Long before I actually moved to Astoria, the northwestern Queens neighborhood always held a certain fascination for me. A trip to Astoria’s famed Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden early in my New York City tenure helped me understand that the city was much, much more than just the concrete wonderland that is Manhattan. Here was a sprawling outdoor space, complete with picnic tables and trees that made my homesick, Midwestern heart turn cartwheels. And just half a block from the subway! I thought: “This is New York?”
But that’s the thing — Astoria is New York, and it is nothing if not a microcosm of the energy, diversity, and culture that draws people to the city in the first place. Here are some of the most beloved neighborhood destinations for dining and drinking in Astoria, which will doubtless have you daydreaming about moving here, too, or at least taking a trip across the river.
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For a feel-good dinner out…
Frequently ranked among Astoria’s best restaurants, off-the-beaten-path Vesta offers unique, Italian preparations with a greenmarket-forward ethos in an intimate, contemporary wine bar setting. Feel good about your commitment to sustainability by ordering from their wine on tap menu, whose mostly Italian liquids come straight from the barrel. Feel even better about diving into the brief but appealing menu: burrata is served with romesco and sorrel pesto, which is a welcome departure from the standard balsamic vinegar treatment, as is the Project Potato pizza, layered with savory béchamel, thinly sliced potatoes, leeks, and parmesan. If you still need another reason to visit, there’s literally a “come to Jesus” cake available for dessert. OK, it’s technically a “Baby Jesus” cake — torta del piccolo bambino Gesu Cristo — a traditional date cake sauced with toffee that’s as much a reason to come to Astoria as anything.
For a New York “happy meal”…
In a nouveau wave of French fever sweeping the city, Astoria lays claim to one of the most perfect, unassuming French bistros the city has to offer. Welcome to your ideal afternoon at Mar’s: cozied up to the wood and marble bar with a friend, or a book, for happy hour oysters, or an oyster mignonette martini, with the promise of a steak tartare to follow, so loaded with anchovies you could reasonably convince yourself you opted for a Caesar salad. Go ahead and choose the four-ounce steak tartare over the two-ounce portion and spare yourself the future regret. And don’t forget the sage fries.
The food menu and wine list are both short, but expert, with a hint of iconoclasm: The wine selections skew esoteric and only occasionally French — sauvignon blanc and grenache are available, but so are Sicilian catarratto and Greek moscofilero. Note that the slatted, wooden blinds adorning the windows provide a hint of anonymity to the proceedings; New York can bustle by all it wants, and too few will notice the civilized calm that awaits inside.
See also: So long as you’re making an afternoon of it, dabble in Astoria’s rich film and television history at the nearby Museum of the Moving Image, with special attention to the ongoing Jim Henson exhibition. (Astoria is the longtime home of Sesame Street, too.)
For making you feel like you’re in Mexico City…
A relative newcomer in the Astoria restaurant landscape, Mayahuel won the local favor quickly with its ambitious agave menu featuring more than 100 different tequilas and mezcals, available in either one- or two-ounce pours, and a wine list that is almost entirely Mexican. (If you’re not yet hip to the dynamic wine region that is Mexico’s Baja California, you soon will be.) Located on a mostly residential avenue, Mayahuel’s dark and intimate atmosphere feels like a little, elegant Mexico City escapism in the middle of Queens. The dinner menu is refreshingly brief, with starters and entrées that shake up any preconceived notions of typical Mexican cuisine. Think tlayuda, an open-faced, crispy tortilla adorned with mushrooms and squash blossoms; and grilled octopus served with a peanut-forward mole encacahuatado.
Pro tip: The generous happy hour, available at the bar from 4 to 7 p.m. daily, offers terrific deals on guacamole, nachos, queso fundido, and, of course, cervezas and margaritas.
For a taste of Little Egypt…
For several blocks of Steinway Street, Astoria becomes what is mostly known as Little Egypt, though the influence is more broadly North African. Tucked between the hookah bars and sundry retailers where one might acquire a tagine for home use, Dar Yemma is where your tagine needs are fulfilled. The space may be spartan in nature, but the atmosphere is decidedly not; the deeply aromatic stews, revealed by each lifting of a tagine lid, perfume the air to a degree of headiness that’s worth the price of admission alone. You can’t go wrong with any of the varied tagines, but promise you’ll give due consideration to the chicken with olives and preserved lemons, and the lamb shank with prunes and crispy almonds. Save room for the qalb el louz, or “heart of almond,” an orange blossom and honey-soaked semolina cake.
Call (347) 608-8253 to make a reservation.
