Astros Restaurant — Restaurant in Edmonton

A little off the beaten path, in a corner of a busy thoroughfare, literally, you would be quick to dismiss or plain miss this restaurant, though its big neon signage certainly helps. It speaks to a restaurant with Greek leanings, although, much like those tried-and-true family operated restaurants of the past, it offers much more than a single style of cuisine. Sure enough, it has a large menu, covering many different but familiar dishes one associates with a family-oriented mainstream cover-all-the-bases menu. These are the restaurants that love to be made over by the likes of Gordon Ramsay, often their menus too expansive, their interiors dated, the cooking uninspired...But I say, when it's done well, these restaurants have earned their longevity, and if it ain't broke, don't worry about fixing it!

Walking into Astros for the first time was like walking into the past, with it's dark-toned interior, heavy wood tables, faux leather silver studded padded chairs and yet some interesting modern art on the walls. It doesn't matter, it was 2/3 full on a chilly Saturday night, after 7pm, which bodes well that the clientele is steady. Greeted by a friendly matronly woman, we were lead to our table, and promptly served water soon followed by our waitress for our drinks. The liquor offerings were right out of Mad Men: Rusty Nails, Tequila Sunrise, White Russians, etc. No fancy martinis, cocktails here, classic, a bit on the sweet side, but that's how the family drinker likes their booze, right?

Souvlaki, spanakopita, moussaka, burgers, pizza, liver and onions, chicken teriyaki. When a lot of families used to dine out, they often chose restaurants that could meet the tastes and tendencies of the whole clan, which I imagine is why these menus developed the way they did. We sort of stuck with the Greek offerings, starting with calamari (simple, lightly breaded with a thick tzatziki with plenty of dill) that was very yummy and didn't kill our appetites. We had the spanakopita, moussaka special and the Astro burger, their bacon cheese burger offering. Trust me, we weren't expecting reinvention, and we were very satisfied with the basic interpretation, decent portion size and homemade attention to detail. The food is simply prepared, presented with utility, sparing superfluous garnishing, but man it was good! The moussaka was lush, the meat shredded lamb, not ground, and the familiar spices not overpowering. Served with a mundane greek salad, delicious firm lemony potatoes, it was super satisfying. The spanakopita was decent, but a little dry. But the Astro burger was the star. Big, juicy, nothing fancy, but it was delicious. Decent fries, crispy on the outside and tender within. Served with a decent thick gravy, could have been from a mix, but it was flavourful regardless. There's nothing wrong with describing average comfort food with the flair reserved for fine dining, is there?

The food was well seasoned, which can be tricky, if it often comes from bag, box or can. So when it is clearly homemade, it's nice when food is not overly salty, nor poorly seasoned. Attention and care needs to be applied in all kitchens, regardless of the style or price point.

Astros has been family owned and operated since 1980. It looks the part, tastes the part, but that wasn't a bad thing, for this dining experience. I have eaten many a meal twice the price, and 10X less satisfying. You get what you might expect with Astros, and hopefully you are expecting (especially if you are of a certain age) good decent unpretentious food, impervious to the whims of food trends, but luckily not to the understanding that a food dollar still needs to go far for families these days. Service was attentive and friendly.

Stop by, we will be again, for there are many more dishes left to try, one will definitely have a baked potato, for I looked longingly at the fixings tray being passed around at a neighboring table. One does not need a time machine to relive family food memories, you need Astros...

I wish I could give it less than 1 star.

We arrived with my toddler, and I wasn't asked once if I wanted a booster seat or high chair for him. Waitress took our orders, and forgot to get mine while standing beside me. Said, "OK, is that everything" after taking others, so I said "uh, yes, I'd like to order". Just felt weird and disorganized.

Food is mediocre, at best. I paid $22 for spaghetti and meatballs, that tasted like a bowl of great value pasta with Ragu dumped on it. Meatballs looked and tasted like they took a spoonful out of a meatloaf. Garlic toast was just plain buttered bread. $8 for a plate of deepfried mccain shoestring french fries that were overdone. Half our table ordered pasta dishes, and we had to actually walk up to the kitchen window to ask for parmesan because they didn't bring it, and didn't come back despite us trying to get their attention. Food took nearly an hour to come, and there was only 1 other table. Server kept saying "I'm not sure, I have to go check" with every question about their menu. When we asked for a dessert menu at the end, she said "it was on the menu(that she took earlier), did you want it again?" Then handed the menu saying "it's in there somewhere". The apple pie was more crust than filling, and couldn't even be called a pie. I think "crust and apple spread" would be more appropriate.

The bill came higher than anticipated because we were double billed for part of it. We also had to wait 15 minutes for them to find the debit machine. Keeping in mind, that there was only 1 other table. It was not busy!

All in all, dismal service, overpriced mediocre food. And, Saturday night, at 7pm only 2 tables speaks volumes.

I don't understand why they have so many great reviews. 0/10. Two thumbs down, and will...

Truly a neighborhood gem! While it might be hard to find, it is truly worth the search. My wife and I had long been looking for a place for a locally owned pizza (and more) place after Flamingos on 87th Avenue sadly closed back in 2019. Astros certainly fills that gap. We've generally stuck to the pizza on the menu and have zero complaints. Large servings, lots of cheese and a pizza sauce that top notch. One time, we were given the wrong pizza upon arrival from one of our pickup orders and didn't realize it until we got home. While I love pineapple on pizza, needless to say others do not share that perspective. Upon calling Astros and explaining this, they told me to come back, baked the fresh pizza that we ordered and let me keep the other and provided a gift certificate for my trouble (which wasn't needed, but greatly appreciated). This is the kind of service you don't get at franchised pizza establishments.

If you are looking to a delicious, old school pizza in an unassuming place in west Edmonton, I'd strongly suggest giving Astros a chance. It's a great family run business making great food and providing...