Snack Taverna

We have had some wonderful dinners at Snack Taverna over the last few years but had not eaten there over the last year and a half and we were thrilled to discover that the restaurant was open everyday during the pandemic. The owner worked non stop while supporting his staff some of whom were anxious about coming into work during the worst weeks of the pandemic. They encouraged their customers to order directly from their website and they increased their takeout orders while expanding their outdoor dining area on Bedford Street. This evening we had another spectacular dinner with friends of ours. We shared everything! We started with their fabulous beet salad, lamp triangles and Saginaki . We then shared Haloumi Skewers with artichokes and portobello mushrooms. Since we were four for dinner, I asked if we could order an additional skewer since this was so delicious and within minutes for a small additional charge we each devoured our own skewer. We also had their Branzino which was delicious! For desert we shared their walnut cake that had a lovely citrus flavor and a very intense chocolate cake. And while I almost forgot, we started our meal with a bottle of Domaine Neranzi , white wine that the owner recommended and was the perfect addition to our exquisite and celebratory dinner.

I have walked past this place for years and Regret not coming in sooner. All of our dishes were great and I really enjoyed the Greek wine. To start we took the eggplant dip, tzatziki and muhamarra, which were all tasty and fresh. The lamb shank was also great and different then what you would get in other places. The staff was also very friendly and gave a real neighborhood feel to it. I’ll definitely be back.

We tried Snack Taverna for lunch and enjoyed our visit. There were very few guests dining at the time we visited so we got right in. We started with the hummus which was good. The pita bread is great! I had the shrimp soulvaki which I really liked. I only wish it came with a few extra shrimp. My husband had the Chopped Salad with Chicken and he thought it was great. I tried the diet cola which I wasn’t a fan of as it tasted super sweet. However, it was from a local company so I think it’s great that they support the local community. The server was great which I feel is difficult to come by in NYC. He was attentive and checked on us after our food came out. We would return.

Wish I could give zero stars. Unfortunately cannot speak to food quality, only to the terrible staff. My fiancée and I had to leave the restaurant before getting our food due to the toxic energy from the waiter this evening. There were only two other people in the establishment when we asked for a table and he left us waiting for over 5 minutes. Any other normal establishment would tell us to seat ourselves wherever we wanted. This was absurd and we should have known to leave the establishment after he made us wait like idiots all alone in the middle of the virtually empty restaurant. We heard this waiter be rude to nearby tables, to folks picking up take out orders (lying saying the food was on the way and going back to the kitchen and yelling at them to hurry up), and could not stomach staying for the meal. We brushed it off at first but then he treated us with such disrespect for being gluten intolerant and insulted our intelligence. It's a shame to say that was our first and last visit to this trash neighborhood spot. What a waste of nice neighborhood real estate that could be filled with a lovely and warm neighborhood restaurant.