Food is really good. Love the seafood dishes! Friendly service and they have takeout!!!

What to say? Well-seasoned, good-tasting food with really nice service. The downside, for me, was that I thought it was a little overpriced for the amount of food. We started with really good bread, not warm but crusty on the outside and airy on the inside. Some salad accompanied our dinners: a pile of iceberg lettuce with one cucumber, one olive, on slice of tomato, a few red onions and feta cheese. It was good but I wanted a bit more of the other veggies. Their house dressing is really good, too. The bf ordered the moussaka ($13) which was light and airy and delicious. I ordered the roast lamb with rice pilaf ($14). The lamb which came in 2 slices was juicy and well-seasoned. The rice pilaf was really good with the tomato sauce on top. It's a cute place and the food and service are good but the prices are just a tad too high for me to come here more often. I'd say 3 and a half stars. read more

This place is one of my favorite restaurants! We went to Greece for our honeymoon and ate all of the authentic dishes there. I would say Desfina's food is pretty authentic and extremely delicious! I had the lamb shank and Greek salad. I was in heaven! The service was good too. read more

Desfina Restaurant - Lamb - Greek Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Was excellent all around if you are looking for a privately owned, authentic, small Greek restaurant experience. Food came out quickly and the waitress was great. read more

I went to Desfina years ago on the recommendation of some Greek folks and it was great. We ordered delivery more recently and it was very meh. The salad dressing felt like mostly canola oil with some seasonings that sank to the bottom, the meat was tough, and I felt like everything needed salt. It was just generally disappointing. :/ read more

Entered at 5:45pm, the place was almost empty, maybe 3 or 4 tables seated. The 'lead waitress' denied us a table because we did not have a reservation. The place was almost empty at 5:45pm! She asked if we wanted to sit at the bar, we reluctantly agreed inspite of my friend having her foot in an orthopedic boot. After two requests for a menu, both met with us being told to use the online one on our phones, we were finally given ONE of the many menus they had. I had to request a third time for mine. Not two minutes goes by and two couples enter without reservation and they are immediately seated at a table! Perhaps because there were two men in that party and we were two women? So I ask again for a table from this same woman who disrespectfully and loudly says "You said you wanted to sit at the bar". Quite rude and very wrong. She then told one of the young waitstaff to seat us wherever we wanted to. My friend knows the owner, he came over to check on her as he noticed she'd been injured. She lives near this place and has eaten there often for years. I too have eaten there many times and we were both appalled by the way we were being treated. The food was good, service very lacking and my friend's glas of wine was brought in a large and tall wine glass but co tai ed. o more than two ounces. It was not a cheap glass of wine. read more

We had a great experience in Desfina before pandemic and the other day we stopped by again for lunch. Somehow all the low/mid-price seafood items including the simplest fish&chips were not available. They only had the expensive fish dish available. Since my friend was pesceterian, we had to order that item. The fish was OK but definitely not worth the price. I ordered lamb and it was very chewy, I wasn't able to finish. Some of the utensils and glasses were not the cleanest. Bread and salad was very good. Greek vegetables were unique and interesting. I have mixed feelings for this place. read more

Been here twice (pre-COVID). Loved their lamb dish. Hope to have the chance to visit again!

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 decor 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) read more

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Stopped in here when in town for a wedding and needed to grab dinner before an event. The place sort of requires reservations, as do most of the restaurants in the area - which as a New Yorker was surprising. Considering it was empty upon arrival and nearly empty when I left, it didn't make much sense to me, but I guess that's just how it works here. Anyway... managed to be gracefully presented a seat at the bar instead, so I enjoyed a nice quiet meal at the bar. Snark aside, the food was really good, priced quite well and overall enjoyed it. Just wish the empty tables had my butt in them instead of the empty bar. read more

I had dinner here Saturday night. Was seated around 530. The server couldn't have been more disinterested. He was tongue-tied when I asked for recommendations. He never asked if we wanted A drink. My wife had to ask him for a Diet Coke and he never bothered to ask me if I wanted anything. We had the egg and lemon soup that was good. We had spinach pie that was fine. We ordered lamb shank. The menu said it came with rice. It showed up with roasted potato wedges. I was happy with it until I found the potatoes were cold. The lamb shank was barely room temperature. I am in no hurry to go back. read more

Amazing Greek food!!!! Been wanting to try for a long time. I am finally glad I did, been going avg once a week since there is very little traffic now. Their seafood is amazing, one of the most authentic Greek food I've had. Their octopus & tziki is standard no matter what we order. Only regret is they are not open on weekends. read more

