Ethos Meze East Village

Went here with a friend and bought their $ 25 for $ 50 (definitely worth it — buy it!!!) We ordered 2 appetizers and 2 entrees just so that we would fulfill the $ 50 spending limit. The portions are huge! We ordered the mussels as one of our appetizers but it looked like it could be an entrée on its own! I’m not complaining though. As for the entrees, I ordered the chicken and it was cooked perfectly. I usually never order chicken because i am afraid it would be too dry but that was not the case here. One negative aspect about this place is that I did not really seem to get genuine Greek food, which was what I was looking for.

I generally give a place more than one shot before giving a mediocre review but I feel strongly that this was not anywhere near a 4 or 5 star experience.
Soft, warm, delicious pita– the best part of the meal– was served with awesome olive tapenade first. Then we ordered a feta spread which was also very good. I wanted the swordfish kebab but was told the grilled octopus was better so I went with that and asked for a side of grilled vegetables but they couldn’t serve grilled vegetables on the side, as it wasn’t an option on the menu and they were also out of their sautéed spinach. I was disappointed that to get a side of veggies I had to get a whole ($ 12) Greek salad which was large enough to feed a family. This was a major disappointment. No cooked green veggie side available? Make an exception!
The grilled octopus was just alright. Not great seasoning or flavor. Fine texture, but not worth returning for. Reportedly the chicken kebob was also alright.
Ambiance is fine. Rustic, warm, decorated space with an open kitchen. Service is generally cold, but relatively attentive. Food comes out in a strange sequence, maybe whenever it’s ready.
It was very, very quiet at 7:45 tonight, on a Saturday. By the time we left though, it did get a bit more crowded.
If I came back, I’d stick to the appetizers.

THIS PLACE IS A PIECE OF SHIT! Placed an order through grubhub and never received my order thankfully grubhub refunded my money but I nor grubhub could get ahold of anyone on the phone.

This place has inspired me to write my first Unilocal review. I’ve been about four times and I think it’s a great, reasonably priced restaurant with consistent food and nice staff!
I get the tyrokafteri dip every time and it’s delicious… the salads are always fresh… and I’ve never been disappointed with my experience overall.
I think the place is typically pretty empty because it’s still pretty new — so don’t let that scare you!

Not necessarily a bad meal, but certainly not great Greek food. Came here around 10:30 on a Friday and it was relatively empty. The service was great; our waitress knew the menu backwards and was quick to answer any questions politely with a friendly tone. For dinner, we got the pikilia (all dips), octopus, Greek salad, and swordfish skewers topped off with a bottle of red wine.
My one recommendation to ANY chef working in an open-​spaced kitchen: do not put food in a microwave if patrons can see you doing it. That being said, our food was ok, but nothing spectacular. I liked the swordfish because it was flavorful, but somewhat overcooked. The pikilia made my night, but the rest was lacking. Octopus was tasteless (also sat on this odd pile of cold hummus which turned me off) and salad wasn’t fresh. Get the Unilocal deal; it’ll be a cheap date.
As for the atmosphere, while the staff were cool and the lighting/​setting is good, be prepared for large groups of «girls night out» types (loud, drunk, out to prove a point no one cares about, etc) who will, without question, make you wonder if you’ve walked into a Murray Hill college reunion, not a stylish Alphabet City establishment. Could have been the night, but sitting next to a group like that wasn’t ideal.

This place didn’t live up to it’s high ratings. Décor was rustic and interesting, but the decorations hanging from the ceilings and walls were notably dusty.
Our table was near the open kitchen, which was interesting. There were multiple boxes of Franzia in sight in the kitchen… hopefully they are only using this for cooking and not charging me 10 $ for a glass of Franzia. Which gets me to their wine… my friend and I both ordered wine and noticed we both got very small pours. The glasses were not half-empty…they were ⁵⁄₆^th empty!
Service was interesting. Server was definitely inexperienced or not properly trained.
Food was fine, no major complaints here but nothing worth going back for in particular.

Great Mediterranean food, fast friendly service, nice vibe.
I really like this place because it’s comfortable sitting inside, not stuffy, very laid back, but not to a fault. You know you’re getting tasty food in a fun environment.

