Pylos

"Looking around the room at Pylos, a longtime Greek restaurant in the East Village, you’ll see clay pots hanging from the ceiling, pillows on all the booths, a lot of couples on dates, and at least a few people in suits who probably don’t hang out in the East Village that often. Which should tell you two things: it’s a slightly upscale place, and it has Greek food that people travel for. For us, Pylos is more of a back-pocket spot than a destination restaurant. And that’s exactly why we like it. It’s the kind of place you want to remember when a few of your friends end up being available for a last-minute dinner, or when you try to get into a newer East Village spot, and they quote you a two-hour wait. It’s always busy here, but you can usually get a table or seats at the bar in a reasonable amount of time. The long menu doesn’t have many real misses, but for us, there’s one correct way to eat here: focus on the appetizers. Fill your table with the fried zucchini, grape leaves, halloumi, saganaki, meatballs, and pita and dips, and you will be very, very happy with how your night has panned out." - Katherine Lewin

"Named for the clay pots dangling from its ceiling, Pylos zeroes in on homey Greek cuisine that goes way beyond wraps. Skip the overly sweet braised lamb shank and order the lamb chops, oozing with juices and accompanied by dainty potatoes." - Paul Schrodt

"Restaurateur Christos Valtzoglou has found a winning formula with this longstanding hideaway, which continues to sparkle as brightly as the Aegean Sea on a summer day. Taking its name from the Greek translation of “made from clay,” this contemporary taverna also features a ceiling canopy of suspended terra-cotta pots, rustic whitewashed walls and lapis-blue insets.Pale-green stemware and stark-white crockery are used to serve wines from the homeland as well as a menu of rustic, home-style food. Keftedakia are light and texturally exquisite meatballs, pan fried in olive oil and proffered as an appetizer. Gigantes are baked in honey-scented tomato-dill sauce; while aginares moussaka is a creamy vegetarian take on the classic, made here with artichokes." - Michelin Inspector

"A tiny, excellent Greek restaurant on 7th Street in the East Village. Pylos is one of those spots that you either know about and absolutely love, or have never heard of. There is no in between. Focus on the appetizers, like fried zucchini, halloumi, and then make sure to get the artichoke moussaka." - Hannah Albertine, Bryan Kim, Neha Talreja, Carina Finn Koeppicus

"Pylos is a somewhat upscale Greek restaurant, but the service is friendly and the dining room full of two-tops with pillow-covered benches is still a comfortable place to bring a date. As far as we’re concerned, there’s only one way to order here: get all of the appetizers. Share them and some Greek wine underneath some hanging clay pots that are only slightly disconcerting to sit under." - matt tervooren