Astor Bake Shop

I love the open café set up. It feels like you could be near a beach or even a different country. The prices are great. I pay $ 2 – 3 less for my iced soy mocha here compared to any other coffee shop around. I loved the flavor combinations in the Lentil Burger. Garlic fries were great. Croissants are fresh; always have them heated up or toasted if you can. I like knowing that my food wasn’t rushed, I anticipate spending some time if I come to a sit down location. I’ve had great interactions and experiences with all the staff here.

Just discovered this hidden gem in my own neighborhood! The place has a great atmosphere with friendly staff, big open windows and places to sit outside. The food was delicious, I ordered the chicken avocado sandwich and French onion soup. They have a large selection of amazing desserts too. I came to hear a friend perform in their open mic night which happens every other Wednesday, can’t wait to come back though.

I was recommended the Astor burger by the Food Network Discover on Snapchat and I am so pleased to have tried it. Very impressed by the juiciness of the burger, the melt of the cheese, and perfectly dressed greens on the side. Only down side is that it was the only burger I saw they offered on their chalk menu! I would love to try more if they have them.

Wonderful brunch today ! Thank you Catherine — the sweet lady with the visor– and Luis for the best service ever ! They were extremely attentive and professional and provided us with a service worthy of great restaurants. It was so pleasant.
We have always loved that place, the atmosphere and the food — the salmon sandwich is excellent and so are the sweet potatoe fries — but the service was an issue: for instance, 4 times in a row we did not get what we ordered. So we stopped coming. But that was last year…
We returned today and what a wonderful surprise ! So happy to call it our new favorite place ! The food was excellent and the service very impressive. Again, thank you Catherine and Luis for the amazing service ! We ll be back more often from now on.

I typically get a latte here as well as either the semi soft boiled egg & smoked salmon sandwich or the lentil burger with a side order of fries. Never disappoints.
It’s a tad out of the way from the center of Astoria but a worthwhile visit. The food is great and the place has a great vibe and it’s evident that the owner has put a lot of thought and spirit into this place. It’s also pretty good for doing work — there are several outlets and the noise level is pretty minimal.
It’s also clear that the owner is customer friendly. Last week I placed an order to go for a latte and lentil burger. After picking it up, I started walking home when I stumbled and dropped my coffee. I decided to go back to get a new coffee and the lady working the register inquired about me getting another cup — I told her how I dropped the previous cup. She said if it was up to her she’d give me a new cup free, but since she just started working there, she wasn’t sure as to the procedure. I told her it was totally fine and that I wasn’t expecting the latte for free — before charging me, she decided to ask some of the workers in the kitchen as to what she should do — they told her that George (the owner) would never charge for a new cup in a situation like that so I ended up getting the new cup for free though I certainly wasn’t expecting it.

This is quite a nice bistro place serving comfort food with a price that doesn’t break the wallet. Make sure that you don’t come during brunch time on weekend and you will be treated like royalty. People rave about the croissant here, but personally their seasonal fruit and almond tart served with home made vanilla whipped cream is the reason I come back to this place. What’s not to like when it tastes like a cookie and cake in one bite. Lasagna/​Moussaka here tastes like what you’d get for $ 20ish at other places in Astoria, but I have no idea how they manage to only charge $ 14.95 for it.

I would like to first state that the food here is great; that being said they definitely believe that good things come to those that wait.
I’ve been here a few times and it takes at least 40 mins to get your food, you have to flag down staff for any refills on water or coffee, and ask several times for silverware, sugar, milk, etc.
If your not in a rush and can accept a mediocre wait staff then this place is alright.

