Awesome place. We were looking for a place to grab some good food after a day at the museum. Lots of choices given the number of restaurants, so I am glad we ended here. The hummus and taziki dip were delicious did not taste packaged to pre-made at all. I got the lokal burger which is made w lamb meat and a fat slice of feta on top. It was delicious. Our table also ordered crab cakes, chicken wraps, and a kids cheese pizza. Everyone was more than satisfied w their meals. I would definitely love to go here again. read more

Our party of seven adults and three children exited the Natural History Museum in need of nourishment and a respite from the 100-degree heat. We came upon Lokal 83 and were seated at a large table toward the back of this pleasant restaurant. We ordered a family-style meal, sampling many of their dishes. PICK THREE - $27 * Eggplant Salad, Tzatziki, Ajvar ARUGULA & PEAR SALAD - $17 Fresh arugula with thinly sliced pear, walnuts, blue cheese, dried cranberries, olive oil, and honey vinaigrette. AVOCADO & TOMATO SALAD - $17 Fresh tomato, cucumber, red onion, avocado, corn, fresh parsley, tossed with olive oil and lemon juice. BEETROOT & FETA CHEESE SALAD - $16 Beets, feta cheese, parsley, lemon vinaigrette, golden raisins, and walnuts. MIXED OLIVES - $12 Mediterranean olives mixed with lemon juice, garlic, oregano, chili flakes, and olive oil. CHEESE PASTRIES - $13 Fried, cigar-shaped crispy pastries stuffed with feta cheese and dill. ZUCCHINI PANCAKES - $17 Pan-fried zucchini pancakes served with garlic yogurt sauce. STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES - $14 Grape leaves stuffed with rice, pine nuts, currants, and herbs. I sampled most of the dishes and thought all of the salads were very good, although the pear slices in the Arugula & Pear Salad could have been riper. The Eggplant Salad was really more of a dip than a salad, but it had excellent flavor. The Cheese Pastries were crispy, hot and tasty. The Zucchini Pancakes were bland and would have been better with a more generous serving of the garlic yogurt sauce. Service was good for the most part, though a little spotty at times, especially when it came time to get the check. Overall, this was a solid four-star dining experience. We'd be happy to return. read more

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We love this restaurant and we don't want you to know that in case you try and come here too and keep us from getting a table. But as I write that I realize that our secret is blown. The John Kouka team especially like the salmon wrapped in grape leaves. They will let you get as much bread as you like if you order more food, otherwise the limit is 2. read more

This place is perfect in every way! Great ambiance, excellent service, fantastic food! I could eat here every day. read more

Lokal 83 Mediterranean Kitchen - Royal Dorado - Mediterranean Near Me - New York, New York

On surface level, this is a typical Mediterranean restaurant with not much unique dishes to offer, but despite serving typical fare, there are a few standouts that make this place worth a visit. We got the Lokal's favorite dips platter which had hummus, baba ganoush, spicy veggie, labneh, and red caviar. It comes with unlimited complimentary bread. The bread was where this place shines - nicely soft inside and toasted outside, with dill and olive oil infused. We got 3 rounds cause it was that good. It goes really well with the dip. I liked the spicy veggie the most and my least favorite was the red caviar since it was too fishy for my liking. The others were good but fairly standard. The platter is huge that the 2 of us couldn't finish and ended up with some leftovers and we were so stuffed by the end from just that alone. Cocktails were okay. We got the A Little Passion and it was good but uninnovative. The cocktail pictures were misleading since the server pointed most of the aesthetic cocktails are no longer in the menu, but the picture implies those cocktails are one of them on the list. Service was good as water refills were frequent and they bring bread refills and other requests fairly quickly. This place is generally not too busy so definitely a good option in the area if you don't want to bother making a reservation to some popular restaurant weeks in advance prior to your trip. read more

Lokal 83 Mediterranean Kitchen - Lokals Favorite Dips Platter, A Little Passion - IG @bougiefoodieboi - Mediterranean Near Me - New York, New York

Excellent falafel. Among the best I've had, including falafel in Jerusalem. They know from falafel here. I got the small falafel plate with four balls. My son got the falafel entree with five balls, but also hummus, rice, broccoli, cauliflower, carrot. All super tasty, falafel well fried. I also had the cheese pastries small plate with melted feta filling. Loved it. Wife had their Lokal Wrap, with mozzarella, avocado, lettuce, tomato. Also a virgin passion margarita mocktail. She liked those very much. Great place to eat near the AMNH. read more

