Pera Mediterranean Brasserie

Met a friend for dinner on a Wednesday night. The bar was packed. The dining room was full. The experience though, was just ok. Nothing remarkable about this place. Service was fine. Food was ok. Definitely not a destination, but if you are in the neighborhood and looking for a Mediterranean place, Pera is not bad .

Great place, excellent food, and 1 block from grand central, perfect!

We had a very nice lunch, but the waiter failed to tell us they were out of a particular appetizer we asked for. He also failed to bag up the half of my lunch that I asked to bring home. But, these things happen, especially when it's very busy and I'll definitely be back.

The Hostess was dressed like she was working at the Gap, the restaurant is priced and advertised as fine dining but to walk into a restaurant and see the person to seats us at the table wearing jeans and a t-shirt doesn't make me fee like I am at a fine dining restaurant.
That being said, the wait staff is kind, respectful and professional, but the main course (the grill meat platter, was not hot, was room temperature, the lamb were almost raw and the chicken was over cooked . But the appetizers (grilled octopus and shrimp) were amazing.
I wouldn't recommend to come here for their dinner, but maybe for a drink and their apps and friendly wait staff.

Went for business lunch. I had asked for a reasonably private table when I booked. Tables for two are quite small and very close to one another, so it is not good for business conversations. Meanwhile, they had given several tables of four to just two people. While there were several other free tables for four, the hostess would not do the same for us. It turned out no groups of four came, while the occupied ones left soon thereafter and we ended up in the bar area.

Our waiter was attentive and gave good service and the food was also good, though portions are on the small side. I would have to think twice before booking business lunches.

Best Mediterranean food I've had in NYC and I'm a local. Lots of vegetarian choices, which I happen to be, as well as meat/fish dishes for all the other people I was with. Amazing array of small dishes and the fresh pita bread with this dip that is amazing, I could live on that alone. Cannot recommend it enough, very much looking forward to going back soon.

Christmas Eve

Pera has a good happy hour, which I've been to about 5 times (lasts for about 3 hours, until 8ish). This particular night we dined there for dinner, and we were able to make a last minute reservation. I can't remember the name of their platter, but that is a great choice if you have up to 4 people. It's like tapas on a platter, with about 12 choices of things! AWESOME for $28.00!

The service was fine and the food was mediocre.

Our server was inattentive and slow. She didn’t come by after we finished our bottle of wine and she only offered one side of the table coffee or dessert. Our table for a group of 7 was enormous — too big to really converse with anyone other than those immediately adjacent. The food was fine — nothing special, but acceptable.

I've eaten at Pera several times over the years, but have never been "Wowed" by the cuisine. I love greek and middle eastern food, so it's surprising that the menu isn't my favorite. The location is great and the atmosphere is nice, so I decided to go there again with a client. Again, I didn't order right. I got the Lamb Andana, a "signature" dish... anyway, I would not recommend it. It is basically a long piece of ground lamb (an oblong burger) laid over flat pita- type bread. And that's it -- for $27. I was quite surprised that this was the meal. There were some diced onions and tomatoes served on a side dish, but they didn't look appetizing. So, I ordered a side salad (for $5) ... considering this now made the meal $32, it was not terrific. A NYC cart gyro is better than this was. Can't believe it is a signature dish. My colleagues seemed to like their salads and I would get a salad next time. The trio of Pera dips were also ordered as an appetizer -- again, underwhelming. I would not get these again. The hummus was the only good thing. The smoked eggplant had a white chicken salad consistency which was not to my liking.

Good food, good service, bad table.

Too loud. Food was average

My go-to place near grand central

Always a favorite in the Grand Central Midtown area. Best in class Mediterranean cuisine, great cocktails and wine list. Service always on point. An amazing discovery there was 1/2 priced bottles of wine on the weekend. I highly recommend Pera, especially on weekends, when it is a little less crowded.

We were seated right away, but sat with menus for 30 minutes before inquiring of the manager if there was a waiter assigned to our table. Turns out there was (no apologies offered), but he pretty much ignored the most senior person at our table (offered the 22 yr old the chance to approve the wine that his grandfather had ordered). Dessert and coffee took about 20 minutes to arrive, and no one came by to offer coffee refills. The person who removed our plates between courses did so in the loudest, most obtrusive way possible, including stacking the plates at the table. The menu didn't clearly indicate that there were no vegetables/sides at all with the entrees, so be warned that you have to order any sides separately.

Server was very curt and not helpful with the menu. Very long time between appetizers and main course. Food was very good

Came here for a business lunch and was underwhelmed. The place is nice and busy with good energy, but the food wasn't terrific (not all menu items included in the dish, overcooked fish with soggy skin) especially for the price. There are better options in the neighborhood.

extremely loud and busy

Excellent....again. Love the lamb adana and the calamari. Octopus as well.

Dreadful servicr

Simply amazing. I hosted some friends from Switzerland and they were blown away by the food.

Went after theatre. Wine was half price bonus. Well presented plates. Doting service.

The food was excellent, particularly appetizers and dessert. Only negative comment was the vanilla sweet potatoes.
I always have a positive experience at Pera.
Would recommend highly.

Great food and ambiance, especially for out of town guests who don't have menu options like Pera at restaurants where they live. The quality of the food is consistently good.

Very nice for a group dinner. Relaxed and lovely, nice service, good food.

One of the Best Mediterranean Restaurants in New York City, and located in a good location.

fine food, attentive service, comfortable setting,

bright atmosphere - knowledgeable servers, good food

Great service!
The best lamb burgers!

Amazing Mediterranean food and impeccable service as always!

Food was what we expected.
A variety of the Mediterranean.
Greek,Turkish,Portuguese and more.
Our table was available upon arriving and seated then greeted by our server who was excellent.

Great food!

Food was undercooked this time after a loooong wait :(

Hostess needs help Very unwelcoming Was rude to all3 of us who arrived separately. Other than that, great place.

Way overpriced. Main course dinner had 5 little pieces of dried out tuna wrapped in a uncooked grape leaves. Very disappointing.

Pricey and loud, food is average. Don’t go if you want to have a conversation with guests.

Thoroughly enjoyed my meal will return nice menu selection

Service was poor. Staff had bad attitudes and were not empathetic. They lacked awareness of our conversation and seemed to intrude at inconvenient times. I would describe them as "tone deaf."

All around very very good. Food, service, decor all very nice. I recommend Pera highly.