Cafe Astros

Was in the area, used the Unilocal map to find a place for lunch.
Up pops Astros. What a nice place.
First of all its in a corner group of shops with a old Service Station out front, the shops. the architecture all unmolested and unchanged since the early 60s.
A delight.
Sitting there you can easily imagine what how these shops would have been 50 years ago.
It has a small outside deck with umbrellas if you’re that way inclined.
We chose inside.
Very friendly man greeted us, sat at a window, very pleasant.
Had coffee to start… lattes in a glass… smooth and strong. perfect.
Chose to share ;
Salt & Pepper Kalamari (tender, perfectly cooked in the lighted crispest batter ever)
Plate of 4 dips with Pita (just the right amount of dips for 2 people with beautiful warm soft fresh pita)
Dolmades (8 on a plate… fresh, delicious topped with a tangy tomato sauce)
Interesting selection of wines… including 6 – 8 by the glass
Crème Katafi… lovely lovely lovely.
More coffee
I like this place a lot.
I wish more people did… you see we got there at 1pm on a Thursday… we were the only ones there aside from a couple of late customers at 2:30pm.
Lots of parking
Very welcoming
Very attentive without being suffocating
Fresh tasty Greek food
Great coffee
Go to Astros… soak up the history, eat food, drink wine be happy.

I visited here not really sure what to expect, upon entry you are still unsure of what you might find here but as soon as you look at the menu you can see this place serves some really authentic Greek food.
I actually opted for the chicken salad while others I was with went for more traditional meals as well as grilled fish, the chicken salad was absolutely massive, it was a large bowl of cherry tomatoes, avocado, chicken, cucumber and everything was drizzled in Dijonaise mustard, not too much though.
The meal although quite simple was very well thought out, nothing was too overpowering or overbalanced, the chicken was Yiros style chicken as well, so there weren’t large chunks but small pieces that you could easily eat along with other parts of the salad and dressing.
Coffee and cake here is also very good, I had my usual Soy Latte and it was very well made and the Galaktoboureko (thanks Wikipedia for the spelling) or as the waiters call it ‘GB’ was very well made and very tasty.
I’m relatively sure I will be back here in future visits to this side of town when looking for a bite to eat.

Visited here a little while ago while visiting some family in Adelaide. The food is amazing! The portions are huge and the owners are super friendly. It’s a great casual dining experience where the food could easily be served in a high end dining environment. Highly recommended.

HUGE portions! We had so much food on our plates and it was so great to see. The service was prompt and the staff more than happy to help out describing the size and the dishes.
We order dips and pita to start with a round of drinks, great flavours and perfectly warm fresh pita. I could have seriously stopped there.
Our group ordered open plate yiros’, a mixed grill and a veggie moussaka, no complaints were heard at the table.

This is not a restaurant you go to for atmosphere, or charm. You come because the food is big and honest and greek. The setting is suburban to the max and. as Roz said it’s very un-​glamorously attached to a servo.
In true Australian-​Greek style, all the mains are served with chips and Pita which are delicious, but they very obligingly leave either, or both off for me if I ask. I suffer from the eat-​everything-​on-​your-​plate disease so I sometimes do this to save myself from mostrous serves. This means I’m left to tackle the chicken breast as big as my head and generous salad, which to be honest is probably more than I can handle in itself!
They do a bunch of my Greek faves… whitebait, saganaki, meatballs, kalamari and a bunch of others as entrees or mezze. The mains boast every type of souvlaki or yiros, along with moussaka, mix grill, selection of fish, prawns, or even quail.

Picture neighborhood elders solving the world’s problems across a table of Greek coffee and sweets — arms being thrown up in the air with much flailing of the hands in animated exchange. Smile-​worthy stuff. It sets the scene for this modest eatery in the very un-​Greek suburb of Hawthorn, in the very un-​restaurant-​like location of being attached to a Caltex. «Oils ain’t oils» as they say, so if you want the good oil on this joint look toward it’s picture board — a wall of photos capturing characters who have wined and dined and wined here before. It gives further insight into the humble and fun nature of the place.
Smiling Chef Sam Antoniou is found in the kitchen with parents Toula and Peter. They all wield cheeky senses of humour, upping the enjoyment ante of your visit. Ultimately you’ve come for their food. The best way to tackle it in these family-​type digs is to hoard some friends around an Astros banquet. The «Apollo» includes chicken yiros and calamari; adventure into the «Poseidon» and tiropites (cheese triangles), lamb yiros and whitebait await; or brace yourself for the «Zeus» and be further fortified with Greek sausages and prawns.
There’s a takeaway menu, outdoor tables and car parks at that Caltex. Plonk wise it’s licensed but the corkage too is a little cheeky so perhaps play «when in Rome» or Greece as it were with the wine list and try some vino tipples from the homeland.