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My favorite bite of the night was the potato--perfectly cooked with a crispy exterior and a soft, fluffy inside. Absolutely delicious. The stuffed cabbage was good, but it didn't quite live up to Mom's version. Still, it had great flavor and was enjoyable. Service was fine but not particularly attentive. A little more engagement would have been nice, but overall, it didn't take away from the experience. Would I come back? Probably--especially for those potetoes. But a quick ride to Astoria might keep me away. read more

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An excellent option if you want a moderately priced sit down meal in the upper west side. The ambiance is casual but not like a bar/pub, so you can have a conversation without shouting. The service is prompt and friendly and the waiters fill water without being asked (a big plus). The food is great! We had the cold mezze option with a beet dip, babaganoush, and a yogurt dip. A great plate to share between 2-3 people! We also had the grilled sausage plate which was tasty and not too filling/greasy. Overall I would definitely recommend this place for a meal or drink at the front bar! read more

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Delightful local spot with friendly staff and fabulous food and drink. We had the lamb meatballs, and manti pasta in yogurt sauce. So yummy! Also had the naranja old fashioned, also very good. Loved everything. read more

Walked in on a Saturday afternoon for brunch and the three of us were seated in a very comfortable seating at around 1:30 pm. The restaurant was not that busy, and noise levels were on the lower end. Our order consisted of Ajvar ($11), the Lokal Burger ($27), and Falafel Entree ($25). We found the food just ok. nothing spectacular, but the portion sizes were really generous justifying the portion size to price ratio. The fries with the Lokal Burger were quite disappointing - very very dry. We ordered a hot sauce on the side and were told that its a mixture of five difference spices, including some Turkish spices. Spice level on the hot sauce was amazing. Very flavorful sauce! Service was excellent and team was very friendly and welcoming. Will definitely visit again with friends and family! read more

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The food here was amazing!! The salads had a good amount of protein, the chicken was juicy! Nothing to complain about!! We ordered an appetizer sampler - eggplant, tzatziki and spicy veggies, octopus and calamari salad and chicken shish kebab. Everything was A+!!! The service was really great and our waiter was so nice and accommodating. It was so cozy and just perfect for a cold NYC evening! read more

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Fun atmosphere and well made dishes. All the dips went really well with the fresh bread read more

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I have reviewed this place before and it still stands. The biggest thing for me is that they have the music at a reasonable level so if you're talking you are not shouting. The food is amazing, fab friendly service and at the bar you'll get an excellent meal or appetizer or stand alone dinner. Great for a group with comfy booths to one side. It's the quality of the food that stands out. The authenticity and quality is top notch. Salads are amazing and the Mediterranean platter with fresh bread is excellent. They have a decent happy hour, Monday to Thursday. I've never been disappointed here. Great for after Museum of Natural History lunch or dinner too. read more

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Really love this place. Their food is consistently delicious whether I order or go in person. From the salads to the chicken shish, I am a big fan. read more

We checked this spot out for dinner when in the area. We called ahead and they had a great table available for us within 10 minutes when we got there. Service was SUPER attentive and within moments of seating, we had great fresh bread to start with. The spot is super cozy and warm - the kind of spot you can have a leisurely dinner in. They were very child friendly as they have a kids menu, crayons/coloring pages, and straw cups. Also did not mind my toddler son completely throwing crayons on the floor. My daughter tried the ravioli off the kids menu and ate most of it. A big win for this picky eater. And now for the adults - we split the trio appetizer ($26) to start. The AJVAR dip in particular was standout - slightly smoky, fresh, and good flavor. My husband got the crab cakes small plate ($18) while I got the zucchini pancakes small plate ($17). Both were delicious, flavorful, fresh - the zucchini pancakes came with 3 and were super filling. All in all - great dishes. We also split some sangria - they have a full bar with cocktails, wine, beers. read more

Lokal 83 Mediterranean Kitchen - 3 Dips - Mediterranean Near Me - New York, New York

I have been coming to Lokal 83 for about 6 years. I typically go for their happy hour when they have nice wines at great prices as well as great mezze items. The food, wine and service are all excellent. I'm sure it's great after happy hour as well. Stopped in yesterday (4/9/2024) after some time away and it was just as good as all the other times I had been. Definitely give it a try. Cheers. read more

