The Astor Room, brought to you by Chris Vlacich of the renowned Piccola Venezia, is located at the corner of the Kaufman Astoria Movie Studio.
Descend the marble staircase to the mahogany bar in the original Paramount Studio dinner club where Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, and Rudolph Valentino once dined.
Enjoy Chef Richard Pims' contemporary interpretation of American classics and Jerry Madden's handcrafted artisanal cocktails.
"This restaurant was once the commissary for Paramount Studios back in the days before Hollywood. The original tile walls and other original decor make the place come alive. The beautiful bar serves guests with a wide variety of liquor. The food was perfectly prepared and delicious. They also have old movies playing, and wonderful live Jazz music playing on selected evenings
It is found in the basement of the building next to the "Museum of the moving image". Do make a day of it, see how movies were first made, them step across the street and let your imagination run wild at the stars that ate here.
Enjoy!"
Dined on 5/03/2013
Special Features: good for groups, vibrant bar scene, great for brunch, kid-friendly, romantic, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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"This was my second time visiting The Astor Room for brunch, and it was just as wonderful as the first time. Great servers, very friendly and helpful! Food was fantastic, and the ambiance is spot on."
Dined on 04/21/2013
2010
Special Features: great for brunch, neighborhood gem
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"Heard about the jazz brunch and thought I had to try it. The band was great, although their set contained many breaks. The food was great although they were out of the chocolate croissants (the waitress neglected to mention this until we already ordered them). But the service was awful, my displeasure much compound upon receiving the bill that INCLUDED a 20% tip. 18, I could understand, but if you're just gonna go for the 20, then how about not making your guests ask for water or coffee refills when you have 6 waiters standing around checking their Facebook? Really beautiful space though. I may go back one evening for cocktails. Hopefully they'll be better than the awfully weak complimentary "Mimosa" (read: orange juice.)"
Dined on 04/21/2013
2013
Special Features: great for brunch, neighborhood gem
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"This was our second trip here. While this is by no means a bad dining experience it's easy to see that this restaurant is trying to be something it's clearly not. They just don't have enough professionalism in their service and creativity in their dishes to be that higher end destination that their prices are calling for. Had the bill been $70 less, all would have been in line and acceptable. I do recommend dining here, but realize that you might be disappointed at the end when you get your check."
Dined on 04/17/2013
2003
Special Features: fit for foodies, romantic
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"The Astor room has a warm quiet atmosphere that seems to accentuate the sense of history of the location. The food was terrific and the service was friendly and efficient. This is a establishment I will definitely visit again."
Dined on 04/18/2013
2013
Special Features: neighborhood gem, romantic, special occasion, hot spot
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"We were attracted by the restaurant's position within the Astoria Studios and its history as the studio canteen. The room is handsome and evocative, with atmospheric photos on display and many original architectural details intact. Because of the Hollywood angle, our expectations for the food and wine were modest, but we were extremely positively surprised by the first-rate quality of the starters. The mussels dish was inventive and delicious, and a very generous serving to boot. The crab cake was outstanding, and up there with the best I've tasted. The main courses were less stellar, forcing our food rating down to simply good. An excellent beef tenderloin, perfectly cooked, was let down by a poorly executed crust in the Wellington dish."
Dined on 04/18/2013
2009
Special Features: neighborhood gem, notable wine list
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"Happy with the food; Good drinks; Excellent staff. Responsive and reliable reservations. Greeted upon arrival with a smile. Attentive to detail. 30 to 40 something crowd."
Dined on 04/12/2013
2012
Special Features: vibrant bar scene
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Review 11 for The Astor Room
Overall rating
(Very Good)4/5
The brunch here at Astor Room
OpenTable Diner Since
Dined on 04/14/2013
2006
Dined on 04/14/2013
2006
Food
(Very Good)4/5
Service
(Fair)2/5
Ambiance
(Very Good)4/5
Noise Level
Moderate
"The brunch here at Astor Room is great. Food is delicious, as are the mimosas, and reasonably priced. Our waiter was not on his game, nor was he friendly, but it was balanced out by the attentive manager who checked in on us several times. I'd definitely go back."