High quality food (ingredients are very fresh, flavors meld perfectly, not overcooked), and friendly staff. I stumbled here out of convenience but in the future I would seek it out. Really happy with my meal. read more

Decided to try this place after seeing it for years, thinking "I have to try that place one day". I had the gyro plate and ordered the hand cut fries. It was fantastic, the best gyro I've had in the area. I'll definitely be heading back there soon! read more

Do you want authentic octopus but can't make it to Greece.. go to Despina restaurant and order an appetizer order and you'll be hooked! I LOVE IT! read more

What a gem! Great neighborhood restaurant with friendly staff, friendly customers, and fantastic Greek food. My spring lamb was tasty and fall off the bone tender, my daughter's chicken gyro was big and tasty, salads fine (with a nice homemade dressing). I'll come back here next time I'm in Boston for sure. read more

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This use to be a good restaurant. So despite the risk we face with Covid19 I Stopped for take out and all I got for $37.00 was cold dried super salty grape leaf with salty cold rice and a sto.ach ache. read more

Above average Greek food at a good price. Had the octopus and sausage kebab for appetizers. Stay away from the Kebob and go with the octopus or something else. I went with a lambs leg for a main and it was huge and very filling. The portions here are really big and it has all the intangible but at the end of the day it's 3 star Greek food. Nothing was especially flavorful. Needs more seasoning and a wider variety of flavors. That being said you will leave full and happy because portions are large and the staff is very friendly. read more

This restaurant is amazing! Food, service, ambience, and every little detail were perfect. It is super clean. Super delicious. Especially when you miss drinking "rakı" with your friends in a very chill restaurant, this is the perfect location with its delicious ouzo and tapas. read more

Desfina Restaurant - Greek Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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The best Greek​ restaurant around in this area. Fresh, ​good services. You should try octopus grill. read more

The food was excellent and tasty. Excellent service! We got the grilled octopus for appetizer. It was slightly burnt but when you squeezed the lemon over it, you wouldn't taste it as much. Then I got the Shrimp Desfina which came with a salad and my boyfriend got the lamb chops w/salad and potatoes. The lamb chops were really tender that the meat comes off after you cut it. There was so much food that we even had to take home some of the grilled octopus. We came around 6pm on a Saturday night and it does get crowded as the night goes on. Definitely will recommend if you're around the shopping mall or the neighborhood! read more

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I wish I knew how to say "orgasm on a paper placemat" in Greek, but I can barely handle english, so I'll just let you imagine. Done? No? Need a couple more seconds? Ok , I'll wait. Alright, now that we've gotten that out of the way let me start off by saying that I have been searching for Desfina for 20 years. True story non-fiction. My journey began in a booth of a greek Restaurant in wooster ohio. My uncle (who loves food. LOVES food) was explaining what a Gyro was to me "Lmab, and lettuce, and onions, and a delicious cucumber yogurt sauce wrapped in a pita." So naturally I got one, and upon seeing the homogonized ground meat product, he proceeded to make nasty comments about the establishment, and I knew that what I was eating was fake, and I needed to seek out the real thing. Easy right? I've bounced from greek joint to greek joint, gyros, dolmades, moussaka, I could tell it was all americanized, but 20 years. . 20 fucking years later, I've finally found a greek restaurant that actually makes greek food, down to their gyros. Real honest-to-bob unground, unnastified lamb. . and was it delicious? YOU BETCHA!! And don't even get me started on the dolmades. . and the parts of the menu featuring foods I'd never heard of? SQUEEEEEE!! Even the setting was perfect, cheesy clouds paintied on the ceiling, full bar, somewhat surly locals, and PAPER PLACEMATS WITH RANDOM GREEK SHIT ON THEM!!!! Holy shit I'm home. read more

I am mostly in love with Desfina. Like all of us, they have a couple of flaws. I am in love with the sardines, the mussels, the bread, the olive oil and the grilled fish, sometimes served whole. I am really crazy in love with the calamari. Once I had it for lunch and then for dinner. And then I had good dreams about it at night...calamari dreams. I am in love with their cozy. crowded space on an out-of-the-way street corner in East Cambridge. Desfina is vibrant and exciting on a Friday lunch or a Saturday night, quiet and intimate during a spontaneous visit mid-week. I am in love with both lunch and dinner and only wish they served breakfast. I'm not so in love with their salads. Iceberg lettuce and ugly, old tomatoes...not so good, even with a couple of random olives tossed in. And the little foil wrapped butter patties that come with the bread have got to go. Bring us some Greek olive oil. Do not make us ask for it each time. Those little butter patties just do not fit in on any level. Anywhere- but especially here. Back to the loving. I am really charmed by the owners and the staff. They are all gorgeous, pleasant and professional. I want to be Greek so I can be just like them. Thanks, Desfina. read more