For a taste of the neighborhood’s history…
While some of Astoria’s most famous Greek restaurants are walk-in only, you can actually reserve yourself a table at Telly’s, which has been serving the Astoria community for more than 30 years, offering classic Greek fare — nary a rogue shred of romaine is to be found in the Greek salad — in a welcoming space with vaguely nautical, Mykonos-inspired décor. Bring a crowd for the family-style portions of fresh, whole fish, or a grilled meat sampler, or go fearlessly solo and make a meal out of herbaceous zucchini fritters or a quartet of garlicky dips. If you really want to lean into the neighborhood vibe, wash it all down with a glass (or more) of retsina: a distinctive, Greek white aromatized with pine sap.
For dining with a crew…
Paella Thursdays are especially delicious over at Sala, when you can get a crackling platter of aromatic rice — generously studded with seafood — for only $15 per person. Sala is one of a series of multinational restaurants that opened in Astoria’s World Artisan Market (also including Urban Vegan Roots, highlighted below), a new development from late 2021 that brought a much-needed dose of culinary character to the neighborhood’s southern boundary. The all-Spanish wine list is a nice touch, each bottle perfectly poised to accompany a flight of classic tapas: an Instagram worthy tortilla española for starters, empanadas de queso, and absolutely melt-in-your-mouth croquetas. (Please canonize whomever first surmised they could deep-fry béchamel.) Sala also features live flamenco every Tuesday evening. But whether you stop by Sala on a Tuesday, a Thursday, or any day of the week, you’re sure to leave satisfied.
For some exceptional omakase…
Across from a sprawling supermarket and next to a delightfully divey beer bar, there’s precious little to suggest you might find one of the city’s finest omakase restaurants tucked into a pocket space on Astoria’s mostly residential 31st Avenue. In defiance of those odds, however, Koyo is exactly that, serving up a seasonally focused, multi-course kaiseki menu from chef-owner Jay Zheng for $155, with a flight of otsumami or “snacks,” followed by nigiri, temaki, and dessert. Classic and premium sake pairings are also available to enhance the bespoke experience. Taking a cue from some of New York’s top gastronomical temples, the railroad space is spare, with not so much as a single painting on the wall to distract from the art of the food itself. A small handful of tables are available, but you want to opt for the front-row seat that a spot at the counter provides.
For all your comfort food needs…
“This is the best vegan food I’ve ever had in New York” is an auspicious thing to overhear when entering Urban Vegan Roots for the first time. Stay long enough on the sidewalk, and you’re bound to hear it, but you’ll want to get yourself seated and on to the eats ASAP. It’s got a decadent comfort food menu, including all-day brunch options, that’s entirely plant based. We’re especially partial to the mac and cheese, chick-un and waffles, and zucchini scallopini. They’ve also got a packed calendar of events — DJ nights, live music, poetry slams, comedy, lectures, visiting chef dinners, and even yoga. Be sure to give more than just a passing glance to the beverage menu, which features inventive cocktail and mocktail preparations featuring housemade mushroom coffee as well as sea moss, alongside more familiar beverage flavors such as elderberry and hibiscus.
For lifting your spirits…
Consider Barranco an antidote to seasonal affective disorder, because their Peruvian ceviches and pisco sours lift spirits with their bright, buzzy acidity, and they get an assist from the 180 degrees of retractable windows the corner location provides. You might just feel like you got meaningful doses of both vitamins C and D. But don’t just stop at the cocktails and raw bar — at least not every visit. Peru has a sizable Chinese immigrant population, and Barranco’s chaufa — a fusion of fried rice with South American spices — works the comfort angle just as well. When the windows are flung open on weekend nights during the warmer months, live bands hosted at Barranco bring a Lima-like character to all of Ditmars Avenue.
Call (718) 685-2600 to make a reservation.
See also: If by some strange miracle you have room for sweets after your Peruvian feast, head up a few blocks to Martha’s Country Bakery, arguably one of Astoria’s most beloved dessert cafés.
For a neighborhood hang…
From its opening, The Bonnie pulled off a New York miracle: creating a lived-in, local bar feel in just a short handful of years. “Gastropub” can sometimes seem like a catchall term for cocktail bars that serve food, but The Bonnie fully embodies both elements effortlessly, and with aplomb. Case in point? Its destination-worthy dirty pickle martini, and the vegan “pastrami” reuben, which vegans and non-vegans alike will go out of their way for. The cozy wooden booths and nooks, well-appointed with the requisite textiles, make you feel like you’re wandering through a Victorian watering hole in London, open up at the back into a dynamic patio space that could easily double as a lovely private event space, too.
See also: The Bonnie’s sister bar, Sweet Afton, is a separate but equal alternative if you find yourself haunting Astoria’s 30th Avenue corridor.
For a low-key, but always flavorful, dinner…
Neighboring Jackson Heights is well known for its Indian cuisine, so naturally, some of that magic spills over into lucky Astoria. Having moved from a side street to its new location on 30th Avenue, Seva is as packed as ever, and deservedly so: Every dish positively hums with freshness and flavor, and the blistered naan is as good as any we’ve had the world over. Our coordinates are frequently fixed on saag paneer, but Seva’s $25, three-course menu is a great, value-driven way to find some new favorites. Don’t sleep on the lamb spring rolls and fennel chicken curry.
