<p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/queens/2023/in-the-pocket-an-empanada-tour-of-queens/"><strong><u>Where to Eat Empanadas: </u></strong></a>In Queens, empanadas aren’t only a snack but a local culinary staple – <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="/cities-category/queens/2023/in-the-pocket-an-empanada-tour-of-queens/">available up and down the burrough’s many Latino neighborhoods</a>. Amidst this landscape, the El Guayaquileño truck in Elmhurst stands out as an Ecuadorian simplicity and tradition. You won't find fusion creations, rather, empanadas de verde crafted with a Spartan perfection. The distinctive shell, made from mashed unripe green plantain – the “verde” – offers an earthy character and satisfying heft that’s a world away from common wheat-flour versions.</p><p>Inside this pocket lies a beautifully uncomplicated filling of mild, yielding queso Ecuatoriano, its gentle saltiness a perfect dance partner to the plantain. Some fresh onion and tomato provides a bright, acidic counterpoint, completing a finely-honed classic. This less-is-more philosophy offers a genuine slice of Ecuadorian street food culture to families and adventurous eaters gathered around temporary outdoor tables.</p>

Read more

<p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/queens/2022/maxis-noodle-just-like-moms/"><strong><u>Wonton Wonder: </u></strong></a>Maxi’s Noodle, opened in September 2019, quickly became a Flushing jewel – a hard thing to do in New York’s biggest Chinatown. Maxi Lau’s generously sized wontons – plump parcels of fresh shrimp and pork – are legendary, a skill learned from family friends in Toronto. Her mom had first mastered that art from the very same mentors, but passed away before she could open her own restaurant. Maxi now carries the torch.</p><p>While the wontons are standouts, the "Noodle" in the name is no afterthought. These egg noodles are bespoke, made from a recipe developed by Maxi’s uncle in Hong Kong using duck eggs for a distinct richness and spring. These terrific noodles swim in a profoundly flavorful pork bone broth, often as part of a sublime noodle-soup combo with those hand-fashioned wontons, fish balls, and dumplings. The pandemic hit just six months into Maxi opening, but after a brief closure, she pivoted with grace. Today, her mother’s portrait watches over the bustling room.</p>

Read more

<p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/queens/2022/momo-queens/"><strong><u>Queens’ – and New York’s – Best Momo: </u></strong></a>This Jackson Heights momo champ is a heavy weight, starting out as a culinary anchor for the Nepali community and becoming a local institution. Bhanchha Ghar owner Yamuna Shrestha and her brother Chef Shree have brought the soulful tastes of their native Syangja province to Queens.</p><p>While their award-winning jhol momo – pillowy dumplings submerged in sesame-spiked, soupy chutney – are legendary, the menu is a deep dive into Nepali comfort. Think fragrant thalis accompanied by Shree's flame-kissed sukhi roti, or the intensely savory bhuttun, a spicy medley of goat offal. But if you’re searching where to eat in Queens, remember: Bhanchha Ghar has clinched New York’s annual Momo Crawl championship belt many years in a row.</p>

Read more

<p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/queens/2021/bolivian-llama-party/"><strong><u>The Search For Salteñas: </u></strong></a>The Oropeza brothers – David, Alex, and Patrick – are chasing a delicious dream: “We’d like for a salteña to be like a taco,” David Oropeza says, a rallying cry for Bolivian Llama Party. It isn't just about food. It's a mission to rocket the complex Bolivian pastry into New York’s culinary consciousness. Intensifying the simple empanada, a salteña is a three-day process, its heart a rich, soupy stew of jigote filling that solidifies thanks to cow's foot gelatin before being swaddled in a subtly sweet, hand-braided dough. When we're considering where to eat a quick salteña in Queens, no other in New York quite lives up to BLP’s.</p><p>Born from street fair hustle (initially to fund a rock album), BLP danced through Smorgasburg before settling into brick-and-mortar spots, a nod to the family's tenacity. The pandemic spurred further evolution, with their Sunnyside commissary transforming into a public-facing haven. Here, alongside the legendary salteñas, you’ll find Patrick's house-baked bread in hearty chola sandwiches and sopa de maní. While sourcing hyper-traditional ingredients like chuños (naturally freeze-dried Andean potatoes) or the aromatic cilantro-like quilquiña can be a quest, the Opezas artfully balance authenticity with approachability. David says BLP does its best not to “pigeonhole” itself by not filling its menu with Bolivian dishes that are “so regional, so specific” that no one will order them.</p>

Read more

<p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/queens/2017/queens-international-night-market/"><strong><u>Where to "Eat It All" in New York: </u></strong></a>Few places capture the sheer, exhilarating diversity of Queens like this New York City night market, which reopens for the 2025 season on Saturday, May 10. Founded by John Wang in 2015, it brilliantly channels the thrill of Taiwanese night markets but explodes it with a distinctly global energy only found in Queens. On balmy Saturday nights, hungry souls descend upon Flushing Meadows Corona Park, drawn by the sizzling, frying, and grilling of nearly 50 vendor tents. It’s a parade of the many cuisines of Queens, and undeniably one of the most exciting options for where to eat in New York.</p><p>This is a stage for edible spectacle: watch Burmese flatbreads get flipped and stretched, Romanian-Hungarian chimney cakes twirl around their spools, and Chinese sugar paintings crystallize into delicate art. Indonesian sate vies for your attention with Peruvian salchipapas and Ukrainian piroshki. The unwritten rule? Go in the company of several friends who are equally adventurous and willing to share; split up, and line up at separate stalls; then reconvene to share the booty.</p>

Read more

<p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/queens/2024/fuzi-pasta/"><strong><u>Not Another Italian Restaurant: </u></strong></a>“I always wanted a place where I could go a couple of times a week and have a good plate of pasta,” Franco Raicovich says, and with Fuzi Pasta in Fresh Meadows, he’s built that dream for himself. Franco's childhood memories of hand-folding fuzi pasta alongside his Nonno Bepe and Nonna Angela were the foundation for this Istrian restaurant, opened in 2023. His father was born in Istria "under the Italian flag," but Franco’s vision was "never to be a Croatian restaurant" but a veggie forward pasta haven deeply rooted in local Queens partnerships.</p><p>This approach makes Fuzi a thoughtful choice when considering where to eat in Queens for a comforting, carefully sourced meal. The undisputed star? The namesake fuzi, delicate bow-shaped pasta, served with either Nonna Angela’s legendary salsa oro (rich, slow-cooked meat ragu) or a vegetable and porcini version Franco himself developed.</p>

Read more

<p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-[#781e2a] underline" href="https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/queens/2023/kasbah-cafe-algerian-rhapsody/"><strong><u>Algeria Comes to Sunnyside: </u></strong></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">Halim and Amina Fekraoui’s Sunnyside spot is a heartfelt endeavor to keep the traditional recipes of their Algerian homeland alive. Amina’s culinary prowess first gained acclaim catering for Algeria’s Permanent Mission to the UN – but since 2021, the café’s doors have welcomed all. At Kasbah, there are daily plats du jour, with the weekend bringing special treasures: Friday’s fragrant couscous with lamb, Saturday’s robust chekhchoukha (a soul-satisfying stew fortified with hand-torn flatbread), and Sunday’s delicate rechta noodles, often paired with chicken. The critical ras el hanout spice blend, the aromatic backbone of many dishes, is lovingly hand-carried from Algeria. Amina’s confections, from the crumbly chickpea flour ghribia to the meticulously crafted makroud – their date filling made from scratch – are sweet, edible stories of her heritage.</span></p>

Read more