The waiter was sort of bad, but he said it was only his second day, and he was Greek and that is awesome, so we will call it even.
If you can ignore the bad service, super slow cook (in an open kitchen) and the microwave that he puts things in (also in an open kitchen, I mean???) everything else is pretty good.
Get the Unilocal $ 25/​$ 50 deal, have some apps and small plates and some drinks for half price. The outdoor patio, when it opens, looks like a good spot too.
We had the spreads app which was hummus, babbagnosh, tzatziki and some feta thing. Delicious
We had some fried calamari and some meatball dish. (Ehhh, sort of plain)
Main courses didn’t impress, but I would try the grilled pork or lamb chops if I went back.
Bonus: dessert is included!!! Yummy!
Sadly, that location is a bit cursed, every place that opens there goes under. Good luck ethos, but I think you may have to do a little better if you want to survive.

Be advised: The reservation system doesn’t work at all. Even receiving confirmation email and text, they don’t know anything about your reservation.
The food is quite good (especially the swordfish kebab and the meatballs).
Be very patient: The service is very very very slow.

Huge space with nice lighting. the provided nice complementary warm pitas with olives. yum. The menu consisted of great small plates that were tasty and easy to share. My date and I went slightly overboard and ordered too many small plates, only to find they are decent sized and not too small. I loved my harissa covered salmon on a bed of tomatoes and halloumi cheese. The salmon was perfectly cooked and pink in the middle. Totally delicious! The fried calamari with the chili sauce was tasty and we loved the mushroom risotto. They service was attentive and wonderful. They even gave us complimentary baklava with fresh strawberries. They did not have their famous chicken/​egg/​lemon soup that particular night (we heard that the soup is their top best seller). I cannot wait to come back for that soon!

Great looking Mediterranean restaurant with swag in East Village.
Wen’t here for dinner on weekday around 7pm and it was really quiet. I read that it’s a newer place so that might have something to do with it.
Food:
Food was great taste was spectacular concerning the portions. We ate pizza, risotto and bruscetta. They all tasted really good. Amazing flavors with the grilled chicken bruschetta like dill.
Environment:
Place is quite new so the interior is really good looking. They have a weird mediterranean lounge feeling in the restaurant but in a good way.
Service:
Have to say that the service wasn’t too good this time. The guy barely spoke english and didn’t now about their happy hour other than it had ended. Food dropped in a weird order for example our bread and olives came just before our last portion.
Price:
Price wise they are a good deal. Try it out! Entrees might be a little on the expensive side $ 20+ but there a lot of appetizer sized things to try under $ 10.
Dinner
Food: ⁴⁄₅
Environment: ⁴⁄₅
Service: ³⁄₅
Price: ⁴⁄₅

Fantastic food!
A small group of us went and we had quite a number of dishes — many small plates, some spreads, and a few main entrees. Everything we ordered was absolutely delicious!
The grilled swordfish was AMAZING! The pizza (mozzarella, arugula, and prosciutto) was stellar. And the various starters and veggie plates were all excellent.
The service was a bit slow, but we were in no rush and the waiter was friendly and the food actually came out at s decent pace. I would definitely come again and I suggest you try this place out!

Came here for a Sunday brunch last week with the ladies and the place was empty. I wasn’t sure how i felt about it but our waitress was the most amazing ever. She was Serbian and the nicest. She took really good care of us gave us some complimentary drinks and once we started laughing and having a good time, we didn’t care the place was empty. Also with a $ 12 Brunch prix-​fixe I dont know how this place is not more bustling. The lobster scrambled eggs are oh-​so-​delish!
A great neighborhood find!

We were looking for a bite to eat before heading to a show nearby but were restricted with time. It didn’t look like there was a wait, so we walked in for dinner. I’m so thankful we did.
I have no idea why this place was not busier. The food was AMAZING. I had the skirt steak with vegetables on the side and my mouth is still watering just thinking about it. It was cooked to perfection and the sauce on the side was delicious. I would ABSOLUTELY recommend stopping in here. For the quality of the food, I’m surprised it wasn’t more expensive.

Was craving Greek food for such a long time, and this place was really good. We tried the beef tenderloin bruchetta, pita with 3 spreads, mushroom risotto, and the lamb ribs. All meat was really tender. They recommended 2 dishes per person. I would say order 2 per person only if you’re really hungry or if you can eat a lot. We were so full and just barely finished our food. Nonetheless, would come again.

