Aster — Restaurant in Athens

Sunday afternoon, group of 5. My friends called Aster to reserve a table and were told they can only make a reservation after 21:30 but we wanted to go at 16:30. I arrived first and asked if there is a any free table outside. Their reply was very abrupt - no table for another hour and that's when reservations start so cannot assist. We decided to wait outside and my friends who had called earlier also joined us and explained the situation to the waiter (who by the way never apologized for the miscommunication) but only said we could wait for a table to be freed. We were waiting for about 60 minutes and at some point we counted 7 tables with no people seating but every time we asked if we could sit Aster's reply was "no". Also we noticed the bills on other tables were max 40-50 euro and people were just occupying the space without ordering anything. Meantime they did not even offer us a glass of water. Eventually after an hour or so a table was freed and as soon as we sat the waiter told us to stand up gain to clean the table. The only reason we decided to stay was because the food is nice and reasonably priced - for the record we paid 147 euro. However this is possibly the last time they will see a three digit bill as we never...

Honestly, give this place a Michelin star already.

Stumbled across Aster in Athens and… what a find. Tucked away in a neighbourhood that gives off big Newtown (Sydney) vibes — all locals, barely a tourist in sight (except me). Chill, cool atmosphere where people clearly come to unwind after work. Everyone speaks English perfectly, but you still feel like you’re getting the proper local experience.

Now the food… absolutely next level. There was one chef in the kitchen (yep, just one), and somehow they were sending out dishes like they had an army back there. The pulled lamb was melt-in-your-mouth good, the burrata was creamy perfection, and the lemon chicken? Might’ve shed a tear, not gonna lie.

Everything was so well done it felt like the chef was putting on a performance — but without the wank. No fuss, just ridiculously good food. Hidden gem doesn’t even cover it. If you’re in Athens and not eating here, you’re...

This was the second time we came to eat here as had really enjoyed the food the first time. The figs and pulled lamb was especially good. However, on our second time dining here, the service was just utterly shocking. After being seated for a while we had to ask for menus. When I eventually requested to order after ten minutes I was told by the waitress that we needed to wait our turn as there were other tables before us. No ‘thank you for your waiting’ - just an attitude. The food then took a long time to come out. I usually wouldn’t mind but the attitude of the waiting staff just made the environment so awkward and uncomfortable. Any time we needed something, they were hesitant to offer any assistance and made you feel like you were really bothering them. It’s a shame because I loved the food but...