Matt Somerlot

This is one of the best restaurants in all of Manhattan. There are tons of choices, but when you find one that just seems to hit all the marks, why go anywhere else? Not only is the hospitality top-notch from Chef Maria Loi, but the house manager, Alex, is amazing. They are both so friendly and make you feel like family. Chef takes such great care in greeting each guest and making us all feel at home. The same goes for Alex. We had a great conversation with him after our meal. The quality of the food only adds to the atmosphere. It's so close to Times Square and all the touristy locales, but if you really want to experience NYC, I highly recommend Loi Estiatorio. It's literally my go-to for client and personal meals. This past visit I tried the branzino and it was absolutely fantastic, with a nice char-grilled flavor, but light an flaky. The pastas are cooked to perfection, and spreads are absolutely amazing. The food is filling, but you won't feel miserable from trying everything! Fun fact, but ALL of the meals prepared here don't use butter. Instead, everything is prepared with the finest olive oil, and you can really taste a difference - especially with the baklava. This really is one of the best restaurants in all of NYC. Give it a try and you'll see exactly why this intimate Greek restaurant is a treat for the senses. You won't be disappointed. Absolute classic Greek.

Colin Merry (merryinc)

Loi is unbelievable!!! When it comes to food, friendliness and flexibility. Myself and my wife were having a micro-wedding in Central Park and wanted something amazing that was close by so we could all walk, following our ceremony at the Ladies Pavilion. Alex and Maria (Loi Estiatorio) could not have been more accommodating and flexible to make our wedding day and reception so amazing and so memorable. First of all, the food is a delight. Greek food that blows Gyro's or kabobs away (those are great too, but Loi is a whole different levl of great). The Octopus appetizer (which we loved having eaten at Loi in the past) was a favorite by all. Branzino and Lamb Shanks were popular dinner options, and the menu had something for everybody. Great shared appetizers to start, beautiful entrees to choose from, and a all encompassing desert with a little of everything (try the Baklava!!). We also like to drink and the wine was amazing, beer crisp, and the cocktails exceptional (try the espresso martini!). We had a few late changes to who was arriving, we also wanted to work with a decor person as well as have a wedding cake dropped off, and Loi couldn't have been happier to work with us and our vendors to pull off the most special day on 10/25/25. I've put a few photos of the ambiance, decor and food in the review. We cannot wait to come back for our 1st wedding anniversary and hope you take the time to read this and give Loi a try on your visit to NYC or if you're looking for something delicious in a beautiful setting. Thank you Alex and Maria for making our day a dream come true. We will be back and can't tell enough people about you! - Colin & Debby

J H

Beyond Exceptional. This location is a global institution, and stands head and shoulders above any other Greek Restaurant in North America for a great variety of reasons. Probably above most upscle Manhattan restaurants in general at this level. Maria Loi's depth of knowledge, judgement and humulity in the context of what she has accomplushed and continues to push for is Professorial, at the level of a departmental chairman in an Ivy league University ... and do personally know a few....So I know;-) On my first visit, whilst I did try to avoid taking up her time, Professor Loi prompted me to ask questions, and gave me valuable, pragmatic advice, particularly in the context of struggling to recreate the same nutritional value and tastes / textures in cooking food that would normally be easy if the ingredients had been freshly available in Greece or Cyprus. It more than worked. It is fascinating to reviewing Maria's trajectory from European diplomat, lobbyist, media relations, and now as a philanthropist, television personality, and multiple invitstions as speaker at academic conferences on longevity and the mediterranean diet. Everything on the menu is beyond carefully thought out, coinsistent, and meticulously prepared. What is presented has dense nutritional value, is expertly cooked and sourced from suppliers that us mere mortals have limited access to - Maria's mediterranean seafood supplier being a prime example. To an extent, the menu is a mainstream representation for what would usually be palatable to mainstream US based clients. And that is why God created places like Tsolias on Nicocleous street in Ledra - where we can have Kefalaki, Kokoretsi, Elassonitiko, Kontosouvli, and Sheftalies I am not "just going to eat" what my Yiayia ate. Thank you Maria Loi for all that you have done and continue to do for society as a whole. It far exceeds what "restauranteurs" would normally envision in terms of promoting healthy living concepts. A perfect example of this is how you forcibly keep the the price of your olive oil down, despite multiple and repeated attempts by Amazon to inflate the price. That's integrity! And More.

