Astor House

Absolutely terrible.
My girlfriend and I came here for brunch and when we first walked in we were thrown off by the atmosphere. We didnt really understand how the place worked so we stood there awkwardly for a moment before the cashier girl handed us a menu and told us to take a seat. We ended up ordering the Portuguese donuts, quinoa porridge, the biscuits & grillades and I got a Bloody Mary. The bloody mary was okay but sadly it was the beat part of the whole experience. first they said the biscuits weren't going to be ready for ten minutes because they were still baking. Then ten minutes later they came and told us the same thing. So we again sat patiently. About another five minutes past before they brought us the donuts and porridge. The porridge was filled with strawberries, which my girlfriend is severely allergic to, which wouldn't have been a problem but the menu said it was supposed to come with raspberries. They were nice and took the porridge back but when the re-made porridge made it to our table it was very undercooked and swimming with milk. You can tell they just wanted to hurry it up and didnt actually cook it all the way because it was crunchy and runny at the same time. At that point we were just irritated by the whole situation so we paid and left before receiving the rest of our food that would be out who knows when. Overall it was just an awful experience and the cashier lady seemed very uncaring about her job which made things worse. The second time she came to tell us our biscuits were going to be ten more minutes she told us to just be patient and wait for them to be done but in a very rude way. At least that's how I took it. I don't plan on ever coming back even though I live just down the street from this place.

So those of you who know me, know I go for "quirky".  Quirky movies, quirky books, quirky hair...and this place fits right into that mode.  It's nestled on 12th St just south of Thomas in the Coronado Neighborhood District and actually drove by it twice before stopping.  But I'm SO glad to have found it.  The cutest, ecclectic place, cute patio (but its 112 today so I looked through the window) and a great healthy ecclectic menu.  We went for lunch.  My friends each had a sandwich that was flavorful and different and I opted for the Mexican Gyro.  Tender, melt in your mouth green chili pork on a pita (a tad hard to eat).  They have a wonderful drink menu and found out that my favorite, hard to find beer (Dixie New Orleans beer) is sold from  5 -6 PM for $3!  Scrumptious desserts, too.  I will definitely have to to go back and also try their sister dinner restaurant next door, The Tuck Shop.  Again, this isn't your normal lunch, brunch place.  You have to go up and order and they bring it to your table (which I'm not always a fan of) but I'll give them the beneift here...its worth it.

Unpretentious, clean, and yummy. Haven't been in for dinner, but have been in for a late brunch. Had a special -- believe it was almond butter, berry jam, and banana on a whole grain wheat bread -- which was delicious and refreshing. The jam was sweet, but didn't overpower the other attributes of the sandwich.

The decor is simple, and the tables are small to accommodate the size of the restaurant. The employees are pleasant and eager to please, even though service is simply counter service. Prices are also affordable and seem to range from reasonable to downright cheap given the quality of food and the ambiance.