Astoria Seafood

Bad: Seating is limited, it get very hectic, you have to select your seafood, and pay before they give your a seat.
Good: Fresh Seafood, Great Staff, Portions are huge, bring your own wines. Garlic bread!

My friends have been telling me about this place for months and I finally went with them this weekend. I was late meeting them there, so I missed the whole selection process (you pick your own seafood and hand it to the kitchen). By the time I got there, there were plates of branzino, salmon, grilled octopus, fried calamari, shrimp, swordfish, baked clams, lemon potatoes, and Greek salad covering the table. Everything was fresh, perfectly cooked, well-​seasoned. The only thing I didn’t try was the shrimp, which my friends said wasn’t as good as usual. There were five of us and we each paid around $ 25 – an amazing deal for that amount of (delicious) food!
Also loved the atmosphere. No frills, packed with locals, Greek music blasting. At one point, the waitress paused and shouted something across our table. We thought she was talking to us and then realized she was teasing the people at the table next to ours. Reminded me of dinner with my own crazy Greek family.
As if all this wasn’t awesome enough, it’s also BYOB. What more could you want from a place?! Can’t wait to go back.

Great food, love the place and the people. But, It is very crowded and you have to give your self a 3 hr time block to go here and eat. I cannot give a 5^th star because the place is claustrophobic, only one poor waitress running around like a chicken with its head cut off, a very long wait, people eat and then hang our for hours on their cell phones and its not fair to those waiting. Hire another dam waitress for the love of god.

Perfection. Undoubtedly 5 stars. Astoria Seafood is one of those places that the community goes to, enjoys, and comes back again and again. The food is fresh. The service is rushed but never rude. They’re friendly and charming. It’s like being at a crazy Greek house… or at least the ones that make us laugh in the movies.
1) Go in and grab a bag on the counter, pick a fish, calamari, shrimp, and anything else your heart desires. 2) Give it to Spyrro behind the counter who weighs it and tell him how you want it cooked, grilled or fried. It’s not complicated. 3) Find the Queen of the House and tell her your name. If you’re lucky and you come at a time when it isn’t packed to the brim, you won’t have to wait long.
We came on a Saturday night and stood there, salivating as we watched the tables in front of us devour their plates on top of plates of seafood. The smell of fried calamari, olive oil garlic bread, and grilled seafood was tormenting and tantalizing. We finally got to our table and the food was timed so expertly that the plates just started coming out and piping hot!
Here’s what we ordered:
— Fried Calamari: Perfectly fried. Batter was seasoned well and not too thick. The calamari was PERFECTLY cooked. Still tender, a little chew, the perfect scrumptious texture. Squeeze of lemon and you are in fried calamari bliss. If you want to explore a bit, try some of the tartar sauce or even some of their cocktail sauce. A little heat? Ask for the hot sauce. However you like it, just eat it quickly while they’re hot!
— Grilled Octopus: I think this has got to be one of the best grilled octopus I have ever had. I tried it at Babbo and Meme in Manhattan but this octopus was grilled perfectly. The meat was so tender. You didn’t need to tug and pull to chew. It was beautiful. Garlic, olive oil, and a sprinkle of parsley and salt. So simple, so good.
— Grilled Whole NZ Red Snapper & Stripe bass: I grew up in a Chinese household and I pick my fish while it’s still swimming in Chinatown. I want it active and if it’s not flopping enough, I want another one from the tank. I know my fish by the look of it’s eyes, the bounce of it’s skin, and the color of it’s guts. That’s the way I’m used to it and that’s the way I like it. I like to cook my fish with the skin and most of all, whole. In my own environment, I pick my fish apart. I pick at it’s head and every Chinese kid will tell you the cheek is where it’s at. I was in fish heaven. You lift the skin with your fork and reveal the delicate flesh of a snapper. Sprinkle some salt, a squeeze of lemon, and you bring out it’s natural sweetness. Lift it’s meat with your fork and get every last bit off it’s bones. This is how a fish should be cooked, always. If you’re not used to it, go explore! There’s meat at the ends near the tail and chunks near it’s fins. There’s meat in the forehead and don’t forget the aforementioned cheeks! There’s some fatty goodness near it’s belly. Where it’s grilled to a char, eat the skin! It’s good for you and it’s delicious.
— Garlic bread: It’s complimentary and addictive! There’s a crunch on the thin crust and the inside is fluffy, light, and doused with olive oil and garlic. Order another one when you devoured the first plate.
— BYOB and NO CORKAGE Fee! If you give them a bottle of white, they’ll put it in the fridge while you wait and bring out an ice bucket for you at your table. And how can people say you don’t come here for the service? It’s better than the service you get that you pay hundreds of dollars for! They just happen to be busier than other restaurants and they try keeping your wallets full by keeping their staff under. They’re taking the hit, not you.
I’m already salivating reliving my dinner last night. I miss it. I want it. I’m going to have it the next chance I get. I guarantee it. The wait is long but it’s well worth it. The food is incredible and it’s fresh. It’s market fresh and priced so so right. You can’t get better than that! So don’t complain when you wait awhile, they’re doing their best and they’ll fill your stomachs by the end of the night.

