips and cheeses to munch on while enjoying a cocktail of your choice. The Sangria (Red or White) is excellent.

Dinner was nice - very traditional Greek menu which means alot of fish. This is definately not the place for a non-seafood eater. There is 1 chicken dish, 1 steak dish and 1 lamb dish offered. A few of us commented that the entrees seemd below par in comparison to the appetizers offered. The salmon entree, while very fresh and delicious could have been warmer upon presentation and an Ozo and seafood dish had clams that were not cleaned properly so you had "grit" and there were "broken clam" shells in the pasta. Fortunately I had my glasses on so I could pick out the bits of shell.

Should we have told the server; probably. But everything else was fine.

Personally I would not return here for dinner only due to the lack of "non-seafood" offerings. However I definately would like to return for cocktails and appetizers at the bar with friends.

  • Pros: Fresh seafood, excellent service and great Sangria!
  • Cons: Not enough selections for non-seafood eaters
1 Star Rating: Poor

05/09/09

Robbed of my money

by aldo2002 at Citysearch

I am being slight dramatic its true - I've frequented this for lunch as the $25 pre fix is pretty good value and tasty for a slightly fancier midtown place. The dinner situation is pleasant but the pricing got waaay out of control. I think the vino was by the glass at north of $13 perhaps (rather steep) and where we really got hosed was the fish - the best fish in greece we were told and if you buy it, it serves two - its $35 a lb or so, waiter confirmed we'd get a pound or thereabouts. Bill comes and the fish was $78!! without tax or tip - it was nice I suppose but for that money you should be getting a plate full of fecking kobe fillet with gold leaf bernaise I reckon as opposed to a lightly grilled piece of greek haddock with chips (okay, quite nice lemon roasted juliened potatoes - $180 total for this meal where we shared the main course was ridiculous - I'll be back but only for lunch and only b/c I was on expenses. Overall the servers were a bit bewildered. I was waiting for someone to join me for about 10 mins and 2 different people tried to steal my soon to arrive dining partners place setting - one of them tried twice despite my protests! A sequence of may 10 people in total attended to us which seemed very inefficient and didn't really make one feel like one was receiving "good" service - rather served to discombobulate the whole thing.....

  • Pros: Decor, taramasalata, nice steeze..
  • Cons: Hornswaggling larcenous waiter
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

02/06/09

Amazing

by bogdycruise at Citysearch

Great place to have a dinner and good time with friends.. Service was perfect.. The server seemed to be able to read my mind.. Everything I needed was delivered before I even asked for it.. Great decor and delicious food.. I will definitelly go back and hopefully make this place a regular place to eat..

  • Pros: seating , service , food

The Details on Kellari Taverna

Place Categories:

  • delicious good greek food
  • friendly fabulous service
  • best new york restaurant
  • fresh fish
  • beautiful place
  • best seafood
  • best greek restaurant
  • very fresh everything
  • fantastic atmosphere
  • very nice hostess
  • totally enjoyed enjoyable experience
  • mediocre last time food
  • beautiful decor
  • smaller sister restaurant
  • smaller parea
  • slow service
  • always order whole fish
  • nice dinner
  • very nice server
  • good wine
  • excellent oysters
  • warm lighting
  • beautiful fish display
  • friendly wait staff
  • surprisingly good value