This new Astoria charmer serves antipasti, housemade pasta, and desserts: The porcini ravioli is a saucy umami bomb of butter, truffles, and Parmesan. The warm artichoke appetizer delivers nuttiness from chopped pistachios and Parmesan shavings. And mascarpone cream drips onto the tiramisu.

Walk past the host stand, into a cavernous room, and find yourself with a menu that stands out from many other Thai restaurants in the city. Here the som tum comprises a tangle of deep-fried slivers of papaya and carrot served. A baked parcel of rice mixed with sweet pork sausage, scallop, and shrimp has the herbal flavor of the lotus leaf its wrapped in. Crunchy banana blossoms get fried with red curry and served with a chile dipping sauce. 

While Levant offers standard platters of charred meats on the spit, it has really embellished its feteer menu with 19 versions of the stuffed Egyptian pie. The feteer here reflects a mix of traditional and creative recipes including beef shawarma, chicken ranch, and Nutella. And they all get baked inside a brick oven to produce a thin, flaky crust with a cheesy, veggie-heavy filling. It’s the size of a pizza, so share with friends or save for later. Or opt for the spicy hawawshi pie, which is smaller with four pieces and a thicker crust filled with beef sausage links and chile peppers. It looks dry, but it’s soft and moist inside. Don’t miss the Levant hummus speckled with toasted sesame seeds.

The Sichuan scene is still buzzing in downtown Flushing’s Chinatown. Charming Sichuan is an all-white, no-frills spot with expertly executed, boldly-flavored Sichuan dishes from chef Dehua Yu, who cooked for 30 years in the Sichuan province. The mouthwatering chicken lives up to its name: a spicy, tangy, and savory affair with peanuts and refreshing pops of cilantro; the cucumber salad features wide strips in a light and tangy broth; and, the rabbit, cooked in a wok with spicy red peppers, baby bamboo, and numbing green Sichuan peppercorns presents a blast of flavor sure to wake you up. It’s all in the details, like the complimentary appetizers of cabbage in chile oil and braised fava beans.

Guksu Jip is a cozy nook in Murray Hill specializing in house-made naengmyeon of the Korean-Chinese sort that’s rare in New York. This one features traditional buckwheat noodles that are long, thin, dark brown, and wonderfully chewy, with toppings that stand out like a refreshing slice of watermelon and a couple of quail eggs. Hot dishes like dumplings and soondooboo round out the menu. This spot is quick and convenient with self-serve water and banchan — kimchi, mung bean jelly, peanuts — at the back.

Go to Kafra’s for the pastries — and stay for the entrees. At this charming, sea blue-themed Colombian bakery in Jackson Heights, the daily lunch specials are generously portioned with rice, sweet plantains, soup, and salad included as complimentary sides. The centerpiece ranges from sancocho de res (a savory, beef stew) on Wednesday to grilled chicken accompanied by a warming pumpkin cream and apple soup on Friday. Colombian dinners and breakfasts — like the huevos en cacerola (baked eggs) with arepa and a choice of chorizo or morcilla — fill up the all-day menu. It satisfies sweet cravings, too, with pastries like the pastel de arequipe (caramel) and queso.

This handsome new restaurant offers Nepalese food from the central Katmandu Valley, featuring food of a people known as the Newar, which includes set meals featuring pulverized rice called samay baji, as well as dishes showing Indian, Tibetan, and Chinese influences. There’s also a separate section featuring street snacks from Lakeside, Nepal, which run to fried chicken and toasted soybeans. Full bar.

News of Takesushi’s closing went viral last fall, but it has reopened inside Bon Cafe et Restaurant just around the corner from its previous location. “So many people call me and asked me to open,” says owner Robin Kawada, who’s been distributing fresh seafood from Japan since 1975, and making twice monthly visits to Japan to source his sushi in Sunnyside. He says he’s training every morning to get back to that travel frequency once he throws his grand opening party in September. In the meantime, expect local seafood as well as special deliveries from any of his friends who visit Japan. Kawada still has a guy at Japan’s Toyosu Market who packages up his unique merch. The lunch sets are delightful and can include soft shell crab and chuturo, a buttery, fatty tuna.

The California-based chain has opened its first New York outpost out in Bellerose with an infusion of Indian spiced pizzas — the latest in a string of openings that includes Omar’s in Brooklyn and the Onion Tree in the East Village. At Tandoori Pizza, there are eighteen versions: mix-and-match base sauces like spicy curry, makhni, malai, and creamy garlic with toppings like lamb kabab, curry chicken, and paneer in small, medium, and large sizes. The achari gobi comprises thin slices of cauliflower on top of mozzarella, red onions, diced tomatoes, and creamy garlic sauce. The curry chicken pizza is much higher on the spiciness scale.

Maspeth is now home to a laid-back spot with Asian-inspired sharing plates from partners and fine-dining chefs, Shane Kim and Mimi Chen. The ma la spice-dusted tots here are served with labneh and chive dip, and the golden crab bao is made with fluffy lotus leaf buns stuffed with snow crab and crème fraiche, and topped with yuzu tobiko. Leave room for desserts like milk tea pudding with honeycomb.