Awesome old school restaurant. You gotta understand their system tho if you want to look like you know what you are doing. All kinds of seafood are lined up in the back of the dining room like fish market, so you put a plastic bag on your hand and choose and grab the fish that you want to eat first. Then you bring them to the register and request how you want each item to be cooked as you pay for them. And note that it’s BYOB. As far as the food goes, the presentation and seasoning are really simple but cooked so right and delicious! Everyone is so happy here, I got to hear someone call out «Opa!» in the crowd and see the waitress start doing the classic dance as they blast Greek music. So make sure to bring a lot of booze. It will be good times.

4 stars for the delicious fresh seafood! Definitely go in reading the other reviews and knowing what to expect from this place. Walk in, pick out your seafood, pay at the counter (which can be deathly slow depending on who’s ringing you up), tell the main waitress how many people need to be seated and your name. There are no frills or special attentive service. Though the staff was nice to us when we dined, don’t expect superstar service like you would at a restaurant. The waitress will bring food to your table and the food is, indeed, as fresh as everyone says. Really great choices and the amount of lemon, garlic and oil on everything we had grilled was to die for. I felt like I was in Greece again!
The only thing I would BEWARE about is that there are a lot of regular/​local customers. One in particular is an 85 year old Italian man with a cane who loves to talk to anyone and everyone and is absolutely racist. He’ll seem like a sweet old man at first but don’t be fooled! He’ll say a lot of super uncomfortable things that will make you turn away. When he first arrived, the main waitress who seems super tight with him tried to sit him at a table in the front. I’m guessing that the family of 3 had a previous bad experience with him b/​c they made it clear to the waitress that they would NOT have him sit near them. Other people seemed to be rolling their eyes. I had the unpleasant experience of having to sit with him for 5 min. (after already spending 10 min. standing in the counter area) and the minute an empty table freed up, I ran to the table. I kid you not, he asked if I was Chinese and when I told him no, he proceeded to say that he can tell by the slant of our eyes… yeah…he also shouted around that he «signed» for people to come to the US, including me and my husband and some Spanish staff members. It was appalling. If he’s around, DO NOT sit with him at a shared table.
Otherwise, the food was fantastic and do plan to come back. Space is tight, it seems to always be crowded but hang in there for the food. For 2 small/​average sized eaters, ordering 2 octopus legs to be grilled and chopped up, a small branzino, 6 jumbo shrimps and rice was perfect. Maybe b/​c it was in the later afternoon and they were running out of bread, but the famous garlic bread everyone reviews about was scarce. I didn’t get any =(

Great food, excellent sea food shrimps and calamari octopus and great drinks and service care, always be back

The only reason this place is getting 4 stars is because the guy that was ringing us up ripped us off by $ 20, we gave him a 100 and he said he only got 80. The wait was looong, and the staff can be rude, I guess because they are busy, but that’s no excuse, and they are a little unorganized. But on the good side, the food was awesome. I will be back but different time and different day.

