The interior dining room.
Time Stype
I heard about Dear Margo- or at least the idea of it- long before the first guests walked through the door. In case you haven’t caught on, this is the Eastern Mediterranean restaurant that’s making waves on the Upper East Side and helping the neighborhood cement its status as one of New York’s dining destinations.
Restaurateur Dean Pashalis is behind Dear Margo, and I’ve known him for almost a decade- going back to his high school days. His father, Nick Pashalis, is one of the owners of the high-end Greek eatery Avra and also founded the more casual Anassa Taverna, which has four locations around town. The Astoria Anassa is among my happy places and a mainstay on my dining rotation, and I first met Dean there.
Dear Margo’s exterior.
Tim Stype
Now 27, he got his start in the business expanding and overseeing Anassa with the help of his father, but with Dear Margo, he’s off on his own.
Dean told me about the concept when I saw him at Anassa sometime in early 2025, but it was just an idea back then. Now, it’s arrived.
The restaurant is named after Dean’s grandmother and is a love letter to dishes from the Levant region. Chef Efraim “Efi” Naon is heading up the kitchen and was born there. As it turns out, I know him, too- he cooked for me when he was the chef at Taboon in Hell’s Kitchen and Barbounia in Flatiron.
Efi is a master of Mediterranean food, and it shows at Dear Margo. Hits on his menu include the pillowy in-house baked laffa bread, served warm and presented alongside a variety of flavor-packed spreads- smoky baba ghanoush, chickpea, and more.
Then come dishes made for sharing: skewers of chicken, lamb, and beef kofta; salads including the Aegean with Campari tomatoes and feta; pita sandwiches (don’t miss the rib-eye shawarma); a butterflied branzino; and a roasted half chicken that’s far from basic thanks to its harissa aioli marinade. The frozen yogurt served gratis at the end is a sweet finish in more ways than one.
A spread of dishes.
Tim Stype
Dear Margo’s setting, with its stone wall and earthy tones mixed with brass accents, makes for an ambiance that’s casual but hip. With its energetic vibe, always-packed tables, and expansive alfresco patio, Dear Margo is a place you want to hang out- that is, if you can get in. When the spot opened in late March, something about it resonated with the finicky neighborhood, and it was a hit from the start.
As an Upper East Sider, I can tell you the buzz continues to be apparent everywhere I go, from my hair salon to other restaurants, where I overhear diners either raving about their visit or lamenting that they have yet to snag a reservation. I walk by several times a week and witness the lines out the door and groups congregating on the sidewalk while they wait for their tables.
So, come on now: Don’t you want to see what everyone is talking about?
Dear Margo Owner Dean Pashalis
Peter Manaridis
My interview with Dean follows.
Dear Margo has been packed since you opened. Why do you think the restaurant resonated with New Yorkers so quickly?
New York is home to some of the best restaurants in the world, but over the last several years, dining out has become increasingly expensive. While we understand the realities of rising costs, we believe great food, quality ingredients, and exceptional hospitality shouldn’t come at a price that makes dining out feel like a special-occasion luxury.
From the beginning, our goal was to create a restaurant that people would want to return to again and again. We refuse to compromise on quality, but we also believe that value matters. In a city where restaurant prices continue to climb, we wanted to prove that an exceptional dining experience can still be approachable and reasonably priced.
What inspired you to create Dear Margo, and why was now the right time for a new concept?
After more than a decade building Anassa Taverna, we felt it was the right time to create something new. Mediterranean cuisine continues to grow in popularity, and we saw an opportunity to introduce a concept that reflected where dining is headed today while building on the foundation we had established with Anassa.
A major inspiration for Dear Margo was our partnership with Chef Efi. From our very first tasting, we knew his approach to Eastern Mediterranean cuisine was something special. The flavors felt familiar yet exciting, and we saw an opportunity to build an entire restaurant around that experience.
Dear Margo became a place where we could bring that vision to life—a place where guests can enjoy fresh vegetables, house-made breads, spreads, salads, and grilled proteins in a warm and welcoming setting.
The Upper East Side has become a destination neighborhood. What does Dear Margo bring to the area?
Over the last several years, more young people are choosing to live and spend time uptown, while longtime residents and families continue to make the Upper East Side one of the most vibrant communities in the city. We’ve seen that firsthand at Dear Margo, where our guests range from longtime neighborhood residents to young professionals and families.
The Upper East Side has always had great restaurants, but we felt there was room for a Mediterranean concept that brought a different energy to the area. We wanted a place that felt lively and inviting while still offering the quality and hospitality people expect from a neighborhood restaurant.
How did your grandmother, Margo, influence not only your love of Mediterranean food but also your approach to hospitality?
My grandmother was always happiest when she was cooking for family. Every summer, my cousins and I would visit her in Greece, and she would spend her days preparing meals for us using vegetables and herbs from her garden. There was a level of care and pride in everything she made that left a lasting impression on me.
More than teaching me to appreciate Mediterranean food, she showed me what hospitality really means. She believed that taking care of people starts with making them feel welcome, and food was her way of bringing everyone together.
That philosophy is at the heart of Dear Margo. We want our guests to enjoy great food, but just as importantly, we want them to feel comfortable, cared for, and excited to come back.
Eastern Mediterranean cuisine is becoming more and more popular. Why do you think this is happening?
I think diners today are looking for food that is both flavorful and makes them feel good. Eastern Mediterranean cuisine naturally strikes that balance, which is a big reason why it’s resonating with so many people right now.
It’s also a very social cuisine. Meals are often built around dishes that are meant to be shared, creating a dining experience that feels more interactive and communal. People want great food, but they also want experiences that bring friends and family together, and Eastern Mediterranean cuisine does that exceptionally well.
Chef Efi Naon has built a strong reputation for Levantine cooking in New York. What made him the right chef to bring your vision for Dear Margo to life?
From our very first tasting, we knew Chef Efi’s approach to Eastern Mediterranean cuisine was something special. He’s an incredible chef, and his food fit perfectly with the vision we had for Dear Margo.
What made him the right person to bring that vision to life, however, was that he’s not only an incredible chef, but also an incredible business partner. Opening a restaurant comes with countless challenges and decisions, and he approached every one of them with a positive attitude and a solution-oriented mindset. He believed in the concept from day one, and his dedication played a major role in bringing Dear Margo to life.
From the freshly baked laffa bread to the complimentary frozen yogurt, there are several unexpected touches throughout a meal here. What were some of the details you felt were essential to getting right?
For us, the small details are an important part of hospitality. We wanted every aspect of the experience to feel thoughtful, and the laffa bread and frozen Greek yogurt are two examples of things we felt were worth doing the right way.
We think the bread is a must-order. We make the dough in-house daily, ferment it for 48 hours, and bake it to order so it arrives at the table hot from the pizza oven. It’s one of the first things guests experience, and it sets the tone for the rest of the meal.
The complimentary frozen Greek yogurt reflects the same philosophy. We wanted to end the meal on a light, refreshing note and give guests something unexpected. It’s a simple touch, but we think it adds something special to the overall experience.
Looking ahead, what would success for Dear Margo look like a year from now?
Success would mean that Dear Margo has established itself as a neighborhood favorite on the Upper East Side. We want to be the kind of restaurant people think of for all different occasions.
If we’re fortunate enough to achieve that, we’d love to continue growing the brand. We believe the concept can resonate in other neighborhoods throughout Manhattan, but our focus right now is making sure we deliver a great experience every day and continue earning the trust of our guests.
Dining and Cooking