A Food & Drink Tour Of Astoria, Queens
14 photos
<p>Ahh, Astoria. The land of backyards and "that beergarden" Manhattanites sojourn to a few times a year. <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com">Serious Eats's</a> founding editor <a href="http://www.adamkuban.com/">Adam Kuban</a> calls Astoria home and graciously gave us a local's look at the neighborhood's many, tasty gems.<br/><br/><i>Words and tasty slice photo by Adam Kuban, all other photos by <a href="http://www.samhorine.com">Sam Horine.</a></i><br/><br/>Previously: Food and Drink tours of <a href="http://gothamist.com/2012/01/31/a_food_wine_tour_of_south_park_slop.php">South Slope</a> and <a href="http://gothamist.com/2011/12/07/bed-stuy_food_tour.php">Bed-Stuy</a></p>
<u><strong>BZ Grill</strong></u><br/><br/>BZ Grill was opened in 2002 by Serafim Ferdeklis, who "noticed that was no such a place serving gyros the traditional way, as in Greece." Forget gyros made from those weird loaves of mystery meat. BZ Grill marinates cuts of meat overnight, then impales them on the spit, stacking them up into an impressive carnal caveman's club. The pork gyro will ruin all other gyros you've ever put into your mouth.<br/><br/>Pro tip: Get the pork gyro, but try to go off peak hours. The meat's exterior will be more crisp, since it'll have had more time to sit in the rotisserie without them slicing off strips for other people. <form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703467" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="bz-grill-samhorine-2.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/bz-grill-samhorine-2.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703468" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="bz-grill-samhorine-3.jpg" class="image-none" height="449" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/bz-grill-samhorine-3.jpg" width="640"/> </form><br/>27th Avenue, St George's Episcopal Church of Astoria<br/>Astoria, NY 11102<br/> (718) 932-7858<br/>
<u><strong>Ornella Trattoria Italiana</strong></u><br/><br/>Relatively new to the neighborhood having opened in late 2009, Ornella Trattoria Italiana quickly earned high marks with locals and more adventurous eaters. It's owned by Giuseppe and Ornella Viterale. Giuseppe's in there almost all the time greeting customers. He treats it like a home. There are the usual Italian favorites on there, cooked right: linguine with clams, spaghetti with tomato sauce.<br/><br/> But it's the specials and more unusual items that draw the raves: imbustata, a baked-pasta "envelope" filled with veal, chicken, and mushrooms; the chestnut-flour pasta. Viterale always seems to be experimenting with things you won't readily find elsewhere. Weeknights are often themed. Pork night, for instance, features sangiunaccio (pork blood pudding) as dessert. And this is the place that was sharing casu marzu (the Sicilian maggot cheese) with extreme eaters recently (though it wasn't on the menu or being sold to the general public).<br/><br/>Pro tip: Try the sangiunaccio (pork blood pudding). It's not on the menu, but is usually served on Pork Night. There are only a few places in the city you can get it, and most of those are outer-borough Italian bakeries that only make it just before Easter.<br/><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703538" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="ornella-samhorine-2.jpg" class="image-none" height="439" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/ornella-samhorine-2.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703540" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="ornella-samhorine-3.jpg" class="image-none" height="451" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/ornella-samhorine-3.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703541" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="ornella-samhorine-4.jpg" class="image-none" height="442" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/ornella-samhorine-4.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703542" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="ornella-samhorine-5.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/ornella-samhorine-5.jpg" width="640"/> </form><br/>29-17 23rd Avenue, Astoria, NY 11105<br/>(718) 777-9477 /â ornellatrattoria.com<br/> Open for brunch<br/>
<u><strong>The Sparrow Tavern</strong></u><br/><br/> Hipsters do exist in Astoria, and The Sparrow's where you'd find them. It's probably the most "Brooklyn" of bars in the neighborhood. Opened about 6 years ago after short-lived indie-rock bar Tupelo closed, it has the same owner. Nice retro vibe, Good beers, solid menu. Gussied-up pub food (mac and cheese, crab cakes, pot pies) but also with a nod to the neighborhood's Greek roots (lamb ribs with tzatziki sauce, lamb sausage tacos). It's claim to fame is that it was featured on Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives."<br/>Pro Tip: The kitchen is open late (till midnight most nights) so dine late to avoid the rush. Get the pork tacos. [<em>Ed: You won't think you're in Texas, but these are pretty damn good, and go surprisingly well with an Anchor Steam.</em>]<form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703528" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="the-sparrow-samhorine-3.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/the-sparrow-samhorine-3.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703529" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="the-sparrow-samhorine-5.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/the-sparrow-samhorine-5.jpg" width="640"/> </form><br/>24-01 29th Street, Astoria, NY 11102<br/>(718) 606-2260<br/> â
