Theodora

Scoring a reservation at Theadora felt like winning the lottery, and it more than lived up to the hype. The vibe is intimate yet lively, the service is warm, and the food--unreal.I was so excited to try everything that I probably ordered too much, but no regrets. Every bite was packed with flavor and felt both comforting and unexpected.Already dreaming about my next visit. If you get the chance to go, don't hesitate

Went here for my birthday dinner! Super small inside with lots of bar seats. Waiters were nice and definitely listen to how much they recommend you to order for your party. The plates were all tiny asf that are priced way too high, we even had to double order some of the dishes bc it wasn't enough to share with only 4 people. Also didn't even do any birthday specials or give anything for free, but I guess like what did I expect. This restaurant did not live up to its hype imo, but I guess worth trying once tho. Food wise, they recommended we order 2 things from each section. We thought that was a lot, but trust me, these plates are TINY. We ended up ordering 10 dishes for only 4 people, and it still was not enough to even fill us up 50%. All of the plates were very mid and didn't taste like anything special. The lamb, salmon, and fish croquettes were all really good and would def recommend ordering those. But the ONE BEST thing on their menu is their sourdough bread with whipped ricotta, brown butter, honey, sage. It actually heaven in my mouth. It was so fluffy so creamy so delicious, we had to order it TWICE. I would only go back just to order the ricotta toast 1509361483642972+ times. We also got desserts at the end. I enjoyed how they used dark chocolate for their cake, kinda tasted like a dark chocolate Oreo cake lol. I actually really liked their cranberry pomegranate jam filled doughnuts with crème a lot more! The donuts were super soft, fluffy, not too sweet, and paired so well with the sweet dipping crème. Very yummy, good way to end the night.

a friend was able to snag a res and this has been on my list forever! however......it's hard for me to rave about a place when portions are small :(whipped ricotta toast - good and the brown butter added a rich nutty flavor, varied amount of honey made one sweeter than the other but still good. I do feel like all whipped ricotta toast is fairly similar though, but the brown butter was a unique twist kubaneh - some ppl said it's skippable but actually rlly liked it! super fluffy and warm, good sauces and zaatar swordfish skewer - honestly meh...also the texture of swordfish is a bit rubbery?sweet potato with crab - one of the most unique bites i've had in a while! a special standout and interesting flavor combos, tiny portions!!!crudo - decent but too small to rlly feel like I enjoyed it that muchtrout - actually liked the veggies under more than the trout itself LOL, buttery and fairly decent overall though I think a group of 2-3 is probably more optimal for portion to cost ratio but overall don't know if this place is worth the hassle bc I left hungry and didn't want to totally break the bank while there

This was the best Mediterranean restaurant I've been to in nyc! The open kitchen was so fun to watch since we were seated at the counters. Every dish was so good and the timing for each dish was perfect. On the reservation, it said it was my birthday so they gave me a candle on the cake. I was a little disappointed with just the candle to be honest. I heard that if it's your anniversary, they give you a free glass of champagne. Regardless, I will be coming back!

Theodora deserves its popularity. I came in September 2024 and January 2025. Both times I went 20ish minutes before they opened to grab a seat (reservations are hard but not impossible to come by) and had a fantastic meal both times.Summer Menu standouts were the Xitomatl Cocktail (Gin, Tomato Water, Vermouth, Basil) and the Heirloom Melon Tartare. I actually thought that these menu items would be on the dinner menu when I dined last night, but was told these were summer items (makes sense). The tomato martini is so delicious and better than some drinks I've had at actual cocktail bars. Refreshing, balanced, somehow savory but not overwhelming. The Melon Tartare was also one of the best dishes I've had in awhile. It was so good we ordered it twice! Be on the lookout for these when their summer menu comes out again :)For my dinner last night, we ordered 2 of the same things: Red Snapper Ceviche (solid ceviche with a right balance) and the Za'atar Kubaneh (good portion to share and tasty bread but to be honest this isn't as oustanding as the other dishes and I regretted ordering it again). We also tried the Honeynut Squash (the blue crab with parmesan foam was my favorite dish of the night), and the nightly special, Dry-Aged Tilefish was also aaaamazing.

