On the Upper East Side, Dear Margo brings Eastern Mediterranean cooking, thoughtful design and approachable hospitality to the corner of Lexington Avenue and 70th Street. Opened in March of this year by restaurateur Dean Pashilis, the 1,800-square-foot restaurant at 961 Lexington Avenue takes its name from his beloved grandmother, whose influence continues to shape his approach to food and hospitality.

Raised in a Greek family, Dean remembers food as a way of bringing people together. Meals were built around sharing, generosity and making sure everyone at the table felt taken care of, so when he decided to open his own restaurant after more than a decade with Anassa Taverna, he wanted the name to reflect those roots. While honoring those roots and creating something distinctly his own, “Dear Margo” was brought to life, with “Margo” also meaning “pearl” in Greek.

Dean envisioned a restaurant between casual Mediterranean dining and the more formal Greek and Mediterranean restaurants New York is known for. The goal was a place where guests could stop in for a salad and skewer on a weeknight or settle in with friends over spreads, fresh laffa, mezze and wine. Walk-ins are welcome, reinforcing the idea that Dear Margo should feel like a neighborhood restaurant rather than a destination reserved for special occasions.

Executive Chef Efraim Naon, known as Chef Efi, brings decades of experience with Eastern Mediterranean cuisine, including time at Motek, Barbounia and Taboon. His shared philosophy with Dean centers on regional traditions presented in a way that feels current and accessible to New York diners.

One of the restaurant’s signatures is its fresh laffa bread. The dough ferments for 48 hours before each laffa is baked to order in the restaurant’s pizza oven. It arrives alongside house-made spreads including smoky baba ghanoush and creamy hummus, creating a meal built around sharing from the start.

The menu continues with Arayes, falafel, grilled artichokes, chicken and lamb skewers, beef kofta and Faroe Island salmon, alongside salads such as the Aegean Salad with Campari tomatoes and feta and Grandma’s Green Salad with Kalamata olives and feta dill dressing. Pita sandwiches, bowls and sides round out the menu, while complimentary frozen yogurt soft serve with seasonal toppings gives guests an unexpected finish.

The design by Demetris Charalambous follows the same relaxed approach. Warm lighting, natural textures, a custom stone wall and curated shelves filled with pots and sculptural accents give the restaurant an earthy feel. Floor-to-ceiling accordion glass doors open toward Lexington Avenue during warmer months, creating an indoor-outdoor setting that brings another element of Mediterranean dining to the Upper East Side.

Dear Margo Owner Dean Pashilis Courtesy of Peter Manaridis

For Dean, however, the measure of a restaurant is whether people return. After years in the industry, he believes consistency, attentive service and knowing regular guests are what turn a restaurant into part of its neighborhood. Since opening, he has been especially pleased to see guests returning multiple times a week, bringing family and friends and developing favorite dishes.

Asked what he would order for a first-time guest, Dean keeps it simple: “come hungry and share.” He recommends starting with the spreads and fresh laffa, followed by grilled artichokes, salads and an assortment of skewers. And he insists on saving room for the complimentary frozen yogurt.

That philosophy reflects what he ultimately hopes Dear Margo will become: a restaurant connected to everyday life in New York. It might be the place someone has dinner every Thursday, where a family goes when visiting the city or where the staff eventually knows a regular by name.

Pashilis is already looking ahead and planning for Novah, his upcoming Long Island restaurant with Chef Efi. While it will share Dear Margo’s Eastern Mediterranean foundation, including fresh bread, spreads, salads and skewers, Novah will have its own identity with an elevated approach while maintaining the same focus on approachable hospitality.

For Dean Pashilis, one of the most meaningful moments at Dear Margo is simply seeing the restaurant full. After years of imagining the space and making thousands of decisions before opening, watching the kitchen move, laffa come out of the oven and guests share meals is the clearest realization of what he set out to create.

By Jahleah Santiago

Photo Credit: Tim Stype