Call (718) 626-4440 to make a reservation.
For a steamy bowl of pho…
Founded by a Vietnamese refugee who began his restaurant career as a dishwasher in Chinatown, eventually working his way up to restaurant owner, District Saigon has food you can feel good about for more than just its dynamic flavors. Named for the chef’s birthplace, and featuring recipes straight from his mother’s little red notebook, the menu at District Saigon keeps it simple but sensational with about 15 selections from the classic Vietnamese canon: street snacks, pho, bún, and bánh mì. Lemongrass adds a particular brightness to both chicken and tofu options in the noodle and sandwich departments, but if you’re in a deeper mood, go all-in with the wood and herbed-smoked brisket pho. The cocktail menu reimagines tropical drinks to brilliant effect: A boozy matcha latte pairs Vietnamese gin with white cacao liqueur, matcha, and oat milk for a bright green cocktail that is more than just a sales gimmick.
Call (718) 956-0007 to make a reservation for parties of five or more. Walk-ins otherwise.
See also: On your way back to the train, check out the sign at Omonia, one of Astoria’s first Euro-style eateries, who provided the big fat wedding cake for “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”
For when seafood is in order…
Proof that there’s just about nothing you can’t get in Astoria, a local outpost of theBoil brings Cajun seafood alongside Astoria’s plentiful Greek and Italian seafood options. This is no white tablecloth operation, to be clear: spicy and aromatic shellfish, along with its requisite accompaniments such as corn, potatoes, and Cajun sausage may be spilled directly onto your tabletop, or served inside plastic bags for maximum flavor preservation. For your seafood boil of choice, pick your spice level from four tiers, and your butter preference such as garlic, Old Bay, lemon pepper, or a combination of all three. You can also find one of Astoria’s best beer menus at theBoil, with over a dozen on tap, favoring craft expressions, many of which also have a Louisiana pedigree.
See also: We’d also be remiss not to mention two iconic seafood restaurants that call Astoria home — Hamido Seafood and Astoria Seafood. Both double as seafood markets, and they encourage dine-in customers to pick out their catch from a huge display, first, and then place their orders at the counter. Astoria Seafood sticks to simple, classic New England-style preparations, while Hamido uses family recipes from Alexandria, Egypt.
For some Sunday sauce any day of the week…
Astoria is better known for its robust Greek community, but the neighborhood was equally established by Italian immigrants, and has the quintessential red-sauce joints to back it up. Sac’s Place, a fixture of the Astoria community since 1989, is one such spot. Sac’s recently relocated from its neighborhood Broadway spot to a corner on 35th Avenue across from legendary Kaufman Astoria Studios. Its new, iconic location — complete with stamped tin ceilings and checkered tile floor — perfectly befits Sac’s iconic, classic dishes such as clams oreganata, eggplant rollatini, and veal parmigiana. Note the on-brand “family special,” which offers family-style portions of a pasta with sauce, a second course such as eggplant parmigiana or meatballs, and four pieces of focaccia for only $59. A cheery “pizza garden” also pops up seasonally on the sidewalk for cocktails, personal pies, and slices.
See also: While you’re on 35th Avenue, check out Snowdownia, New York’s only Welsh-inspired pub where the sausage is made of cheese.
For weekend brunch…
Ovelia has been in the contemporary Greek game for over a decade, offering up inspired dishes such as zucchini curly fries and bone marrow with rosemary and thyme along with more traditional fare. It’s especially lively on the weekends, when you can enjoy a classic brunch canon given the Greek treatment: poached eggs served over spinach pie for a reimagined eggs Florentine, fried chicken and loukoumades — honey-saturated Greek donuts ably standing in for waffles — and baklava pancakes. Fresh herbs, honey, and almond syrup feature heavily in Ovelia’s cocktail menu, an original and well-executed nod to the Greek spirit of the neighborhood.
For the people-watching…
Dining at The Grand isn’t necessarily about the food or service, though both have plenty of cause to recommend them. It’s about the scene. Another particular quirk of Astoria, not replicated anywhere else in New York, is the preponderance of sprawling Euro-cafés that serve as all things to all people in the neighborhood, the Grand being the grandest among them: a daytime coffee shop for retirees to sit and argue with each other for hours over frappés, a serviceable lunch café with a multi-page menu for those in need of a quick bite, a buzzy brunch spot for the weekend warriors, a date-night dinner destination, and an after-hours club complete with DJ. It doesn’t make sense that one space could chameleon its way through so many iterations in a single day, but don’t overthink it. Just settle in with a frappé and one of maybe a dozen salads, or a sandwich special like the Grand Chick a Boom, and welcome to Astoria.