This is probably the hottest new restaurant of 2024. Some things were done exceptionally, while others were a bit lacking. You must try the dry aged items which are labeled (DA) on the menu and get the chocolate cake for dessert!Best items:- Crudos - Yellow fin tuna, hiramasa, and ora king salmon- Black cod- Flourless chocolate cake- Coconut sorbetThe red snapper ceviche was too sour for my taste and the fish felt overpowered. The monkfish liver hummus was gritty and also sour. The pita was delicious, but there was only one, which wasn't enough for the all the hummus. The swordfish belly skewer was delicious and melt-in-your-mouth, but it was also very fatty.Be careful with counter dining because while you get to see the magic of how things are made, if you are stuck in front of the oven, it can get very smoky by the end of the meal.

Went here with a group of 7 for my girlfriend's birthday. The restaurant is very modern but warm and welcoming with an open fire behind the bar where they cook their breads. The restaurant has received a lot of hype so we were excited to try it out!Started with the following:- Ricotta toast: delightfully light and sweet. Great bite-Savory babka: made in house, this zesty bread appetizer comes with some vibrant dipping sauces. Good for sharing!-Ceviche: so fresh and well executed. However small portion to share with a larger group. That said, would recommend as it was delicious, just make sure you order enough for everyone in your party to try and enjoy.There were probably 3-4 other apps that we got, but I'm honestly not remembering (or I didn't get to try to comment given the dishes are small).Mains:-Steak special: DELISH! Probably our favorite dish of the night. Huge portion, and cooked to perfection. Highlight of the meal.-Prawns: cooked very well and came over a zesty and spicy sauce. Very good but not as memorable as the other dishes. -Sole: great portion of fish for sharing and comes with two different sauces. You can taste the smokey taste from the open fire cooking. Absolutely delicious and would order again. Would recommend Theodora if you can snag a reservation. My honest opinion is that this place should not be as difficult to get a reservation. It's great, but not blow your socks off drop everything to get here. Further, I would not recommend going here with more than 4 total people. The space is not conducive to people beyond that. Most dishes are very small. They have great flavor, but I can't say they're super memorable beyond the evening (except for the picanha special).Brownie points that they do BYOB.

TLDR: MUST GET: Swordfish belly skewer and the Sourdough Ricotta toast skippable: octopus (sad cus i love octopus) and za'atar kubaneh (although they were both good i wasn't blown away) picture this. the hunger games. exactly on month ago when Theodora reservations dropped, I was waiting. in front of my work monitor refreshing the resy page. Moments later i had accomplished one of the greatest feats. Getting a res at Theodora. It was all delicious. The vibes: top notch. Service and pace of the meal: excellent. We started with the Za'atar Kubaneh: electric. All the dips were fantastic and the bread was warm and soft. Then we got the sourdough with ricotta and my GOD it was good. sublime. electric. truly an experience. We continued with the snapper ceviche and it was delicious. Next we got the black cod - it was fire - PERFECTLY cooked and such velvety flavors. we also got the chicory salad - unsurprisingly DELICIOUS. AGAIN. following that we got the octopus which was very good. as a final touch to the savory journey we got the swordfish belly skewer - this is a non negotiable. I would eat this dish 100000 x s it was PHENOMENAL. tasted like a pizza? but a fancy one? i can't explain you have to try it yourself. still drooling. For dessert we got the chocolate cake that was LITERALLY perfection - not too chocolaty or overly sweet. and the baklava sundae which was sooo yummy. the baklava flavors were perfect and crunch and stunning. Overall a 10/10 meal. I would come back if I could get a reservation.

My only regret is not going more time before they started winning so many awards and being named to so many top lists. The decor is very cool with Mediterranean vibes and I love sitting at the chefs counter watching everyone meticulously create delicious dishes. You really cannot go wrong here. They have terrific cocktails and an amazing wine list with staff who can perfectly pair it with your meal. Everything on the menu has been excellent, though I personally enjoy getting more of the smaller bites because I like to try as many flavors as possible. Everything is bright and fresh and super well prepared. It's damn close to perfect.

One of the best restaurants I've been to in a while. I really enjoyed the whipped ricotta, prawns, and the hiramasa crudo. The black cod was not my favorite but good nonetheless. For dessert I had the baklava sundae and the chocolate cake, which were both very good.The ambience was great. I said at the chefs counter, which was nice because it was right by the fire. They have some bar seating for walk-ins as well.