Aphrodite Restaurant

Astoria is known for its Greek restaurants. They’re sort of the equivalent of Chinese food in Chinatown. But with a different restaurant on almost every corner, you’ve got to try a bunch before you can decide which is your neighborhood favorite. And after doing a little tasting around the area we have found one that we think is good enough to mention.

Aphrodite Restaurant, formerly know as Ditmars Gyro Place, is located on Ditmars Boulevard and 33rd Street in Astoria, Queens. The place itself is nothing fancy, just basic and small, but the food is pretty good. It is owned by a nice Greek family, and we usually see many of the same family members there whenever we stop by for a bite.

The last time we went I ordered the chicken souvlaki platter, and Alex ordered a mix of chicken souvlaki and beef gyro. Both of the dishes come with a small Greek salad, rice (or french fries) and some pita. The tzatziki sauce that accompanies the pita is very good. It's creamy and salty and much less chunky than some other tzatziki sauces I’ve tried.



The chicken souvlaki is very good. It has a nice, light, charred flavor to it, and is soft and juicy. The gyro meat, on the other hand, has great flavor, but is a bit drier than I would like it to be. The rice is good but nothing special, as is the Greek salad.



For desert we took home this amazing pastry. We have no idea what it is called but it is truly out of this world. It consists of a bottom layer of shredded wheat drenched in honey, topped with some sort of double cream custard and nuts. It is super rich and creamy, but somehow doesn’t feel too heavy.



We still plan to keep checking out some of the other Greek spots in the neighborhood, but right now Aphrodite is our go-to spot for some quick, cheap food.

Aphrodite Restaurant
33-01 Ditmars Boulvevard
Astoria NY 11105

Price: $23.90 (before tax and tip) - naturally we didn’t save the receipt and we only have a takeout menu for the restaurant before the name (and price) change. So my best guess is that the chicken souvlaki platter costs $9.95, the mixed gyro/souvlaki platter $10.95, and the desert about $3.00.

Food: 7

Frugal Factor: 8 – though the food itself is pretty good, the fact that you can have a full, satisfying dinner for just 10 dollars really makes this place a great value.