After visiting the NY Transit Museum in Brooklyn on a rainy day in January, we headed back to Manhattan and were beyond ready for a filling lunch in a nice warm spot. We happened upon Kellari's... More

After visiting the NY Transit Museum in Brooklyn on a rainy day in January, we headed back to Manhattan and were beyond ready for a filling lunch in a nice warm spot. We happened upon Kellari's Parea and after seeing their Prix Fixe lunch menu we decided to call this place home for the next hour or so. We were seated in a quiet booth in the middle of the restaurant and were only one of about six patrons (it was the middle of the afternoon, in the no-man's land between proper lunch and dinner). We started with the avgolemono soup. It was a lovely chicken soup but the lemon flavor normally found in avgolemono soup was noticeably absent. It did have a stick-to-your-ribs quality that was comforting, but I really missed the lemon flavor. Next was moussaka in a huge earthen crock. It was beyond heavenly and I wish I could have just curled up into it for the afternoon. The portions were large, especially for New York City, and I ended up taking more than half of it and my dessert home (and had the most amazing breakfast the next day!). Dessert was rice pudding....truly the best I have ever tasted. The pudding was an ode to toasty creamy goodness with a light dusting of nutmeg on top; makes me drool just to think of it. Overall, a wonderful meal (must remember to request a cut lemon for the soup next time) and we'll most definitely be back!
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My clients wanted to try a nice greek place , so I brought them to kellari's parea and they loved it . The food was great , we had alot of the appetizers , but the fried zuchinniballs and the... More

My clients wanted to try a nice greek place , so I brought them to kellari's parea and they loved it . The food was great , we had alot of the appetizers , but the fried zuchinniballs and the octapous were my favorite. They also liked the grilled kalamari and the shrimp santorini . The main course was just as good , the yesterdays lamb , the lambchops and the fish were all very good. The staff was very friendly and attentive and the manger suggested an exellent wine. No room for anything after dinner because the portions were big considering the decent prices (compare to other places in the area). I would go back again , but next time I will leave room for desert .
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Come to Kellari's Parea on New Year's Eve where we will be broadcasting the Times Square celebration and hosting a feast of our own, including live Greek music and dance starting at 8 pm. ... More

Come to Kellari's Parea on New Year's Eve where we will be broadcasting the Times Square celebration and hosting a feast of our own, including live Greek music and dance starting at 8 pm. Celebrate the Holidays with your "Friends & Family" at Kellari.
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I never write on these things but I specifically registered for this site to share my experience at this restaurant. This was, if not the worst experience I have had at a restaurant, one of the... More

I never write on these things but I specifically registered for this site to share my experience at this restaurant. This was, if not the worst experience I have had at a restaurant, one of the worst experiences I have had. When first arriving at Kellari's Parea me and my family were sat at a table all the way in the back in a corner with the air blowing on us. As we did not want to be freezing the entire meal we asked the sleazy pony-tailed manager if we could switch to another table for four away from the air. Although I did not hear this conversation my family member told our table that the manager was beyond nasty and told her, after another family member already sat at the new table, that it looked like we already made up our mind about changing tables before asking him. This was unimaginable as you never treat a customer that way. Thinking this was bad enough, while we were waiting for the fourth member of our party to arrive, the manager came over again to remove the fourth place setting at our table. I began to tell him please not to remove the setting as the fourth member of our party was right behind him. The manager's response was, "I am sick of you're attitude. I have had enough. I will not take this." This was unspeakable and I was flabbergasted. I almost got up and walked out right then and there. When mentioning this to the other manager he simply did not know how to handle it and laughingly apologized (if I can even call it that). The wait staff was inexperienced and flat out untrained. I felt disrespected and appalled for the entire duration of the meal. Restaurant goers should know how disgusting this place is and how they treat their paying customers. This place should be shut down - please do not give them your business. The combination of the food and service was horrendous. Pros: Decent atmosphere Cons: Service, managers, food, EVERYTHING..just horrendous!
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I have been in Kellari's Parea for 2 times. For the food, I have nothing to complain. But, with this price level, I would expect a better service. First of all, even we have made reservation (10+... More

I have been in Kellari's Parea for 2 times. For the food, I have nothing to complain. But, with this price level, I would expect a better service. First of all, even we have made reservation (10+ people each time), we still have to wait. We waited for 45 minutes the 1st time and around 30 minutes the 2nd time. For businessmen who have very tight schedule, I don't think that it's good place for lunch. Secondly, the wait staff there do not pay attention to our orders. They messed up the orders, gave us the wrong food. We asked for water 3 times and still had not get any. For the first visit, we actually have pre-set our menu, the servers just have to take the order from 2 choices of entrees. The 2nd visit was at dinner time and it seemed to be better in services. Pros: food,ambiance Cons: service
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This Greek restaurant is so cozy and intimate...I had my surprise Bridal Shower here and had the whole place closed for a private party. The food was actually very good, along with the... More

