I absolutely love this place and go probably once a month! Authentic food, welcoming service and a warm atmosphere. Pithari Taverna is my boyfriend and I's go to date night location as we can have delicious food and not spend too much money (BYOB really helps!). We typically order a salad, app, split one entree and order a dessert. My favorite items are the spanokopita, octopus, dill salad, salmon with the greens beans and then for dessert I absolutely love the galaktoboureko (milk custard pudding). Honestly, everything here is delicious! I don't think I've ever ordered something I didn't like. Service is so friendly too! As I said my boyfriend and I go often so the servers know us and always say hi when they see us - really sweet touch! I cannot recommend this place enough! Be sure to check it out for your next Greek night out! read more

I have been here twice, and both times I was never really that impressed. The service was quicker than than last time, but the food to me was below par. To start, we got the greek salad. The veggies did all taste very fresh, but the vinegar in the salad was too strong, and the salad became very heavy. For an entree, I got the lamb shish kebab. The lamb was dry, and too chewy. And, some parts was too watery. The tzatziki that came on the side felt more like a cream sauce than a yogurt sauce. The bread that came before our meal, was good, and really nice and soft. The food is reasonably priced as well, but I really was not that impressed with this place overall! read more

Ambiance Stunning yet relaxing atmosphere! As I walk, I feel like I'm in a different place. I absolutely love the net with the fake vines and fruits hanging in the ceiling. The blue and white exudes "island time" and ultimately, this restaurant exudes "Greece." Food I'm always down for lunch or dinner here because I know I will have a very satisfying meal. I've tried many dishes here, and I don't even know which one to start with. There are times, my friend and I will order a bunch of appetizers/small plates to share instead of an appetizer and entree each. I love the charcoal grilled octopus!! You must try the traditional saganaki that they put on fire! It's quite awesone. One time I ordered the feta saganaki by accident, but it was still very delicious! I love how they drizzle it with honey making it sweet and savory! Even though I don't like meatballs, my friend ordered it and made me try a ball - it was unexpectedly tasty! Very meaty and flavorful! I enjoyed the light crisp on the outside! The feta/spinach spanakopitas are very satisfying too! Always an amazing time here! Service The service is outstanding! Enough said. read more

One star deduction due to a credit card discrepancy. I should probably deduct more because it makes me nervous to ever use a credit card here again, but I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt because I still really enjoy their food. My dad, fortunately, has always been super anal about keeping track of his credit card receipts. After dining at Pithari, he noticed that his credit card had been billed $5 over what he authorized (authorized including tip, I should say). He called the restaurant and the manager made arrangements to reimburse him $5, but that's not the point. The point is that a 1 became a 6 without my dad's permission, and last I checked those numbers were awful far apart on keypads and didn't look anything at all alike. I'd like to think it was just an "oops" on a busy night, but it's just shady enough I won't be using credit here again to test that theory. read more

Experiencing some intense Greek food cravings? Well search no more because this place will go well above your cravings and satisfactions, in terms of food and service as well. QUICK POINTERS * Fabulous service! FOOD (menu) * Included all major Greek coveting meals * Fairly priced with the exception of some specialty dishes being a little more * Menu provided on their Web site for additional reference FOOD (taste experience) * Pita (complimentary) [1] * Pikilia Cold spreads ($14.95) [2] * Saganaki ($9.95) [3] * Manitaria Yemista ($8.95) [4] * Gyro Wrap Deluxe ($11.95) [5] SERVICE * Decent sized private lot parking * Super friendly staff; felt like my second family [6] OVERALL Literally everything you would imagine a 5-star, $$, Greek restaurant to be that is more catered to be family friendly. They got a private parking lot, a clean and spacious restroom, lots of space to move around so you're not constantly squeezing between chairs whenever you get up, nice selection of food options and all reasonably priced, spectacular staff, food didn't take centuries to reach the table and into our stomachs...the only thing I regret is not having had a big enough stomach to gobble down some more food (: p.s. I'll confess, I am so tempted to make another stop there at this moment after writing up this delicious review ha! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [1] Served super nice and warm~ [2] Recommended appetizer for groups to share! [3] Exactly what heavenly cheese would taste like ha [4] I'm a huger sucker for mushrooms so these suckers were A+ in my tummy [5] Huge platter! Perfect for your gyro cravings (; [6] Was my first time here, yet the staff treated my like they were my uncles, and as though I was a regular, which I do not mind being after my wonderful experience (: read more

