Tru Astoria

Food was ordinary, nothing to write home about.

Two stars seems a bit unfair, but three was «A-​ok» by Unilocal standards and that is simply not the case.
We have gone to Tru for late drinks, dinner, brunch and afternoon Sunday lunch.
The food is mediocre at best. The salads are plain, the calamari is chewy, and the zucchini chips are soggy. (all things I want to order at a Greek inspired restaurant)
The drinks are pretty good. (Not great but not bad)
The servers are hit and miss. Unfortunately this review is prompted after THE WORST SERVICE EVER. On Memorial Day last week when Two Lizards was closed and MP has their own issues right now… we said we would give TRU another chance. There were probably 15 tables and what looked like at least two servers plus a hostess as well as some other staff. We were seated, and waited what seems like hours, but was probably about 7 minutes (hours for an empty place) to place an order. We were ready we had our drinks, and our food already picked out since we had tons of time with the menu and were fairly frequent customers.
One request was immediate-​we were warm and thirsty and wanted water… that took ages to come. Then the first drink came and we waited and waited for the second drink which was simply an Irish coffee (cold), we finally had to ask is the second drink coming… after we asked we were brought a drink that had obviously been waiting it had sweat on the outside of the glass and the ice was melting.
The food was not great… leave it at that but we were hungry and were willing to try a second menu item, however the server never returned. We then asked the hostess for the check and made our departure.
TRU needs some new management, its a great place, fun atmosphere and a great addition to Ditmars but it needs some help.

Nice selection, lamb, beef, sea food, fish, chicken! I ordered baby lamb chop with 2 side, it is so good. Perfectly done and staffs are nice.
Beautiful patio nice décor and very comfortable seating. Nice selection of wine except the one I like is only by bottle.
We will Go back when we are around the area.
Good job Tru

A little late but here goes. Had dinner Friday night with the wife had some really good food and even better service our waiter Robert was very nice as well as the manager which im sorry to say but i didn’t get her name. Such a great dining experience doesn’t come very often they made us feel TRU ly at home. lol
I had the mixed grill my wife had the bronzino both dishes were fantastic but the highlight of the meal was the desert called A Crepolina i think. French Toast with ice cream wrapped in a crep and topped off with chocolate and caramel drizzle all i can say is OMG ! Can’t wait to come back again.

Their brunch deal and food is great! I came all the way from new jersey tonight for dinner with my husband because I thought it would be worth the drive. It was hot they had all the windows open and AC was on but not doing anything. Drinks were watered down my husband beer was so hot not even drinkable. Food was dry but they’re crab cakes were okay. Wont ever come back for dinner maybe for brunch who knows.
Reply to Michael M
I did tell the managers she thought a watered down shot would make everything better. Also forgot to add in the only reason I came here was because on Facebook you guys promoted 5 $ drinks and when I got there I was told I have to sit at the bar, thanks for trying.

The food is great, the drinks are AWESOME and the staff were friendly and attentive, the energy and vibe was very chilled… Great place to go to for drinks with the girls

Went there on Sunday May 30. Waited more than 5 minutes for waitress to come over. Gave her our drink and food order. She brought out my wife’s drink first which took between 5 – 10 minutes. My coffee based drink came out about 15 minutes later with the fried zucchini which was moist but yet pieces were somehow stuck together in bunches of 3 and 4. We wanted to order more, but our waitress never came back around so we just asked the hostess for the check.
Was there for an hour, nice view, but this place can be so much more.
Also, from past experience, do not order any of the salads, they’re very bland, we’ve tried 2 of them.
Management really needs to step up.

Its been a year already and im still in love with this place! I am always coming here on weekends for brunch, its an amazing restaurant. My favorite plates are «The morning after» with sausage and «The brunch burger». Definitely don’t miss it ! Great environment, customer service and drinks are awesome!

Went to Tru on a Saturday night w/​a gf of mine. Was a beautiful summer breezy night to set outside. To start off the hostess wasn’t professional. I had to approach her several times re: our seats. Finally we were seated. Granted that there was a very loud table by us, the food topped it all off. I ordered their famous burger and it came w/​fries. Being that I’m a big foodie — I’ve tried good burgers. This place, by far, had a great burger! It was slightly big and I had to cut into it, it was well worth it. Also the frappé — delicious!

