The chicken kebab is what I imagine the famous chicken from Al Abbas tastes like (Curb your Enthusiasm!). The amount and variety of flavor you get out of a simple dish is amazing. It's a really good deal too! read more

Astor Mediterranean - Early dinner on a Thursday. - Mediterranean Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

This is the perfect lunch spot! I came here on Friday with my mom, hoping for some delicious food and sunlight to get us through the rest of our work day. Astor fulfilled both these requirements, and we left with full tummies and replenished Vitamin D. You order at the counter, receive a number, and seat yourself. There are plenty of tables inside, as well as a handful of picnic tables outside. Obviously since it was 80 degrees and sunny, we parked ourselves outside. We decided to share the vegetarian platter, since it is all she has been talking about for the past 2 months, and the grilled lamb platter. Between both dishes, it felt like we tried practically everything on the menu! The vegetarian platter had 3 types of dips, falafel, grape leaves, roasted eggplant, cold chickpeas, beets, lentils, cucumber/tomato salad, flat bread, and spinach pie. My mom, who always says she likes to stay away from bread, almost forgot about the spinach pie, since it was tucked away with the bread. Don't miss that! The lamb was accompanied by warm chickpeas, cucumber/tomato salad, and a yogurt dip. Everything was amazing, but my standouts were the lamb, cucumber salad, the eggplant, and the beets. I was happy to share the 2 platters, since it allowed for much needed variety. I will probably attempt to do the same the next time I'm here. While the location is not exactly public-transportation friendly, there is ample parking, and it is a stone's throw from Rt. 50. Definitely check this place out, you won't be disappointed! read more

Delicious and satisfying Mediterranean food. I am a snob for a gyro or a shawarma. This place is up the with the best! My standard is this small hole in the wall in Birmingham Alabama. All gyros and shawarma are measured by that yard stick. This gyro came pretty close. The freshness of the falafel- crispy on the outside and hot and tender on the inside. The hummus is slightly nutty and garlicky. The meat in the grill is perfectly cooked and seasoned. I just can't give it one bad mark. The to go service is perfect and the dining area is large with outdoors seating All in all this is an excellent Mediterranean restaurant when you have a hankering for delicious, authentic, and fresh food. Give it a try and pick up a spinach pie while you're at it! read more

A friend recommended this place to me after a long morning ceremony. He had been here prior and said it was phenomenal. Yeah, not really. Walking in, it's run down, and understaffed. We came in just after 1110, right after opening. When my food came out, it was cold and there wasn't a good ratio of main ingredients to fillers. I had more lettuce and chunks of onion in my steak wrap than I did steak! The pita was slightly stale and cold as well. There was a measly string of cheese along with it... disappointing for the $10 that I paid for a combo. When I went to get my drink, a dead fly fell out of the dispenser and into my drink. I trashed the whole cup and asked for bottled water instead. Really disappointed in the food and the cleanliness of this area. The fries were good though. The only reason for the 2 stars. read more

Great little Mediterranean place if you'd like cheap, no-frills delicious food. This is about 3 blocks from my place, but I've only been there a couple times. Both times I was pleased by the quick and delicious food. Solid pick for your 'not-a-lot-of-cash' list in Arlington. I actually forgot my wallet the first time I went here and the lovely girl I was dating at the time seemed absolutely thrilled that this was the location we'd inadvertently chosen when it was her turn to buy. Go figure. All your basics are here, but its not a great sit down and hang with a bunch of friends for hours on end kind of middle eastern experience. Its also no Ravi Kabob, but a great option closer to where people actually live. read more

A very solid 3.5 for me. I gave it a 3 only because I expected a lot with how highly it's rated here. Since I'm a fatty and only roll with fatties, my group of three enjoyed hummus, babaghanous, multiple orders of grape leaves, lamb kabobs, chicken kabobs, falafel. I'd agree that it's above an average Mediterranean place, but definitely not the best. My friends loved the stuffed grape leaves, and usually I'm a big fan, but this time they left something to be desired. Oh well. Also, this wasn't as cheap as I thought it would be given how everyone is raving about how cheap it is. Kabob's are the standard $10-$12 price. Throw in an order of babaghanous and that's around $15. With that said, I'll be coming back here until I find a suitable Mediterranean replacement (which very well may not happen). read more

What to eat? What to eat? My husband and I were looking for a one dollar sign restaurant with a great rating. Astor Mediterranean popped up on yelp. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed! Of course, I ended up ordering one of the most pricey things on the menu, but hey, that's me...I ordered the Lamb Kabob with rice and salad. With the amount of food that I received (my husband had to help me kill the dish), the $10.95 was WORTH it! My husband ordered the mixed kabob and scarfed it up in 5 minutes flat. At that point, he was eyeing my lamb kabob. The actual restaurant is a cute place tucked away from the hustle and bustle that is Arlington. There are two flat screens that came in handy since it is NBA playoffs time. The aroma of pizza, kabobs fill the air as you walk into the restaurant. It is clean and the staff is friendly. My husband even mis-ordered by adding a salad (b/c he thought there was no extra charge), and the manager gladly canceled his salad and refunded him $2 back. This is great customer service! If you want an affordable meal with great service and huge portions, this is the place to go!! read more