Pithari Taverna - Gyro Wrap Deluxe (Beef and Lamb Gyro) - Greek Near Me - Highland Park, New Jersey

This is a wonderful restaurant! We ate like pigs yesterday. My friend and I got the combo appetizer and the octopus. The meatballs are amazing the octopus was cooked to perfection and the other appetizers were very tasty. I got the lamb chops which were seasoned perfectly. A lil over cooked but still tasted amazing. The service was on point and it's byob. I would definitely be back! read more

A greek gem in the "outskirts" of Highland Park. With a very polite and professional staff you are welcomed with warm pita and olives. I´ve taken people to this place, because it´s great for small and large groups. The Octopus Sta Karvouna is to die for. Get over your fear of tentacles and just get it. You won´t regret it =) Everything else is done right. I keep going hoping to find another must have dish. However you can´t go wrong with the lamb or chichen kebab. BYOB helps =) read more

Pithari Taverna - Decor - Greek Near Me - Highland Park, New Jersey

Now with new patio dining! .... This place is very, very good. i've been here three or four times now, and i've had a great meal every time. I just went back today, and here's my book report. 1) Brand-new, enclosed patio dining with slide out windows - A+ for the unique al Fresco dining experience, New Jersey style 2) grilled lamb sausage with a sprig of green onion, several slices of heirloom tomatoes, and a wedge of lemon. A bit too dry, and a tad bit pricey ($8.95 for a single link split in two), but very unique nevertheless. 3) moussaka - this was the BOMB! tasty potato / eggplant / ground beef / feathery mashed potato, toasted in a salamander to a golden crust. I couldn't even finish the moussaka. I was so stuffed, I guess I'll have to try the desserts next time. Excellent service, al fresco dining, delicious food - I will be back! A side note - parking is very limited. Not an issue today, but I remember last time I had to park 2 blocks away. read more

Used to be one of my favorite restaurants in town. The quality of the food has tumbled. The squid and scallops (the size of a dime) were like rubber bands. The shrimp tough and flavorless. The founder was pretty good. The plate arrived at about room temperature. A real disappointment. I don't think we will go back. read more

I've been to Pithari a dozen times in the past 6 months. Usually go during the week and the food has been absolutely delicious! Plus, I love that this place is BYOB! Although, I went there on a Saturday night recently and I have to admit I was very disappointed. The place was packed, but we were seated immediately. Service was good but we waited almost AN HOUR just to get our appetizers. Then after we were finished with the appy, we waited another 25 minutes for our dinners. And it wasn't even good, except for the lemon potatoes. My shrimp & scallops were hard and dry. I've been back since, during the middle of the week, and food was delish. Note to self: Don't go there for dinner on the weekend. read more

Lovely little place with some "old world charm"! My counter part was stuck in traffic so I spent a couple of hours here and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Very good food here and reasonably priced, if I lived nearby it would be a staple.... read more

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I'm upgrading this place to a 5-star...probably because I haven't been here for a while and absolutely loved our dinner last night! Based on the waitress' recommendation, we tried their lamb stew (it's really lamb on the bone!) with homemade pasta. Simply put, it was delicious! Meat was cooked to perfection: moist and and tender, and the pasta was excellent with a bit touch of cheese! Yum yum yum~ And to add to the last review, we love the complimentary pita bread upon seating; they are sooo good to dip in the olive oil, but I always tend to eat soo much that I felt a bit stuffed even before the appetizers were brought out. LOL Also, we tried the Greek Sausage and really liked that as well. So far, I think the only dish that we are not too crazy about is the Mediterranean Chicken. Other than that, everything is excellent here! PS: Did I mention this place is BYOB? There's a Rite Aid nearby that sells alcohol. Yup, you heard me right, RITE AID. O yah, the portions are pretty generous here, so go with a bunch of people and ENJOY!!! read more