<u><strong>Titan Foods</strong></u><br/><br/>If you're a fan of Greek cuisine or Mediterranean cooking in general, Titan Foods has you covered. It's a Greek supermarket, with butcher, olive bar, cheeses, etc. It's enough of a draw that tour buses bring Greek shoppers in from the area.<br/><br/>Pro Tip: The olive bar is overwhelming. In the best of ways.<br/><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703502" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="titan-foods-samhorine-2.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/titan-foods-samhorine-2.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703503" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="titan-foods-samhorine-4.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/titan-foods-samhorine-4.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703504" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="titan-foods-samhorine-5.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/titan-foods-samhorine-5.jpg" width="640"/> </form><br/>2556 31st St, Astoria, NY 11102<br/>(718) 626-7771<br/> â
<u><strong>Sweet Afton</strong></u><br/><br/> From the same people behind Wilfie & Nell, Bua, and The Wren, Sweet Afton is a pub serving pub fare but a couple of notches above. And they use local purveyors when possible (La Frieda, McClure's Pickles, Murray's Cheese). Plus fancy-pants cocktails. Maybe not super-duper fancy, but beyond what you'd get at other bars in the area. This place (along with Queens Kickshaw and The Sparrow) might as well be Brooklyn.<br/><br/>Pro Tip: One of the best burgers in Astoria, in spite of the too-big bun. The flavorful, charred-yet-juicy patties save it. A lot of people like the fried pickles, but I think they're too doughy. More like dumplings.<br/><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703520" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="sweet-afton-samhorine-1.jpg" class="image-none" height="421" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/sweet-afton-samhorine-1.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703521" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="sweet-afton-samhorine-4.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/sweet-afton-samhorine-4.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703522" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="sweet-afton-samhorine-5.jpg" class="image-none" height="458" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/sweet-afton-samhorine-5.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703523" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="sweet-afton-samhorine-6.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/sweet-afton-samhorine-6.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703524" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="sweet-afton-samhorine-7.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/sweet-afton-samhorine-7.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703525" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="sweet-afton-samhorine-8.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/sweet-afton-samhorine-8.jpg" width="640"/> </form><br/>30-09 34th Street, Astoria, NY 11103<br/> (718) 777-2570 â/ sweetaftonbar.com<br/>
<u><strong>Rosario's Italian Deli</strong></u><br/><br/> Rosario's make a great plain slice, and it's sort of a well-known neighborhood secret, but an outsider wouldn't necessarily peg it for one of the best slices in Astoria (or even in the borough). Also, it's a great Italian market and also makes one of my favorite Italian combo sandwiches.<br/><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703559" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="roasarios-adamkuban-1.jpg" class="image-none" height="425" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/roasarios-adamkuban-1.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703560" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="roasrios-samhorine-2.jpg" class="image-none" height="473" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/roasrios-samhorine-2.jpg" width="640"/> </form><br/>22-55 31st Street<br/>