Great service– food was mediocre, typical menu. No takeaways

Went here on a Sunday afternoon for brunch. The food was awesome and the drinks were just as good — I highly recommend the bellinis. The menu says the bottomless brunch is supposed to last for 2 hours, but I think we were there for almost 4. Our waiter just kept refilling our drinks, so we were not going to ask questions. We made a reservation for 12:30 at a table outside, and when we got there we saw people leaving because of how long the wait was. So I would probably recommend making a reservation on a Sunday.
Our waiter was great, he stayed on top of our drinks and refilled them when they were less than halfway gone. My boyfriend and I just moved to the area and he was also telling us all of the cool bars and restaurants to try out, super nice guy. I would definitely go back.

Came here for brunch, got the chicken and waffles. Waffles are fluffy and sweet, loved it. Chicken came on the bone, didn’t like so much. Friend got the nutella french toast, she loved it. Drinks kept coming, snaps to our waitress. Service was great! Food is good. Décor is cute also.

This place is perfect for pretty much anything. You want to grab a couple of drinks? The bar is huge! You want to have a hearty dinner? They have delicious meals and most are pretty healthy. Want dessert? Their crepes are great! You want to have your baby shower, graduation celebration, birthday dinner, etc. at a sit down place? Give them a call! They’re more than accommodating!
You can dress up or down for this place.
The staff has always been super pleasant every time that I’ve gone. A manager will usually walk up to you at some point and ask how everything is.
They have awesome deals too:
*Mon-​Fri from 4−7pm they have drinks from $ 5 – 6!
*Brunch on Sat and Sun where you have $ 15 bottomless drinks for two hours!
Highly recommend Tru!

Sunny Saturday brunch. Crabs Egg Benedicts were a solid 5 but Nutella French toast were not up to the level. Service needs to improve. we chose to be seated outside along with some other guests. And for the first 10 – 15 it felt like they forgot about their customers. The cool breeze on a sunny march Saturday made that easier to deal with though.

Brunch on a sunny day in New York!
THE AMBIANCE:
Tru Astoria is a medium-​sized café/​eatery. It was a sunny day so we sat outside in their patio.
THE FOOD:
To start we tried their Fried Calamari with marinara sauce. Because were Mexican of course we ordered lemons. The calamari was good. For my lunch entrée I tried a wrap that had spinach and eggs in it. It came with a side of grilled potatoes and two (2) sauces: ketchup and a semi-​spicy chipotle aioli. I didn’t like the wrap. It barely had any flavor. I really liked the aioli and because of it I ate almost all of the potatoes. I definitely recommend it. I can’t find the wrap I had on their menu anymore.
THE TIPS:
Three (3) stars for my experience but I would come back again and order something else. Tru Astoria has three (3) menus:
1. Breakfast/​Lunch Menu —
Morning HH 9am-​11am Monday-​Friday: all coffee and tea beverages $ 2.00 + all breakfast items $ 6.00
Bottomless Brunch Weekends 9am-​4pm Saturday-​Sunday: Unlimited brunch cocktails for two (2) hours, $ 15.00
2. Brunch Menu — 9am-​4pm Saturday-​Sunday: Unlimited brunch cocktails for two (2) hours, $ 15.00
3. Dinner Menu — 5pm until Late (close? no idea)

I’ve been back a couple of time for brunch and it has not disappointed.
The drinks are good, the atmosphere is solid, and the food is delicious. The bottomless brunch for $ 15 is reasonable (any more than that and I’d have some hesitations). The egg dishes are all solid as well.
Oh, get a frappé on a summer morning/​afternoon.

