Astoria Shish Kebob House, Toronto

"Visited July 17/2010" by zazouke1 (1 review) July 18, 2010 - Doesn't like it - We were a large party and was told by management that no reservations allowed so to come before 6pm and we will get seated to avoid the line ups. We showed up before 6pm and didnt get seated till after 7pm.The service is great but the food is not ........ the pork souvlaki had way too much fat on its pieces, the chicken souvlaki was very dry , and the beef souvlaki, if you ask for well done , it comes to you medium-rare ......... they do not know how to make garlic bread so do not order garlic bread because our was very soggy and when you are a large group of 10 people , your food comes very quickly without any breaks in between almost like you are being rushed out the door. Would not rcommend to anyone.

I love this place. Anyone that comes to Toronto I bring them to this restaurant. The quality of the food is amazing. Giant chucks of juicy meat. Portions are great. Service is good. Love their deep fried calamari. Long lineups during dinner time. From reading BlogTO, they are one of the best souvlaki place in toronto, I wasn't suprised when I read that. But this place is awesome, and if you head to greek town this is one of two place I would recommend

Today my wife and I saw an advertisement for a Greek restaurant on Danforth and Chester, so we decided to check out a restaurant called Astoria Shish Kebob House along with our 3 kids for lunch. It was a late lunch and the restaurant was mostly empty so we took a table in the back. The food was mediocre, nothing special, and the lamb in the souvlaki was tough. However, what surprised us right from the start was the unfriendly and obnoxious attitude of the staff. One of the waiters was complaining in a very loud voice about a guest not having left him a good tip. The other waiter, an older gentleman, was complaining about having to set the tables when there weren't any guests expected. Near the end of the meal one of our children happened to be walking towards one of the other tables, which was empty, when a young gentleman in his 30's walked up to my son and said in a very obnoxious voice "Hey, get away from that table, it was just set up.". He then picked up a spoon from the table and flung it across the room at the bar complaining how my son had �dirtied� the spoon. My son, who is only 8 years old, was taken aback and was almost in tears. I asked our waiter who the gentleman was, and was told that he was one of the owners of the restaurant. Not wanting to get into an altercation with anyone, I asked for my bill, paid it and left. On the way out, I asked our waiter for a business card of the restaurant so that I could call them later and complain about the service. I was already out of the restaurant and on the sidewalk outside when the same gentleman who had earlier shouted at my son came running after me and this time started to hurl abuses at me (I later found out that his name was Elias). I figured that our waiter must have told Elias that I intended to complain about his attitude, so I walked away, but he kept following me and verbally abusing me, threatening to beat me up right there in front of the few guests that happened to be sitting in the patio and in front of my kids. He said that he owned the restaurant, and if I didn't like the service, that was not his problem. He kept repeating �If you don�t like this place, don�t f****** coming here again.� Fearing for my children's safety, I quickly left. If anyone is in the mood to go out to a restaurant, pay good money for mediocre food and then be verbally (and maybe also physically) abused, then the Astoria Shish Kebob House would be a good choice. I always prefer small family owned restaurants over franchises, but at least I know that such an incident could never have occurred in a franchise.

I have been coming here since it was just a hole in the wall. We visit at least 3 or 4 times a year. This last visit I was amazed at the changes. No more grilled garlic bread. Bland salad. Chewy lamb kebob. We ordered a bottle of wine with dinner which did not come until we were almost finished. We sent it back. The waitress said sorry but she got distracted. She did not once come during our meal and ask if things were okay. The mark up on the bottle of mineral water was 700%. More than on a bottle of wine. I do not think I will go back even after 20 odd years. None of the original waiters or greeters were there. I guess they took the money and ran.

I lived in the Danforth Area for 20 something years now, even went to Jackman public school, 2 blocks away from Astoria. I was away last year and when I came back this Christmas, I was totally surprised by the changes. I used to love eating at Astoria but now they cut back on so much I wouldn't go back again. I always order the lamb chops. It's still really good and it still comes with potatoes and rice but now the salad is smaller, the garlic bread is not free and the price has gone up at least 30%. It's not longer good food at reasonable prices. The bread was small slices of cold unbuttered plain bread compared to before, 2 big whole peices of garlic bread grill on the fire. I am sorry to say I am very disappointed. I am going to stop going after 20 something years. There are other equally good restaurants, who don't charge an arm and a leg.

We have been going to Astoria forever, which says a lot in itself. We come from Thornhill and pass quite a few restaurants on the way much like Astoria. We ate at Astoria on Sunday evening and were extremely disappointed. We watched as the salads were being made and there is absolutely no seasoning in the dressing. The person who was making the salads just poured white vinegar and oil out of large containers and added nothing. There was not a piece of onion in our salads, just lettuce and two pieces of tomato each, one olive and a large amount of feta. And, the salads have gotten smaller. We were told that garlic bread is no longer free of charge, that pita bread is 79 cents each piece, but that bread will be brought to the table. We ordered a large order of chicken souvlaki and a large order of pork souvlaki. The meat was okay, but overdone. The tzaziki is amazing, as always. The rice, potatoes are blah, as always. I ordered steamed vegetables at an additional charge instead of rice or potatoes. We did not even have a soft drink and with tax and tip our meal cost $43. The prices have gone up, the quality of the food has gone down and it seems to me that the crowds are just not there. Needless to say, we won't be making that trip down from Thornhill any time soon. We were extremely disappointed in a restaurant that we've been loyal to over many, many years.

My friends and I dined at Astoria en route to Montreal, and loved it so much we stopped back on our return home! Their souvlaki platters are fabulous and the service was exceptional despite a packed house on both occasions. Excellent food in a casual atmosphere, with owner presence - a true reflection of how a Greek family-owned restaurant should feel.

The food is great and the service is wonderful. Their portions are large and they accomodate their diners needs. If you want consistant quality then Astoria is your place to dine. An over all great experience.

The food was good, but not spectacular. Just as good as any of the other Greek restaurants on the Danforth. The service leaves much to be desired. We had to ask twice for everything before we got it, and it wasn't even that busy. I doggie-bagged half of my dinner, and they didn't put any tzatziki in it. When I asked, the chef had the audacity to want to charge me for it. A waiter stepped in and gave me half a spoonful to send me on my way. Not a place to revisit.

We eat here every time we visit Toronto. Excellent food and service and causal dining. We love to sit outside in warm weather. Easy to get to by subway.