A Guide to Octopus in New York City, Mapped

Robert Sietsema's octopus recommendations in NYC.

by Robert Sietsema Oct 2, 2014, 6:05pm EDT

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by Robert Sietsema Oct 2, 2014, 6:05pm EDT

An Octopus Lover's Guide to New York City, mapped.

Gregory's 26 Corner Taverna

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This obscurely located home-style Greek spot mainly coats its tentacles with oregano and lots of olive oil, and provides a side salad.

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26-02 23rd Ave, Astoria, NY 11105

(718) 777-5511

Kopiaste

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Situated in the shadow of the N-train tracks, this Cypriot restaurant takes the simplest and most elegant approach to the creature imaginable.

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Astoria, NY 11105

Taverna Kyclades

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This restaurant over the First Avenue stop on the L is a branch of an Astoria favorite, and now the foremost provider of classic Attic octopus in the East Village, served with grilled toasts saturated with olive oil.

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33-07 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria, NY 11105

(718) 545-8666

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MP Taverna

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Going against centuries of tradition, Michael Psilakis incorporates octopus into a salad with smoky black eyed peas at the Queens outpost of his chain of casual tavernas, smothering it in a thick mustard vinaigrette.

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31-29 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria, NY 11105

(718) 777-2186

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Seabra's Marisqueira

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This Ironbound Portuguese seafood restaurant really gets it right: thick ropey tentacles with onions and scallions, flooded with lots and lots of olive oil, tendered in a generous serving. Hint: It tastes better sitting at the bar than in the formal dining room.

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87 Madison St, Newark, NJ 07105

(973) 465-1250

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El Colmado

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What goes better with octopus than spuds? At Seamus Mullen’s Gotham West outpost, the paprika-crusted arms are tossed with purple and white potatoes and piquantly dressed with a salsa verde.

600 11th Ave, New York, NY 10036

(212) 582-7948

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Margon

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By some miracle this old-guard Cuban lunch counter still persists near Times Square, turning out a delicious pulpo salad dotted with red peppers and green olives, very much in the Spanish tradition.

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136 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036

(212) 354-5013

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Gato

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Bobby Flay gives a single smallish octopus tentacle an unexpected twist with sour orange and bacon, though the $17 price tag might seem excessive at his Spanish-leaning pan-Mediterranean.

324 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012

(212) 334-6400

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Lobster House Joe's

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This classic seafood palace offers an abundant octopus salad, enlivened with black and green olives, celery, and red peppers, including specimens of wildly divergent size

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1898 Hylan Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10305

(718) 667-0003

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Nicoletta

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The Wisconsin-style pizza may be mediocre, but the octopus in the seafood salad showcases Michael White’s famous affinity for seafood, along with mussels and clams in a light lemony dressing.

160 2nd Ave., New York, NY 10003

(212) 432-1600

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Marta

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Wrapping around the sinuous tentacles and providing verdant crunch, purslane joins creamy white beans in a salad unique to the world of octopusdom at Danny Meyer’s new Roman pizzeria, via chef Nick Anderer.

29 E 29th Street, New York, NY

(212) 651-3800

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Malaparte

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At this slightly upscale offshoot of the beloved West Village pasta mill Malatesta, herbed octopus is treated as something to be heaped on a simple, well-dressed salad, with chicory providing a bitter kick.

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753 Washington St, New York, NY 10014

(212) 255-2122

Buvette

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At Jody Williams’ Buvette, celery provides crunchy counterpoint to the squish of the cephalopod, and olives give this delicious composition a saline edge.

42 Grove St, New York, NY 10014

(212) 255-3590

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Le Midi Bar & Restaurant

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Sleeper Greenwich Village bistro Le Midi provides one of the most attractive settings for octopus imaginable: lying like railroad ties alongside potatoes, drizzled with pistou and napped with sunny tomato confit – the soul of Provence.

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11 E 13th St, New York, NY 10003

(212) 255-8787

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Boulud Sud

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Marcona almonds, arugula, and orange segments in sherry vinaigrette share the plate with octopus at this Franco-Mediterranean DB restaurant.

20 W 64th St, New York, NY 10023

(212) 595-1313

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Ecuatoriana

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Lightly poached octopod is further "cooked" in lime juice flavored with purple onions and cilantro, served as a cold citrus soup garnished with a periscope of fried plantain in this splendid ceviche.

1685 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10031

(212) 491-4626

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Troy

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This strange restaurant, intended to evoke ancient Troy, Greece, and Rome, offers the kind of sliced octopus terrine you can readily find at Brighton Beach markets, composed of tentacles attractively presented in cross section.

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2271 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10306

Hasaki

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At sushi specialist Hasaki, the classic Japanese octopus app also features cucumber, seaweed, and yellow daikon pickle in the lightest dressing imaginable, allowing the rubberiness to shine.

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210 E 9th St, New York, NY 10003

(212) 473-3327

Ajisen Ramen

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Chuka idako is a red-cooked baby octopus stew popular in Japan and Hawaii, made from a recipe that probably originated in Malaysia. Find it at this otherwise mediocre ramen restaurant.

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136 W 28th St., New York, NY 10001

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NY Tofu House

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This short-lived St. Marks Korean offered a tangle of baby octopi smeared with red chile sauce in a bibimbap lunch special.

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6 Saint Marks Pl, New York, NY 10003

(212) 533-5363

Uncle Boons

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Delectably grilled, the baby mollusks at Uncle Boons come with charred lime and a spicy nam prik dipping sauce.

7 Spring St, New York, NY 10012

(646) 370-6650

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Meadowsweet

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Polo Dobkin treats octopus like a bathing beauty in this hyper-attractive presentation flavored with chorizo, basil oil, and thin strips of glistening red pepper.

149 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11211

(718) 384-0673

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Telepan Local

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Bill Telepan and chef-de-cuisine Joel Javier have annealed the beast with red wine, garnished it with almonds and parsley, and dropped it in a puddle of tart yogurt.

329 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013

(212) 966-9255

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Tuome

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Thomas Chen takes a single perfect tentacle cooked golden and deposits it on a gravel of pork xo; as the dish is served, the chef pops out of the kitchen and squirts on the brown butter foam, for an unexpectedly great (and great looking) dish.

536 E 5th St, New York, NY 10009

(646) 833-7811

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Empire Diner

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Treating octopus as an additional element of a standard Greek salad is the idea behind this app at Amanda Freitag’s nine-month-old diner, with mint and feta providing flavor highlights.