Because the wait at Taverna Kyclades was 1.5 hours, this was our alternative for dinner on a Friday night. It wasn’t very crowded when we arrived but the place did start to fill up. The service was really friendly and accommodating. We got to taste two different wines before settling on a bottle of red. We shared a lot of appetizers amongst the six of us. The spreads are okay, but the other appetizers are quite good. Make sure you get the octopus and calamari. We also shared main dishes — swordfish is yummy and the salads are generously portioned. The pizza is great deal for the price — huge steak pizza for $ 12.50! When time came for dessert, we were very skeptical about the baklva ice cream. But being a curious bunch we tried it and it was very good. An inventive dessert! Also don’t miss the crème brûlée; we had to re-​order after the first one.
This is a nice place for a casual get-​together with friends, especially those on a budget. It’s one of those few places where you can see your dining companions and actually hear what they are saying. I do think they could add in a few more tables in the middle of the dining room to make it feel less barren.

Last night I took my boss to Ethos for a drink to kill time before our yoga class (cause that a great way to release stress) and we ended up having such a good time we skipped class and ordered the Grilled Steak Bruschetta with red peppers and truffle oil and Lamb with chickpeas small plate. It was so amazing tender and perfectly seasoned.
I just can’t stay away from this place!

Not going to lie, I actually really missed Diablo Royale Este. They had really good spicy salsa, and decent drinks. HOWEVER, Ethos Meze is definitely a more than adequate replacement, and I’m very happy they took over the space. The outside was very ornately decorated with flower petals everywhere on their opening night, and the experience didn’t disappoint.
The ambiance and décor is a bit different from the other Ethos Meze branch, much more on the rustic side. However, I like the contrasts and it’s still definitely very comfortable. Waitstaff was very helpful and friendly, and they definitely kicked the hospitality up a notch, with a lot of chatter and recommendations.
The grilled stuff calamari was bomb. There are only a few places that have stuffed calamari, and this did not disappoint. You should definitely opt for the grilled over the fried calamari. Beef tenderloin bruschetta was great, something I haven’t really seen at other Greek restaurants before. The lamb chop was okay, but nothing very special. I did expect a bit more flavor and juiciness. Overall, I think I liked the small plates better than the large plates.
Since this location is much closer and I don’t have to go all the way to Ave D, I’ll definitely be back. A very welcome addition to the neighborhood.

I came from Boston with a group of friends who recommended this place. I was reluctant to go, since I’m not a big fan of Greek food, but Ethos Meze East Village completely revolutionized my taste buds and I became a big fan of this restaurant and of Greek food.
The candle lights, great music, dim lighting, and exemplary service creates an ambiance that is very classy and romantic.
That night we had the beef tenderloin bruschetta and the scallops in addition to the fillet mignon. The tenderloin and the steak were hands down the best tasting steak I’ve had. This place was so good that I told my fiancé we had to come back for brunch before heading back to Boston.
Needless to say the brunch did not disappoint either, I had the Italian omelette and my fiancé had the steak and eggs brunch special that was brought over with a pretty delicious portion of red and white sangria!!! All for 15 dollars!!!
I will definitely be coming back to NY with more friends so that they too can take part in the delicious and wonderful experience that I had in Ethos Meze East Village
— Dr. Gonzalez

My friends and I visited during the official grand opening on 7÷11÷14. From what we were told, they had a soft opening a few weeks back. The restaurant has a totally different look and vibe from the other Ethos Meze location. From the onset you notice the warm wood with touches of color, there is a long warmly lit bar with a single TV overhead. The bar area has high top tables while the back dining area has tables/​wall benches which really help for groups. The restaurant has a back garden where you can notice fresh herbs growing. Not sure what the plan is for the area, but it feels totally natural when paired with the rest of the ambiance of the restaurant. The whole restaurant feels like home, like you are visiting a friends home for a great meal.
We enjoyed a few small plates and absolutely everything was top notch.
We started with the assorted spreads served with Pita bread, Babghanoush, hummus, & tzatziki. The babghanoush was great you could see the bits of fresh eggplant, the hummus also very good with a touch of smokiness, the tzatziki as absolutely fresh and delicious.
The Saganaki — Greek Kefalograviera Cheese was lit at our table with Ouzo. It was soft, warm and yummy. Perfect to spread on the pita bread
The grilled stuffed calamari, grilled octopus and lamb were all great small plates at well. Spying at the other tables all the food looked amazing and I’ll be back for sure to try everything else out.
The only thing lacking was the dessert, although delicious the crème brûlée seemed out of place at a greek restaurant.
This place is great, definitely a great addition to the neighborhood. Perfect place for grabbing some small plates before heading out, or even as a night cap before turning in. Can’t wait to visit again and try the larger plates.