Death Ave is situated at the edge of Chelsea and the “new” Hudson yards neighborhood directly adjacent to the High Line and well worth the walk over to 10th Ave.

Death Ave is a Greek Restaurant operating as a trendy supper club – but don’t expect to get your typical lamb and Baklava. This restaurant steps out of the traditional box in not only the cuisine, but the dining establishment itself with creative and devine Hellenic inspired dishes and its sophisticated ambience.

The menu offers dishes that explode with flavor, fresh ingredients and cooking techniques that leave the palette begging for more. Diners enter into a room with décor that can be described as rustic elegance. There are modern touches in the table décor and risqué Angel artwork but the reclaimed wood and stone walls, discrete lighting and barrel filled bar back gives the vintage charm.

For a smaller establishment there is ample seating including well-placed tables in the front, bar space, private “cabanas,” a robust back dining space and a drool-worthy outdoor patio open in warmer weather. I enjoyed one of the private alcoves with my “date” which offers a drape if you want the utmost privacy.

It was truly the little touches of the décor that stood out – beyond the amazing food and libations. The menus were laser engraved wood boards and provided guests with “The Head,” “The Heart,” and “The Tail” (apps, main course and deserts). We ordered a variety of plates along with two DELICIOUS drinks. The waitress was beyond knowledgeable and it was then that we found out this restaurant was a family affair… more on that later.

Below is what my “date” (ok, ok – it was my colleague and she is amazeballs!) and I ordered.

Beverages

All of the drinks we tried were incredible, but the winner was Banana Bourbon because I DON’T consume alcohol on the rocks and I could have drank this for days.

• Jalapeno Margarita – made with house-infused jalapeno tequila
• Hibiscus & Bubbles – Prosecco with Sorel
• Banana Bourbon

Appetizers

• Fresh bread with Olive Oil. There’s bread and then there is BREAD. This was fluffy and warm/soft on the inside and crisp on the outside with high quality olive oil to bathe it in.
• Hellenic Cheese Tasting: Five Traditional Hellenic Cheeses with Artisanal Salami. I’m a sucker for cheese boards with meat and this didn’t disappoint. Sometimes you get a variety of cheeses/meats in a tasting situation and only like one or two of the options. Nope, I truly enjoyed all of them. Of course it’s impossible to not have a favorite and I loved both the feta cheese.
• Baby Lamp Chops: Cast iron seared with lemon oregano mustard sauce. Sweet baby lamp chops these were divine. They paired perfectly with the spicy marg. And were cooked to perfection. Tender on the inside and charred on the outside with a burst of sauce made it a winner in my book.

Entrees

• Mussels Massalia: A fisherman stew featuring Prince Edward Island mussels & wild cod in a zesty tomato wine broth. This could have been a meal for two if you ordered an appetizer. Served in a beautiful bucket you received a generous amount of mussels all bathed in tomato sauce, red wine, lemon and seasonings. Then to add to the yummy display there was a large piece of cod that melted in my mouth and two pieces of bread to dip in the sauce.
• Feta Burger (Grass Fed): 100% Beef with barrel feta, green pickled onions, tomato, zesty dressing, whole wheat bun with truffle fries. Often a burger is just a burger but this offered all the flavors and presentation was beautiful. The burger was large and filling with incredible feta cheese on the wheat bun. I’m a fry girl and these did not disappoint – the truffle smell didn’t hurt either in our little alcove.

Dessert

• Roasted Grape Bread Pudding: Fluffy & warm with vanilla ice cream and pettimezi syrup. A delightful twist on traditional bread pudding, this desert was the perfect ending to our meal. Tart grapes were buried in the pudding and paired well with the sweet breading and ice cream. Also agreeable was the drizzle of homemade grape syrup on the scoop.

After our incredible meal you could have rolled me out of the restaurant but we were instead greeted by the handsome Jeremy Piven-lookalike owner of Death Ave. He was so humble and passionate about his bar that I couldn’t help but fall in love with the establishment even more. Death Ave is truly family run. From the bartender to the waitress, much of the staff is family making it very special. He also took us on a tour of probably my FAVORITE part of the restaurant – their downstairs brewery that is slated to open in the spring.

Brewery:

You step through a speakeasy door and go into a rather large basement. There you find all the bells and whistles for a brewery. Even cooler – they grow their own hops upstate on their own land. Ummm can you say Aiden from Sex and the City but for beer? Once the brewery is finished it will be filtered into the bar upstairs and everyone will be getting fresh, Death Ave brews!

I, for one, can’t wait to go back, especially when the stellar outside patio is open for business!

– Lauren Wire

Death Ave
315 10th Avenue
New York, NY 10001
212.695.8080

Photos via Death Ave and by Socially Superlative