The food was never great. In fact the only thing consistent about it was that it was inconsistent. Yet I always found myself going here despite a general 3/5 star experience. It was more a Greek atmosphere thing. Based on my last visit, I think I need to find another Greek restaurant in the area. I asked if I could sub spinach for potatoes and would pay an upcharge. Turns out they don't have spinach. That made me wonder where and when the spinach pie is made. Then my wife asked if she could substitute a stuffed eggplant for the stuffed tomato on the Liga apo olla. We have been doing this like forever...old owner who we miss so much and even under the new owner. Apparently not anymore. The server, who was very pleasant and really trying, brought over someone else to explain. Ok, fine I am sure your reason is valid but that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it. And you could have been a little nicer. A smile goes a long way. Autio or Good bye! Oh yeah, and the Greek Burger is tasteless and dry. read more

This place is actually adorable. The decor is really cute and homey. It feels pretty authentic. The food is great. What more do you need? I've visited Pithari Taverna twice. You start off with warm pita bread and olive oil. I eat so much of that that I am pretty full by the time the real food gets there. I've had Yiouvetsi Sti Gastra and the Beef Lamb Gyro Platter. They were both really delicious and the portion size is big. Yiouvetsi Sti Gastra is a lamb shank dish with orzo and a red sauce served in a clay pot. The meat is cooked very tender. It just melts in your mouth. The staff is very friendly. On my second visit, we were seated by a baby shower party or something. The owner came to us with a plate of hot Tyropitakia ON THE HOUSE. Tyropitakia is sort of like an hors d'oeuvre. There is a feta cheese filling in filo dough pastry. It was delicious. I definitely recommend coming here if you want pretty authentic Greek cuisine in Jersey. It's also BYOB so you're really not losing. read more

Pithari Taverna - Yiouvetsi Sti Gastra - Greek Near Me - Highland Park, New Jersey

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This is the go to spot for Greek food within New Jersey. The food here is absolutely splendid. This is better than most places in the city and that is saying something. The food is excellent and the service is very good. The waitress checked on is constantly and my water glass was never less than half. Be sure to try their seafood dishes! The seafood is seasoned rather well. Honestly just stick to a bunch of appetizers between people because there is a lot of good food here! read more

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How did I not know about this place until 2016?!? Pithari Taverna is one of my favorite new restaurants, and it's partly because of their baklava. My first time going was a Saturday night, and it was obviously pretty busy but my friends and I were able to get seats. I got the lamb shank, and it was very tender and juicy. I was creeping a bit and seeing what other people got, and I have to say the salads at Pithari Taverna actually looked pretty good too. Definitely, come here if you're around the area, but try to come with just 1-2 friends or you'll have a hard time getting seats! read more

Pithari Taverna - Greek food and fun times with friends - Greek Near Me - Highland Park, New Jersey

This place has a nice vibe to it, the decor is on point and they dish out amazing Greek food. It is a byob place and there is a wine store right next to it. The food is reasonably priced too. We ordered Skordalia & Saganaki for starters. Saganaki was the best I have had. For entree we ordered chicken & lamb souvlaki. The lamb souvlaki was cooked right and tasted amazing so was chicken souvlaki. For dessert we had galaktomboureko. It was amazing! A must try! Looking forward to come back here for more Greek food! read more

