Kouros Bay Diner: Soon To Become a Legend

When Kouros Bay Diner first opened up at 3861 Nostrand Avenue in November, I visited the restaurant with a group of friends. So excited were we by the food we saw arriving at the table, that we forgot to take out the cameras. So, off I went with another friend to try the food again and to take some photographs. And I’m glad to report that on both visits, the food and service were fantastic.

Back in the 1980’s, the corner building that houses Kouros Bay Diner was the Pavilion Diner, and then in the 90s it was Mayflower Diner. They were great diners with cozy booths and small tableside jukeboxes. Those little jukeboxes and good, affordable food, along with its proximity to Sheepshead Bay High School. made it a welcome spot for high school SING performers after the curtains came down.

After a stint as the Empire King Chinese Buffet, the spot is back to “diner,” and we have the Greeks to thank for it. The owner of Kouros Bay Diner, George Giannakouros, has served great food in six different diners in various parts of Brooklyn for nearly sixty years. The Greek word Kouros refers to the nude, standing figure of a young man associated with aristocratic culture, morality, nobility, and physical beauty.

With this introduction, I would like to tell you that the name is well chosen, because Kouros Bay Diner is a true diner with polite and friendly staff, who are more interested in serving food that looks good – and tastes even better – than they are in perfecting the famous Brooklyn server snootiness.

For many years I had avoided diners. I just couldn’t find any that reminded me of the long-gone Campus Sugar Bowl at the Junction near Brooklyn College, owned by an old college mate’s father, Mr. Peter Bayiokos. But after many years of slim pickins’ in the solid Greek diner department around the Sheepshead Bay area, we’re happy to say that the Greek dining experience is back.

While the diner is clean and well-lit, don’t expect anything elaborate, large, or sound-absorbing. The friendly patrons could be seen making connections after overhearing the conversation at the next table. So, if you’re looking for some networking opportunities, the main room might be the place for you. If you’re looking for a little privacy, you might need to be seated on the other side, near the dessert display.

Kouros Bay offers up a huge menu that not just has a lot of choices, but is so big that two people cannot rest the menu on the table at the same time without annoying each other. That’s no matter, since one of you can snack on the relish tray while the other makes his or her dinner choice. The server might ask you if you’re planning on ordering dinners, before bringing out the relish tray  — to make sure that you’re not planning to substitute it for dinner.

You might be tempted to do that, since the relish tray is a meal in itself, consisting of soft bread with sesame seeds (served with butter); Krispy crackers; pickles; cole slaw, and my favorite protein — chick pea salad. This is the same combination of appetizers that had many loyals going to the Foursome Diner, which was also owned by the Giannakouros family.

I tried the Greek fries — a satisfying portion of fries cooked just right, not too oily, with feta cheese and dried herbs sprinkled on top — which were so good that I had to have them on my second trip. With the price per plate set at $5.95, I figured it could qualify as my dinner entree and it did. The second time, they were just as good.

The spinach pie was a large portion of a light phyllo dough pastry stacked high with cheese and spinach. It had just the right amount of salt and moisture in the spinach – which is a hard thing to get right.

The chicken sorrentina was colorful and fresh. As a dinner special, the dish is served with linguini and a choice of soup or salad, and an “it’s expensive for a local diner to have a liquor license” glass of wine. With the way my friends slurped their entree up, I knew it was good.

As for the old favorites: meatballs with spaghetti and burgers – both were satisfying and tasty. The two meatballs were large and perfectly round balls of meat that were not too dense or bready. The burger was cooked just right, served with a nice slice of red onion, if you so please.

The desserts we tried, two types of cheesecake, were all baked on premises and displayed in the glass refrigerators. Both of them were light and not too sweet.

So long as Kouros Bay Diner is around, and I hope for a long time, I will be a customer. I’m sure that once the late night revelers on Emmons Avenue get wind that El Greco has a major competitor not so far away (with parking available), Kouros Bay will need to stay open 24 hours a day.

Kouros Bay Diner
3861 Nostrand Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11235
(718) 743-5776
located at the corner of Nostrand Avenue and Avenue Z