This restaurant is setup like a fish market with a kitchen that will cook the daily catches for you.
They handed a clear plastic bag and instructed me to go pick what I like to eat. Go «catch your fish» and bring it back to the scale for weighting.
I chose a fresh looking porgie (clear eyes and red under the gills) and a hand full of squids.
The prices of each fish is different and you pay by the pound. Prices can range from $ 4.99/lb to @20+/lb so know how to do math.
You’ll need to know a little about fishes too, especially when it comes to taste and bones! Some fish are very bony and some will taste sweeter than other fishes.
You also have remember the taste may be different grilled or fried.
We had:
Porgies 1.5 lb fried
Squids 2 lbs. fried
Large salad
Large bowl of seafood soup
Total $ 35
We also got a plate of grilled salmon steak with grilled veggies for $ 10.
The three of us were here on a Saturday lunch and overall the food was fresh and delicious. The prices are high so just pick carefully and watch out for the bony fishes.
Don’t forget to ask for a bowl of bread (included).
Plenty of parking on the side streets or meter parking on 33^rd St.
Tip: the cook has a tip jar; they did a great job cleaning the fish before cooking.

This is how it works.
Let the lady know how many are in your group. She is in charge of tables.
Go to the back and pick your seafood.
Line up to pay. Cost is by weight for the seafood. Pick your sides.
Go to your table if ready.
They will bring the food to you.
The bread is to die for. The salad is delicious. The seafood is fresh and taste amazing! We had monkfish (which was huge) and shrimps.

Fresh and delicious seafood. Everything is amazing at this place. The octopus may be the best I ever tasted, melts in your mouth. Not only is the seafood fresh and delicious the Greek salad is as well as are all the sides. You can tell how good the food is by how busy it is. It’s never empty.

It is so disappointing what is happening to this place. They are completely taking their patrons for granted and the quality of the service has deteriorated drastically.
We got there at 11:45 for lunch and waited on fried fish until 1:10 and when I went to the cook to ask for the fish, he told me I should’ve asked sooner as it was not his job to tell me because they’re busy. We left upset, frustrated and still hungry since our octopus and calamari were dry from over grilling and our fish was all soft from staying in the heat oven for 30 minutes while nobody bothered to check if anyone was waiting on that fish. While waiting on our fish we ordered a Greek salad that they forgot to make as well.
The last five times have been bad experiences but this time took the price. So disappointing!

Even on a weekday afternoon, the atmosphere can simmer rapidly to boiling without a moment’s notice. At its core, Astoria Seafood is everything Astoria has become known for over the years. Diners from every culture gather beneath a ceiling of a sky blue ventilation system arranged like an enormous fish hook, with wall murals of the Greek islands painted along the periphery. A group of tables are numbered 1 to 12, and the cashier or waitress will point you to one after you’ve weighed your seafood and chosen your sides.
«Everything here is market price,» explains owner Spyro Christakos, who opened the restaurant in 1993. «It was mostly just a fish market for a long time, and then we started serving a basic fish ‘n chips menu.» A few years ago, however, they began putting out plastic bags so customers could simply grab their sea treasures to take home, or hand them over on a silver platter to have them prepared for dining there.
There is a hot station with several tempting options – today, there were stuffed lobster tails – which include one main seafood selection accompanied by two sides for just $ 10 at lunchtime. Or you can opt to sort through the rows and rows of iced fresh red snapper, swordfish, salmon, scallops, lobster, enormous prawns, mussels, clams, and every other type of fish imaginable.
Men in heavy black butcher aprons shuffle in and out of the kitchen and grumble, laugh, and holler in Greek, while a spirited woman with bright blue eyeliner weaves between tables. It can be intimidating, confusing, and time consuming. Come with friends and a bottle of wine (it’s BYOB), bring patience, good spirits, and an empty stomach, and you will probably enjoy some of the freshest, most delicious seafood you have ever enjoyed. They will prepare it any way you ask, but grilled with a sprinkling of oregano and a rich slathering of butter is the best way to savor a fresh lobster tail and plump scallops.
There is a jar for tipping right next to the plastic silverware, napkins, and ramekins of tartar and cocktail sauce. At such reasonable prices for such a unique experience, you can throw a little extra to these hard workers. But don’t tell too many people about it. I sort of like that it still feels like a neighborhood secret!