<u><strong>King of Falafel and Shawarma</strong></u><br/><br/>2010 Vendy Award winner Fares "Freddy" Zeideia works the King Of Falafel & Shawarma cart on Broadway. He's a neighborhood fixture, and thank God for that. His falafel is great, forsaking the usual ball shape for a more cylindrical configuration, to get more exterior crispness.<br/><br/>Pro Tip: The chicken-and-rice plate is one of the best in the city.<form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703442" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="falafel-king-samhorine-1.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/falafel-king-samhorine-1.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703443" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="falafel-king-samhorine-2.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/falafel-king-samhorine-2.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703445" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="freddy-falafel-adamkuban-2.jpg" class="image-none" height="442" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/freddy-falafel-adamkuban-2.jpg" width="640"/> </form><br/>29-10 Broadway, Astoria, NY 11106 / (718) 838-8029<br/> â Opens at 11:00 am
<u><strong>Il Bambino</strong></u><br/><br/>Il Bambino, a paninoteca, is an Astoria favorite. Sort of like our own 'ino. It's always crowded, always a wait. Run by Darren Lawless, formerly of Oceana and Lavagna in the East Village.<br/> Pro Tip: For brunch, go for the Weekend Debris panino: Italian sausage, scrambled egg, piquillo peppers, and pecorino Romano.<br/><br/> <form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703418" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="il-bambino-samhorine-2.jpg" class="image-none" height="433" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/il-bambino-samhorine-2.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703419" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="il-bambino-samhorine-3.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/il-bambino-samhorine-3.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703420" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="il-bambino-samhorine-4.jpg" class="image-none" height="443" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/il-bambino-samhorine-4.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703421" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="il-bambino-samhorine-5.jpg" class="image-none" height="439" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/il-bambino-samhorine-5.jpg" width="640"/> </form><br/>34-08 31st Avenue, Astoria, Queens, NY 11106<br/> (718) 626-0087 /â ilbambinonyc.com<br/> Opens at 10am<br/>
<u><strong>Butcher Bar</strong></u><br/><br/>The second area barbecue hot spot to open recently around these parts, (John Brown Smokehouse is the other, but it's technically LIC) Butcher Bar is a meat market first, specializing in local-organic-sustainable-woo-woo meats. But it also makes prepared items, notably barbecue. Orlando Sanchez is the chefâhe's worked at Uncle Billy's in Austin, Texas, and at Williamsburg's Mable's Smokehouse. Barbecue styles range from Texas to Kansas City to St. Louis.<br/><br/>Pro tip: Get the burnt ends -- juicy little nuggets of beef with crisp, chewy bark.<form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703458" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="butcher-bar-samhorine-2.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/butcher-bar-samhorine-2.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703459" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="butcher-bar-samhorine-3.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/butcher-bar-samhorine-3.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703460" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="butcher-bar-samhorine-4.jpg" class="image-none" height="486" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/butcher-bar-samhorine-4.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703461" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="butcher-bar-samhorine-5.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/butcher-bar-samhorine-5.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703462" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="butcher-bar-samhorine-6.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/butcher-bar-samhorine-6.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703463" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="butcher-bar-samhorine-7.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/butcher-bar-samhorine-7.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703464" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="butcher-bar-samhorine-8.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/butcher-bar-samhorine-8.jpg" width="640"/> </form><br/>37-08 30th Ave<br/>Opens at 11am<br/>
<u><strong>Taverna Kyclades</strong></u> <br/><br/>Taverna Kyclades was Queens's first Michelin-starred restaurant. Come here for Greek seafood. Chef/owner Ardian Skenderi, is a former pro basketball player in Athens, and is super hands-on. He does all the seafood selection (at Hunters Point in the Bronx) and is in the kitchen at all times.<br/><br/>Pro tip: There are no reservations here, so be prepared for a wait. Get there early if you want some of the complimentary galaktobureko (custard-filled phyllo served with syrup), and definitely try the grilled octopus.<br/><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703534" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="taverna-kyclades-samhorine-2.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/taverna-kyclades-samhorine-2.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703535" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="taverna-kyclades-samhorine-3.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/taverna-kyclades-samhorine-3.jpg" width="640"/> </form><br/>33-07 Ditmars Blvd Astoria, NY 11105<br/>(718) 545-8666<br/>Opens at noon<br/>