Lokal 83 Mediterranean Kitchen - Baba Ghanoush, Ajvar (amazing) and Labneh. - Mediterranean Near Me - New York, New York

While admittingly I'm not the biggest fan of Greek food, Lokal was pretty awesome. The team was very nice to accommodate the three of us last minute during a busy dinner service. Shepherd salad was great. Grape leaves were huge although I'm not the biggest fan of them. Hummus was creamy and tasty. The zucchini pancakes were fried and yummy. The sea bass was deboned for us and quite delicious. People in there were so kind. read more

Lokal 83 Mediterranean Kitchen - Mediterranean Near Me - New York, New York

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Very cute Mediterranean joint in the upper west side offering cuisines from Turkey to Portugal. If you sit inside, be prepared for how dark it is! My mother and I started with the Labneh and pickles with feta. Labneh was creamy and tangy. The bread it was served with was absolutely delicious but I would have preferred pita. Pickles were amazing and I loved the cabbage that came with it. The feta was also great, with a mild taste. The lamb sauté was very good as well, although I thought serving it in a fajita dish was semi weird. I also don't think there was enough rice served with the dish. But the rice was also amazing. Overall I think the food here was perfect. service was very good as well. Besides the rice and pita, I just thought the restaurant itself was very hot. I saw an AC on the wall but my mother and I were sweating throughout our meal. Usually I would take a star off for something as such, however, the food was way too good!!! read more

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Lokal is what I consider a neighborhood joint of flavorful Greek food, especially if you don't want to trek to Greektown in Astoria. Service is always attentive with sizable portions. The two times that I've been there, I've sat outside basking in gorgeous weather so can't really comment how it is inside-assuming it's great. You won't be disappointed by the food at least. read more

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Such a lovely little Mediterranean place on 83rd and Columbus. Stopped in for dinner while I was in town. The restaurant offers a wide variety of dishes with fresh fish and seafood arriving each morning for the day. It's cozy, welcoming, and a great spot for a casual dinner, or a nice date night. The restaurant features a full bar with a nice selection of wine, beer, and craft cocktails​. There's even a Happy Hour 7 days a week from 3 - 6 Monday - Thursday and until 5:30 on weekends. Staff was friendly but service was a little off this night. We ordered 2 dishes. I wasn't very hungry so I ordered the grilled Calamari Small Plate and my husband ordered the Grilled Shrimp entree. Fresh hot bread with olive oil and herbs came to the table first. 15 minutes later our server brought the shrimp dish and 2 plates. We waited a few minutes for the calamari and I told my husband to start without me. I'm not sure where any of the staff went, but no one was around. The Shrimp plate was big with 6 large shrimp on a surrounded by fresh vegetables. The aroma from the dish smelled so good, I couldn't help myself. We both agreed this dish was fabulous, everything about it was special and it actually was big enough to share. Once we finished, cleared our plates. I actually thought they forgot the calamari and that would have been ok, but a few minutes later it showed up at the table. After the shrimp dish and the bad service, it was a let down and a bit bland. All in all, it was a nice evening. I will go back I hope the service will be better so I can enjoy the entire meal. Hi read more

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Ambiance and quality amazing! we had the mixed mezza platter along with some small plates of falafel's and mostly vegetarian dishes. Everything was well prepared and delicious. read more

Went for dinner a few weeks ago with friends. Loved the bread, which they supplied in abundance, and the Portuguese Octopus. The Shepherd salad was fresh and flavourful. We couldn't get enough of the beats mixed with yogurt. The Baba Ghanoush was okay: it didn't taste different than what I get in the supermarket. The lentil patties were the one dish that was really disappointing. A welcoming, warm spot on a very cold night with great service and delicious food. read more

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We went to Lokal 83 after a performance in Central Park. Lokal 83 has nice ambiance, good service, excellent food. We had the grilled octopus and grilled calamari and they were delicious, with salad to accompany. Also excellent hummus, tzatziki, and Pink Queen beets dip. Would definitely come again. read more

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The best restaurant in Manhattan. I come here all the time just for the pink queen dip. It is incredible. The service is top tier and the food is just incredible. The place is nicely decorated and it's a great spot to relax and enjoy some delicious food. read more

Lokal 83 Mediterranean Kitchen - Pink Queen and Hummus - Mediterranean Near Me - New York, New York

