We stopped in for lunch today and were warmly greeted and seated right away. We were also thanked…read moreon our way out, which was a nice touch. Service: Unfortunately, the service was hit or miss. No one checked on us after our food arrived. My fork was cleared with the appetizer plate and never replaced, so I eventually took utensils from an empty nearby table. My seafood pasta also came with shellfish, but no dish was provided for the shells. No one checked on us until we almost finished our mains. Food: The lemon drop martini was okay. The char-grilled octopus was tasty, but the Mykonos seafood pasta was bland. Hubby enjoyed his Keftedes and burger, although his burger arrived with a bun despite requesting it without one. The salad that came with it was delicious -- I actually enjoyed it more than my pasta! Overall: A warm welcome and some good dishes, but the bland pasta and inattentive service made this a mixed experience.

My twin 12-year-old boys and I chose Aegean Breeze for dinner on our first night in the area. We…read moreare big fans of Greek food and they didn't disappoint. They were really quiet when we went so there wasn't much atmosphere to mention, but the decor was typical for a Mediterranean Restaurant, which is fun and enjoyable. We tried their Grilled Loukaniko as an appetizer, which we hadn't had before and enjoyed it a lot more than expected. Wish we hadn't eaten all the pita they gave us so quickly as it would have been even more delicious together. I had my usual, a Traditional Gyro with a Greek Salad on the side, a perfect choice. The salad was the best I have ever had. One of my sons had the Berkshire Club, which he was very happy with. He could only eat half so we took the other half with us, and it was still good as a shared breakfast the next morning. My other son had a Salmon Burger and a Greek Salad, which he ate all of. We didn't have enough room for dessert at the restaurant, but we had to try their traditional Baklava, so we ordered a piece to-go to share. It met all expectations. The service was satisfactory, nothing memorable, but pleasant. We had no complaints and would love to go back again.

My son had stopped here on the way to visit and based on some of the leftovers, we knew it had to…read morebe on the list. Traveling within about 5 minutes on the way to visit a good friend, and it happened to be right around lunch time, the opportunity finally came. It's a casual place, lots of 2 and 4 top tables, but what caught my eye when we went in was the cooler full of amazing side options. Then you look up and there's a beautiful oven and a dough station. This is looking great. We sat and ordered lamb kebab and doner kebab. A couple minutes later, a large (~11x17?) wooden tray appeared with a piping hot lavash bread and a plate of dill yogurt sauce. If the meal had stopped there, I would have been a happy camper. We had just had a few pieces when the kebab arrived, each with a pepper, tomato, some red cabbage, and onion. Both meats were authentic and delicious. My favorite way to eat my doner was with a bit of the bread, a bit of the dill sauce, some onion and cabbage, and a bunch of meat - a mini gyro, if you will. We took away about 1/3 of the generous portions and ordered a large mixed plate (all 10 of the sides) and baklava to take to our friend. It's a bit of a drive for us, but any time we're anywhere close, we're going to be back for sit down (if it's mealtime) or takeaway if it's not. I highly recommend you do the same.

Alibaba is probably the oldest Turkish restaurant in the Albany area, and it recently got a nice…read moreupgrade -- from the furniture to the serving plates and menus. The place feels much more modern and inviting now. Our family especially enjoys the beyti kebab, the güveç, and their pide. I haven't tried the pizza yet, but since their pide is very good, I imagine the pizza would also be solid. For me though, the real highlight at Alibaba is the mezze. In Turkish cuisine, grilled meats and kebabs are almost always enjoyed with a variety of mezze. They might technically be sides, but they're a big part of the whole experience. These days there are several Turkish kebab places in the area, but none of them offer a wide selection of fresh, house-made mezze like Alibaba does. At many places you're lucky if you find one or two options, often just a basic ezme. At Alibaba you'll find around ten different mezze and each one tastes distinct and freshly made. Every time I tell myself I'll just take a little... and somehow I end up filling a big mezze plate. Honestly, even when we grill at home, our motivation is picking up mezze from Alibaba to go with it. I'm not sure if it gets the credit it deserves, but don't skip the mezze here -- you'd be missing out. In fact, start with the mezze and figure out the rest later :))

Guys I found it! I…read morefound my favorite capital region eatery. Specifically, the "quick", easy, and cost effective food spot. I don't consider it "fast food" but sure, it's an assembly line bowl place, similar to the "chipotle" concept. I've now tried both the Albany (Stuyvesant plaza) location and the OG - Coxsackie one. Both were amazing. The big bowl at Coxsackie was ~$12 and it totally fills me up. Tastes delicious, and you can customize it, and I don't feel they nickel and dime ya, with up charges. Everything tastes fresh and the portion for price is on par and great for what you get. Pita is included with every bowl. Now, I can't wait to taste and try the entire menu and zero in on my favorite bowl, or do a make your own. Thanks Simones. You'll see me a bunch. If it was walking distance or closer, I'd go weekly!

My daughter and I go there pretty much once a week and order the same thing every time. My daughter…read moregoes in to order the food. she always tells me how friendly the staff is and how it makes the experience so much better than going to other places. Would definitely recommend.

We had a really lovely experience at this Mediterranean restaurant. We started with the lentil soup…read moreand hummus dip, and both were absolutely delicious--fresh, flavorful, and a perfect way to begin the meal. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, with a great vibe that made it easy to relax and enjoy our time. The food overall was very good, and you can tell care goes into both the preparation and presentation. Definitely a place we'd come back to and recommend to others looking for a nice spot with great Mediterranean flavors.

