If you dream of experiencing one of the best culinary experiences of your life it will be an elevated reality at the exquisite Avra Rockefeller Center.
This is not just another restaurant in the Big Apple. This is a cornerstone of rich culture and a journey that enlighten for your senses in the most spectacular way. In the epicenter of the city and across the way from the historical Radio City Musical Hall is a venue that captures your attention. The address 1271 Avenue of the Americas is one that once you step inside will be always be a part of your go to destinations.
Regal and proud it sits. A stunning restaurant that makes you flutter with excitement as you are escorted to your table. Making you feel special is just a tiny bit of the allure. It is a place that embraces you with the love of family as it shares a passion for food and drink that is served up to you with a sense of devotion to make your night one for the memory books.
Elevated Interior (Courtesy Avra)
From start to finish, the night of your culinary dreams is filled with a mix of emotions that fill the heart with giddy delight. It is sophisticated and luxurious all the while putting you on a platform of acceptance and joy. The menu is elevated and vibrant, but never intimidating. Service here shines so bright like diamonds in the sky and fills your treasure chest with impressive crown jewels.
Anyone who comes to Avra here is meant to be here. Perhaps you live in Midtown and coming for a power lunch or you are visiting for the weekend from out of state – all that enter the doors of this esteemed establishment are welcomed and made to feel as if they are royalty that is being transported to the whitewashed islands of Greece.
Cuisine rivals any best meals list on the planet. Winning with marks worthy of accolades and applause, Avra crosses the finish line in first place. Distinguished and cultivated to a degree of sizzling perfection, every item on the menu will please you supremely. Appetizers like the famed Avra Chips to classic Greek spreads of Tzatziki, Fava, Melintzanosalata, Tarama , and Skordalia, Htipiti as well as Grilled Octopus and Salmon Tartare just get you warmed up for a sensational next serving of astonishing entrees.
Avra Grilled Octopus (Courtesy Avra)
Freshly caught seafood is flown in daily from the Mediterranean and also features local and sustainable catch. Fish is charcoal grilled, deboned and finished with a signature ladolemono sauce that makes your mouth water. From the land you can also take in such incredible delights as Roasted Organic Chicken, Lamb Chops or a 30-day aged American Wagyu New York Stripped steak. Scrumptious in every way, you feel transported to a culinary heaven.
A meal is completed with a superb desserts and not to be missed curated cocktails and wines. Baklava for the traditional is amazing, but dare to go big on the lush flavors of a 16 Layer Chocolate Cake that embeds your head with eyes rolled back from sheer bliss.
Avra Rock Fish Display (Courtesy Avra)
Rockefeller is just one location of many in this exquisite portfolio of restaurants. While they all add to the allure of Avra, there is something so magical about this beautiful place in the heart of Manhattan – a town where dreams come true and your culinary journey feels accomplished when you journey into this place of divine qualities.
Avra’s story starts in the coastal Greek village of Nafpaktos where cofounder Nick Tsoulos was born and brought up. He, his father and uncles would regularly fish for local seafood such as fagri, dorado, octopus and red mullet. To share time with him at a table is to get a deeper understanding of why Avra is beloved around the world.
Nick Tsoulis (Courtesy Avra)
The Knockturnal was lucky to chat with Tsoulos to gain insight into the secret sauce he is stirred up to make Avra such a notable institution.
This is one of the most gorgeous restaurants in the heart of Manhattan. I was here for the opening night party and since then it has never stopped being popular. I believe it has to do with the design as much as the food and service. Can you explain to me why this particular location touches both tourists and residents alike in your own opinion? What are the elements that you are most proud of at this location? What also makes this spot different.
I think there’s a real wow factor when you first walk in. David Rockwell designed the restaurant, and it’s a very large, open space with double-height ceilings and so much natural light. It feels airy and impressive, but it’s also warm and inviting.
As soon as you come in, your eye goes right to the fish display on one side and the bar on the other, and immediately you get a sense of what Avra is about. There’s an energy to the room that makes you want to be there. I think that appeals to New Yorkers as much as it does to someone visiting the city for the first time. We wanted a restaurant that felt special, but also like a place you could come back to again and again, and I think we achieved that here.
Can you tell me about any special items on the menu for fall?
Our menu is really year-round. We may introduce specials from time to time, especially around the holidays, but we don’t change the menu every season just for the sake of changing it. People come to Avra for the dishes they know and love, and there’s something to be said for giving them that consistency.
The menu is also broad enough that you can have a completely different experience every time you come in. You can have whole grilled fish and a Greek salad one night, come back for lobster or lamb chops another night, or just sit at the bar and have a few appetizers. That variety is one of the reasons I think people come back so often.
Avra places a very specific focus on hospitality to match the high-quality dishes on the menu. Can you explain the principles behind why hospitality is so important here, and how you maintain that same level of warmth and welcome across both lunch and dinner service across all of your locations? It feels like being part of a family — how do you keep that feeling consistent?
For us, hospitality starts with the idea that every guest should feel like a VIP. It doesn’t matter if you’re coming in for a quick lunch, a big dinner or just a drink at the bar. We want you to feel taken care of from the moment you walk through the door.
That really comes from the Greek idea of hospitality. In Greece, when someone comes into your home, they’re treated like family. We try to bring that same feeling to Avra. It starts with our managers, but it goes all the way through the restaurant, from the servers to the runners. Everyone is trained with the same philosophy. You can have great food and a beautiful restaurant, but if people don’t feel genuinely welcome, they’re not going to have the experience we want them to have.
A visit will make your day sparkle with culinary magic. Take the journey and walk on the divine road to Avra today. For more information and reservations, please visit HERE.
