A Little Greek Tavern On Bell

My wife and I both love Greek food and are always looking for the next best place. So when both my parents and in-laws raved about a new Greek restaurant they had found on Bell Boulevard, we were very curious to see if it matched up to our favorite restaurants in western Queens.

The first time I walked into it reminded me of the many Greek eateries on 30th Avenue in Astoria. Upon entering, you are quickly greeted and offered gyro or souvlaki at a table or to go.

There is plenty of seating in the back dining room as well as a patio that they open up in warmer weather. 

Their menu is traditional Greek, souvlakies, doners, gyros, kebabs, grilled fish and of course, moussaka and pastitsio.

My wife and I have been here twice and really enjoyed it both times. Here are the items we have tried on their menu:

The appetizers we have tried are falafels and chicken doner. The falafel is super crispy and packed with many different  spices — just the way I like it. The chicken doner is also full of flavor with a touch of crispiness on the edges... another A-plus in my book.

The main courses I have tried are their rack of lamb and their lamb kebab. All their dinners are served with hot pitas and tzatziki, a choice of Greek salad or soup (lentil or a traditional Greek chicken soup) and a choice of rice, lemon potatoes or fries. It ends up being quite a large meal. Both of my lamb dishes were amazing. The lamb is perfectly cooked, easily cut and melt-in-your-mouth good.

On both of our visits, my wife got their vegetarian moussaka with a side of lemon potatoes. She absolutely loves their version of this dish. Instead of meat in the moussaka they have a bottom layer of potatoes then alternating layers of eggplant and peppers with feta cheese sprinkled throughout. I had a few bites and was very impressed. Bonus: the portion is large enough for two meals.

The service at here is top notch. You are never left waiting for attention from the moment you step in till you get your check. At the front they a have a few people tending the door to escort you to the back where a waitress will take you to a table. On both our visits we had the same waitress, Donna, who was completely aware of where we were with our meal and always stopped by our table at the perfect time.

My wife and I can't rave enough about how good Avli is. Their service and food is top notch and I highly recommend a visit here, especially when the warmer weather comes and you can get some patio action.

Avli is located at 38-31 Bell Blvd. in Bayside. The restaurant is open Mon.-Thu. and Sun., 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fri. and Sat., 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.