Astor Mediterranean — Restaurant in Arlington

*UPDATING MY REVIEW FROM 5 STARS TO 1: Astor USED TO BE my favorite restaurant in Arlington. Over the past few months the service has plummeted. I see none of the familiar faces that used to greet me with a smile. I was recently served hard chick peas and cold kabobs. I told an employee about the issues with my food and she shrugged me off and told me to tell the cook myself. They are always out of items or ingredients and really don’t seem to care anymore. Very sad to see this happen to a place that was so special.

ORIGINAL POST FROM 11/17: I crave Astor nonstop. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!! They have an extensive menu filled with apps, soups, salads, pizzas, grilled items and desserts. My go-to is the beef kabob. The meat is always cooked to perfection and tastes amazing. Everything is served hot and fresh. Great portion sizes, too. The prices are reasonable and there is plenty of parking out back. The staff is nice and there’s hardly any wait. I’ve enjoyed my many experiences both dining in and carrying out from Astor. My leftovers always reheat well...

Ok. We have been going here for about 3 years. We live in Arlington and like Middle Eastern food. A lot! But this place continues to deteriorate in quality. But, in a last minute decision tonight we decided to call for takeout. Wrong! Bad Decision. I ordered a Mixed Kabob (chicken, steak and kufta) and the meat was virtually inedible, it was SO overdone. This has been a constant issue, and I kept giving them a pass thinking it was a spotty thing. Well, no. All the meat was just total shoe leather. No taste, tough as nails and, as I said, inedible. My husband's panini sandwich was the same -- totally charred and tough. What is the problem with this place??? We also ordered a side of hummus, and it was watered down! Really! It had a consistency that was actually runny and had very little taste. That's the last. That's it - we are totally done...

Astor had been on our list of neighborhood restaurants to try and we finally had the opportunity to come here the other day.

There were a few tables occupied (like 4-5) and quite a steady stream of foot traffic doing pickup or takeout, which always bodes well for a restaurant.

They have quite an extensive menu to choose from, but it being our first time, I settled in for a lamb gyro and some fries. We also ordered Mediterranean Chicken gyro and Eggplant Parmesan Panini.

All the dishes were well made and the meat was tender and seasoned perfectly. The salt content in the meats was good too - I have been to quite a few gyro places where the meat and sauce has an excess amount of sauce in my opinion.

The staff is friendly and nice too that makes the meal that much better!

A definite local gem. Have to get back and give the other...