Gowasabi Astoria

Not great, but not terrible.  Went on Mothers day, and my mom loved it,although she is easy to please when it comes to food...  Personally I'd say almost everything was a decent to not so good.

Our waitress had no idea what she was doing, and was not listening at all.  I had to repeat a few things, and she ended up standing over me looking over my shoulder while i pointed to the menu... Even then she got a few things wrong.. Really bad service.

The miso soup was bland and it tasted fishy.  Strange miso, not so good.  The Shumia was the same standard stuff you buy in the freezer section.  This was ok but not hot enough.  We had asked for all the sushi together, which being in a sushi restaurant i expected to be served in some kitch boat or something, instead they put 3 rolls on 1 huge plate, and 1 big roll on another large plate.... So we each had to reach over a plate to grab the rest of our meal, terrible presentation...

The rolls themselves were not put together well at all, maybe that is what they are going for? Or maybe the sushi chefs are amateurs..  The spicy salmon tasted alright, the best roll of the 4 we had, but they cut it into 8 thin slices instead of 6 and the salmon was falling out... the spicy tuna was good, same problem thu.   The smoked salmon roll was mostly cucumber, but what salmon was there was not fresh even for a smoked fish.  We ordered some big role with about an entire eel on it... Sounded good, but by the time it arrived the eel was nearly room temperature.  Still a good roll, but unless its cut in small pieces and served hot from a toaster I shouldn't order Eel.  We ordered 2 pieces of White Tuna sushi to finish off the meal.  Of course what we got was 4 pieces of sashimi... This i enjoyed a lot, but it was cut way to large.

We waited forever for the bill but when it finally came we were informed that they have a special where you save 5% if you pay cash, which is nice.  So i paid cash and it was surprisingly inexpensive, it came to about $40.  The food and service was pretty bad, but its inexpensive.. So maybe if you went for some avocado or shitake rolls it might be worth it?  Not recommended.

El Mariachi Restaurant

My favorite Mexican place in Astoria, I would give this a 3.5 were it possible, but I'm always so satisfied that I'll bump it up to a 4.  The food is very good, taste fresh, huge portions and its cheap!  I've ordered in from this place a few times, but have yet to eat in the restaurant so this review is mainly about the food.

I really enjoy the tacos.  Queso is excellent, its grilled white cheese, i usually get it with guacamole.  Its a nice size taco with tons of flavor for 2.50.  The carnitas is very good.  Its lean, cooked well and tasty.  The rice and beans are very good, standard.  I've had the green and red tamales, they are excellent and taste fresh, with lean chicken or pork inside.  The nachos are standard, very good, and the chips were not stale, which is the norm when I get mexican in Astoria.  What we usually order are the Tortas.  They are HUGE, excellent value for $6-$7.  I enjoy the Piernas Torta, the spicy pork leg is very good.  Excellent sandwiches, big enough to have 1/2 for lunch and 1/2 for dinner.  Their fried shrimp is a dish I like very much, they use large shrimp, fried well in I believe breadcrumbs until crispy. 

If you are thirsty they have an excellent Mexican hot chocolate!  Its warm and perfectly seasoned, really unique hit sweet drink.  They also carry large bottles of Jaritos, Tamarindo is my favorite.  They are very nice over the phone and the food arrives very fast.  Huge portions and cheap prices, highly recommended for delivery!