Juicy lamb souvlaki at lunch makes me sleepy for the rest of the day. I really enjoy Desfina, however, it doesn't rank as high as the Greek Corner. But you know what? That's okay. Real Greek food, in my book, doesn't include pizza and subs, so, yes, Desfina is authentic and delicious. The prices are palpable and I've never left feeling under-nourished. ATMOSPHERE Desfina doesn't have many windows, so it makes for a sketch-ball or even slightly ghetto aura, but don't let this discourage you. The layout is also slightly awkward. It looks as though the space was once separated by a wall. And the regulars are construction workers who know the owners and hang out at the small bar. FOOD Honestly, you must try the lamb souvlaki. It comes out skewered and grilled. Crispy smoky, but not fatty, on the outside, and juicy-medium-tender on the inside. The salads are dressed with a homeade (at least it comes in an unlabeled bottle) lemony dressing and a single olive (with pit). The rice pilaf is topped with a tomato-y white wine sauce, but the fries are standard bleh. SERVICE Service is average, but the waitresses are definitely sweet and accomodating. The grill does amazing things. The End. read more

Excellent food, wonderful service. My favorites are the sea bass, grilled octopus, grilled Greek chicken salad and the loukaniko. Nice selection of beers on tap for only $5. Rest of the bar is good too. read more

In the past, I've had quite a lot of exposure to "authentic" Greek food. I'm not an expert, but I thought this place was delicious and tasted home-made. I thought their lunch menu was also impressive for a restaurant this size. Everything from mousaka, spanikopita, and gyros to stuffed grape leaves and baklava (sp?). They had some less common dishes, as well - such as dandelion salad!! There was also a full bar. I'd definitely try this place again! read more

There's got to be a thing called "Old Kendall" and if so, this is it. Unpretentious, friendly, great GREAT food. Nice servers, a bustly place for both longtime locals and biotech business lunchers alike. Been coming here for 20 years this year. Grilled greek chicken salad is the best; char-grilled white meat over a salad that I can tell has JUST been assembled to order (NOT premade the night before sitting in the cooler soaking up fridge odor...hint; check if the tomatoes are room temp...if they're cold as ice, the salad was premade). They always have baked-day-of Iggy's franchese for the table (warning...you'll eat the whole basket) and I don't what house dressing magic is in those re-used Heinz catchup bottles on the table, but it is magnificent. Please never close, Desfina! read more

Not really that great or maybe I ordered the wrong food? The gyro meat I got was pretty gross and fatty...yuck! My dad got the mousaka and he said it was pretty good (and he's had mousaka in Greece so I trust his opinion). The baklava was yummy though. The fried calamari were also good...but, honestly, can you really mess up fried calamari? The atmosphere has a "sitting in ma's kitchen" feel to it. So I liked that. Bottom line: I wasn't amazed but I'd probably go again and try another dish. read more

Authentic Greek food. Service was very professional, food was tasty and the Greek red wine was perfect. I had the Greek salad with grilled calamari on top - superb! Others had the pastichio and the stuffed grape leaves, and horta on the side. (If you don't know what horta is, you're not Greek.) Highly recommend. read more

There's very few Greek restaurant in Boston and i was very lucky to find Desfina on my way to Galleria mall. Really Enjoyed the lay back and family like atmosphere there! For the food, they have really good lamp! Also, most of there seafood dishes are really good. I ordered grilled calamari. It was a big portion, fresh and yummy. They are also famous for there cheese dishes that I'd like to try next time. read more

Absolutely loved the food here. There salads are super fresh and generous. Between the sausage and saganaki combined with bread and a glass of red wine I was good for the evening. The waitress was a little out to lunch but that might have been due to my ordering a second order of saganaki. She looked at me like I was crazy but it was so good I could have eaten a 3rd order. It was almost empty on a recent Monday evening so service was like lightening. Parking after work hours unlike downtown Boston is great. The restaurant is oriented in a bit of an odd way so it is easy to miss but if love Greek food take the time to come to Desfina's. read more

