If you’ve spent any time on this site at all, you’d know that eating is one of our favorite activities, particularly when traveling. We love new and interesting food, and we rarely turn down any type of ethnic food. Luckily for us, New York City is king when it comes to diverse food options, so what better city to go on a culinary adventure than here? Nate and Sarah know what we like, and they couldn’t have chosen better food options for us. Here’s a breakdown and some reviews of where and what we ate while in Queens during our recent New York trip.
Queens
Mexican
- Viva El Mariachi- 3311 Broadway, Astoria, NY 11106 – The first place we ate on this trip to NYC, it was a fantastic prelude to the tasty food that was to come. I had the chicken burrito a la Mexicana , which was larger than little Hannah’s leg, and was delicious. Very flavorful and moist meat that was well seasoned, this burrito was stuffed with rice and beans, cheese, tomatoes, onions, and jalapenos. Everyone else had tacos, and all were tasty. The carnitas were particularly well done, and the salsa was fresh and extremely flavorful. A great little authentic Mexican restaurant that was very affordable. If we lived here, this would be a regular stop for us.
Middle Eastern
- Pahal Zan- 106-12 71st Ave., Forest Hills, NY 11375 – We hile we all thought the bill was a bit high initially, that was before the bags were opened (we had this for delivery one night). Just know that a platter is more than enough for two people, and the sandwiches are massive as well. The falafel is as authentic as it gets, and the tabuoleh was fresh and excellent as well. I thought the hummus was a bit underwhelming, and Nate wasn’t a huge fan of the chicken wings, but all the other sides were outstanding.
- Nisan’s Halal Cart – 108th St. and 64th Ave. – No matter where we’re at in the world, street carts get plenty of love from us. Our last meal before heading to the airport, the lunch we had from this street cart was perhaps our best. The choices are few, with gyro meat or chicken (or half and half) and white sauce or hot sauce (or both) being the only considerations that need to be made. I went with the combo meat and had white sauce on it with hot sauce on the side. For a mere $6, you get a massive container of the meat of your choice, served over a very well seasoned and delicious rice, with tomatoes and onions and sauce, all served with pita. The hot sauce was very spicy, but super flavorful and a perfect complement to the white sauce and rice. Just a solid meal and a massive portion. I wouldn’t have thought twice about it if the price was double.
Bagels
- Bagelicious, 6401 108th St., Forest Hills, NY 11375 – What would a trip to NYC be without some bagels for breakfast? I went traditional with just a plain bagel with plain cream cheese. It was HUGE yet light and airy, and it was quite tasty. Megan had a sesame bagel with chive cream cheese, which was also delish. Plenty of chives added a nice herby flavor to it that was wonderful. Sarah had a bagel with cream cheese and lox, which is a cured salmon fillet. YUM! All were quite tasty.
- Bagel Oasis – 18312 Horace Harding Expwy., Fresh Meadows, NY 11365 – On our trip to Sarah’s parents’ house, we were greeted with what they called the “best bagels in NY.” After having one with the addition of the brilliant BACON cream cheese, who the hell am I to argue? Trust the locals and go here if you happen to be in Queens. They were fantastic!
Venezuelan
- Arepas Cafe, 33-07 36th. Ave. Astoria, N.Y. 11106 – We had arepas plenty of times while in neighboring Colombia, but these were a bit different. In case you don’t know what an arepa is, it’s a sort of corn pancake/tortilla hybrid. At the arepa cafe, the arepas serve as a type of bread for a sandwich, with a variety of fillings to choose from. We ordered a bounty of different ones to share, tapas style, and all were very tasty. The quality of both the arepas and fillings were excellent, and if you find yourself anywhere near Astoria, go here now.
We spent a few days in Manhattan as well, but we were pretty rushed as the focus was on the Phish concerts at Madison Square Garden that we went to, so we ate several hot dogs from the street and a few slices, along with a few trips to the diner attached to our hotel.
Options abound in New York, so we can’t wait to get back again some day and check out some more of the culinary delights on display.
What are some of your favorite New York restaurants?