Short review: if you like food with flavor, don't waste your money here…read more Long review: There are many lessons in this review. I came here because I was starving and google reviews gave it 4.3 star reviews and it was right before their 3pm closure.... I'm never trusting google reviews again. This was my first and last time doing that. So lesson #1 don't always trust google reviews. Lesson #2 don't decide on a place to eat while you're starving, esp because you are trying to catch them before they close. If this was my first time trying mediterranean food I would be turn off of this cuisine forever. I was very disappointed with the food here. The only chips they had were kettled cooked potato chips you can buy in any convenience store. If I asked for chips in a mediterranean restaurant the I would expect the answer to be pita chips NOT kettle cooked potato chips. The falafel appetiser was more like baked puff balls. Inside was moist. Wasn't till we got the bill we noticed it had spinach in it which is not a traditional ingredient. I went with the lamb burger because the waiter said it's a popular ordered item. It was the blandest lamb burger I've ever had, the sauce that it comes with was the only thing saving it but barely. The bread was dry. The sweet potato wedges looked liked they were steamed or boiled? I'm not even sure, no salt, I was expecting baked or fried wedges. So lesson #3 is just because it's a popular order doesn't mean it's actually good. I highly doubt a returning costumer orders this a second time. The house salad was drenched in dressing, couldn't finish it (doesn't appear so in the photos but it was too much once mixed around) Service was ok, needs some work. Ambience was nice.

Hostess sat us right away. We ordered side salad, lasagna, chicken parm. Food was excellent and…read moretook home enough for another meal. Our server was friendly.

Had dinner here on a Friday night. No waiting, comfortable booths. John our server was pleasant,…read morehelpful and attentive. He recommended Hot cider butterscotch drinks -which warmed us up on a cold night ! I had the breaded fish and husband had the diamond teriyaki steak. Both were cooked just right. We plan to go back again soon !

When I used to work in Brooklyn there was a falafel cart that had the best falafel I'd ever had…read more Since then I've tried various falafel places and I've made them a few times at home. Nothing has come close. When I come to a decent sized city I look out for good restaurants to try. I was excited to see how the falafel was at Mazadar. Walking in I was greeted by friendly staff. There was a casual atmosphere. The felafel was the best I've ever had. I've had felafel all over the world in authentic restaurants. This was the best. From the bread to the balls to the salads to the sauces. Pure perfection. Everything was so fresh and so delicious.

Great service in this order at the counter then have a seat style place. The food they brought out…read morewas plentiful and definitely delivered flavor. We even got an extra order when we asked an ingredient question & the guy working told us then said the other version of the stuffed flatbread was better. To prove it he brought a complimentary half order! Overall a clean place with ample seating and tasty food.

Amazing ambiance, the service was great she explained the menu provided us with an amazing…read moredescription of what we were eating. Such an amazing experience. Would recommend this Greek restaurant.

I am half Greek and this place is legit! A very pleasant surprise for a region that is mostly very…read morelacking in good restaurants. The tiropita (better than the spanakopita), mousaka, and pastitsio are particularly tasty. My only complaint is it's a bit on the pricey side. My husband and I spend close to $100 for dinner for two people with appetizers etc. And the horiatiki (greek salad) could use more feta. But it's very yummy!! Efharisto!

Elektra's is a local hidden gem. The food is fresh, hot, & delicious. Plus the service is friendly…read more& good. We ordered the homemade veggie burger which was delicious with their citrus aioli. We also shared the beets & goat cheese mixed greens salad which is a must have - perfectly tossed, fresh & served with a yummy maple balsamic. My daughter had the panzanella panini - simple and good! The ambiance is friendly & low-key, but the decor needs an update. Even if they painted the walls & ceiling & added some bright artwork, this would breathe new life into the cafe. Still give it 5 stars and will return!

On a recent trip to the Berkshires, we were on the hunt for Greek eggs, but the only good search…read morehit nearby didn't have Greek eggs, but did sound like a good option. (Hit on "Greek" because of the lunch options and "eggs" for the breakfast.) After a brief wait, we were seated along with what seemed to be mostly be well known regulars. The Sunday specials looked really good, and I really had to make a tough choice. I'm a sucker for house made corned beef hash, but when I saw Eggs Electra, I had to try it (always try something different). I mean, thin slices of lamb and tomato, a homemade "feta biscuit" (what was that anyway?), and hollandaise - had to try it. The feta biscuit was the star of the show. Apparently grill-toasted, crispy on the top and biscuit-crumbly, it was loaded with flavor. I could eat one of those every day and be very happy. The lamb slices (~4-5 layers) were thin and just enough for the combination. Of the two eggs, one was a over cooked (tiny pocket of runny yolk, but mostly hard cooked) and the other was perfect. The hollandaise was smooth and looked good, but lacking in flavor. More lemon would help a lot - maybe order with a request until a couple lemon wedges. It's a lot of food, possibly a good thing to split (and get a side of the corned beef hash?). My wife had the traditional eggs Benedict and had the same egg issue (one hard, one perfect) and the same comment about the hollandaise. Because hers was just on an English muffin, she didn't have the extra flavor, and said it was "OK." That's a limited sampling, and I'd probably give it another evaluation if I'm in the area again. The 4+ rating is fair, so see what you think.