I've been looking for a great Greek restaurant and this totally fits the bill. I'd never heard of this place before but I got a deck of local restaurant rewards cards and found Desfina in the pile. Although it's a bit further than I normally trek in Kendall, it was totally worth it. Their portions are very generous and the pricing is great compared to many and most restaurants in Boston and Cambridge. We ordered the Grilled Octopus to start; it's priced as an entree and for good reason. The portion could have been an entree in and of itself. All you needed was a side salad and you'd be set. It was a bit oily but we sprinkled it with lemon (which was a great idea - I tasted the before and after) and wound up using the excess lemony oil for our pita. Yum. We also got the eggplant salad which was delicious. I don't particularly love eggplant but this was so flavorful and prepared in such a way that you could easily spread it on pita. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. For the entrees, my boyfriend ordered the Grilled Chicken and Feta Salad. I didn't taste his chicken but my entree (Shrimp Desfina) came with a side salad. The feta cheese was FANTASTIC. It was soft, creamy, and flavorful. Even though the salad itself was simple, the feta knocked it up two whole notches. As for the Shrimp Desfina, it was very good. By the time it came I was so full from the other items that I only had half and took the rest home. Like I said, the portions were VERY generous. If you don't like to leave anything on your plate, I suggest you skip the appetizers. Otherwise, you're going home with a doggy bag of delicious greek seconds. I will DEFINITELY go back! read more

Average. Octopus was hit and miss but arguable good enough to return. Garlic bread below average. Okay service.

It's been voted best by a lot, but I'm still a bit skeptical. My big suggestion is that they explain what some of the items on the menu are better - especially for those of us with Greek knowledge that extends only to My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I did have some tasty calamari and lamb, so I'd recommend giving Desfina a try. read more

I'm Greek and always on the lookout for authentic Greek food that tastes like it came straight from my Yaya's kitchen... This might just be the place. I came here for dinner last night and was so pleased with the experience as a whole. The service was friendly and helpful and the food was delicious. We tried the fried zucchini, saganaki and slow roasted lamb and then topped things off with some galaktoboureko and ouzo . All fantastic! I will definitely be back the next time I'm yearning for a taste of home. read more

Went there for lunch with my co-workers and we all liked this place a lot. True, our resident vegetarian declined to come on the grounds that their selection was v limited, but the rest of us will be back. One guy wanted to go back for dinner. I tried some of the flaming cheese thing to start - if, like me, you love the taste of overcooked cheese, this is for you. And the waitress set it on fire for us! (in my workaday life I am easily amused). I then had the chicken gyro - not exactly a radical choice, but the right one - juicy chicken, tasty sauce. Next time I'll try something I can't pronounce (eh, about half the menu) read more

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. read more

Incredible, authentic greek food. Came here with my parents the day after Christmas...there were only 2 tables filled the entire time we were there, why??? We called ahead of time for a reservation and the man who answered (in a heavy greek accent) responded "No, you come at 8 and you be fine, no reservation! See you then!" Greek music in the background, every flavor and every bite was incredible, and cheap too! This was a great place to try out after a night of walking around Boston to see the lights and decorations! read more

I'm really really surprised by everyone else's rave reviews of this restaurant as having extraordinary food, because we only got one solid good item out of three, and the rest were so deplorable that I'm actually giving it one star, despite the UNBELIEVABLE tzatziki (and I know I'm butchering that spelling). I love Greek food, more than anything else, and I am NOT a snob when it comes to down-and-dirty Greek food. And to be fair, the tzatziki was incredible. Creamy, but still light, and so so flavorful. But no one ever handed us the complimentary bread basket (shame). The fried calamari was so saturated with grease (and I am a greasehound - I never, never pat the grease of the pizza slice with napkins) that it was virtually inedible, and it was cold. But the spanakopita was the real crowning achievement. Everyone else on this has said that it tasted flavorless and like it had been sitting on the counter for hours, and that's exactly what happened. I've never seen a more unappetizing piece of spanakopita. My boyfriend took one bite and said "this tastes and smells EXACTLY like play-do." And you know what? He was right. As someone who has choked down THE most inedible food and abhors leaving anything behind on her plate, I could not take more than one bite of this. The one star is due to the fact that exactly six hours after this meal, I was on my hands and knees with the most violent case of food poisoning that I can ever imagine. I have a stomach of iron, and yet, the spanakopita at Desfina managed to trigger something insane. I would. not. recommend this place. read more

Amazing food! Really friendly staff and 1 extremely good looking server (didn't catch his name). Next time im back in town I'll definitely be coming back! read more