NEW YORK – The beloved up-scale Greek restaurant known for serving fresh seafood dishes and Italian pastas, Meli Estiatorio, is set to open up a second location this December.
Looking for a meal that transports you to a Greek island without having to leave New York? – then you need to visit Meli Estiatorio.
The Greek restaurant opened in Forest Hills, Queens, at 98-31 Metropolitan Avenue in January earlier this year, and ever since, it’s been a great success, with people raving about its looks, quality of food, and mouth-watering meals that keep them coming back.
Due to its quick success, the owner of the restaurant, Dimitrios Tsoumas, decided to expand to Long Island, in Garden City, Nassau County.
Now, you might be wondering, why did Tsoumas call it Meli Estiatorio?
In an interview with The National Herald, he revealed; “Meli is honey in Greek, and it was my first store – so it was my honey – so I was like, alright, I’ll call it ‘meli’.”
The Greek restaurant owner expressed how he felt ahead of opening the second location next month.
“I’m really looking forward to it. I’m especially excited because we’re bringing a different element into the neighborhood in Garden City,” Tsoumas told TNH.
“There is no Greek restaurant in the vicinity where I’m at, so I believe that it’ll be something that people would enjoy, and obviously seeing something start from one and then start growing to others, is a nice feeling.”
The new Meli Estiatorio is expected to open mid-December on the corner of Franklin Avenue and Stewart Avenue in Garden City.
For those who are unfamiliar with Meli Estiatorio, Tsoumas described it as a place that gives you “Greece vibes.”
“The restaurant is decorated with flowers and light colors…and it gives off a Santorini/Mykonos style.
Meli Estiatorio is not only inspired by the looks of the Greek islands, but of the food as well, as they emphasize many fish-based dishes and seafood which is heavily influenced by Sicily in Italy.”
When asked why he decided to incorporate influences from Italy into the restaurant’s menu, Tsoumas said it was simple – “I really love Italian food.”
“I find that a lot of people enjoy a very good pasta dish, and obviously Mediterranean food is great, and everybody loves Mediterranean food and Greek food and seafood, but they also love pasta,” Tsoumas said.
“If you go to Sicily, Taormina or any of those places, all their pastas are heavily influenced by seafood, and that’s what we wanted to do here too.”
Tsoumas revealed some of the most popular items currently on the menu in the Forrest Hills location, which can be expected to be found in Garden City as well, when the restaurant opens.
“Our stuffed calamari is very good and our pastas are actually homemade, which people really love, and we have that emphasis on our seafood,” he said.
“We are known for being a seafood-based restaurant, but I think in probably a month’s time after we open in Garden City, we will do a special pastitsio or maybe a moussaka as a specialty item.”
If you’re asking yourself, why should I visit Meli Estiatorio? The owner expressed some of the things that make the restaurant unique and stand out from others.
“We use good quality items, and our fish is imported from the Mediterranean,” Tsoumas said.
“We look up to places like Milos in the city, and we look to try to replicate or get to the standard of theirs. I think that a lot of places in New York start off with good quality and then they decide to put profits over quality – and we’re not looking to do that. We’re looking to maintain a consistency and a quality product that when people come, they’re actually getting fish from the Mediterranean, they’re getting prime meat, and just all the stuff that they need,” he said.