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Finally a local Greek restaurant with homecooked flavor :) YAY! It's like a restaurant that doesn't quite belong in suburban Jersey but hey, I'll take it! Refreshing to have GOOD restaurants that aren't chains. This BYOB restaurant is pretty popular in the local areal. Wait time for the food can be a little long at times, but at least you know people are waiting for a reason... Blue decor all over the place, along with, (if I can remember correctly), Greek TV. Some issues people might have with the place: packed seating when they're full, sitting very close to other groups of people, and it can get very loud when it's packed - not a quiet dining atmosphere if that's what you're into. I believe in the summertime, they can open up the windows, so there's semi-alfresco dining (can't wait til then already!) I've been here several times and I wish I could recall all the dishes I've had here but their website is down right now and I'm not Greek so I can't remember the names. Every time I've been here, I've gotten "traditional" items, so not to seem too Americanized..lol... The thing I want to try next is their gyro, I know... Alll their entree portions are definitely enough for 2 meals - so I wouldn't complain about the price. Just make sure you order something that will still be good to eat the next day. The grilled octopus app is amazing! For someone like me who doesn't like chewy seafood, especially octopus and squid, it was amazingly tender - this is probably the ONLY appetizer the is not overly ginormously portioned. Lemon potatoes and greek salad always good! I'll have to report back on the entrees after I go next time! Service: last time I was there, we had an older woman waitress, who treated us like she was our grandma, LOVED that! =) "Do you like your food? Is it good?" LOVE that too! read more

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Their lamb is pretty good, the portions are HUGE. They have very high quality olives as a free appetizer as well. My friend said the seafood platter was not good at all though, so stick to the chicken/beef/lamb read more

A good restaurant to enjoy Greek Food . The decor is beautiful and it feels nice . The host and waitresses are also efficient at their job. I will come back again to try out another dish read more

This place had a diner feel from the moment we arrived at the door. Should've listened to our instincts and turned around, would've saved $50. Had a large Greek Salad, at $13.00, way overpriced when it only hinted at feta cheese as part of it. Even the dressing was lousy. Just had cucumber and tomato chunks, although the capers where a pleasant surprise. The moussaka was water-logged mush! A broken béchamel, bland, unseasoned ground beef, sitting in a steam table for days! And the service was best represented by the Hispanic busboy, who was attentive and responsive as the waitress couldn't be bothered. This place is a diner under the pretense of being a taverna. Actually, a diner is probably going to outperform this place in freshness, service, and price. Pithari, aptly named 'cause it is the pits. read more

Food was good, staff was very quick, parking available in the small lot behind or on the street. Pricing is average for Greek food. Seating is nice, there is plenty, kind of cold inside. Yogurt dessert was delicious. read more

Pithari Taverna - Greek Near Me - Highland Park, New Jersey

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Horrible experience. They forgot half of my $60 meal. I called to see if there was anything they could do to make it right and they told me they had to wait till the owner was back in the next day to help me. I was there just about twenty minutes earlier and the owner was there, so I don't believe this. Also- take my number and have the owner call me. Don't tell me to call you. It was your mistake. Horrible customer service. Won't return. I DO NOT recommend this restaurant for pick up. This is the second time I've picked up from here in the past few months and both times were not good at all. This place has seriously gone down hill lately. read more

Perfect place for authentic Greek food! It's also BYOB which makes it even better!!! It's super casual, cute atmosphere with friendly staff too. We started off with all of the traditional dips with pita bread...we loved them all except for the garlic potato one. Then for our main course we both ordered chicken dishes: Mediterranean with rice & one with spinach and feta...both moist and delicious! Even the lemon potato's were tasty! I also got the vegetable moussaka to go...it was still good the next day! We definitely recommend Pithari Taverna, even for those who don't live in Highland Park...xoxo read more

