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All Reader Reviews of...

Kefi

505 Columbus Ave., New York, NY, 10024
nr. 84th St.
212-873-0200

Avg. Rating

8
Food: 8
Service: 7
Décor: 8
"Recommended"

Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10.

82% would go back.

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Have already been twice in one week!

By curlyraq on 3/6/2009

  • Overall Rating: 9
  • Food: 9
  • Service: 9
  • Décor: 9
  • Yes, I would go back!

I went with my mom for the first time on Saturday night since she was in town visiting and it was right around the corner from my apartment, and I had heard great things about the restaurant and owner Psilakis from Food Network. And let me tell you, we were VERY impressed! The service was speedy, almost too much so, but the food was delicious, every dish that we ordered. I loved it so much that I actually went back with a friend last night because she had been wanting to go there for some time and I was willing because of the great experience I already had. Again, I was very impressed! My favorite dishes so far are the white bean soup (this weeks special) and the chickpea, eggplant souvlaki sandwich. YUM. I tried the roasted lemon chicken last night which was fabulous. Their wine list is also great and their staff is more than friendly to serve you. I even think I am going back again next week with another friend who wants to try it out...I have only great things to say! A great addition to the Upper West Side!

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54 out of 119 people found this review helpful.

This is not Greek food -- not even fake Greek

By simokelli on 3/24/2009

  • Overall Rating: 6
  • Food: 5
  • Service: 7
  • Décor: 10
  • Yes, I would go back!

This is not Greek food but the chef's take on creative cooking using traditional Greek/Mediterranean ingredients in a non-traditional way. The chef has some very obvious cooking idiosyncrasies that mar the aesthetics, such as the excessive use of tomatoes and tomato sauce in most of the dishes. Why so many dishes with red sauce? He forgets that Greeks do not have too many kokkinista dishes. The same is the case with the olives, capers and pickled peppers. Why do they have to be present in every dish? In addition, the pita was not toasted, and therefore too soft to dip into the dips. And the salad although tasty, in no way resembled Greek salad; he needs to change the name. Finally, the menu lacks names of dishes, putting only descriptions of the preparation. Putting the names of the dishes on the menu would enable one to order what one wants to have. While the decor is attractive and Zen-like, the music is what Greeks call "dog house", popular but harsh on the ears.

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92 out of 169 people found this review helpful.

Wonderful...

By bs44106 on 5/24/2009

  • Overall Rating: 9
  • Food: 9
  • Service: 8
  • Décor: 9
  • Yes, I would go back!

We thought the food was great! Excellent souvlaki, the "dips" were really good, especially the hummus. The waiter didn't let us linger, but overall had a good time and felt like the bill was much lower than we expected.

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93 out of 196 people found this review helpful.

Great food, value

By brenlowe on 6/1/2009

  • Overall Rating: 8
  • Food: 8
  • Service: 8
  • Décor: 7
  • Yes, I would go back!

Nice neighborhood place was packed on a recent Saturday, OpenTable helped a ton. Friendly staff served fine-sized portions of delicious food at overwhelmingly affordable prizes. Highly recommended.

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84 out of 182 people found this review helpful.

Worth a visit

By tarrita on 6/5/2009

  • Overall Rating: 7
  • Food: 8
  • Service: 7
  • Décor: 6
  • Yes, I would go back!

I'm glad we stopped in... and had a reservation because it was very busy. Cons: - Tables are incredibly small and close, so it's a little cramped and loud. - Service. Our waitress screwed up our order, forgot to fix the check before giving it to us, and was hardly to be seen when we wanted to order more drinks. Pros: - The food. We had the lamb shank and lamb chop special, which were both delicious and hearty. And although the portions seemed small at first, we both left feeling very full. - The reasonable prices. Our bill came to about $30 per person for entree, tax, tip and drinks.

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152 out of 251 people found this review helpful.

Amazing (and Cheap) Greek Food

By Knickerbocker on 7/26/2009

  • Overall Rating: 10
  • Food: 10
  • Service: 10
  • Décor: 8
  • Yes, I would go back!

The food here is amazing, one of the best deals on the Upper West Side. At more high-end Greek places like Milos and Avra, the fish is the centerpiece. At Kefi, the fish is good too, but their pasta is what really stands out. The flat pasta with pulled, braised rabbit, cooked with dried fruit and pearl onion, is astounding. Their sweetbread, cooked with spinach, garlic, and caper berries, is the most unusual and best sweet bread I've had in New York.

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109 out of 213 people found this review helpful.

I have nothing bad to say.

By Mioz on 9/29/2009

  • Overall Rating: 10
  • Food: 10
  • Service: 10
  • Décor: 9
  • Yes, I would go back!

At all. Everything was terrific. The service, the wait, the value, the food (oh the food...)... everything was just fabulous!

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84 out of 166 people found this review helpful.

Poor service and a poor attitude..

By tranoh on 6/7/2010

  • Overall Rating: 6
  • Food: 9
  • Service: 1
  • Décor: 7
  • No, I would not go back!

I have been to Kefi a handful of times, and until tonight have always had pleasant experience. The food continues to be thoughtfully prepared and fairly priced, but all enjoyment of tonight's meal was soured by the poor behavior of the wait staff. It was bad enough that our server rushed us through our meal (bearing in mind that the restaurant was less than half full), pre-maturely brought the check, and stopped by two additional times to see if we had paid, but worse, when we commented to the manager as we left, he had the audacity to give us an insincere, patronizing, and paternalistic lecture about how it 'breaks my heart to see such sad faces leave the restaurant.' Barf. A simple apology with a promise to talk to the staff would have left me feeling disappointed with my overall dinner, but keen to come back. Now I would never go back to Kefi unless there was a change of management.

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70 out of 133 people found this review helpful.

Terrible Service

By klk12 on 6/7/2010

  • Overall Rating: 5
  • Food: 7
  • Service: 1
  • Décor: 4
  • No, I would not go back!

I have to agree with some other posts. The wait staff and management at kefi need to change to live up to the food- which is very good. If you want a rude waiter who rolls his eyes when you only order a salad and appetizer, and no alchohol, Kefi is your place. If you want a waiter who tries to push you out of the restaurant when there are 10 free tables around you , come here! And if you want a manager who tells you that "you should have gotten him" during your very uncomfortable meal, because that is definitely how you want to spend your evening- arguing with the waiter and manager in front of your table, then come here! It was a terrible experience. Even though the food was good, I left feeling gross for giving this establishment my patronage. And for sitting through a lecture from the manager instead of a simple apology.

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70 out of 139 people found this review helpful.

I order often

By Kelly Maloni (NY MAG) on 8/11/2010

  • Overall Rating: 8
  • Food: 8
  • Service: 8
  • Décor: 8
  • Yes, I would go back!

Love the Kefi burger -- the goat cheese spread and chips with it are to die for. I'm also a huge fan of the appetizer with warm feta, tomato and anchovy.

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57 out of 111 people found this review helpful.

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