<u><strong>The Queens Kickshaw</strong></u><br/><br/>Besides Bohemian Beer Hall (and maybe Taverna Kyclades), The Queens Kickshaw is probably the only Astoria restaurant anyone from outside the neighborhood has heard of. Opened during last year's "grilled cheese moment," it's known for its unusual, upscale grilled cheese sandwiches, and also for its coffee and its "shrubs"âthose crazy vinegar cocktails that everyone was excited about last year.<br/><br/>Pro Tip: The Gouda, with black bean hummus, guava jam, and pickled jalapenos, sounds crazy, but it's crazy great. The curried pumpkin seeds are a also great bar snack to accompany a draft beer [<em>Ed: Especially a Flying Dog Lucky S.O.B. Irish Ale</em>.]<br/><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703426" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="kickshaw-samhorine-2.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/kickshaw-samhorine-2.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703427" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="kickshaw-samhorine-3.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/kickshaw-samhorine-3.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703428" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="kickshaw-samhorine-4.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/kickshaw-samhorine-4.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703429" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="kickshaw-samhorine-6.jpg" class="image-none" height="418" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/kickshaw-samhorine-6.jpg" width="640"/> </form><br/>40-17 Broadway, Astoria, NY 11103 / (718) 777-0913<br/>thequeenskickshaw.com<br/> Opens at 7:30am
<u><strong>The Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden</strong></u><br/><br/>The Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden is well known far outside Astoria, but if you've never been, you really do have to see it. To New Yorkers used to narrow bars and cramped spaces, the scale is unimaginable. Tall trees tower over row upon row of picnic tables, and sunlight filters through the leaves. After a couple liters of Czech beer it's the most beautiful goddamn paradise of drinkin' you've ever seen.<br/><br/>Pro Tip: Go as early as possible if you want a good tableâor if you want to get in at all. Be prepared to wait.<br/><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703477" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="bohemian-beergarden-samhorine-2.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/bohemian-beergarden-samhorine-2.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703485" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="bohemian-beergarden-samhorine-3.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/bohemian-beergarden-samhorine-3.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703486" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="bohemian-beergarden-samhorine-4.jpg" class="image-none" height="464" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/bohemian-beergarden-samhorine-4.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703488" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="bohemian-beergarden-samhorine-5.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/bohemian-beergarden-samhorine-5.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703489" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="bohemian-beergarden-samhorine-6.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/bohemian-beergarden-samhorine-6.jpg" width="640"/> </form><br/>Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden<br/> 2919 24th Avenue, Astoria, NY 11102 / (718) 274-4925<br/> â Opens noon<br/>
<u><strong>Balkh Shish Kabab House</strong></u><br/><br/>Astoria is famously multiethnic, but as far as I know, Balkh Shish Kabab House is the only Afghan place in the neighborhood. Feels authentically Afghan and homey, with Afghan and Far Eastern tapestries hanging on the wall and a muted TV tuned to news and programming from the region.<br/><br/> Pro tip: You HAVE to get the bolanee kadu as an appetizerâmashed-pumpkin turnovers that are light, crisp and sweet. And the manto (ground beef dumplings). For dinner, the combo kebab is a good bet, and I like the kabli palow.<form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703453" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="balkh-kebab-house-samhorine-2.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/balkh-kebab-house-samhorine-2.jpg" width="640"/> </form><form class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" mt:asset-id="703454" style="display: inline;"> <img alt="balkh-kebab-house-samhorine-3.jpg" class="image-none" height="427" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_chrisrobbins/balkh-kebab-house-samhorine-3.jpg" width="640"/> </form><br/>Balkh Shish Kabab House Inc<br/> 2310 31st St # C, Long Island City, NY 11105<br/> (718) 721-5020<br/> â