Gastroteca
“But, finding Locale has been a truly REFRESHING experience for me and my partner.”
“The space is spacious with high brick walls, two levels, outdoor seating, a comfortable bar, and subtitled movies playing.”
“Anyway, much better meal this time (the shrimp/sausage/polenta dish is amazing) and delicious spicy drink, Freddy Krueger, which is a jalapeño Bloody Mary.”
Gastroteca
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Dogs Allowed: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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We stumbled on Gastroteca on a whim due to other Yelp reviews! And we don't regret it. The exterior of the restaurant needs a sign for newcomers though.
Upon arriving, we were seated at a table for two right away. The waiter came by asking for water preferences and drinks. We had tap water with a glass of orange juice. The juice was so fresh.
Our entrees consisted of steaks and eggs and the crispy gnocchi. The steak was medium and the eggs were well done sprinkled with Italian seasoning Which was an interesting mix up! The fries were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, absolutely perfect. As for the spinach salad it was dressed lightly. No complaints.
The crispy gnocchi was not as crispy as I wished. They were a little soft and mushy. The gnocchi was dressed in a pesto cheese sauce that was great and topped with more cheese. Who doesn't love cheese? But delicious nonetheless. If the portion was smaller it would serve as a great appetizer.
Overall, I would recommend this restaurant to my friends and I will definitely be back to try the grits and carbonara.
What I liked about this place was that it was cute. But other than that I would not go back. I went here after work one day with my two coworkers to get an early dinner & drinks. We were the only ones inside at about 3:30 in the afternoon. Upon entering I smelled mop cleaner throughout the place. That bothered me.
We were told we could sit anywhere. I liked the set up of the place. It's very comfortable and quaint.
I didn't care for the menu at all. It is very sparse. They have two sandwiches and one burger choice. A few brunch items and several pasta dishes that they claim all pasta is in house made.
No bread basket brought out, no sangria on their menu.
I ordered a chicken club sandwich. The bread was too hard. They had melted cheese on top of the top bread then places a wet pickle spear on top which wet the bread. There was supposed to be a garlic aioli on the sandwich but there was barely any. The avocado was turning brown. And there was maybe one or two very thin slices of chicken breast on the bottom. The prosciutto that it was supposed to have on it didn't taste good at all. It came with fries. Those were crispy and seasoned well. But not worth $12 at all.
The waiter took out order and never came back. We had to all the host for more napkins.
I'm so bad. I've only been to brunch in Astoria a few times. Slowly making my way around the area and that's when I stumbled upon Gastroteca. Seeing very positive reviews for both brunch and dinner, I figured I'd check it out!
What first caught my eye were the prices – super reasonable. They have a decent amount of options for brunch (no boozy specials, sorry) so it was definitely hard to pick. Luckily I went with Winnie and she graciously agreed to splitting entrees. We ordered their usual on the menu item, the Shrimp Scampi and Grits. It had sausage, tomato, pepper over polenta and a fried egg. The sauce was a tad bit tangy and went perfectly with the smooth creamy polenta base. I really enjoyed the dish, it was rich but not too filling. Also, the shrimp were cooked well.
We also ordered the special: the Chicken and Waffles – they were crusted with a cornmeal coating and topped with a maple honey butter. DAMN, this was good. The chicken was crispy yet tender and the maple butter was an especially nice touch. I would definitely order this again. It was a nice portion too.
Aside the food, I really enjoyed the atmosphere as well. Although Gastroteca emits more of a gothic vibe with the black and red decorations – the place is airy, spacious and I love those big bright floor-to-ceiling windows. Can't wait to come back for dinner time. Looking forward to it.
Came here for brunch and had their belgian waffles and smoked atlantic salmon crostino. Both were decent dishes but nothing on these dishes made this place stand out. The waffle itself was kind of dry but all the toppings on it and syrup was much needed to help offset it. All the ingredients used were standard. It really felt like something I could have made at home if I had the ingredients. My same thoughts are echoed to the salmon dish.
