Cons: Frozen baked clams...gross Hummus was meh Baby lamb chops were way under cooked Steamed veggies were bland Pros: Pita bread was delicious! The ice water was refreshing And the staff was great! Definitely not worth the $82 for two read more

Never disappoints! Seafood and Meat dishes are prepared excellently. The salads, octopus and calamari dishes, and the meat for two are all very tasty. Nice ambiance and good service. I have taken out, eaten in with a small and larger gathering, and have nothing but the best to say. Hope your experiences are as good as mine. read more

Amazing food & great service. I went there last night (2nd time going there) and I'll definitely be back. My friend & I ordered a bunch of appetizers to share, and everything was so good! The spanakopita & grilled calamari were my favorite. read more

A definite must go place for authentic Greek food with a twist. A little bite of Greek heaven. Thank you Chef Maria for bringing me back to that taste.... read more

A superlative place to have lunch/dinner. The food is Mediterranean but appeals to all ethnicities. The kindness of the owners makes you feel at home. The waiters/waitresses/ attendants are exemplary. You can go any time for something to eat- and you still feel like coming back. A GREAT PLACE. read more

We went to Maria's after seeing the Groupon (but thought the Yelp discount was a better deal). We really couldn't have had a better time. The server (John) was friendly and attentive. The food was ... really, really, really good. The chicken kebabs were tender, the antipasto was absolutely delicious - especially the eggplant "stuff." And the fries! More like thick potato chips with cheese. So freakin' good. The (complimentary!) dessert was delicious - some sort of pear thing, but I wish it was served warm. But, one does not look free dessert gifts in the mouth. We'll be back, and definitely try some of the specials. read more

WOW this place was good! I always used to pass it without a second thought. After I heard that the owner won chopped the TV show I had to check it out! We started off with the fried calamari.. SO fresh.. light and crispy.. I really enjoyed it. As my entree I got the stuffed chicken. The chicken was stuffed with creamy spinach and feta.. to die for. On top of the chicken was a lemony buttery delicious sauce... I was trying to hold myself back from licking the plate clean! My dish came with a side so I chose the lemon potatoes... which were cooked just right. My boyfriend ordered the seafood orzo which came in a red sauce... the fish was fresh, and they gave you ALOT. The dish was seasoned to perfection. We had to bring half home because of how huge the portion was!! Definitely check this spot out! read more

The other day the two of us had lunch at Maria's Mediterranean. The waitress was friendly and the service was fine. Unfortunately the good news stops there. We ordered lamb souvlaki, shrimp, french fries, and potato wedges. The shrimp, potato wedges, and french fries were mediocre. Nothing to write home about. The lamb souvlaki however was not good. The quality of the meat was low because it was tough and difficult to chew. We ended up not eating most of it. I told the waitress about the poor quality of the lamb meat and also noted it on the evaluation sheet they provided with the bill. read more

This was barely worth the Groupon deal. The food was hardly edible. We had breaded clams for the appetizer which came with 1/4 inch thick layer of dry crusty breading. You could not taste the clams. The lemon filet of sole was a little overcooked but again...tasteless. The semolina thing of a dessert was disgusting. The servers kept apologizing for the agonizingly slow service when the place was just barely half full. As someone pointed out, the difference on your bill using Groupon must be in cash and they had the nerve to put down 18% gratuity when as I said they apologized all night for the slow service. DO NOT PATRONIZE. read more

This place is worth checking out, the service is always nice and willing to accommodate dietary restrictions. Everything I've tried has been delicious. Prices are fair I'm looking forward to returning read more

Went to this restaurant yesterday 12/20/21 at 6:30pm. Plenty of metered parking outside. It wasn't packed in the restaurant and they seated us right away. They checked for vaccination cards and had plastic barriers between parties. Waiters had masks on. I felt comfortable eating here. All the food we ordered was delicious and the waiters were friendly and attentive. We ordered Greek salad, beets salad, grilled squid, grilled octopus, bifteki, and beef stew with steam vegetables. They only negative was that the steamed vegetables were very bland. read more

