Pylos

I'm not one to post on menupages but I must say that I LOVE this restaurant. I live close by on East 7th Street and have tried most of the restaurants in the neighborhood and Pylos is definitely in my top three for the east village. This restaurant has a permanent spot in me and my boyfriend’s rotation of places to eat dinner. Let me explain: I DREAM about the "three cheeses melted in a clay pot dish," no joke. It is that delicious. On the menu its called "Saganaki tou merakli" under the hot appetizer section. The last time me and my boyfriend ordered it the people at the tables on either side of us were both looking at it and asked us what it was because it looked so sinfully DELICIOUS and I could tell that they were jealous that they were not eating it too. And everything else we’ve ever ordered here has been good as well, and we’ve tried a lot of their vegetarian dishes. And there’s always so much food! The portions are BIG. The service is good. And the atmosphere is absolutely lovely. But not that it really matters, because I'd go ANYWHERE to eat that cheese dish. Id eat it in a back alley if that’s where they served it. So my point is, I love this restaurant, I love the cheese dish, and if you decide to go to Pylos you should try the cheese dish. Your dreams will be forever altered.

I had been eyeing Pylos for a few weeks, because I pass by there everyday and the restaurant does have a rather impressive decor. But when my boyfriend and I finally went there one night, it was a disappointing experience. He had the beet salad with greens, and the beets were bland while the little lump of greens on top were full of sand. Then I had the lamb shank and he had the moussaka. The lamb shank, which could be a gorgeous cut of meat if it is properly made, is supposed to be stewwed but instead it came dry and flavorless, accompanied by a sad piece of eggplant and tomato topped with cous cous that had been burned and tasted like hard pebbles. This is no exaggeration, as my boyfriend and I both cook, and are not picky eaters. He makes moussaka on a normal basis, and the one at Pylos was disappointing at best.

Best restaurant of this sort I've been to in Manhattan. Good size portions and delicious food. Highly recommended.

Perhaps we hit it on an off night. Or else, Pylos is experiencing a downward trend. The meatball appetizer was greasy, and the stuffed pepper was a cold, slimy peeled vegetable filled with an orange goat cheese. The horta was commensurately poor, tasting either somewhat like unseasoned frozen spinach. Even a squeeze of the provided lemon and a pinch of salt offered no respite. In a sincere effort to find something good, we choose yet another appetizer (the artichoke moussake) which was somewhat better, although again heavy on the flavorless cheese. The artichoke part was tasty, though, if you could find it through the goo. My entree of baked monkfish was surprisingly all right. Nothing special, but not at all distasteful. Just your average baked-fish-on-spinah kind of fine. My friends whole grilled daurade, however, was disappointing. The worst part is that the restaurant is GORGEOUS... really beautiful with clean lines and white-washed walls, terra cotta accents and cerulean blue. The service was spotty at best. Pylos, what a pity....

After my boyfriend and I ate at Pylos last night, I decided I'd have to post a statement asking everyone who put negative comments on here: What were you thinking? First of all, the place is beautiful, romantic, cozy. Second, the food was delicious...I had the duck, he had the lamb chops, we split the squid...all amazing. And the service actually couldn't have been BETTER! We arrived sans reservation and the hostess graciously offered to seat us at the bar for a short wait or call me on my CELL when the table was ready. We left, went down the street for a drink, and got a phone call 25 minutes later saying to come back. I've NEVER had a hostess do that. Also, the wine we got tasted funny for some reason, the manager tasted it, agreed, and got us a different one no questions asked. Not to mention the price was quite reasonable considering the portion sizes! What a nice, romantic night out:) I'll definitely be back!

Food is very good and the ambiance is really nice too... butthe staff members have bad attitudes. Yikes! Almost felt as if that Seinfeld's episode with the soup guy...

Went here tonight and had a fantastic dinner. Lamb shank was spectacular with a nice bottle of Greek red wine (which was brand new to me). All in all, a nice surprise and highly recommended. A good date spot.