First Impressions: My husband made reservations for a romantic dinner date and planned the whole night. Very well lit and open. I was a little taken aback because it was dinner time so I was expecting more of a low lit, cozy ambiance.... but the service was quick and attentive. The restaurant was very clean and observing all the covid social distancing and protocols... I felt perfectly comfortable in the space. The Noms: We ordered the hummus, tzatziki, and labneh to share. It was very cooling and we loved dipping it with the complimentary bread. It was so warm and buttery, we asked for two more helpings and the staff generously brought us more. I ordered the chicken shish and my husband ordered the ground lamb grilled meatballs. I enjoyed the chicken but the lamb was sooo good. Very tender, very flavorful. We ate the meat slathered in some hummus and wrapped in the tortillas (?) that they came served with. I like that it was a thin type of flatbread because after all the complimentary bread we ate, anything carby that was heavier would have been too much In Conclusion: Since our first date here in the summer of 2021, we have been back twice more. The service is always quick and attentive and the food is consistently good and the portions are perfect. 10/10 would recommend coming here and would come back again and again. read more

This gets a reasonably high rating which I don't understand at all. Greek salad is one of my favorite things to eat but this one was soggy, oily (not in a good way) and under-seasoned. I was about to ask the waitress for vinegar when I noticed a small lemon wedge in the salad. Too bad I didn't see it until nearly halfway through. Still, it wasn't enough to mitigate the sodden lettuce. The dip trio was decent but they brought the bread out long before the dips arrived; as we were hungry and the bread came nicely warmed we started eating it right away so by the time the dips got to the table there was hardly any left to scoop them up with. Also, having filled up on the bread, we didn't really want to eat more and wound up taking most of the dips home. The atmosphere was spoiled by early 2000's rock and pop which I didn't enjoy much then and like even less now. It wasn't an enjoyable lunch. We really don't understand what others see in this place. read more

Very lovely Greek food. I've been here twice now and the salads are very large, perfect for a meal or to share with the table. Wine selection is small but to the point and the Rose Sangria is lovely, light, and strong! Tzatziki is fresh, tasty, and crave crushing! I enjoy the patio and people watching during my meal. The restaurant itself is clean, spacious, and floor layout is well thought out. Service is always concise, easy, and pleasant. I can see myself becoming a regular. I always enjoy my time here! read more

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After a few more sit down meals, all with impeccable service, here's our personal world view of Lokal: Every appetizer, dip and small plate is amazing. The mucver is pan fried to a crisp, but not heavily greasy as it is at some other establishments. Eggplant salad, babaganoush, hummus, and labneh are always favorites in our household, and verge on magical when paired with the beautiful little loaves of house bread. Focus on these, on the fresh, beautiful fish, and other seafood and you will be a very happy customer. What I have personally enjoyed less well within the past six months or so: skirt steak with chimichurri, lamb and other simply prepared meats where seasoning and technique mean everything. All meat is beautifully cooked to our requested temperature, juicy, and tender -- but recently, all dishes of this genre also seem to be consistently undersalted, underseasoned and bland. (I don't remember this being the case a year ago...) Marinated meats (e.g. Turkish meatballs, kebabs) do not suffer from this problem. I don't know if there's a cultural skew or deliberate intent behind the dialed back seasonings (we can certainly tell that the ingredients are impeccably fresh), but as salt fiends, we would like more of that, please! It would be nice if dishes like kofte came with labneh or ajvar on the side, as well. We usually order these as appetizers, but without such garnishes, meat dishes can come across is unidimensional. The indoor dining space is pleasant: attractive, elegant and relaxed. You can dress up or down as you wish and children seem welcome. Really enjoy having this little joint in the çevre. read more

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I would definitely come back. Great ambiance and roomy! Food & cocktails are great !! Hummus is outstanding.

Must try: Brunch Steak & Eggs! Why: Skirt Steak was tender, juicy, and melt in your mouth goodness. I got my eggs sunny side up and broke the yoke over the the steak and home fries, which added even more flavor. I loved that the home fries had cherry tomatoes and baby onions. I loved that there was a side of watermelon cubes and orange slices as dessert. Everything tasted delicious as I washed it down with a Mimosa! Lastly, the house bread was really good too. It was hot when it came out with the bottom of loaf was a perfect crunchy with a warm fluffy inside and herbs on top for more flavor. My friend got the Falafel entree and loved it. I had a bite of a Falafel ball and it was tasty! Notes: Spacious indoor dining with outdoor dining option. Very clean restaurant and they had two bathrooms. The staff was great also - friendly and attentive. Overall, fantastic lunch experience and I can't wait to come back and try their Mediterranean dishes! read more