SERVICE IS SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW. Came here for 2 birthdays. It was quite disappointing. DONT GET THE LENTIL SOUP. Opt for chicken soup, you can never go wrong!! The meat platter was good if it didnt' take more than 20 minutes to get on the plate. If it takes that long they at least should've told us that they were kiling the animals for us right then and there. Free dessert is a good consolation prize but the service is just a downer even with such good entrees. Work on the service and the palate can adequately savor this family friendly restaurant. read more

Came here for the first time this Sunday. Unfortunately, I have to give an one-star review for the horrible management. We called ahead and specifically requested a high chair for our friend's 7-month-old baby + a reservation for 5 adults. When we arrived, the table was set correctly (a table of 6 with 5 adult chairs + a high chair in the middle). Baby was asleep in the stroller off to the side but we knew we were going to need the high chair for when the baby would wake up. 15 minutes into our meal, the owner (Maria's husband) suddenly walked over to our table in a huffy, angrily grabbed the high chair, and loudly dragged it over to an empty table, without a single word. We were too stunned to say anything but we all looked at him extremely confused. He didn't make eye contact, didn't say anything, didn't confirm whether we still needed the chair... just walked away with it and didn't look back. We thought maybe, surely, another party had called who were arriving shortly and requested a high chair and there was only one in the entire restaurant?? NOPE, the empty table remained empty for the remainder of our time at the restaurant -- probably another hour. The baby woke up and we were forced to hold him on our lap in the meantime. Luckily, our friends had brought a mini portable booster seat just in case. The owner continued to make dirty looks at us for the remainder of the meal. I asked the wait staff why our high chair was taken away from us. They were gracious and tried to be helpful but could not provide an answer as to why the owner had taken the high chair away like that. They looked extremely uncomfortable and could not explain. I am still incredulous and do not understand why the owner targeted us that way. Perhaps it was because we were a fully Chinese table and the owner just didn't like us??... Truly cannot think of a reason to take away a high-chair from a 7-month-old baby, without a single word or question to confirm whether we still needed it, especially since we specifically requested it. Let that speak for itself and be wary. Beyond that, the "Maria's oysters" were filled with 95% spinach and cream sauce and had barely 1/6 of an oyster in them. Of the 6 oysters that come in an order, I would guess they cut an oyster into six pieces. The breading on the fried calamari was unappetizing. The red snapper and branzino were dry and flavorless. Everything was extremely overpriced. Overall a very disappointing experience and do not recommend. read more

I always pass by this restaurant but never tried it out. Someone I know, brought Maria's for us to eat at work and WOW! The food is amazing, I'm currently on a Lent fast (I gave up meat for the fast) so sadly I didn't get a chance to eat the chicken and beef on the skewers but it smelled AMAZING. Their dips and fried pita bread is amazing as well! Their lemon potatoes were perfect, it wasn't too mushy and had the crispiness I was looking for. The vegetable rice is also amazing. Their fried calamari and fried shrimp is still good but what I do recommend is their salmon. It was the perfect serving size and amazing! One of my new favorite restaurants! read more

I've got to tell you, I've never had a significantly negative experience at Maria's. The food is absolutely delicious, and the service could not be nicer. The prices are about what you would expect, but I think that it is really quite reasonable. It's always very hard to get parking, but that's true for anything in Bayside Village. read more

I got a Groupon Now deal for dinner for two and decided to give Maria's on Bell a chance on a whim. I was completely surprised by how good the food was. For our first course, my boyfriend and I shared the spicy Brazilian sausage which was absolutely incredible; we were sad to learn it was coming off the menu in the next few weeks. For entrees, I had the salmon in a lemon garlic sauce and my boyfriend chose a char-grilled shrimp dish - we both opted for the fried potatoes with cheese as a side. The entrees were pretty good. I wish I could give Maria's four stars but unfortunately the service was lacking. Our server was very attentive and polite but his wine knowledge was abysmal (explaining to us that the house wine was "just a California white, it's not like a Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio or anything". The kitchen was tragically slow; being that we were the only diners in the restaurant, I couldn't figure out why our first course took 30 minutes to make it to our table. I would definitely choose Maria's for dinner again, but I there's definitely room for improvements in their customer service department. read more