Mary La Corte

Delicious food in a warm and welcoming atmosphere. I am a vegetarian and this restaurant has been on my bucket list for at least a year. It was completely worth the wait. We loved the food, wait staff and the Maitre D, Nicole. Everyone was friendly, informative and attentive. The restaurant is well appointed with a lovely curved bar, comfortable seating and a panoramic view of chef Maria’s view from her house in Greece. This restaurant is a delight, if I lived closer I would eat here every week!

Luca Lombardo

I very much enjoyed my experience at Loi Estiatorio from start to finish. The staff treats you as if you are family including chef Maria Loi who personally came to my table and introduced herself. I ordered the whole branzino and it was fresh and delicious. Cant recommend this place enough if you find yourself in midtown this is the place to go!

oya mungan

What a great service .Chef Maria was very friendly , she explained everything about the food. Everything we ordered was amazing , my favorite was branzino . She is a great human being as well . She is the angel of Manhattan . It was such a honor to finally met her

Adam

Chef Maria prepared me the most fantastic meals I've had in an incredibly long time!! She made me feel what it was like to have truly authentic Greek cuisine again. It's been so long since my Papou was around, but I felt right at home eating here! I came back the very next day because it really was that remarkable! Her culinary excellence is representative of the best of Greece! ❤️🇬🇷

Jason

Had a really great experience here! The staff was super friendly and made great suggestions. The lamb was so delicious! Cooked perfectly and melts in your mouth. The food is organic with nothing fried or use of butter. Although the food was delicious, I could not fully give this place 5 stars because it just lacked full flavor. The food tasted very simple and very lightly seasoned, if at all. It was also pretty expensive which I understand because of the location, the services the dining space and so on. However, as someone who comes from ethnic background where things like flavor and spice are such a huge part of my culture, my taste buds left wanting something more so take my review with a much needed grain of salt. On the flip side, if you’re someone looking for food made simply but done extremely well with a more upscale atmosphere and impeccable service, you have to try this place! I’m not very familiar with Greek food so I can not say how authentic this is but based on Maria, (the owner) story, background and how some of the ingredients are directly flown in from Greece, I do believe it is. If you got the money, want to have a cool experience and love Greek food, I would highly recommend!

+2

A.L. Harris

Had an amazing evening here. Everything was better than perfection. Service was excellent and the food was outstanding. Maria Lou know how to create a fabulous meal and everything is cooked with the health conscience in mind. If you like Octopus… the appetizer was tender and one of the best.

+1

Harvey Messing

I had their pan seared Salmon entree ($42) which was served medium rare, as requested. It was delicious, this is one of the few places that has served it medium rare AND perfectly hot, like it would be if it was cooked longer for a medium result. The restaurant is located at 132 West 58th Street, not far from 5th Avenue.

Melissa E

Would not return. The intimate setting is lovely and service was great but the food did not match the current rating. I am a lover of seafood and the cod was mediocre. We spent about $250 on two on a holiday weekend and ordered seafood pasta, cod, wine and an appetizer. My favorite was the tzatziki and seafood pasta. It seems this place was once upon a time excellent and has the potential to return to that but right now it is most definitely not a 4.7 meal.

Mollie Nalven

I was really excited to try this restaurant on a recommendation from a friend and from all the good reviews. Unfortunately, my husband and I did not have a good experience. While our apps and feta dip were quite good, our mains were some of the worst food that I had ever paid for. I ordered the lasagna as it sounded unique, but it had almost no flavor and the pasta was very overcooked. I couldn’t get my husbands dish as I have a food allergy to what he ordered. But he also said his food was terrible. Hopefully I was just there on an off night. But I cannot recommend this place.

Francesco Arbolino

Overall the experience was more like a 2 star but I’m giving it a 1 star because both main dishes were without exaggeration THE WORST my wife and I have ever had in a restaurant in a developed country. I had the seafood pasta with mussels, shrimp and scallops. The scallops and shrimp were rubbery, tough and bland. Absolutely they were frozen and not fresh. The sauce and orzo were tasteless. My wife had the Greek Lasagna (which I also tasted). It was so tasteless my wife had to ask for salt. The pasta was overcooked, and overall the dish tasted like nothing. Both of these were extremely disappointing. Neither of us finished the dishes. The staff while friendly never even asked if we liked it. On the plus side the service was quick, the dishes came fast, the free pita and spread were excellent and unique. The grape leaves were good, but the same quality could be had at any decent Greek place for a fraction of the cost. I guess I’m just shocked at how others could think this was good (or even fresh) food.