Dined on 04/14/2013
2006
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"Pros: - Lovely live music, albeit late to begin - Ambiance Cons: - brunch choco croissant, donut holes, and french toast in the Astor Disaster: tasted stale - mimosas: had no champagne in them!!!! :|"
Dined on 04/07/2013
2012
Special Features: great for brunch, neighborhood gem
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"I had my 30th birthday dinner here last week. Some of us arrived early and had cocktails at the bar. They do a nice happy hour from 5-7. The restaurant was flexible on seating time. I had a 6:30 reservation and they let us wait until a little later to sit down. We ended up having a party of 7 (6 original) but they were accomodating. Our server was friendly. Food was ok, but not quite as good as when we went for Astoria restaurant week. We ordered the truffle fries and the calamari apps for the table. I had the butternut squash ravioli which were good, but the portion size was small. 5 ravoili for $19.00. Thank goodness there was bread and we ordered apps because the cocktails were strong. The live jazz music was nice."
Dined on 04/05/2013
2011
Special Features: good for groups, neighborhood gem
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"Some friends and I had brunch here for my birthday and we all truly enjoyed ourselves. The 20's Jazz Band was a delight and the food was delish! We all plan to come back for dinner one night soon. They also have a nice size room to rent out for parties. I will be keeping that in mind for future gatherings."
Dined on 03/24/2013
2013
Special Features: good for groups, great for brunch, kid-friendly, neighborhood gem, great for lunch
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"Very good food - a little pricey (especially the cocktails) considering no salad or soup included. Service was good and we were not rushed out even though we had long finished eating."
Dined on 03/22/2013
2013
Special Features: neighborhood gem
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"Too stuffy... The food wasn't that good. I told them it was my friends bday and they said no problem we would let the waiter know an when the dessert came out they didn't bring a candle or anything when we informed the hostess she simply said well I told the waiter. As if that was suppose to make it better. She asked us if we wanted to coat check we said no bc it wa rather chilly and she said well we prefer it so the waiters can get by. Which wasn't even necessary bc the place was empty and there was enough room to get by. Overall it wasn't a good experience it took 20 min to get our wine when there was approximately 5 tables in the whole place. I would definetly not go back"
Dined on 03/23/2013
2008
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"This room has a lot of potential, and we really enjoyed the cocktails we had. We felt that the food was overpriced and disappointing, and the lights were too high for the "supper room feel" to work. We loved the music when we came in, it was a soft jazz trio, but the 9pm act didn't feel like he fit the room- he did covers of pop songs."
Dined on 03/15/2013
2011
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"The Astor Room is almost there...but it's the last few details were it falls sort. The service was very good and it was clear that they cared about our experience. Unfortunately our food was just OK. I had the Salmon which was salty, my date had the scallops which were also a little salty. The Iceberg Wedge was unremarkable, particularly because the lettuce itself was "flat".
The owners should consider a new chef...sorry but it's that simple. The location and feel of the restaurant itself have everything going for it but I expected an element of "coziness" which just wasn't there."
Dined on 03/15/2013
2009
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"This was our first time at this restaurant. My wife ordered the Beef Wellington. It was awful. Either it wasn't filet mignon, or it came from a goat. It was tough and stringy. I have never tasted filet that bad before. The manager gave us a free desert for it. I don't think that was enough. The meal should have been removed from the check as it was inedible. Never again."
Dined on 03/15/2013
2005
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"What a wonderful place for memories. And the music on Friday night was first rate as well. Food is good, and fairly priced. Worth visiting even if just to sit at the bar and soak in the atmosphere."
Dined on 03/08/2013
2006
Special Features: neighborhood gem
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"Great find; we did not know that they had music Friday and Saturday nights it was a pleasant surprise and made a good meal more enjoyable. The prices are quite reasonable and the food is good."
Dined on 03/09/2013
2007
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"We initially visited the Astor Room years ago when it was first written up in Boro Magazine, and fell in love with their old-world ambiance and their delicious cocktails. We've been back several time since whenever friends visited from out of town, and the food, drinks, live music, and service has always been spectacular. We have since moved out of Queens, but we still return to dine at the Astor Room. Love them!!"
