Loukoumi Taverna
Loukoumi Taverna was recommended and suggested online for a nice Astoria Greek restaurant. Since we’re planning to be exploring Brooklyn more, we wanted to try more quintessential Astoria restaurants. We’re huge fans of the mainstream restaurants like Taverna Kyclades and Hamido Seafood, so we wanted to see what else there was to offer. This one was raved about for the food, so we took the N-train to Ditmars and walked about 10 minutes to this restaurant. We were able to walk in for 2 people at 4:30 PM on a late Saturday afternoon.
Ambiance & Service
The interior and the ambiance of the restaurant reminded me of it being very rustic. The decorations and the tables were not gimmicky, and the overall atmosphere felt very much like a family-run restaurant.
The service was extremely fast. Once we ordered, food came out really quickly, unsurprisingly, because much of it was seafood or quick to prepare.
Food
To start, they gave us a side of lemon wedges with pita bread.
The Loukoumi Chips ($17) was sliced zucchinis lightly covered in flour and gently fried. The zucchinis were pretty good, though the dip reminded me of mashed potatoes.
The Greek Salad ($18) came with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives, tossed in olive oil with herbs, and topped with imported barrel feta. They gave a generous portion, and everything tasted fresh and crisp. You can pour some red vinegar on the side to give it some mellow acidity.
The Saganaki ($16) was imported Graviera cheese lightly coated with flour and pan fried to perfection. This was surprisingly pretty good. The cheese was melted, but it stayed together. It had a slight nutty and buttery flavor with some salted aftertastes. When it cooled down, it still tasted pretty good.
The Octapodi ($29) was imported Mediterranean octopus grilled to perfection and topped with cold pressed oil, vinegar, oregano, and “Kazanisto” Ouzo from Chios. The octopus was pretty tender, but some parts of it were chewy. We thought this would be comparable to the fresh Astoria seafood joints, but we definitely had better.
The Shrimp Skordates ($28) came with lightly sauteed shrimp in a white wine sauce with fresh garlic. This one tasted alright. The sauce was garlicky, but it could’ve used just a bit more salt. The shrimp was plump, and they made it easy to take the shrimp out.
They gave us a small side of Lemon Potatoes, and it was very good. The potatoes had a very nice balance of acid and lemon flavors.
The Loukoumi dessert was a jelly-like confection, made from sugar, water, and cornstarch. It tasted very floral, heavy with rosewater. My partner wasn’t a fan of this, but it reminded me of mochi but with lots of chew.
Overall Impression
For a Greek or Mediterranean restaurant in Astoria, Loukoumi Taverna was pretty good. It’s not mainstream like the other Astoria places, but the food was very rustic and didn’t taste over-seasoned. Granted, we do prefer Hamido Seafood for our seafood fix, but this restaurant is probably best for just general Greek food. The seafood was fresh, and everything we got was good.
Yelp & Google Jabs
This is the best Greek restaurant I’ve been to in the NYC area In terms of the quality of food, service and atmosphere.
The atmosphere is very homely, so if that’s your preference, you’ll like this a lot. The price is more reasonable compared to Manhattan.
Negatives - the lemon potatoes were a disgrace. They looked like the skins were rubbed off with an abrasive rag and the person gave up before the task was complete. Also there was no lemon flavor to speak of and they were dry enough to choke a donkey… the food was for the most part aggressively bland and unremarkable
When I bit into the lemon potatoes, the lemon flavor was mild. You can taste it if you focus on it, but for those that have smoker’s tongue, it will be more difficult to taste those flavors. I think the “bland” part of this might be a welcome change if you’re looking to eat slightly healthier. The seasoning is not aggressive, so it may make you feel less thirsty.
Revisions
- May 9, 2026 - Initial revision.