Trendy spot with great atmosphere! Came here for the third time on Friday night and it was packed! Lucked out with a high top by the window (quite chilly!). We ordered the spinach dip to start, which was delicious! Somewhat of a small portion (good for two people), but definitely recommend it as a starter.
The service was a bit off. Could have been due to how busy it was, but our waitress was occasionally MIA and had to ask others to put another drink in for us. They are all very friendly, but a bit slow. And served us bread after our appetizer came out? I think someone was a little confused haha.
Anyway, got the chicken kebab entrée, which was good. The chicken was delicious and it comes with pita and two sides (I got fries and asparagus). Fries were OK, asparagus was good. I’m bummed they used to have penne vodka on the menu, but must have removed it recently. Hopefully they’ll bring it back because it was delish!
All in all good spot on ditmars. Definitely works for a night out for drinks as well.

Is Ditmars Boulevard trendier than Williamsburg or the West Village? I truthfully don’t know, having not spent enough time in any of those three locations. But does the setting at Tru seem more trendy and contemporary relative to other restaurants in the area, or to restaurants anywhere else? I would certainly say so, and I am sure you would tru dat!
The menu is unusually diverse for a restaurant that is positioned as serving Mediterranean fare. Pasta, pizza, burgers – it almost seems like Tru was designed for group dining, and didn’t want to risk making anyone feel left out. But in life as in restaurants, diversification comes at a price. The food is not «spiky good». Sure the falafel platter is filling, and the servings of the sides are generous, but at Manhattan price points I expect better. Service is friendly, with the manager doing the rounds, although seemingly her desire to get your feedback exceeds her reticence to interrupting your conversation at the table.
Tru seems to be a good meeting place, and offers a casual and relaxed alternative to some of the authentic yet inelegantly appointed alternatives in Astoria, not that I am an expert on Astoria. I might just be back here another time.

GREEK FRAPPE.
That is the only reason I have ever been here. It is usually where I go after a long — drawn out dinner at Taverna Kyclades down the street.
Have you had a Frappé? It’s a Greek foam-​covered ice coffee… My BFF introduced me to this years ago… He even went so far to buy me a frappé maker once (I never used it) due to his passion and intense interest in making sure all of his friends drank frappes.
Anyways. You can order your frappé with medium or normal sugar, which I really appreciate, since I don’t love sweet drinks.
They are great, but HUGE. Two can share one… think of it as a Greek espresso milkshake ;-)

I officially proclaim loyalty to this place.
Brought a friend here for dinner last night (Wednesday) which marks my third visit at TRU. We got there probably a little after 6:30pm with plenty of seating, mainly because most people seemed to have opted for outdoor.
Their impeccable and friendly service is worth reiterating. It’s not your bare-​minimum courtesy required of waitstaff in general — they really go the extra mile for you. Our server, Vicky (sp) was super smiley in addition to being attentive and helpful. Provided us with extra napkins w/​o us asking or even throwing furtive glances as hints. Periodically checked up on us without coming off as excessive. Busboy refilled our water when it was half– or 2/​3-​empty. The AC was on when we first arrived but was turned off by the time I returned after running back home to grab a jacket; whether it was due to customer complaint or simply b/​c they noticed people (i.e. me) shivering, they were willing to accommodate.
Basically, they try their best to make sure your dining experience is as positive and enjoyable as it can be, and I think that trumps the quality of the food itself. This is why I give it 5 stars when judging by the food alone I would’ve taken one star away just because I’m nit-​picky about food in general.
Speaking of food, I got the Falafel Platter (with fries and sauteed spinach as choice of sides) and friend got the House Burger. The platter came out to be huge — I ended up taking half of it home. The falafels were good but I actually liked my friend’s burger better; it was juicy and huge but not untamable. Totally worth the buck and more.
One thing I’d pick about the food is the fries, which are soft and a teeny bit soggy. If you’re into limp fries, you’ll probably love them. I’m more a firm-​and-​slightly-​crispy-​fries kinda gal.
Drinks: I got the Sensual. Again. I’m totally in love with this drink. Friend got an iced latte which was incredibly strong if w/​o sugar. She ended up asking for sugar to neutralize the bitterness.
My favorite bartend (or the only bartend I’ve ever befriended without trying — considering my misanthropic tendencies, this is shocking) Hilda was working, and she actually asked our server to tell me «Hilda says hi». I was so pleasantly surprised because I didn’t expect her to remember me from almost a month ago. Chatted with her for a bit before we left and it honestly made my day.
((will update again after I try their brunch))