Delicious food, beautiful space, phenomenal service! Our party included two vegetarians and a person with a peanut allergy. The server went above and beyond to make sure that the food was safe for our allergic person, and the vegetarians had many options to choose from on the menu. Leave room for dessert and order the kunafeh, which we ordered at the server's recommendation (with pistachios on the side): it was the highlight of the meal for us, and big enough to share. read more

Lokal 83 Mediterranean Kitchen - Cheese Pastries, Falafel, Avocado and Tomato Salad - Mediterranean Near Me - New York, New York

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Food was excellent as well as the service. Great place for a snack when done with the Natural History Museum.

Overpriced diner food. I read many good reviews of this restaurant, but frankly, it is overpriced and the food tasted like something you'd get in a diner. They charged $19 for an octopus appetizer, and the amount of octopus was about the size of your pinky. It was very disappointing, served on Iceberg lettuce. And a small portion on top of that! The eggplant appetizer was better tasting, but for $12, we thought it was a small portion again. I can deal with quality over quantity, but all told, the appetizers were overpriced. Our main courses were lamb sauté, which was very tough, with a boring sauce. Again, it reminded me of something from an average diner. We also had the stuffed cabbage, which either the rice was undercooked inside, or there was some vegetable that was a little too crunchy. Again, in a diner for half the price, I wouldn't complain. Then we ordered dessert. There was a cold, sliced pumpkin with some kind of weak sauce and a few nuts, and also a chocolate lava cake that was twice too expensive. The only good thing I can say about the places at the server was very pleasant. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60763-d12187827-r1036387398-Lokal_Mediterranean_kitchen-New_York_City_New_York.html# read more

It's a great place with really delicious food. We sat outside on the sidewalk it's nice but does get crowded. It's nyc after all. The portions were great, everything was good but nothing was really out of this world. Brunch wraps pretty standard as expected, great mezze Plate but on the expensive side and nothing extraordinary. read more

4+ Good food and ambiance. Very comfortable with diff options for seating. We love going in a group so we can try more.

Nice, neighborhood-feel restaurant with excellent Mediterranean dips and decent other dishes like chicken, octopus and stuffed cabbage. We came here looking for a family-friendly spot to do dinner out after the Natural History museum. We really enjoyed the ethnic food, although it's not the best ethnic food in New York. The hope was it would be good for the kids and a nice blend of the two. That was mostly true, but not completely. The kids only dabbed at the rice and plain grilled chicken despite it being good. The Mediterranean dips were the biggest stand-out. We got the labneh and smoked eggplant dips and they were phenomenal, flavorful and set high expectations for everything else.. We also got octopus and stuffed cabbage. The octopus was solid, but I love octopus and this one just didn't quit put it over the top the way I usually find it does. It wasn't disappointing, but it wasn't the usual revelation I have at finding octopus on a menu and having it be that amazing meaty, rich meat without being chewy. The stuffed cabbage was good, but nothing to write home about. read more

Lokal was a bit disappointing. Started with delicious dips (the baba ganoush is so good!) and cocktails. Unfortunately the rest of our dishes were not as good. The gambas (sautéed shrimp) were over cooked and bland. Grilled octopus was a very tiny amount of actual octopus over a salad. Neither were worth the price at all. The avocado and tomato salad was okay but a little bland. Service was great at the beginning but we never were offered more drinks and had to ask for the check after sitting for more than 10 minutes after they cleared our plates. read more

Lokal 83 Mediterranean Kitchen - Top to bottom: Avocado and Tomato Salad, Gambas al Ajillo, Grilled Portuguese Octopus - Mediterranean Near Me - New York, New York

Delicious seafood and starters. Octopus, squid, hummus, etc. Nice after long walk in the park.

Came here with a group of 16 including kids and so glad they were able to accommodate! It was a comfortable space for the group and we were able to order lots of small plates to share. Started with complimentary bread then the variety of dips, really enjoyed the whipped caviar and hummus. Then had crab and zucchini cakes, octopus, shrimp, all delicious! Also ordered the steak with chimichurri sauce and the Lokal veggie wrap from brunch menu. Staff was super friendly and attentive, had a great experience! read more

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Food was great. The staff was so wonderful with our 6-month-old, playing with him and accommodating our stroller. Even gave us the long bench seat so we had plenty of room to move around. Great experience for our whole family visiting from out of town. read more