Desfina Restaurant

Wonderful Greek restaurant! We had a wonderful meal for two and the check came to $ 60 and we had a glass of wine, beer, two lamb dishes, coffee an a dessert to share. Quality, delicious, value meal! Highly recommended. Also, staff is very friendly and provide excellent service.

Some of the best bread, service, and overall food-​for-​price in the Boston/​Cambridge area.

This is my second time at a authentic greek place, and boy it sure is authentic! The service and venue is great. The waiting staff is very friendly and ready to assist you with anything you need. The overall size of the restaurant is quite small but this just adds to the authenticity to the place. My favorite thing to get here is the lamb kebabs. If you go there I highly recommend ordering the Saganaki OPA! (Cheese on Fire)

Desfina’s probably has the best grilled chicken salad I’ve ever had. The chicken comes in large juicy chunks which are plenty to fill you up. The feta is also delicious along with the side bread. I’ve ordered out for lunch and they are pretty quick preparing orders. I’d go back to try other dishes. The staff was also cheery and helpful.

Finally an Authentic Greek place! Boiled greens (horta), Greek salad (Horiatiki: tomato, cucumber, peppers all covered in olive oil) and delicious «village» style bread.
From the main courses: lamb dishes, mousakas, pastitsio, octopus, cod fillet etc. all very high quality food!
Kitchen stays open late, which is excellent (they are Greek after all. Closing early would be a very bad sign). And! They have a bar to select from a range of drinks.
All in all– I come here for late dinners quite frequently, when I’m looking to satisfy my craving of a home cooked meal!
Parking: right across the street reserved for Desfina customers (free)

Desfina is a very good restaurant if you would like to experience greek cuisine. The menu is not that extensive but everything is delicious.
I was there with a friend of mine for lunch and we ordered the grilled octopus for an appetizer. I tried the Roast Lamb as a main course and few different wines from the Island of Santorini and they all were very interesting. Out server was very attentive and took great care of us.
Will go back for my birthday in few days again with a big group of people. I’m recommending the place to everyone.

Tucked in the corner of a quiet street, this place seems to be very popular for lunch (at least take-​out by the people who most likely work in nearby buildings/​companies). We got situated pretty quickly and ordered chicken kebab and lamb souvlaki. Each comes with a bowl of Greek salad (unfortunately bland with no salt but is thankfully served with a bottle of some sort of olive oil/​lemon juice/​herb dressing), and you can order a side. Chicken was very tender on the inside and had the nice char from the grill. I didn’t get to try the lamb but it looked perfectly cooked. Definitely filling portions. Service is pretty quick too, we were in and out in 30 – 45 minutes.

Literally the best soup (chicken and rice) I’ve had in my whole life. I’ve gotten most of my office pretty addicted to it, so we’re usually there for lunch at least once a week. The Greek salad is hard to beat (what is in that homemade dressing!!!) with a huge block of feta on it. Great service, even during lunch hour rush. Will definitely continue to be a regular here.

Nice food made a fast stop to kill some time. Just got a app fried zucchini. Was the best I’ve has nice and light and crispy. Very good. No idea about the other food. It did seem a little pricy

First time ever in a greek restaurant. One word AMAZING! We ordered grilled lamb, octopus and a shrimp risotto. The lamb a bit too well done, but not enough to ruin it. Shrimp was unforgetable. Service extremely friendly. The only reason I’m not giving five stars is for the portion size. The food is just too good not to serve larger portions!
And yes, I am planning to return there.
Recommended!

Yum! I loved the Moussaka and really liked their house dressing for the side salad. Most importantly, the staff at this place was so friendly to my 10-​month old son. It didn’t seem kid friendly at all when we walked in but they were so nice to us despite our grumpy, messy little guy.

Desfina does not look like an amazing restaurant from outside. And also inside, it doesn’t look so very stylish. But as a Mediterranean, I approve the food! The place is owned by Greeks, and it really is a true Greek tavern. Rather than getting entrées, I would recommend getting bunch of appetizers and a bottle of Greek wine. Grilled octopus and saganaki are my favorites.

What a surprise it was to find this little gem tucked in off the beaten path! A delightful experience with well prepared Greek fare in a quaint homey atmosphere.

Never disappoints! I had the Mediterranean Sea Bass which was grilled to perfection. My friend had the lamb chops and raved about them!
The service is always fast (but not rushed) and attentive! Best Greek food in Cambridge!

Love the authentic Greek food here! I feel like I’m in Greece when I eat here! Everything is fresh and delicious, from the greek chicken salads to the gyros, grilled octopus, eggplant salad, saganaki, mmm Its hard to pick my favorite dish. The customer service is great as well! I will definitely be back!