Really nice place and even better service The food is solid and tasty. Food was 3.5 Service was a 4 Good selection and Pizza to us seemed to be their tastier choice read more

I love this place. Casual food at it's best. My fave are the lunch combos. Best French fries ever. Now that the stopped using ketchup in packets they removed my only peeve read more

Must be under new management, food isn't quite what I it use to be, for instance I always get this wonderful lamb shank meal which cOnsisted of a lamb shank big enough for two meals a side of rice and a side salad...But to my dismay my experience today was not the one I remembered and longed for. Today was quite the opposite....the lamb shank seemed to be from a lamb who hadn't eaten in months(very meager portion) only one side. Aside from that place smells like it's been wiped down with a mildew ridden rag. It's a shame I have always associated this place with quality, but now I'll try to avoid. read more

This place is quite casual but the food is solid. I had the quarter chicken which was good. Better than the usual peruvian chicken you will find in the area, at least for me. Don't skip the appetizers, like the eggplant which goes nicely with some garlic yogurt sauce. read more

If my cousins hadn't moved over there I never would have known this place existed. It's just off rte. 50 across from Ft. Myer, tucked back behind the hotel. You go up to the counter and order and then go pick up your food. They have tons of stuff - dolmas, falafal, chickpea salad, tabbouleh, etc. Lots for the vegetarian, and yet they've got kabobs, too. Ordered lamb kabob and kufta kabobs and was skeptical about the plastic forks, but the meat was so tender you could carve the lamb with a plastic knife. I was amazed! And it was good, too! The baklava is excellent - as big as your hand and sweet to taste. The rice pudding is also really tasty, but if you want sweet, go for the baklava. read more

I LOVE that I can order from Astor online without actually having to interact with someone. And I love how friendly the staff are. The food, however, I just liked. We ordered an assortment of takeout to split: spicy chickpeas, sauteed eggplant, combo kabob, chicken kabob, and falafel platters. The chickpeas and eggplant were both delicious, as was the hummus that came with the platters. The kabob meat was fine, the salads were a little sad (although totally normal for a kabob place). I had really hoped that Astor would finally end my long-lost search for decent falafel in this town. Sadly, it did not. These were underwhelming and weirdly green inside. Will I have future cravings for Astor? Probably not. But it'll certainly do in a takeout pinch. (x-posted to my blog) read more

We recently stayed right next door at the Days Inn and ate twice at Astor. On our first visit, I had the falafel sandwich, which was kind of a strange color, but so good, though I wasn't really a fan of the thick slices of tomato. On our second visit, I had the steak and cheese wrap, which was good, but very messy to eat! My husband had the beef kabob (I snuck a piece, so flavorful!) and the gyro and he raved about both, as well. The restaurant is very casual, clean, and comfortable. It was fairly busy both times we were in, but our food was ready in record time. Definitely one of the top Mediterranean places I have dined at. read more

Astor had great authentic food and such a selection. The staff were very friendly. They have a good patio and I'll definitely be back in the summer to enjoy the outdoor area! I had the gyro with crispy fries and my mom got the vegetarian sampler which came with a variety of like 10 items! read more

Tried this place out on a Saturday evening. A little off the beaten path but definitely worth a visit. Order inside at the counter and wait for your buzzer to go off signaling your food is ready for pick up. We had the falafel and chicken kabob and topped it all off with a slice of baklava. Everything was great. The chicken was juicy and flavorful. Both dishes came with an Egyptian salad on the side and the chicken kabob also included rice while the falafel had hummus and some bread. Good stuff all around. To top it off were the low prices. Great flavorful food, decent sized portions, and low prices makes for a good combo. We chose to eat outside on their patio. This small enclosed patio is a great place to eat when the weather is accommodating. The patio is surrounded by tomato plants and grapevines giving it a feeling of being separated from the traffic on the street. Another bonus was that we were allowed to bring our puppy with us onto the patio while we ate. Something the restaurant across the street would not allow. We will definitely come back. read more

We've been in search of the best gyro in Arlington, and so far Astro hits the spot! The fries were deliciously crispy and double fried, and the price can't be beat. We also had a side order of the chickpeas and rice which was so good and generously portioned that it could have been a meal on its own. This no-frills eatery is great for casual meals! read more