I’ve been a bad neighbor — always rushing by and averting my eyes, never saying hello, and certainly never walking inside. That is, until this weekend, when me and my running partner decided that we had earned brunch, and by golly we were going to do it up right!
Given that we had already fulfilled our auto-​locomotion quota for the day, we went to Astoria Bake Shop because it was right down the street. Excellent choice! I’ve always thought this place was cute, and I’ve seen their cake cabinet from the street — which might explain why I’ve never gone in: I don’t want to form any habits as far as cake go, and their cakes look like they could easily be habit-​forming. None the less, we pressed forward and walked over there.
We were greeted by a pleasant «Hello! Take a seat wherever!» from across the room, and so we did. Some menus were brought over soon thereafter, and so the discussion of who would get what started. I opened with a croissant and we both had cups of the house coffee (black, because that’s the only way to actually taste the stuff). Delicious on both accounts! The croissant was buttery, flaky, had excellent elasticity inside, and just the right amount of tooth. The coffee was round and hearty with deep flavor and not overly high acidity.
For our meals, I got a duck cassoulet that was absolutely to-​die-​for. Not only did it have a sizable portion of tender duck in it, but there was also sausage, bacon, and white beans, all in a very hearty and delicious gravy. My friend got the Astoria burger, which is always a reliable and rewarding choice. Their buns, like all of their baked goods, are made in-​house. I’d suggest the challah for the burger.

Epic fail. First, be prepared to wait 40 minutes for your food when the place is half empty. Then, don’t expect your food to come out as ordered. Our fries were undercooked and the burgers were overdone (gross).
All that said, I probably would have decided not to review and avoid the place in the future.
My one star review comes from blatantly listing items on their menu as «gluten free» when they’re not. For example the fries. The menu lists them all as gluten free but the waitress notified us that they were fried in the same fryer as breaded foods. Um. The ONLY thing that makes fries (a potato based product) dangerous to a person who can’t eat gluten is that it’s cooked WITH gluten foods. The fry itself has zero gluten sooooo wtf do they think they’re doing listing it as a gluten free food if they’re cooking it in a fryer filled with reminents of gluten foods? It’s dangerous and irresponsible. When someone goes through the trouble of looking for a restaurant with gluten free foods it’s because it’s necessary to their health. Astor bake shop treats it like a «lifestyle choice». Thanks asshats.

I’ve been going to Astor Bake Shop for years now, but have only been once or twice since being diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Tonight when I went in the menu clearly stated «all fries are gluten free». I was momentarily very excited until I asked the server to confirm if the fries were cooked in a shared fryer with any breaded products. I was told the sweet potato fries are NOT gluten free and because they’re cooked in the same fryer, I cannot have them. Please change your menu! You cannot state all fries are gluten free if they are not. Thank you to our knowledgeable server for confirming!
I really do hate to have to write a negative review because I do enjoy the food, but someone could get very sick if they order something that says «gluten free» but is not.

I love Astor Bake shop for many reasons. One being that it’s walking distance from my apartment so even in the colder days, I know I can get a nice hot latte at any given moment. But aside from that, this place is pretty darn cute. The big windows lets in a beautiful amount of light which really brightens up the place. Astor Bake also emits a vintage, old-​timey coffee shop vibe which I enjoy. The employees were extremely friendly and I even managed to meet the owner who warmly welcomed me to the neighborhood.
I went for the classic latte (they made me a latte art pumpkin) which went perfectly with my pumpkin cranberry muffin. Everything was great — the muffin was sweet yet savory and was topped with pistachios. And my drink was poured very well. I’ve also tried their cupcakes which are always a solid choice. Fluffy and sweet. It seems like they have their baked goods down, and I can’t wait to try their savory items.
I’ve only managed to visit Astor Bake Shop a handful of times, but I’m always looking forward to my next visit. It’s the perfect place to kick back, relax and read a book which I love to do on the weekends. I can really see myself becoming a regular here.

Over the years I’ve tried hard to love this place but they’ve yet to overcome two consistent and glaring deficits:
1) Service is always abysmal. It’s a relatively small space with a finite menu so it boggles the mind that the basics (settings, clean tables, water, orders taken in a timely manner) are never in place. It seems like there’s a rotating cast of young guys that either don’t know what to do or don’t care to do it right.
2) Their sweet doesn’t match up to their savory, which is a disappointment every time you decide to expand your waistband for one of their desserts after a solid meal. They look great but rarely taste great.
Otherwise the space is lovely, their burgers are AMAZING, and their wax paper bags filled with tasty/​salted french fry perfection are large enough to share one order among two.

