Omonia Cafe: Six desserts, four people

After our meal at Zenon Taverna, we were all in the mood for something sweet. It was off to Omonia Cafe, which I used to pass all the time. Their claim to fame is being the bakers of the wedding cake in My Big Fat Greek Wedding—which is proudly announced via a poster taped to their front window—and they had always seemed busy whenever I walked by.

I'd picked up some cookies for takeout from Omonia before, but I'd never sat in their cafe area. The atmosphere is amusing in the way most of the Greek cafes in Astoria are amusing: color-change neon lights, guido clientele, and a clubby feel.


Despite the giant meal we'd just consumed we ended up getting six desserts, just because there were so many enticing items in the cases. LB and JL in particular were keen on trying them all, and I daresay they led the way in our sugar gluttony!

Clockwise from top left: tiramisu; ekmek kataifi, a honey-soaked block of wheat shreds topped with whipped cream and almonds; cream puff; and galactoboureko—one of my usual favorites—custard cream between layers of phyllo. This last one was a bit starchy and heavy, but I liked it anyway. The rest, which were not as sweet as many Greek desserts can be (a very good thing), tasted fresh and were quite good.

My favorite, though, was the mousse cake with strawberries JL picked out. The texture of the chocolate-flavored mousse was dense, but it melted once in the mouth and felt quite light. I liked the chunks of fresh strawberry scattered throughout, and the thin layer of chocolate on top was a welcome extra dimension.

The crepe component of the "Berry Blue" crepe TL ordered was chewy, but I didn't mind. The winning combination of Nutella and banana was made even better by the addition of syrupy cherries and fresh blueberries, and I enjoyed it quite a lot.

Omonia has better than average offerings and good portion sizes, and I'd be down to go there again the next time I'm in the area. That dessert case had a lot of other items I wouldn't mind trying….