Downtown Post NYC

DOWNTOWN POST NYC FOOD

The Greek presented a Thanksgiving buffet featuring highlights from the regular menu as well as some Thanksgiving specials including turkey and stuffing.  (Photos: © Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

The Greek Tribeca, a Keystone for the Neighborhood

The dining room at The Greek. (Photo: © Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

The Greek, formerly called "Greca," has been a neighborhood amenity in northwestern Tribeca since it opened at 452 Washington St. in 2017. A family-owned and operated restaurant, from the beginning it offered well-made food at less than stratospheric prices. When Covid-19 hit in 2020 and indoor gatherings were deemed risky or prohibited, "Greca" as it was then called enlarged its grocery offerings so that people could stop in briefly and buy vegetables, dairy products and other things they needed to cook at home. A bakery on the premises made bread. For those who wanted to stay and eat, tables were set up outside under the shelter of a roof that was part of the construction then going on in the building in which Greca was located. Although many restaurants went under during the Covid-19 pandemic, Greca wasn't one of them. It survived because it reinvented itself to serve the needs of its community.

Last year Greca officially changed its name to "The Greek" and  renovated its premises. It also augmented its menu, retaining many of the dishes that customers have grown to love and offering some new ones based on the cooking of Thessaloniki in northern Greece where the family comes from and where Anastasia, the matriarch of the family, still lives. Among the items on the menu are lamb sausage served with feta yogurt and harissa, a stew comprised of seared steak and forest mushrooms topped with mizithra cheese, baked feta served with tomato, pepper and herbs, and stewed string beans accompanied by potatoes, made with flat beans called "Roma."

The Greek is open from Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner. The hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, click here.