Dined on 02/24/2013
2010
Special Features: good for groups, neighborhood gem, romantic, special occasion
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"We went to the Astor Room on the promise of a jazz brunch and good food. But the sound levels in the place were horrible. We could barely hear the jazz band because the band was located well away from the tables. The walls in the room are covered with old tiles--pretty, but they really hurt the accoustics at the tables. We could barely hear what the person across the table was saying. The food was moderate, but not great. We'll look elsewhere for our next jazz brunch."
Dined on 02/17/2013
2010
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"We were one of two couples in the restaurant. The decor was nice. Very old time 1920's, but not over done. The drink menu was also from the same era serving old time traditional drinks that you would find in a bar back then. You can still get your standard drinks of today, but if you visit you should order yourself a Fernandez or two for that authentic feeling. The steak tar tar was a bit on the sour side with the capers and sauce they used. A bit over the top on flavor, but still good. Raw bar selection was nice for a restaurant in LIC the only problem is that the wait staff did not know which oysters were which. Nevertheless, they were pretty goooood. Not day boat fresh, but very good. The scallops with sausage risotto excellent."
Dined on 02/20/2013
2003
Special Features: fit for foodies, romantic, special occasion
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"I like the Astor room on normal occasion but TERRIBLE for holidays, like Valentines day. We waited for our 930p reservation for an hour and decided if we wanted to eat by midnight we were just going to order our food at the bar. It took us forever to get even one of the 2 bartenders attention and then another 30 mins to actually get our food. All the while listening to everyone else in the restaurant complain about poor service and bad food. On holidays such as Valentines day, they need to take fewer reservations and have more staff on hand, and at least 3 bartenders to tend different areas of the bar... was not pleased with our Valentines day experience which was such a shame because they had a harpist playing beautiful music!"
Dined on 02/14/2013
2013
Special Features: neighborhood gem, romantic
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"I normally love the Astor Room, but on Valentine's Day this year they seemed a bit overwhelmed. After finishing our entrees, my wife and I had to wait 25 minutes before our server came to confirm we wanted our dessert, after which we had to wait another 15 minutes because they hadn't even begun baking my cake. Our table was an island, and all the waiters skirted around us, conspicuously avoiding eye contact so that we couldn't even get refills of water, although it was very hot in the room. After finishing dessert, we thought we had made the signal to get the check from our server, but she then brought checks to the four tables around us, but not us. We had to wait another 10 minutes before she could then get time to print out our check."
Dined on 02/14/2013
2010
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem
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"The food was OK, but way too salty, especially the flatbread. We dined on Valentine's Day, and when I made the reservation, there was no indication of a pre fixe menu. However, when we arrived that night, the "Valentine's Day" menu was the only one available. That was disappointing, since we had already seen some interesting dishes we wanted to try on the regular menu."
Dined on 02/14/2013
2006
Special Features: vibrant bar scene, romantic
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"My husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary in the Astor Room and said so when making a reservation (via opentable.com). The staff had obviously noted this fact because we were served two flutes of champagne on the house upon seating. What a great gesture! The food was also fantastic - definitely recommended!"
Dined on 01/31/2013
2011
Special Features: neighborhood gem, romantic, special occasion
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"We visited the Astor Room for the first time for brunch, on Sunday, with our family and loved it! Our daughter had been there for drinks before and enjoyed it. It was fantastic! The rooms and bar are decorated just right for the period of history from which the Astor Room came. The staff is really friendly and attentive. The band was superb! They even dressed in period clothing - what a great touch! We had the prixe-fix brunch, and all the food was fabulous and plentiful. No one had room for dessert which was a shame because the selections looked great. We received more that our money's worth for Brunch and will be back again!"
Dined on 01/27/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, great for brunch, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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"We enjoyed this place very much. We came for the jazz brunch. Unfortunately, our arrival at 12:30 coincided with the band's break, which seemed to last a very long time, but the food was yummy, the price very reasonable, and it"s a fun place. I expect to go back again."
Dined on 01/27/2013
2009
Special Features: great for brunch, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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