Astor Bake Shop is the place to go for your Thanksgiving Dinner! I can’t say enough about George. Everyone who has ever sampled anything from the Bake Shop knows the love that goes into it. George supports local farms and incorporates their sustainably grown foods into his menu! This season with 18+ hour work days, 7 days/​week, I didn’t plan on making a bird.
I turned to George last minute for a Thanksgiving Dinner for 3 that turned into very last minute for 5. Not only did he go out of his way to find a perfect free range organic bird but he whipped up some amazing dishes like truffle butter mash potatoes that are just stupid good, delicious Brussels sprouts and out of this world yams with Caramelized bacon and onions!
He topped it off with two pies and for the first time in many years I had a perfect Holiday Feast!
Every Year will be an Astor Year!

I would give it 5 stars for the food, but every time I go there the service is terrible. So terrible that the last time I went I didn’t even get silverware! It was not busy at all and I didn’t even get a napkin, let alone a refill of water.
The last time I went I had the egg sandwich with bacon, which was decent. I added plenty of ketchup to make up for the fact that its kind of dry. My friend ordered the egg sandwich as well with sausage, but when she got it there was no sausage on it. By the time she got her food back we were halfway done with our food. My other friend got the french toast, which looks & tastes amazing. Luckily my friends got coffee so they had spoons that we used to eat it. I’ve had a few other items on the menu and haven’t been disappointed yet. They have good coffee, teas, and baked goods. I would say try it for the food, but maybe take it togo.

If your a gay man, and you like to sit and wait for service this is the place for you.
But if you are expecting efficient table service this is not the place for you.
The service is horrendous and the employees have no clue about the menu.
There are better places then this place
Don’t waste your time.
If you are looking for gluten free this place
In not the one.
The service staff had no clue about gluten free at all.

I’ve only been here a few times, but I’m already in love with this café.
It’s a casual, cozy café with delicious eats and a great vibe.
The menu is somewhat limited– but there are a lot of tasty drink, dessert and brunch options.
My favorite sweet treats there are the passion fruit meringue and the mango cheesecake.
The burgers (creekstone beef) are juicy, big, and well-​seasoned; they are accompanied by fries which probably won’t knock your socks off but are good. I can’t recommend the eggs skillet though (which is apparently a popular item)– I thought it was too bland, and needing more cheese; I really liked the way they placed the whole crisp tortilla though.
My only gripe is sometimes the customer service can be spotty depending on who your waitstaff is– some seem maybe overworked or underwhelmed with their job– perhaps management should keep an eye on this.

I had been hearing about this damn frozen hot chocolate for MONTHS, so I finally made the long-​ass trek from the N train and tried it. Here’s what was presented upon ordering.
I mean, c’mon. You know that’s gonna taste fantastic. YOU KNOW THIS ALREADY. I’m really just here to bask in the fact that I’ve tried it and you haven’t.
Is it worth the walk from the train? In the summer, yes. In the winter? Hard call. I really need to try some of the other menu options to make an informed decision. But honestly, it bodes well to see this truck (below) making deliveries out front. (I would trust Pat LaFrieda with my life — no wait, that’s too dramatic a statement. I trust him with my meat. Yeah, my meat. ALL MY MEAT. Man’s a genius.)
Meat aside, I have to go back here. And I will report back.

I absolutely love this place, definitely my favorite bake shop in the neighborhood. The food is really good always fresh and tasty! And most of all the atmosphere is truly relaxing and cozy, it has this «je né sais quoi». Perfect for a tea/​coffee break or a late lunch. Highly recommend it!
P.S: the only down side is the wait but when the plates arrive I always feel the wait was worth it ;)

We went twice during a recent trip. Both times, the service was really courteous. The barista brought our drinks right to our table. Very kind! It was an airy and comfortable space. The place is very clean.
I really loved the carrot, ginger juice but it did not agree with me later on :(
I also loved their homemade gingerade.
My husband enjoyed the lattes.
We didn’t get any food, sadly.
It was a great little place to sit and kill time before we checked in/​out of our AirBNB.

Loooooover this place. I generally come in once a week. The food is always great and fresh, the sangria is DIVINE and sneaks up on you like a good drink should, and you can’t go wrong with one of their brownies or crème brûlée. The plantain sandwich, french onion soup and avocado salad are all must trys! The service is fun and prompt. The food is fresh and made to order so don’t expect to come and get fast food.
And if you are a proud strong coffee junkie, like myself, treat yourself to a cup of their organic and fresh brewed coffee.