Came here for dinner with family. The place was cute and had the ambiance of feeling like you were in Greece. We were seated right away and given a bunch of hot pita and oil and olives to munch on. The pitas were excellent and I ate too many this spoiling my appetite. For my meal I ordered the Lahanodolmades. I wouldn't have normally ordered a cabbage and meat dish... but I'm soooo happy I did. This dish was excellent. There was ground beef and rice container in cabbage. It had this lemon sauce that honestly worked so well with it. It also came with some potatoes. The price was good. The only reason I gave 4 stars is because when it got crowded, we hardly saw our server. Our waters were empty for a bit and we had a hard time getting attention to pay the bill. That being said, I would definitely come back!!! read more

Pithari Taverna - Greek Near Me - Highland Park, New Jersey

I have been to Pithari about 5 different times now and they never disappoint. Even though it is usually crowded you never seem to wait long to be seated or to get your food. Both the meat and seafood dishes come out perfectly cooked. I have never had better calamari anywhere. Also the pita and olive oil they give you before the meal (which is actually about a bunch of whole olives in oil) is amazing, and I don't usually like olives. I recommend getting any of the souvlaki dishes or just anything with lamb, especially the lamb dish with orzo that is served in a clay pot. The meat just falls off the bone. I especially wanted to write a review for our most recent visit because we were very full so we didn't order dessert but they gave us some complimentary baclava anyway! It was delicious and of course then we had to order some Greek coffee to go with it. This is an authentic Greek restaurant that is consistently good and has great service. Highly recommended. read more

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I've eaten here twice and all I can say is that this food is fantastic. I've had the chicken gyro platter and the stuffed chicken with feta cheese and spinach. Both were kind of amazing. Greek food isn't my normal go-to. However, this food is so fresh and flavorful. I really hope it survives the Corona lowdown. These people are talented! read more

Called them 16 minutes before close, told me they couldn't fill an order, I told them all I wanted was a gyro. The guy says,"be here in 10 minutes?" I say yes! Gyro was delish! Super nice and accommodating people. read more

Service at this place was great. Our server gave us a lot of little pointers about the menu and came by frequently to check on us. It's a BYOB so we brought a few of our favorite craft beers. There's a liquor store next door if you forget but we didn't go there so not sure what they have. Reasonably priced too. read more

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We headed north toward a destination in no hurry, vowing to be spontaneous. Using Yelp, we chose this restaurant based on our personal likes and over 140 good reviews. Pithari Taverna has several rooms with a blue/turquoise decor, nicely lit and cozily tucked full of tables ready to be combined or separated for any size party, as well as an outdoor dining area. The service was prompt, friendly but respectful in timing. But truly the best was the food. Salmon w Artichoke and tzatziki sauce was very good, and as recommended, the Lemon potatoes were excellent. Watching the chefs carve the meat at the rotissary, we expected to love the Beef and lamb gyro platter. The Greek fried potatoes were great too. We asked for a baklava and walnut cake to go. We are sorry we don't live close by! read more

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Went there for the third or forth time yesterday. I have only been to lunch on weekends.What really got me started here was the collapse of the lamented SEVEN HILLS OF ISTANBUL. Yesterday we had Saganaki , Greek grilled sausage and a lamb special that was terrific. The desserts are also good.I've had the baklava and yesterday had the Greek custard tart , whose name , of course escapes me. This is a BYOB , which I love because I hate the egregious rip offs that American restaurants subject you to when ordering wine.If you don't bring your own wine , there is a Greek grocery store next door that sells Greek wine , chilled if you want it .I wish there were more restaurants like this. read more

We love this place. Visited several times.. special celebrations here for birthdays and anniversaries. Great & friendly staff too

Another great meal at Pithari. Even though it was a busy Saturday night, the service and food was "spot on" as always. Shout out to Jacqueline for the great recommendations and wonderful hospitality. See my previous review for more details as to specific recommendations. Everything was authentic and great as always. Tonight I had the Greek salad, chicken souvlaki and galactoputtica (spelled phonetically). Delicious as always. read more

