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When Café Greco opened in 1987, the restaurant was a pioneer of pan-Mediterranean cuisine, serving dishes that hailed from North Africa, Italy, and Greece. Nowadays, the expansive dining room—with brass railings, blue wainscoting, and pictures of seaside scenes—feels like the canteen of a sleepy cruise ship. The food follows suit. Spanikopita—one of the few explicitly Greek offerings still on the menu—delivers with light and flaky filo encasing steamed spinach, and oysters on the half shell are smooth and fresh. But broiled sea bass tastes bland, and warm mushrooms and artichokes atop cold lettuce makes for a strange salad. Regardless, a steady crowd of old timers and neighborhood regulars find Greco a safe bet. — Laurel A. Fantauzzo

Oysters, $9