This Greek restaurant is so cozy and intimate...I had my surprise Bridal Shower here and had the whole place closed for a private party. The food was actually very good, along with the service...we had various Greek mezedakia such as spinach pies, Greek salad, grilled octopus, Jumbo fire grilled Shrimp, fried calamari and keftedakia and we also had a choice of lamb with lemon potatoes and lavraki (whole fish) for main course, ... following, the desserts were to die for! Everything was fresh, tasty and the lamb meat was so tender! The manager was so helpful in planning the party with my mom and sisters, he had wonderful ideas, from the menu, to cocktails, to decor! I highly recommend this place if you are looking to get your monies worth...Ever since the party I have gone back with my fiance' for dinner several times...and if you want to kick it up a notch...I would go with a group of friends on a Friday night where they have live Greek Music! That'll be a nights worth of Dinner, Drinking and Dancing!!! Pros: Friendly Staff
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As I have stated at other blogs spots, I write to these review area on frequents occasion. I dined a few weeks ago at Parea, and the weak service actually outshines the food (sadly enough). This... More

As I have stated at other blogs spots, I write to these review area on frequents occasion. I dined a few weeks ago at Parea, and the weak service actually outshines the food (sadly enough). This was not my first visit, but the fourth. Food had been fine before, even thought they overhauled their entire menu 6 months into business. Nothing says a failing business like massive, frantic changes to decor or food or level of service. The original menu was quite good; tasty, fall-off-the-bone lamb shank, gigantes (great big butterbeans braised in a tomato dill broth) and other Greek favorites. Now, they have a big fish display loaded with ice and todays' selection. Upon my first visit, the fish was fresh, bright, clear and shiny. The chef payed heavy attention to re-icing and adjusting the fish as they vanished. A great combo of local fish paired with air-shipped Greek standards. My second and third trips over the summer yielded similar tasty results. Service had always lacked here, whether we had a server who never seemed to be around or one who struggled with the most basic fundamentals of service. Seems like the training of the staff is not a high priority. But with this recent outing, things have gone way downhill. The fish display was tired, sparse and a bit old looking (cloudy eyes & split bellies exposing insides---YIKES!). Where was that selection? Have they changed chefs for some reason? Our calamari appeared appetizing enough, but from the first to the last (that would be the third) bite, it smelled of ammonia. We returned the calamari, but management never addressed the situation. Our fish was sad looking and bland. The manager thought it was better to sit at the bar with some local ladies than speak to us about the food. He sent over an assistant who graciously told us that we would pay for the calamari because the manager didn't see the plate get returned. How could he when the ladies were there?! Not worth it: Try someplace else IMHO. Pros: Very nice interior, upbeat Greek music Cons: weak service, extremely indiffernet managment, old fish
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So bad....... After the so bad experience then I had at Kellari 44 street, here comes the second one at Kellary Parea Taverna . Im greek and restaurant owner in Athens for 12 years, I know very... More

So bad....... After the so bad experience then I had at Kellari 44 street, here comes the second one at Kellary Parea Taverna . Im greek and restaurant owner in Athens for 12 years, I know very good what is the Greek hospitality and the Tradition Greek food, both Kellari are still to far from the Tradition Greek Food. Maybe they protect as tradition Greek Restaurant or Taverna but is NOT AT ALL. The service is SO BAD and as a owner i understand how this restaurant is not taking care the guest's. As a Greek I feel more bad , because we are proud for our service and hospitality. I wish the New Yorkers have the chance in the future and visit the ORIGINAL TRADITION TAVERNA and enjoy the UNIQUE EXPERIENCE of the Tradition Greek Food, and not that BAD Imitations.
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We took a girlfriend here for her birthday and this was definately one of the better places I have been to in a long time! When making reservations we were told that there would be live music. We... More

We took a girlfriend here for her birthday and this was definately one of the better places I have been to in a long time! When making reservations we were told that there would be live music. We were a bit concerned about the noise level and requested a table away from the band. When we arrived everyone knew about this request and we were seated near the entrance. The music turned out to be greek, great and not all that noisy at all so we decided to ask if we could get a little closer after all. The place was fully booked but 3 members of the staff got involved to get us a different table! Once we moved our old waiter came by to see if we were happy a few times during the evening. The level of service was amazing. We did not leave until 1:00AM and no one ever pushed us to clear our seats. Instead we were given a round of drinks on the house since we had already paid and our glasses were empty. The food was amazing! Starting with the little arrangement of pita bread and spreads that arrives as soon as you sit down, to wonderful seafood dishes and the free cookie assortment at the end we loved everything. I can only highly recommend this place. The staff is amazing and made us feel like we were family members. We will absolutely be back! Pros: great staff AND food.
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I love this place! Amazing assortment of delicious dishes...easy to share and perfect for a date or a group of girlfriends out for dinner. I love the olive, cheese, and pita assortment each table... More

I love this place! Amazing assortment of delicious dishes...easy to share and perfect for a date or a group of girlfriends out for dinner. I love the olive, cheese, and pita assortment each table receives when you first sit down. And the cookies (also on the house) that you get once you pay the bill are amazing! The honey one is my fave ;) Pros: Location, "on the house" cookies, menu selection
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