Finally made it here the other night. Cozy little restaurant, seems like it would be a great place to go with the family. It had its pros and cons here, I think the food may be better here than Avli, however the prices at Avli are better. The waitress was hit or miss. There was a table of 6 which she definitely catered too and neglected other tables due to it. She wasnt terrible, but tracking her down was sometimes a pain. The sell Tzaiki as an appetizer for about $5..now if you order this I would think it comes with pita. Even though they give you complimentary pita with olives in olive oil, they should replenish your pita bread if your ordering this big dish of Tzaiki. Anywho, it was really good though, alot but good. One of the better Tzaiki's that I have had in the Queens area. The fried calamari is so fresh! Its hard to find a good restaurant with such fresh calamari, especially one thats not on the water. It was seasoned well and just melted in your mouth. I ordered the chicken souvlaki with vegetable rice and my boyfriend ordered the pork chops. Both good meals, very tasty, seasoned and cooked just right. Overall a good time here, and I would definitely recommend this place for someone whose looking for a good greek cuisine. read more

This place is the Greek bomb !! I'm here to indulge in Greek Easter and so glad they are open ! Small Greek salad and calamari are amazing! So fresh and full of delicious vinegar and lemon flavors ! Staff at the bar is so attentive but never pushy. If I could eat more I would ... time for the take out menu read more

Came to Maria's on NYE for dinner. Place was packed and I'm not sure if this is how it always is, but the chef/owner just won an episode of chopped, so we assumed that was maybe why. We had reservations and had to wait about 20 mins or so until getting our table, but while waiting, Maria herself came out and offered us drinks at the bar on the house, which says a lot about how this place is ran. Very good hospitality and that's how a good business is ran...appreciated the offer a lot. She was also extremely personable and had a conversation with us for a couple of minutes. Nice to see! Upon seating, our table ordered fried calamari, bacon wrapped chicken, stuffed chicken, lamb chops, and ribeye steak. The calamari appetizer came out quickly and was good. Not the best, a little thick for my liking, but not terrible. Would eat it again. After we finished our appetizers, dinner took quite some time to come out...I would say about 30-40 mins later. I ordered the bacon wrapped chicken with vegetables. The chicken itself was really good-well seasoned with great flavor and juicy. The bacon however wasn't crispy at all. I actually ended up taking most of the pieces off of the chicken because it was really soggy. A friend at the table ordered the same thing though and his was perfectly crispy. I sampled my boyfriends lemon potatoes and they were really good. I would definitely come back to Maria's for dinner again! read more

Pros: - Great service - Food came out pretty quickly or at a reasonable time - Lamb souvlaki is incredibly soft and flavorful - Greek yogurt dessert was not too sweet and delicious Now here's the problem. I ordered a vegetarian moussaka. When I first ate it, it was incredibly delicious. However, as I took more bites and went towards the center of the moussaka, it became colder. Now, it could be that it wasn't cooked all the way. But no, it's worse than that. I got a corner piece of moussaka. If this piece was undercooked, then only two sides of the moussaka would be toasty warm. However, all four sides were toasty with the middle cold. Ladies and gentlemen, this means that Maria's served me a frozen vegetarian moussaka that they simply reheated or put in the microwave.. This just put a dapper on my meal. I didn't want to eat any more of their food in case they also microwaved those. TL;DR Maria's serves frozen food. Proof: I got a frozen vegetarian moussaka that they failed to microwave thoroughly. read more

I picked this restaurant at first based on the location. In reading the reviews, I felt comfortable with my selection but it wasn't until I look at the photos of their grilled octopus, that I was completely sold on my choice. Trust me it was better then expected. The must try was the dip sampler with the warm pita. I ended with a Greek calamari salad. Drop the fork......I'm a fan. Great job. read more

With so many incredible and tempting places in the immediate area.....I walked by this place for a long time and it took about a year before me and my wife finally ate there.......all those award banners they display are well deserved. Me and my girl went there on a saturday night and it was busy. The hostess told us it would be a half hour. So we said that would be fine and we went to the small bar they have in the back. The owner happened to be at the door when we came in and bought us a round of drinks at the bar.......good start! We waited for a long time.....it was saturday night. Then sat down. Our waitress was amazing....can't remember her name. We got an appetizer special at the waitress' recommendation ; stuffed calamari. It was incredible. A whole cooked (not fried) squid stuffed with this incredible spinach cheese vinegarette stuffing. I've never had anything like it and it was awesome. Our entrees...I got a seafood risotto (thats my name for what i remember eating.....I don't know what the name of the dish was). It was really good. My wife got filet of sole. Amazing. Next time I go there im gonna get a whole fish. I saw the servers carrying out some whole fish dinners and they just looked amazing. read more

