15 showing · 197 on the list
Angel Indian Restaurant
Punjabi cooking that outgrew its tiny original room — now in a larger space on 37th Ave with the same menu and a full bar. All halal, no steam-table shortcuts.
Order: Goat curry bone-in with garlic naan; the daal makhani is the sleeper.
verified open Aug 2026 at NEW 37th Ave location (Yelp Aug 2026; original 37th Rd spot closed); closed Mondays
75-18 37th Ave (at 75th St), Jackson Heights · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Arepa Lady
Maria Piedad Cano went from legendary Roosevelt Ave street vendor to sit-down spot; her sons run it now, griddling the same butter-slicked arepas.
Order: Arepa de choclo — sweet corn cake folded over salty melting cheese. Add chorizo.
verified open Aug 2026 at 37th Ave location (Yelp Jul 2026, Toast ordering live; old Roosevelt Ave building demolished)
77-17 37th Ave (at 77th St), Jackson Heights · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Casa Enrique
Chiapas-rooted cooking in a low-key LIC room that earned a Michelin star — the rare special-occasion Mexican meal that's still Queens-casual at heart.
Order: Mole de Piaxtla with chicken and the lamb barbacoa tacos; cocktails are serious too.
verified open Aug 2026 (official site, OpenTable, Yelp Jul 2026); book ahead for weekends
5-48 49th Ave (near Vernon Blvd), Long Island City · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Eim Khao Mun Kai
Does one dish — Thai-style Hainanese chicken rice — and does it so well it's expanding to Manhattan. Poached chicken, fatty rice, ginger-chili-soybean sauce.
Order: Khao mun kai, mixed cut (poached + fried chicken on one plate), extra sauce.
verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp Jul 2026, official site); daily 10:30am-8pm w/ mid-afternoon break
81-32 Broadway (at 81st St), Elmhurst · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Ihawan
Family-run Woodside Filipino BBQ going 20+ years in the heart of Little Manila. Charcoal-grilled skewers and Kapampangan classics without ceremony.
Order: BBQ pork skewers with garlic rice, plus the crispy pata if you brought backup.
verified open Aug 2026 (official site + Yelp Jul 2026); closed Wednesdays
40-06 70th St (off Roosevelt Ave), Woodside · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Khao Kang
Elmhurst steam-table Thai — point at two or three curries over rice for under $17 and eat like you're in a Bangkok rice-and-curry shop. Zero-decor, all flavor.
Order: Two-entree rice plate; grab the southern-style curry and whatever stewed pork is in the trays that day.
verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp Jul 2026, Hell Gate coverage); daily 11am-7pm, trays run out early evening
76-20 Woodside Ave (near 77th St), Elmhurst · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Mombar
Chef Moustafa's art-filled Egyptian dining room on the Steinway strip — a slow-food, one-man labor of love, not a shawarma counter. Dinner only.
Order: The namesake mombar (rice-stuffed sausage) and whatever lamb tagine he's making; trust the chef's suggestions.
verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp Jul 2026); dinner only Tue-Sun 5-9pm, closed Mondays, unhurried pace
25-22 Steinway St (between 25th & 28th Aves), Astoria · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings
Flushing's soup dumpling institution since 2006, now in a bigger room at One Fulton Square. Still the benchmark XLB in the borough, open early to past midnight.
Order: Classic pork xiao long bao plus the pork-and-crab; the new spicy mala beef XLB if you want heat. Get scallion pancake on the side.
verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp Jul 2026 + official site); open daily 8am-midnight
39-16 Prince St #104 (at 39th Ave), Flushing · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Nepali Bhanchha Ghar
Jackson Heights Nepali kitchen that made the NYT 100 Best Restaurants list in 2026 — a decade in and the momo game is still the borough's best.
Order: Jhol momo (dumplings swimming in warm sesame-tomato broth) and the goat sukuti; thali if you're hungry.
verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp Jun 2026, NYT 100 Best 2026 listing)
74-15 Roosevelt Ave (at 74th St), Jackson Heights · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
New Park Pizza
Howard Beach brick-oven slice joint, same family since 1956 — charred, floppy, old-Queens perfection worth the trip down Cross Bay Blvd.
Order: Regular slice, ask for it 'well done.' Eat at the counter like everyone else.
verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp Aug 2026 + official site); daily 11am-midnight
156-71 Cross Bay Blvd (at 157th Ave), Howard Beach · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
SriPraPhai
The restaurant that taught NYC what real Thai food tastes like, still packed after three decades in Woodside. Staff will actually calibrate spice honestly.
Order: Crispy watercress salad and the drunken noodles with pork; sticky rice with mango when it's in season.
verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp Jul 2026, OpenTable); closed Wednesdays
64-13 39th Ave (at 64th St), Woodside · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Szechuan Mountain House
Rustic-styled Sichuan that draws lines in Flushing for a reason — precise heat, not just numbing shock. The original of a mini-empire and still the best branch.
Order: Hanging pork belly with garlic chili sauce (the signature clothesline presentation) and dry pot with tender beef.
verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp Jul 2026, Resy active); open daily 11am-11:30pm
39-16 Prince St G03 (One Fulton Square), Flushing · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Taverna Kyclades
The Ditmars Greek seafood taverna every Astoria argument ends at — grilled whole fish, lemon potatoes, and a line out the door because they take no reservations.
Order: Grilled octopus to start, whole grilled porgy or the swordfish kebab; free galaktoboureko comes with the check.
verified open Aug 2026 (official site + Yelp Jul 2026); no reservations, expect a wait at dinner
36-01 Ditmars Blvd (at 36th St), Astoria · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Utopia Bagels
Whitestone's hand-rolled, kettle-boiled standard-bearer since 1980, baked in a 1947 carousel oven — good enough that Manhattan keeps importing branches.
Order: Everything bagel with scallion cream cheese, or the bacon-egg-and-cheese on a plain; go before the weekend line peaks.
verified open Aug 2026 (official site + Yelp Jun 2026); Mon-Sat 5am-5pm, Sun 5am-4pm
19-09 Utopia Pkwy (at 19th Ave), Whitestone · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
White Bear
A closet-sized Flushing counter that does one thing at world-class level: wontons in chili oil. A dozen for about ten bucks, eaten at one of a handful of stools.
Order: The #6 — 12 pork-and-vegetable wontons in chili oil with pickled greens. Don't overthink the rest of the menu.
verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp Aug 2026); daily 10am-7pm, cash strongly preferred
135-02 Roosevelt Ave (at Prince St), Flushing · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07