Parea Bistro (CLOSED)

Good food and friendly staff, the manager (the big one) really tries hard to please customers. They are really trying their best to be among the top Greek restaurants in the city and it seems like they will get there pretty soon.

With so many good Greek and Mediterranean restaurants in New York why settle for the mediocre, I first tried this restaurant when it was named just Parea,it was a disappointment to me then, just as this new incarnation is to me now, the addition of the Kellari name has not done nothing to improve the quality of the fare.

Took my family of eight out to dinner. The service was impeccable, the presentation of the food great and the portions more than fair. The ambiance is perfect - not noisy and appropriately lit. They have a price fixe dinner for 29.95 which is well worth the price. The restaurant is very very nice looking.

Last week i went on a blind date to this cute Greek restaurant with a Greek guy that i met in a party. The best think that night was the restaurant and nothing else. Anyway I thought to write a thing or two about the restaurant because I was amazed with the whole fish and the appetizers “the guy” ordered 5 appetizers which was too many “but this is how they do it” he said. The Greek salad was the best I’ve ever had the tomatoes were so red and juicy and the white feta cheese was nice and sharp. We also had Dolmas stuffed grape leaves with egg-lemon sauce amazing. We ordered a red snapper and I thought it was still moving when I chose it from the ice display but it was the lobsters moving and not the fish. The server introduced us in to the Greek wines and we had a nice white dry wine from Santorini ( I don’t remember the name ). Then the fish came and I can smell it from the stairs coming . I love fish and I love to eat healthy, sinse then I ve been back once again and my friends love it. By the way the “ Greek God “ paid for the dinner.

My fiance and I went here last night for a spontaneous dinner. No reservations, no high expectations and a big appetite. Our main course, a beatiful grilled piece of fresh fish , was simply great , as were the various appetizers and greek salad. Overall, diner was great.....service was solid....and the pricing was inline with was we always pay when we go out to dinner in the city. I highly recommend.

This was my fourth trip to this Gramercy "replacement" of Parea. I gave it ample opportunity to wow me, but since the beginning of the summer, Parea changed their menu entirely. I enjoyed their "old" menu, but the new fish house idea seemed intriguing. My second and third trips over the course of the summer yielded a delicious assortment of fish-some staples, but some new and fresh ideas (not your same old slamon, tuna, etc.). I had the chance to visit with the chef while he refreshed the fish shelf (display?). But this past week's visit yielded much worse than previously experienced. The same dull-eyed fish seemed to come from the weekend (This was a Wed. night-it shouldn't EVER look like that). I didn't see anyone replenish the fish, let alone the ice. The food (pikilia plate , grilled calamari and two whole fish) was bland, stale tasting (pikilia) and smelled somewhat of ammonia (my sea bass). Has the chef left since the summer? Why should the service (always spotty) be better than the food this time? I write to these blogspots on a regular basis and I see that others have recently seen similar results. It seems as if the management cared more about schmoozing ladies at the bar than helping the staff (shorthanded it seemed). All in all, not a good showing for a restaurant that was half full when I arrived at 7:30, and near empty when I left around 10:15. There are better places around (even their flagship place is better). What a waste of my money-the waiter couldn't even get me a discount after returning my calamari and the manager (I don't know his name for certain, I couldn't understand him) wouldn't break away from the ladies to speak with me rather, he waved the server away and sent a gracious but clueless assistant over. He said the owner would not remove the food, as he did not see it personally. My experience should help people choose something different when looking for seafood.

I was very skeptical and cautious after the most recent reviews, but I went anyway. The service was great, the food was great, and we had an overall great time. My favorite Greek restaurant in the city is definitely a place on the UES, but this is a great alternative if you live closer to this location than the UES.