I went here with my Greek friend, who just moved to Boston. Figured, because the sandwich and pizza place same owner own across the street is good, this restaurant would be too.
Definitely wrong assumption.
1. Even if you show up for early lunch, you are stuffed into worst tables, because «they will have a rush of customers». Well guess what, we were there until 1PM and rush did not happen.
2. Wait staff is courtous and nice, so so extra points there
3. Atmosphere in general — this is a dive. Nothing has been touched since the 80s. Place is in desperate need of deep cleaning, fresh paint, and new furniture.
Lastly — food. I have had enough Greek food to now what is average and what is good. This joint is average. Even medium rare lamb tasted dry. Salad was bowl full of limp salad mix.
Next time I am going across the street to their sandwich joint.

Greek mythology tells us of wild and magical creatures that roamed mythical lands and cast spells upon the earth, showering the heavens with stories that live in the clouds for eternity.
It has been said that the Greek marinade and dressing that flavors the chicken and sauce in which we dip our bread at Desfina was made by a mythical creature of great power and knowledge. The recipes were seen as expressions of insanity — who in their right mind thought of such a mixture?
Like Picasso’s early works, the chicken marinade only gets better hours, even days, perhaps weeks after consumption. You may find yourself thinking of the true meaning of what it represents. It’s not just chicken. It was born from the heavens of strange and promised lands in only stories we tell our children.

Upon entering the restaurant, the hostess gave us the option to sit wherever we’d like. There was Greek music playing in the background. Each table had blue tablecloth and white paper on top of it with black chairs. Some of the walls were brick while other were painted walls. Some walls had Greek décor on them. The restaurant was semi-​tinted.
Despite the slow service, the food was above par. Please allow at least two hours for dinner. For drink, my table ordered Aris and iced tea. For appetizers, we ordered the homemade soup of the day, which was Egg Lemon Soup. The Egg Lemon Soup consisted of tender shredded chicken and soft rice. We felt that the soup was a bit too lemony. My mom ordered the Grilled Octopus, which was tender cuts of octopus tentacles marinated in olive oil and lemon. We felt that the grilled octopus was loaded with flavor! Each entrée came with a side Greek Salad, which consisted of romaine lettuce, sliced red onions, large tomato wedge, crumbled Feta cheese, and homemade greek salad dressing on the side. My dad ordered the Mussel Chabis, which was about two dozen medium sized mussels sauteed with diced onion, diced tomatoes, kalamata olives, chopped garlic, parsley, and white wine. It came with garlic bread, which was great for dipping into the sauce. My brother ordered Chicken Kebab, which was charcoal grilled chicken on a skewer with tomatoes, green peppers, and onions. The Chicken Kebab and vegetables had a dry grilled flavor but it wasn’t dry at all. The rice had a pumpkin sauce on top. I ordered the Moussaka, which was layers of sauteed eggplant, potato, and ground meats and topped with Bechamel sauce. The Moussaka came with my favorite traditional side of vegetables — sauteed green beans with diced tomatoes and garlic. I loved the green beans!!! Although, I was surprised that the Moussaka wasn’t covered in tomato sauce.

We got lunch and ordered the baked lamb, tzatziki, & saganaki opa. The lamb was fall off the bone tender, rich and tasty. The rice that came with it was flavorless with texture similar to Uncle Ben’s instant rice. The tzatziki was delicious, but a VERY small portion (the size of a small sauce plate). Athenian Corner in Lowell gives you a full dinner plate full of tzatziki sauce with pita and saltine crackers to dip (and it’s 5 cents cheaper, just saying). The saganaki opa was burnt and too salty. It was my first time eating it so maybe it’s supposed to be as salty as the ocean and burnt all over the bottom. I just don’t know.
The service was okay. Our waiter was very green. He dropped one of our knives on the floor and then forgot to give us a new knife. Otherwise, he was nice, filled our water, and would kindly answer our questions.
The décor is «homey, family-​owned», meaning it leaves much to be desired. It could use better lighting. Perhaps it’s more romantic at night.
No wait for a table at lunch.
I think I’ll get my Greek food from Athenian Corner. (I am not sponsored by them, I promise. They have belly dancing at night, FYI)

This place makes the whole block smell great! Popped in for some gyros, the lamb is excellent! Huge tender chunks, nicely marinated, and with the tzatziki sauce and grilled pita for less than $ 10 (includes fries). It’s a pretty good deal considering you’re in Cambridge.