Finally checked it out and will surely be back. The seafood is fresh and cooked to perfection, our grilled snapper was moist.
On the down side service at the counter could be better and food could come out faster. Took waaaay too long and had to ask repeatedly to get our dishes.
We had octopus salad, carib snapper, euro sardines, clams (requested in broth but gave us grilled, still good though!).
Looking forward to trying calamari, raw oysters and fish fry.
Prices were reasonable too!

What else can you say about Astoria Seafood other than it begin One of a Kind. It’s truly crazy in here, but it’s a good crazy… I think.
I’ve known about this place for the past 5 years even though I haven’t always lived in the neighborhood. I used to work at Kaufman Astoria Studios and would stop in to pick up lunch. In the back part of the restaurant there is fish for sale. Your option to take home or have them cook it right there. For lunch I would choose my fish and then 2 sides and always take my order to go. The restaurant was always quiet in the late afternoon. Since moving to Astoria I have stopped in after work to buy fish to cook at home. At night the place is always packed.
until this week I never experienced the full madness of eating dinner here. My girlfriend and I finally decided to go. We got there like amateurs and had no idea what was going on. Here are 5 easy steps to help you with your visit:
1. Bring ALCOHOL. Byob
2. Immediately put your name down for a table with the waitress.
3. Pick your fish in the back and bring it to the counter. Tell them how you want it cooked and your sides. Basically order before you sit. (Always order their salad and ask for bread)
4. Be patient waiting for your table. Make sure you pay attention to what’s going. But don’t stress and fight about being sat.
5. Tip well
Follow these rules and you’ll enjoy this One of a Kind restaurant.

This is what you need to know about Astoria Seafood… it’s fresh because it’s a seafood market and it’s chaotic (because it’s a SEAFOOD MARKET). This isn’t a fancy fine dining place, you go, pick your fish, if you can get someone to help else you do it yourself with a bag. 2. get it weighed. 3. either have them cook it for a few dollars or take it home. This place is also BYOB.
I went with a group of 16 people (it was for a bday) and it took about an hour to get seating as the waitress was scrambling. Again it seemed like you need to constant remind her that you’re there, but she knew the people I was with. I think there are 2 ways of eating the seafood… grilled and fried. All greek style. The salad and potatoes were mediocre, but you’re really here for the seafood. All the seafood was pretty fresh and most of their fish has a pretty fast turn over.
I’d recommend the following:
— Octopus
— Smelt
— Scallops
— I forgot one of the fish we had, but it was good… while the red snapper was ok.
Also if you go before 7pm (on a Wednesday) you shouldn’t have an issue with seating… anytime between 7:30pm-9:30pm (on a Wednesday) it was pure chaos with lines out the door and in the back.

This is the kind of place that made me fall in love with Unilocal all of those years ago. It’s hard to find, has been around forever, has a quirky history and staff, and most of all, serves incredible food at incredibly affordable prices. In other words, it’s the kind of place avid Unilocalers go crazy for, and this avid Unilocaler is no exception!
The backstory is that Astoria Seafood used to be just a simple fish market but over the years has evolved into a full service eatery with Greek flair. Well, almost full service. The one part you have to (or get to) do yourself is go to the back where the fish market is still set up, then hand select the seafood you want to eat before handing it right to the kitchen to prepare for you. I’ve never seen anything like it!
We went with some salmon, octopus, and shrimp for our meal and everything was superb. My favorite was the salmon, which was ridiculously fresh and flavorful. For most of the selections you can choose to have it fried or grilled… feel free to ask the kitchen which preparation they recommend for what you’re choosing.
Though the emphasis is definitely on the seafood here, don’t forget an order of their superb Greek salad — a fresh and tasty balance to the other dishes. They’ll also pile your table high with buttery garlic bread, which you won’t be able to resist, no matter how much you try to save room for the fish. Oh, and did I mention that it’s BYOB as well? Can a place get any more awesome?
As far as the service, it’s no nonsense and fun at the same time. These folks don’t have time to beat around the bush but they want you to have a great meal, and they’ll treat you like friends and family — meaning they’ll probably yell at you and tease you a bit… if they like you.
During a late lunch the place was filled with a very diverse group — old asian folks chowing down on their full fish, lots of Greek people, and a smattering of young yuppies carrying lots of beer. I hear that at night it becomes quite the party, with the music pumping and even more BYO beverages flowing. I can’t wait to check that out for myself!

