Amylos Taverna Expanding The Arvanitis Family Legacy

Amylos Taverna Expanding The Arvanitis Family Legacy

By Angelica Eranovic Posted: July 23, 2019

Omonia Cafe has been an Astoria staple, and seen as a local pioneer bringing a European style cafe to the communityGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. Owned by the Arvanitis family, the concept of Omonia was finding what was lacking in the area, and creating a new experience for a niche marketGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. Amylos was born upon a similar ideaGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. With Astoria real estate sky rocketing, there is a proactive approach to stay ahead of the timesGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. The goal here was to find the missing niche – and that was giving our Astoria locals high caliber food without the extreme NYC pricesGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. Unlike other trendy Greek restaurants in Manhattan, you can try a variety of the menu for the price of one meal in the city, making it approachable for everyone on both sides of the bridgeGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028.

John Arvanitis came from humble beginnings and started off working in a pizzeria until saving up enough money to buy OmoniaGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. Since then, Omonia has continued to thrive, opening Omonia Next Door, and a location in Bay Ridge, BrooklynGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. This success all began right here in Astoria so naturally it felt as the fitting place to open up their restaurantGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. Amylos is now located at the former Uncle Georges Greek Taverna, which was basically an Astorian landmark till closing its doors in 2013Give_Me_Astoria_image_00028. Uncle Georges ran its business with a simple and modest philosophy, similar to that of AmylosGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. The cohesion between the two places gives it resonance but with a bit more of a new age approachGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028.

Image via Amylos Facebook

The decor and ambiance of Amylos is reminiscent of Greece but with an added modern NYC trendinessGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. The food definitely stays rooted in traditional Greek cuisine but with elevated ingredients and flavorsGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028.

Spreads Trio

Grilled Octopus

To start we had a trio of traditional greek spreads: tyrokafteri, tzaziki, and melizanosalataGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. Classic and well executedGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. The octopus was a definite hit, with a perfect char and texture, and so many additional complex flavors with the addition of pickled onions and the fava pureeGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. The veggie chips were well lovedGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. A tower of crispy zucchini and eggplant that were perfectly crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside was accompanied with a lovely mild, yet tangy yogurt mint dipping sauceGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. Another must order was the the crab cake which was incredibly moist and made especially delicious with the additional saucesGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. The feta watermelon salad was tasty and refreshingGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. An excellent balance of sweet watermelon, salty feta, and cooling cucumberGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028.

Crabcake

Veggie Chips

Watermelon and Feta Salad

The entrees were also very impressiveGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. The seasoning on the lamb chops was flawless and cooked perfectly, and the halibut was also such a light and flaky well composed dish served with a delicious avgolemono soup inspired sauceGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. Don’t sleep on the cocktail menu, especially the Antidote, which is a perfect crisp summer drinkGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028.

Lamb Chops

Halibut

The story is humble, the food is excellent, and the decor is beautifulGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. Amylos is surely going to live up to the success of its parent Omonia Cafe and I highly encourage you to stop in to try it!