The best restaurant in Bayside NY. Great host/hostess. Superlative food and excellent service. A true Chopped winner. Mediterranean food that appeals to all ethnicities. reasonable prices despite the covid situation! read more

Finding my way around Queens is always hard for me with 161st avenue, 161st road, 161st place, 161st terrace, 161st drive. And it's even worse relying on freaking GPS that takes you around the damn world and back. After taking about an hour to get here, I then realized where I was and could have saved myself 20 minutes of travel time. But I digress and will dive into this review about how SLAMMING the food is here. Our party of four was out celebrating my friends engagement and pregnancy, and the perfect opportunity to use my Christmas Groupon gift: 2 appetizers, 4 entrees, 4 desserts and wine. For appetizers, we shared calamari-crisp fried with marinara sauce and grilled chicken wrapped in bacon-OMG the charcoal flavor and the juiciness of the chicken was on point (make a mental note to order this). We were able to choose entrees up to $23. I chose the branzino, which I had been wanting to try for the longest, with a side of horta (dandelion greens) squeezed with lemon. Off the charts. That fish melted in my mouth like you wouldn't believe. The dessert, however hit a sour note at the table. It smelled good but visually and texturally, it wasn't appealing. I'm always up for trying different things so I ate it. Other than that, our waiter was super cool and attentive, even though towards the end of our meal, the place got crowded and with no fault of his, he kinda forgot about us. Besides that minor snafu, I'm sticking to 4 stars cause the food was slamming and I left nothing behind, except for the overage which was about $20, a tip and 3 plates of uneaten dessert. read more

Came here with a Groupon dinner. Our server was extremely friendly and welcoming, and did a great job explaining the menu. Appetizers: Antipasto Platter- It came with 4 different dip/sauces and pita. Overall very good. Grilled Portobello- juicy, well made with lots of flavor For entree: I got the shrimp scampi. It was perfectly succulent and garlic-buttery. Side of lemon potatoes was awesome too. Dessert was a baked cinnamon flavored apple slab. I hate apples and I hate cooked fruit, so this was most unpleasant... but others said it was pretty good. Tip: Don't get the house red wine. It was offensive to my palate, as it tasted like vinegar and cork. I don't think any of us drank it even though it came with the dinner. I will be back to try their other menu items. read more

I'm actually kind of shocked, since the reviews were so good I thought id give this a try! Came with friends we were greeted, seated and shortly after asked for our order ... Took forever to get the bread....and extra 15 to get the starters and almost 20 min to get the entree! Which was lamb and so dry! Couldn't believe it and the fish was not fresh at all. It was a very strange experience considering the reviews are good? The service was nice but very slow and not very attentive Won't be trying this again read more

The service was great. The prices are a little high for the small portion sizes. The food was good. Corfu grill in Forest Hills Queens blows them out of the water and for half the price. read more

In my humble opinion, by far the best Greek restaurant in bayside. Or Whitestone. Their service is great too. Good selection of wines and overall a good place for a Greek meal. read more

Must try Maria's oysters. I should've ordered it as a meal. When we got to this place the outside makes the restaurant look small but once you walk in the restaurant is very spacious and not crowded at all. Staff was ok. But we had to ask for things like knives and sauces at least twice. Food was good. The platter for 2 was very filling. The fish we ordered was a tad salty tho. Overall I liked the environment and will come back to try other items on the menu as well as ordering Maria's oyster again. read more

My family has been coming here decently often after hearing about it from Chopped. I don't live in the area but came with my mom last time I was visiting, and I don't regret it. Highlights include the various pikilia dips, keftedes, beet salad, and the phenomenal OCTOPUS. Sooo good. Waitress was nice, personable, and attentive. Would like to go back and try some meals, though the apps were awesome and there are so many more to try. read more