MMM. I have dreams about this place. The prices are fair, the service is quick and the food is as good as it gets. I've gone back and forth between the gyro and vegetarian platter here. Gyro is always delivered hot, with a perfect balance of pita, filling, and sauces. Vegetarian platter gives you a good sampler of several different flavors and is surprisingly very filling! It is served with a pita and a spinach pie. I have also tried the fries here and the rice pudding. Both are so irresistible that I get them every time I visit. I've enjoyed everything that I've ever ordered here. I'm hoping to be more adventurous and try different menu items, but the gyro is so hard to resist. There is also a very cute patio area outside, which is perfect when the weather is nice out. Honestly, there is nothing not to like about this place. Cheap, delicious food and friendly, quick service. read more

Food was decent, not some place I would say yum to. Their lamb shank was huge, but it was only decent. It lacked flavor. It was however tender. Their chickpea salad was better than their other stuff. overall there was nothing really memorable about this place. I do like the atmosphere in there. It seemed like a good place to chill. I don't know much about Mediterranean food and wanted to try some interesting things, however unfortunately the people seemed annoyed to answer my questions and they were really not that busy. I just got something and left. Not a palace I would go back to. read more

Good gyros and falafels. Staff was helpful, and restaurant was fast with my takeout food. Lamb has great flavor and always crave more.

Unimpressed, Yelp! Usually, Yelp leads me to great local eats, but this one fell flat. The portions were decent, and the gyro was pretty good -- though my companion thought the meat tasted weird (I thought it tasted fine). I also had the baba ghanoush and it tasted overly sweet. I've never had it sweet like that, and hopefully never will again. Not great. I ordered lentil soup too, and it was also super sweet... This must be a stylistic thing with the chef/head cook. Please, Chef, staahhhp. Oh, and they had a bunch of rats crawling around outside while we ate. Didn't bother me any... But I can bet that some diners would be put off by the idea of large rats scurrying about around their feet while they eat. read more

Ok, I am here now, the person at the counter seems to have an attitude, I order a quarter chicken with two sides, she says 9 something, I question the amount menu shows 6.95, 2 dollar tax, anyway she prints the receipt and she just has the two sides and no chicken, I then get all kinds of attitude, I like this place, but this counter person today was a big let down! Tuesday, 30 august 2011 at 7:19 PM read more

I recently moved across the street, so decided to check out this place. I orderd the vegetarian pizza. This was one of the best vegetarian pizza I've ever had!!!!! This pizza had every possible topping you can think of, and it was loaded! After 2 slices, I was beyond stuffed! The description of the pizza is as follows: Spinach, eggplant, fresh garlic, green pepper, mushrooms, kalamata olives, fresh tomatoes, tomato sauce, & mozzarella, on our squarecut crust. I am def coming here again! read more

It's been several months since my first visit, but I'm happy that I made it back. Tonight my fiance and I tried the Lamb Kabob and Felafel Sandwich. Both were good, but I preferred the Kabob. The first time we were here, we had the Kufta Sandwich. I had read about it in a Washington Post write-up ("40 dishes every Washingtonian must try in 2013"), and it was delicious! We had the spinach pie and that was tasty, as well. It's great having a casual, tasty option nearby! If you get the "sandwiches," they are great value in Arlington, averaging at $6.50 each. read more

I thought I'd give this place a try due to the good reviews. Wish I hadn't. The falafel was the most flavorless I've ever had. The vegetables didn't seem very fresh. The pita is ok, although greasy. Their eggplant wrap has decent sauce but was kind of slimy. And their drink options are a bit lacking as well. Decent prices if all you want is not-great-food for cheap, with a healthy side of stomach aches. But there are much better places in the area without the aches. read more

Return for the second time yesterday for lunch. While the atmosphere is a little quiet since most people pick up the food, and our veg platter and grilled chicken Greek salad came out a little slow, it was all worth it when I tasted the food. Oh my god. It was the BEST falafel I have ever had, perfectly warm, crunchy crisp on the outside and tender and steamy on the inside. There were lots of different salads on the plate, like garbanzo bean, beet, herby, etc, with grape leaves, tomatoes, peppers, and more. So delicious! Everything was good. As a non vegetarian I was convinced that I would not be satisfied with just veg so I ordered a salad with chicken, but I hardly ate any as the veg dish a friend and I shared was so unreal. The beet salad was especially incredible, and the pita, and the spinach pastry!!! Yummmm!!! I will definitely be back! read more

Astor Mediterranean - Foreground: vegetarian platter, background: grilled chicken Greek salad. Blew our minds with deliciousness. - Mediterranean Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Food is great, people are very friendly! This is a modest neighborhood Mediterranean restaurant, you order at the counter and the call out your number when your order is ready. I always get the Mediterranean chicken pita combo- comes with fries and a drink. I always seem to go during off times, not during the normal lunch or dinner rush. They could do a better job of wiping down the tables/cleaning up the dining area. read more