Pithari Taverna - Greek Near Me - Highland Park, New Jersey

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Went there just the other day and absolutely loved the food. It was fresh and very well made. Couldn't have asked for a better experience. I loved the calamari and the service was outstanding. Will definitely be going back for more! read more

Went here with my SO for our Valentine's dinner and because we wanted to try something new. We had read about the authentic decor and were not disappointed. They also have an open kitchen so you can watch your food being prepared from your table. We ordered the saganaki and sadly missed taking a picture of it while it was on fire - have your phone out if you want a picture because they bring it out fast! It was incredible and the fresh pita we ate with it was delicious as well (and they refill your basket fresh from the oven). We also ordered the garlic dip which is made with a potato base, and it was good too. We were pretty much full after our appetizers but had ordered two massive entrees: the lamb souvlaki and the liga apo olla (a platter of moussaka, pastitsio, spanakopita & stuffed tomato). We had wanted the lamb special but sadly they were out. However we were more than happy with our food - the spanikopita was the best I have ever tried and the lamb was incredible. The moussaka and pastitsio were a little bland but not bad. We ended up taking home enough food for an entire second meal. We ordered baklava to go and it was delicious - highly recommended. Service was very fast, portions were huge, just be aware of filling up on appetizers and pita! Not that that's a bad thing, it just means more food for later. We will be back! read more

I liked this place, but it didn't wow me. I love Greek food and had been wanting to try Pithara, but I felt like the food didn't live up to the raves. My friends and I went in early and I'm glad we did because it filled up. We arrived at 5 and in a relatively empty restaurant we were seated near the door. When I made a comment about it, I was told the door wouldn't open. Bull. It opened quite a few times during my meal and I was freezing. They put a chair on the stairs to keep people from opening it, but that didn't deter anyone. Food: I had the Taramosalata, usually one of my favorites. There wasn't enough caviar and too much feta in it. Two of my dinner companions ordered it as well and seemed disappointed. The fourth ordered Keftedakia, something her family makes regularly, and her sister teased her about it, but she said it was good. For dinner I had the Calamari Sta Karvouna, grilled calamari. It was a tad too chewy & dried out. Two of my friends ordered the Aegean Platter, and I honestly don't remember what the fourth ordered. I know the other three had rice pudding for dessert but I stuck with coffee. Service was excellent. The server did a great job of checking on us constantly. She was a bright spot in the meal. Towards the end of our meal another server came over to make sure we were leaving because they had people waiting. Ugh. I hate that. I understand it but don't give people the bum's rush. Summation: food was good, not great. I prefer Stamna hands down. Service was great. Wasn't thrilled with the seating but since we were one of the few parties there under the age of 65, I guess they figured we'd be less likely to be cold. Parking sucks since they only have a tiny lot. read more

LOVE this place. I appreciate it even more after a terrible experience at a Greek restaurant in metuchen. Everything here is authentic and served fresh. Great indoor atmosphere. read more

My mistake with this place was eating too many of the appetizers and then I ended up not even getting an entree because I was so full! The stuffed grape leaves are really good here and you can tell they are homemade. The hummus that I had has a texture to it but I like it because you can also tell that it was made from chickpeas and the Pita bread hands down was the best because it was warm and also made you eat the whole basket and ask 100 times for a refill. They also were offering this honey sesame calamari and it was pretty good- but kinda oily. I wish we had gotten the sauce on the side instead of coating all the pieces. Want to try this place again so that I can try the entrees! For now the only gripe i have is with service- sometimes they dont come back around to your table very timely. read more

We haven't gone since before COVID, but I honestly find myself looking through this page and all the food pictures more than I like to admit Truly every dish I've had here has been 10/10. Can't wait to come again. read more

We have been going here for many years but not sure we will return. We arrived at 8:40pm and waited about 5 minutes on a quiet night to be seated. Nobody came to take our order. After 10 minutes I got up and asked for a server. Nobody came for several minutes and finally came and said they would be right back. 5 minutes later we got up and walked out. Very disappointed read more