Service was excellent. The place feels very spacious because of ceiling to floor windows.
I'm sure the food is consistent but it's not a place that I will remember when looking for a brunch place given the many choices in the neighborhood.
My friend and I came here on a rainy week day for brunch. From the street, I think I walked past this place like 4x before I realized the restaurant on the corner with the red awning was Gastroteca..LOL I didn't see a sign or anything that said Gastroteca on it..OR perhaps I need to open my eyes more.. O_O
Interior decor was simple and clean. I really liked the open layout and that the tables weren't so close together. For food, we ordered the California Benedict, Scampi & Grits, and we had the 3 for $10 Crostinos (Fig Jam, Ricotta, Prosciutto/Sicilian Pineapple, Mascarpone, Chili Flakes/Tallegio, Pistachio, Blackberry Jam), and I also ordered a side dish of cheddar polenta. My friend also ordered a Bold Fashioned from the cocktail menu.
Food came out fairly quickly. First came out the apps, which were the crostinos. My favorite was the Sicilian Pineapple w/ Mascarpone & Chili flakes. Each bite was very flavorful and tasty. I didn't really care for the Tallegio, Pistachio & Blackberry jam though. I didn't think that flavor combination worked well. My California Benedict was delicious! 2 perfectly cooked eggs and coupled with the avocado and basil really worked! My friend's Scampi & Grits tasted good too. I didn't really care for the cheddar polenta. I thought the polenta was a bit clumpy and could have use just a little more cooking. Portions are good, and quality is definitely there. My friend did complain about her Bold Fashioned though. She felt that the crushed blackberries on the bottom of the glass made drinking out of a straw rather difficult. Otherwise, it tasted pretty good.
Service was on point. Server was very knowledgeable about the menu and their food. Very patient as well. I can see Gastroteca being one of my go-to brunch spots! 😀
First time here with my friend Andrea G. and this is her pick as she loves California Benedict in general. Wooooo hoooo win win she found a parking spot right out front and we sat at a cute table because we didn't have a reservation. The decor is very cute like the white brick wall and a Lady and the Tramp drawing by the full stocked bar.
Andrea G. got a Decaf Coffee with her California Benedict and I glanced quickly at the menu but my eyes were fixated on the Scampi & Grits. When our food finally came out of the kitchen, my friend checked on her poached eggs just to make sure that the yoke oozes out but it didn't so we waved at a bunch of people cornering by the bathroom to sent it back. Seriously how do you mess up on poached eggs but the second time was perfection as the delicious yoke flows out onto the plate…that's what I am talking about.
OMG my dish was superbly del-ic-iousssssss you know. I couldn't tell the difference from grits and polenta unless its the same thing but mmmmmmmm love the shrimps and sausage combination and there was definitely some heat from the peppers and tomato sauce! I literally wanted to lick my plate as it was just heavenly amazing yummers =)
Definitely a great spot for Sunday Brunch!
Walked past it and decided to check it out for Saturday brunch. Went in without a reservation and got seated right away. The service was excellent, our server was very friendly and attentive. The selection was pretty good, we went with the eggs benedict and the potatoes. The eggs were cooked properly, I just wish the hollandaise sauce was a bit more flavorful as I thought it was a little on the bland side. Overall the atmosphere there was great and I liked that they had a variety of drink options.
One of the few brunch spots that I actually really enjoyed coming to. Gastroteca was one of the places I considered throwing my friend's Bridal Shower. It wasn't our final choice, but I was glad i was able to try out their brunch menu yesterday. All I have to say was…WOW…that Chicken and Waffle was amazing and it was definitely the best I've ever had! The waffle was fluffy, their maple syrup and butter was addictive, and the chicken was perfectly crispy. The scampi & grits was an interesting combo too. It had a mixture of shrimps, sausage, tomato, peppers, over a bed of polenta and a fried egg. The simplicity of the polenta really brought out the flavor of the meat sauce. Service was amazing and rumor has it that their coffee is amazing. Also, love the spacing and the serenity of the place.