Good quality food at a reasonable price. This is our local standby for eating in or getting take out. The gyros, chicken, falaffel, etc are all above average. The restaurant is also child friendly with 2 flat panel TVs and room to run around. The staff is friendly and the restaurant has a nice neighborhood feel. I definitely recommend it. read more

My favorites include beef or chicken kabobs over the greek salad, or the 1/2 chicken with two sides. Try the green sauce on everything. Occasionally get the gyro or souvlaki, which are both very good too. Great value and great food. They sometimes run out of specific menu items a little early, though. read more

Astor has never failed to wow me with good grub. The place is very casual and the people are friendly at the counter. The food is made fresh to order so sometimes it can take a little while for your food to be ready. The establishment will now take online orders too and you an pick up easily. One of my favorite things to order is the Astor Mediterranean plate. It has an assortment of veggies (chickpeas, hummus, tahini, dolmadas, etc). I like to share this with husband/friends as an appetizer. I've also enjoyed their falafel, mixed kabob, kufta kabob, steak and cheese panini and cold eggplant salad. Their beet salad is great. My husband tried the lamb shank and the meat was so tender and falling off the bone. He really liked it. Next time he's vowed to get the chicken which always smells and looks amazing. All the friends we've brought here have enjoyed their food too. Like I said we've never been disappointed. Try them and I'm sure you'll come back. read more

We eat at Astor's frequently for dinner, driving from Alexandria to do so. We come by enough to be recognized by the staff and they are always all smiles. I usually order a lamb gyro or rib-eye steak, my love orders the Mediterranean chicken, and our daughter has the pizza (although she loves to sample from our plates). All of the food we are served is top-notch and a sure value at this price. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the pizza--I especially enjoy the crust (it seems to be seasoned with rye seed or something akin which gives the crust a unique flavor and ranks as my favorite in the area). read more

My favorite dining buddy and I were trying to figure out what to do for dinner last night. While jumping around various categories in Yelp, this place popped up. I remember that a friend had said that he'd been here and liked it, and it got pretty good comments from fellow Yelpers, so we figured we'd give it a go. All in all, a solid three stars. There's no table service, so you go up to the counter/register, pick up a tri-fold paper menu, figure out what you want, and place your order. You're given a light up buzzer thing (like they have at Panera), to alert you when you're food is ready. Pick out a table and hang out until it buzzes. I had a spinach pie appetizer, which was average. Mrs R had a vegetarian platter and I had the falafel platter. Everything tasted good, but nothing really stood out as memorable. The falafel were kind of odd; disks instead of balls, like they were stamped out of some sort of mold. Not enough garlic, but good. It's a decent 'fast food' place, but if you're expecting sit down/table service, keep driving. read more

Went here on a recommendation and I enjoyed it. Their prices are very reasonable and the quality of food was good. The place is not anything fancy so it made it an ideal place for a quick bite for lunch. It's kind of hidden from the main road, Route 50, but once you made the turn into the street, it was right there. I just can't believe this place has been here and I never knew it even existed. I will definitely come back. read more

This place still holds an impressive 4.5/5 stars for me. It's convenient, quick, healthy (if you get certain things) and the food is pretty tasty. Lately I've been getting the greek salad (the beets are awesome!) with salmon and/or lamb. If I want a power-salad I will get the salmon and the lamb. What a great salad. read more

Great med food. Lamb shank was melting in the mouth and the spicy lentil sauce was extremely tasty. Good and healthy side selection, beats, eggplant, quinoa with spinash.....yummy. Very casual atmosphere. Flip flops totally cool. Outdoor sitting and plenty of free parking-always a plus read more

Astor Mediterranean - Mediterranean Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Everything here is so fresh, perfectly cooked/baked/grilled/whatever ... and delicious. MY favorite is the grilled salmon and the hummus! :) read more

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Love this place! Super healthy, great flavors! The proteins are never overcooked. Lots of choice for vegetarian friends. You can't go wrong! read more

Gyros were large and delicious! I rolled out of there. Pretty convenient location. Parking lot. The only negative thing I have to say is the menu said red onion and it was a white onion (which isn't a big deal at all, but i do favor red onion, especially on gyro). Can't wait to go back! read more

Deli type restaurant with casual ambiance. Good cold food selection for vegetarian diets. Meats are high sodium. Veggies and potatoes too greasy and overcooked. Recently new staff arrived. Food quality has declined. They're cutting corners to keep prices down. Service has always been fast food quality, not good. But it's across the street from where I live, it's fast and it's affordable, so I return. Indoor and outdoor eating. read more

Very good food. I highly recommend it. Mixed grill is a small portion but very tasty. They also have a great Spinach and cheese pastry. Lots of outdoor seating as well! read more