07/22/08

Had a most lovely experience, and have recommended to friends since.

by joynyc

Went for the first time this June with two friends who have been raving about Telly's. We sat in the lovely garden in the back that has a winding grape vine and grape leaves for a ceiling. Next to us was a large party of a Greek family laughing and enjoying their food. I did hear the trains initially, but after a few minutes the infectious laughter and atmosphere made me forget I was even in New York.

We ordered a carafe of the "green" or young wine, a perfect refreshing drink for summer.

Now the food, we ordered sardines, and lots of appetizers like bean salad, greek salad, beet salad, humus, and greens. The food was incredibly fresh and delicious...and those sardines...MMmm mmm.

Like mentioned in the other posts we were given a dessert on the house, a lightly sweetened fried dough that was delicious.

Our server was very sweet and nice, and so was the owner who greeted us when we arrived and when we left. It was definately a great experience, and one that I will repeat again, even though it means I will make the trek from Manhattan to Queens.

• Pros: ambience, fresh food, lovely owner
• Cons: Queens

04/23/08

Can Get Crowded, But Food is Worth the Wait. And Easy on the Wallet

by MrAntiaris

Been to Telly's a couple of times and always satisfied with the place. Dont go in expecting anything fancy, since taverna is in the name, tight, family style seating is what you get. Everything is always fresh and it is definetely a place if you like/love seafood, but all their chops are top notch also.

Most recently went with a bunch of friends after the Greek Independence Day parade, so you could imagine it was packed(being in Astoria and all). Had the grilled swordfish which was eyes rolling into the back of the head good. We also did heavy appetizers which I would recommend. Fried calamari, grilled octopus, greek style fried potatoes, cheeses, Spreads(tsatsiki, taramasalata etc) and salads were great. Go here with an appetite. And go crazy when you order. We all walked away stuffed and with the overkill of our order only came to 35 per person with tip. I'll be going back soon.

• Pros: great, fresh food. Affordable
• Cons: can get crowded

01/23/08

BAD Service, extremely rude waitresses!

by cg212

Horrible experience before even looking at the menu!! Usually my bf and I go out for dinner on the weekend, but we really felt like seafood, so we thought of returning to Telly's one Monday night at around 9:30pm. My boyfriend and I walked in on a chilly night and were seated at the front of the restaurant where the facade doors were open. Bf walked to the waitress to ask if we could move further in and pointed to a table for four. As he turned around to walk back to me, the waitress was fixing up a two-top right in the same vicinity as the four-top. We moved to the four-top and I told my bf that I think they miscommunicated and that the waitress probably wants us to sit at the two-top. He said, it's ok, we're already sitting and the restaurant is pretty empty, it shouldn't be a problem.

The waitress came over and literally dropped the menus on our table. Bf wanted to leave but I insisted we stay. As I was sitting facing the waitresses, I see the waitress looking over at us, talking to another waitress who also looked over at our table. They both made nasty faces. I told my bf that maybe we should have moved to the other table. But we had already settled and I realized it was ridiculous since the restaurant was only 1/4 full if that and it was a Monday night past peak time.

The other waitress walked over and instead of taking our order, she asked us, "Did someone tell you to sit here?" That was it, we walked out after that and vowed never to return. It is a shame because the owner whom we met during our last visit was very nice. This is totally unacceptable. If you want good Greek seafood AND excellent service I would highly recommend Taverna Kyclades......................NOT Telly's.

• Pros: Good food, nice owner
• Cons: Nasty waitresses, unacceptably rude behavior