Roxana B.
Yelp
I went to this restaurant with a friend last night, and arrived around 9:40PM. There was no one else there except for another couple that had already been served, so we were seated very quickly. As we were seated, our waitress made sure to tell us last call was at 10:30PM. Wanting to be mindful, my friend and I quickly decided what we wanted to order, and had our food and two glasses of wine out by 10:05PM. When the food came out, we weren't quite ready for a refill of wine, so we didn't ask for one. However, we never had another opportunity to ask for one because our waitress did not come back to check on us. As she walked by once, I tried to get her attention, but she kept walking.
Around 10:20PM, a large group of 6-8 people walked in, were seated immediately (and next to us) and a bottle of wine immediately poured for them. Even throughout this, no one came to check on my friend and I to see 1) if the food was good and 2) if we needed anything. We kept waiting for someone to come to our table. By now it was 10:43PM. No one came. It got to the point where we couldn't even ask for a box or the check bc no one was even attending to us. I had to get up and look for the waitress, who by chance, was just coming to check on the large group sitting next to us. I immediately asked her for a to-go box and the check. She brought the box and not the check, so I asked again, at which point, a person whom I believe was the owner brought it out. He did not bother to ask how our meal was, etc. as owners usually do. He just gave us our check and came back immediately once we tendered a credit card (that they could do quickly!)
On our way out, the presumed owner was by the bar which we passed, with no one else there (again, the place the was empty) and didn't even say goodnight or take care.
I normally do not take the time to write bad reviews, even if my experience was less than desirable. Having worked in the restaurant industry before, I understand how hard it is to keep tabs of all your tables and keep your customers happy. However, that was not the case last night. There was no one else to tend to when we arrived except for one another couple who already had their food. It's not like the servers were busy and overwhelmed. And the preference for the large group that sat next to us was palpable.
I don't want to jump to conclusions as to why my friend and I received the treatment we did, but we will definitely not be returning here. As a neighborhood local, this is not a good look for Astoria.
