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| - This is the third Astoria I've been to and I remember way back when there was only one. The original Astoria on the Danforth near Chester Ave was the one and only and the original used to be a hard place to get into because it was always so busy.
Just as how Astoria has expanded out to Mississauga on Dundas east (the location I've been to the most) as well as Newmarket, this Vaughan location that has been around for a while has a sign as if they just opened. As it was my first time actually entering the doors of this place it wasn't the first time I've had food from here as my in laws have had take out/catering before from this Astoria location.
This "new" Astoria location located across the street from Vaughan Mills on the north side of Rutherford is a busy place. The mall is busy, the restaurant is busy, the street is busy and the entire area is a buzz. This location seems to be well loved and while the name is familiar for those that know the old Danforth this new place doesn't necessarily have the same charm as it's just too "new".
Now that I've been to 3 of the 4 existing locations, this being the third of three I can say that things have certainly changed when comparing Astoria to Astoria that is this is a location apples to apples comparison. To me the original will always be the original. Although I'm not in that area as often as I used to be (the Danforth), my wife is in the area daily. She tells me how the place is much emptier than it used to be. The Mississauga location my wife had gone there late last year and was not as impressed as previous visits as she told me the servings seemed smaller and smaller with each visit.
Now while I haven't gone to Astoria in a while I will take her word for it that being that she'd always get a large souvlaki order eat what she could and bring home the rest. The bringing home of the leftovers has shrunk because overall the plates have become smaller as do the portion sizes.
While nothing can compare with the serving sizes of say 15 years ago at the original Danforth location the serving sizes for somebody like me who has been going to Astoria for decades would know and these days the prices are understandingly higher but the servings have definitely become smaller.
It's all the little things and they all add up. The large lamb souvlaki "cubes" in which the order had 6 cubes, to me were noticeably smaller. The rice and fries or potatoes are no longer plated on the opposite sides of the meat which is in the middle of the plate but rather on the same side essentially each taking less than a quarter of the plate. Instead the tzatziki and ketchup are plated to opposite to the rice/potatoes/fries side.
This plating technique is significant because it now allows for LESS food to be plated on seemingly smaller oval plates that previous which in turns makes for less overall food and portion sizes. Now while there is no real comparison to a place like Zet's who's serving sizes are arguably the thing of legends, Astoria used to be "less skimpy". My wife spoke of it and now I witnessed it.
Bread which used to be served with the meal is now a la carte unless you order a dip like hummus in which they really don't give you that much. The side salads that come with souvlaki meals seem to be more of the same and by more I mean less. Less than previous in that there's a single olive on it and for me what equated to maybe a quarter wedge (3 thin slices) of tomato. The feta cheese which makes their salad so good didn't have a consistent serving on top of the 3 salads I saw (my mother in laws, my wife's, and mine).
I don't know if Astoria has just slowly adapted to serving the public less and less over time or am I the only one that noticed it? I mean back in the day the original Astoria's portions were borderline ridiculous. Ordering chicken would get you 2 full sized center breasts.
While the food is decent at Astoria it certainly for somebody with a memory like mine when it comes to food can basically quantify how it has changed from bread that you have to pay for to portion sizes that are noticeably less generous to salads basically almost all lettuce to less potatoes and rice that used to fill a full sized platter, Astoria is not what it used to be and this new location sadly has made it more than clear.
The service makes up for what to me is a place past its prime even though it's just so packed at this location but if it weren't for a family function I'd not want to necessarily come back for what seems is a place which is a shell of its former self when compared to the original location which to me is the standard by which to measure this establishment as a whole.
Sadly, this is not your father's Astoria on the Danforth.
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