Kavala
March 25, 2015 By Christian Murray
The owners of Shi Restaurant and Skinny’s Cantina are opening a Greek restaurant this summer.
The restaurant, called Kavala Estiatorio, will be located at 10-55 50th Avenue.
Skinny and Shih Lee are opening their third restaurant in the neighborhood and will be partners with Joseph Lucil, who is also a co-owner of Skinny’s Cantina. The Lee brothers also have an ownership stake in Pink Canary, the bakery located on Jackson Avenue.
“Skinny and Shih are known for sushi and Mexican [food]… but we wanted to bring another type of cuisine to the neighborhood,” Lucil said. “We speak to customers all the time and they tell us they want more options.”
Lucil, who lives in Hunters Point, said that the restaurant will offer traditional Greek food, with a couple of items that have a modern twist. He said that they plan to make sure it offers all the traditional favorites since it will be the only Greek restaurant in the neighborhood at this time.
The menu will consist of items such as: Souvlaki, tzatziki sauce, chickpeas, eggplant, grilled and crispy calamari, Saganaki, Spanakopita, crispy zucchini eggplant chips, grilled octopus, Branzino, Greek salad with feta cheese, and lemon potatoes.
The owners do have a chef, although they did not want to name him just yet.
The restaurant, which is expected to have a full liquor license, will feature a bar and an extensive wine list.
It will seat about 50 people, including the bar area. There is a 900 square foot patio area. However, Lucil said that they don’t plan to use it since the community is currently opposed to backyard use.
Lucil said that the timing is right to open the restaurant on 50th Avenue with the two Hunters Point South buildings about to come on line.
For previous coverage: Owners of Shi and Skinny’s Cantina plan to open bakery
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29 Comments
Why bother with these spots when there are so many better eateries on Vernon?? Shi is more of a lounge spot and cantina is not that good at all!! Casa Enrique blows it away by miles!!
I’m not a fan of the food (at shi or skinny’s), but they do know how to cater to the neighborhood, and they run clean establishments. Happy to see greek food coming to LIC, but i’m not the type to eat a $20 gyro.
Enough with these terrible restaurants, Cantina, Blend, Pink Canary, it seems like the worst restaurateurs are the ones proliferating.
Get better people in the area with a little more class than the average LIC Post readers and the better restaurants will follow.
Yourself included, clearly.
Good for the shi brothers to take on this neighborhood full of anonymously vocal, opinionated jerks (self included), and to take on cb2 full of stuck in the past, anti progress, nimbys. (self not included)
Perhaps if cb2 made it slightly less difficult to open restaurants here, we would have more diverse ownership and levels of quality.
Man I hope my syntax, punctuation and grammar is up to par for the anonymous blog commenting police too.
You’re right ideas and not grammar spelling and punctuation are important. But to call someone a ‘dumbass’ and to make errors while doing so is worthy of a comment. Sorry.
I am not sure why. Perhaps, people go to these restaurants for the ambiance over the food. I am not a fan either. I liked Shi when I first moved here, but the quality has gone downhill unfortunately. I do love the interior of the restaurant. Skinny’s has a nice interior as well, but not a big fan of the food either. I have given it a chance several times thinking it may improve since it is crowded. I guess bland food can appeal to families since children are picky eaters and adults with a palate for that sort of thing.
Additional comment: I love dessert, but don’t enjoy pink canary either. I have gone there a few times and rarely do I see anyone there. I don’t think they will be profitable in the long run given the location and quality. They will need to sell these desserts at their restaurants.
They do a crazy kids birthday party business.
Why have the likes/dislikes been disabled?
Shi and skinny are an insult to LIC, and to food, generally.
It’s unfortunate that these new establishments are being put in without any regard to quality/history/style (anything) , for them it’s all about money, not the food or the people. Another soulless piggy bank for the greedy flys.
Flies* dumbass
You wrote a sentence fragment with incorrect punctuation, idiot.
at least I know how to spell. Don’t be a little bitch just take the correction and sit down.
I’m already sitting, but thank you! Again, you used incorrect punctuation. Since you were so very helpful to another commenter, I wanted to help you out! Good luck with your horrific life! 😀
The Lee Brothers should be proud of themselves. They’ve really cornered mediocre overpriced ethnic food in the neighborhood.
No one should greet this restaurant with anything but healthy skepticism. While its improved, Skinny’s Cantina was possibly the most disastarous restaurant opening I’ve ever seen – the food was beyond bad. Shi is fine but its more a scene than a culinary destination. Pink Canary is terrible. There’s no competition whatsoever in the Greek space, so no incentive to be create or very good. I hope I’m wrong, but history is on my side. There’s a reason many to most of the most inventive restaurants in the neighborhood are in Court Square and not in Hunters Point – they actually have to try harder.
continuing in the Blend tradition of “we are already serving crappy food at our existing restaurants, so let’s open another”…. oh and after “The Gantry” opens there will still be no Gastropubs on Vernon. I like LIC Bar, but I’ve eaten in their Manhattan location. And PLEASE backyard people get a life. Or buy a cape cod in Levittown, sit in YOUR backyard and drink yourself silly.
I must agree with bland food hater here. Skinny’s and SHI aren’t very good restaurants so I can’t image how great this new Greek place can be. Asian fusion, to Mexican and now Greek.. what’s next Irish? Russian? Cambodian? I wish they would just concentrate on their existing restaurants in making better quality food.
SKINNY CANTINA IS THE WORST MEXICAN FOOD.
TOTALLY BLAND DEVOID OF TASTE
THESE TRANSPLANTS WILL EAT ANYTHING
LIC NEEDS TO STEP UP ITS FOOD GAME
Just make it close to as good as Tavernas Kyklades in Astoria and you’ll be fine.
His last name is spelt Licul
The Lee brothers must be making a killing with their respective restaurants.
I’m for backyard use and I’m part of the community.
Community Board not community Good Times..
“There is a 900 square foot patio area. However, Lucil said that they don’t plan to use it since the community is currently opposed to backyard use.”
No mention of the board.
Community Board Tanya
Yes, but the story says “community.”
The community is not against backyard use, that is false reporting.