Five star for the food and ambiance. 1 star for service and everything else. Basically the server doesn’t care who is on the list waiting outside. She never come outside to tell people your table is ready. After one hour waiting outside without seeing her come out calling anybody’s name, we went inside to see. Whenever an empty table open, whoever stands inside and bugs her gets it. Finally sit down and waiting for food, she asked around every table who got the jumbo shrimp (which we picked big ones and pay for it already). One table said they got it, so they got our shrimp. Another 45 min waiting in the chaos since waiter doesn’t know who gets what.
It is a stressful place if you don’t fight for it and don’t speak Greek. We would much rather prefer go somewhere else that at least we know there is a waitlist for seating, and whatever you order would come to you.

Have been here twice now and love it.
Have tried a bunch of different things but my favorites have to be the shrimp (grilled) and calamari (fried). The octopus and fried smelt come in a close second.
The fish is ridiculously fresh, and since you pick your own portions and sizes, there should be no surprise as to what you’re getting
The greek salad is fantastic and has tons of feta, and goes amazing with the complimentary garlic bread.
The fish is great too but I just hate having to deal with bones.
The fact that its BYOB with no corkage fee is great too. Its normal to see big families with buckets of wine or cases of beer.
Only big downsides here is the service and layout… its all over the place.
Last time we never even got bread while the table next to us got two orders.
Also, if you’re a group of 2. You should EXPECT to be sat at a table for 4 with another group of 2. This not a romantic date spot.
The layout of how things go can also be seriously confusing for anyone coming here for the first time so here’s how it works
1. You go in and wait for the waitress to come over. You tell her how many and she’ll find you a table. She will give you a table #.
2. Go to the back where the fish and cashier are. There are plastic bags next to the cashier you take and get however much of a certain seafood you want. 1 bag per fish type. The cashier can also help you if you ask but he’s usually dealing with the huge line.
3. Once you’ve have a few bags of whatever you want, bring them to the cashier and he will weight them. You need to tell him if you want each one grilled, fried, or baked. At the same time, you order side dishes like salad or potatoes, and any drinks. Give him your table # so they know where to deliver the food.
4. Once you pay (CC accepted), you go back to your table and the waitress should bring over your salad and bread. Make sure you let her know or you might be waiting forever. At this point, you just sit back and wait for the food to come out.
Protip: Keep in mind, the sole waitress is the gatekeeper to everything, so if you’re nice to her she’ll make sure you get served.
Prices also seem very reasonable and you can have a FEAST for $ 25 – 35 a person.

Reminds me of those restaurants on Manila Bay where you pick your seafood and they cook it for you. Here it’s cooked much simpler, but that’s okay — when you have perfectly fresh seafood, all you need is olive oil, lemon and a grill. Those guys at the kitchen know how to cook seafood, everything comes out perfectly, neither overcooked nor under.
We had the Tiger prawns, scallops, lobster tails, calamari, one sea bass and a salmon steak for a party of six — amazingly everything was perfect. You get real plates and plastic utensils, but who cares? Add the really delicious feta cheese and olive oil salad, crisp, freshly made garlic bread and you’ve got a feast worthy of any you can find beach side in Southeast Asia.
BYOB! plus the staff is amazingly friendly, funny and good-​natured. The price? probably half of what you’ll pay when you go to one of those places in City Island. And, it’s twice as good. It ca be a little crowded but very cozy.
Oh, bring cash, no credit cards.
Seafood lovers: this is the real deal.