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Food was very good. Service was excellent Must try the grilled octopus salad. Place was tidy and clean. read more

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Mediterranean and Unique We ate there early last evening and we were pleasantly surprised by the depth of the menu. All the usual stuff plus interesting things ales on the expected fare. Vegetarian Moussaka. Lots of fish and seafood choices. Great salads and sides. And if you have nothing else the blueberry baklava with tahini ice cream (all homemade) and far from the average is to die for. Well worth the calories! read more

Food was average. Best was the halloumi. Grilled octopus was alittle tough. Lemon potatoes was not lemony. Slow cooked pork shoulder was overcooked and dry. Needed to use a lot of tzatziki. Spinach rice was not good at all. Good waitstaff though. read more

Greek and Mediterranean food is pretty popular up and down Bell Blvd. in Bayside. My wife noticed that this place was deemed the "Best Restaurant in Bayside" as per TripAdvisor, so we decided to finally stop by. As it turned out, we came on Greek Easter, so the menu was special. We had the sautéed whole octopus in balsamic vinegar and capers (awesomely tender), Greek chicken (grilled chicken with rice pilaf), eggplant dip and a portion of the whole roasted lamb on a spit. The Greek chicken was a bit bland and dry but all the other items really made up for it. The eggplant dip was a bit less seasoned than the others I've had but not in a bad way. The sautéed octopus was incredibly tasty and I would highly recommend anyone try it if it happens to reappear on the menu. The lamb however was really the best part of the meal. I'm not a lamb kinda guy, but it was done really well and had almost no trace of the gamey flavor I detest. Kids ate it up like it was steak. Service was attentive and good. Price is a bit higher than other restaurants in the area but well worth it. read more

I ordered scallops for $32 and got only 4 scallops . With tax and tip it cost me $40 or $10 per scallop. I did not complain because I was with some business people. I later emailed them and they never answered me. . read more

Delicious food and excellent service! Celebrated a birthday with a party of 6 and the entire staff took all the necessary precautions and safety measures to ensure we had a safe and enjoyable meal without the daunting concerns of COVID -- all employees were in masks and partitions divided the tables. Kudos to the chef and kitchen staff - all the food was remarkable, hot, fast, and so so so delicious. Maria's has been a staple in Bayside for 10 years and I hope they stick around for another 10 (at least!) Can't wait to return and dine here again!! read more

Food is great here. Fresh and delicious. Attentive wait staff. Only negative is it is always so loud you can hardly hear yourself think.

This place was pretty decent. Service was good. Food was okay. I got the branzino, first time ever! It comes in 3 sizes for $20,25,30 respectively. Unfortunately, they ran out of the small so I opted for medium. It was a nice grilled fish. It tasted good, but not really worth it since it was just simply seasoned with salt and grilled. It could be easily replicated at home. The lamb souvlaki (~$17) my friend had was really chewy. The stuffed calamari appetizer was only 2 calamaris for $15. Overall, it was okay to try, but I didn't think it was amazing enough to justify the prices of their menu items. read more

Maria's Mediterranean - Medium branzino - Seafood Near Me - Bayside, New York

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Bayside has its fair share of Greek offerings, but Maria's has something extra to offer. Their wait staff was professional, their food was authentic, and they were very accommodating to our large party of about 20. The food: NOT (Greek) fast food! Come to this place for next level Greek entrées, strong wine selection, great ambiance for a date, and little extras such as Greek coffee or their carefully selected daily specials. To sum up, Maria's did not disappoint and I would recommend without reservation. But do make a reservation! Place was great! read more

This was my first time dining here. My friend and I went here on a Monday night. It wasn't too crowded. It looks smaller on the outside but pretty spacious in the inside. Our waiter Christian was attentive to the right degree. We ordered hummus, greek salad, grilled octopus, Maria's oysters and crab cakes as our entrée. Our eyes popped out from how amazing the oysters were. Salad was very fresh. Grilled octopus was just right too. I could've done without the crab cake. Only thing I wasn't really crazy about were their single bathrooms. But that's nitpicking. At least it was clean. read more

Maria's Mediterranean - Maria's oysters - Seafood Near Me - Bayside, New York