Astoria Pizza &Pasta in Lynnwood sits quietly just off Highway 99 at 168th Street, but the ample portions and full flavors make this Italian eatery anything but simple.
I ventured into the restaurant with a friend for dinner recently. Having never been there before, I was not sure what to expect, but I went with a large appetite.
We were greeted promptly and told we could seat ourselves. Our server, and also the owner of the restaurant, Alex, stopped by to take drink orders and asked if we had any questions. His suggestions were excellent, and he was very polite and attentive.
The menu includes mostly pizzas, although there are several other options. With almost 30 different pizza options, there’s something for everyone. Prices ranged from $9.35 for a small to $17.95 for the large house special. There were also plenty of specials of the day, including a combo with a seven-inch, two-topping pizza, dinner salad and soft drink for $6.95.
If pizza is not what you are in the mood for, Astoria’s also serves pasta dishes, hot submarine sandwiches on French bread and full-size salads. These dishes were priced between $5.75 and $10.95.
I felt like having pasta, although I could tell by the steady stream of take-out orders that the pizza was a hit. My friend decided to follow the lead of these regulars, so she opted to try the house special, which includes salami, pepperoni, Canadian-style bacon, sausage, mushrooms, green peppers, olives, cheese and tomato sauce. I ordered baked lasagna with sausage, which came with garlic bread and dinner salad.
Before long, my dinner salad arrived. I would have to rank this dinner salad as one of the heartiest I have tried. Lettuce, a sweet cherry pepper, tomato and lots of mozzarella cheese and olives filled me before my entree was done cooking.
As I ate the salad, I took a moment or two to take in the feel of the restaurant. It was decorated quite simply, with several framed pictures on the walls and trophies from local sports teams lining the entryway. Winding its way back and forth across the ceiling of the restaurant was several trailing plants. I’m not sure how they watered those plants, but they were green and thriving.
The family seated at the table across from ours seemed to be regulars as well. Alex recognized them as they walked in, and he knew what they wanted to order without asking. I took that as a sign that my entree would be excellent.
My dinner came out still bubbling and covered with cheese. The sausage was a link sausage with excellent flavor. My friend’s pizza also looked great. The toppings were spread liberally and she too filled up quickly. We both took home leftovers that were enjoyed days later.
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