My favorite foods in Astoria (Part 1)

This area is a wealth of authentic, delicious foods.  This is a list of the things I love most.  This is not a list of all things good in Astoria, just my personal favorites.  This is part 1, there is a 2nd part that will be up soon with more goodies!

Grilled Octopus @ Zenon Taverna

The best I’ve had in Astoria (although Sabry’s version is also excellent), this is very tender on the inside, yet the outside is often charred almost to a burnt crisp, which I love!  Excellent flavor and texture, this is my absolute favorite thing to eat in all of Astoria.  The meat is delicate yet rich, with that extra tang from the vinegar and lemon.  The Meze Meal is a close 2^nd for my favorite thing in Astoria, its an insane amount of items for a bout $20 each person (meat, fish or veg), I cannot recommend this enough.

 

 Fried Artechokes @ Sac's Place

Amazingly delicious, memorable little bites, not greasy, not deep fried, perfect appetizer.  Ravioli here is also excellent.

Tiropita Toast with Cream Cheese, Apples & Bacon @ Ovalia

The best breakfast sandwich I think ive ever had.  It’s a perfect mix of salty, savory, sweet bites that are soft from the bread and cheese and crunchy from the bacon and apples, perfect balance.  Order the lamb sausage on the side, excellent herbs and spices inside.

Imbustata @ Ornella

Packed with flavor, so many things inside this envelope of pasta that it all becomes one cohesive flavor.  Great dish!  Also recommended: Chestnut Pasta, Gnocchi and the Sanguinaccio (Pork Blood Chocolate Pudding).

Chef Ali @ Kebab Cafe

He is a legend.  The man who introduced me to the pleasures of eating offal.  Greets you like you are family, wonderful experience.  The lamb cheeks and the sweetbreads are my favorites but lamb brains are quite good as well.

 

Burnt Ends @ John Brown Smokehouse

The best BBQ I’ve ever had in NYC.  Nothing has come close.  This is BBQ perfection to me.

 Anything @ William Hallet
(Pictued below: Perogies with Foie & Bone Marrow)

Amazing flavor and diversity, this food is fun and exciting!  I recommend just about anything.

 Burek @ Djerdan

Light and crispy for something filled with cheese/meat/and or spinach.  Great crunchy outside, soft fresh baked inside, perfect bite of food.

Casu Marzu cheese @ Ornella

Bizarre and delicious, this is not on the menu, but it is around.  Tasty cheese (and worms)!

Baklava Cheesecake @ Amonia 

Never seen this anywhere else, but it’s a perfect mix of salty/sweet, crunchy and soft.  Creative dish that really reflects the area well.

Suckling Pig @ La Rioja

Huge portion of perfectly cooked, tender as anything, pig.  They even give you the option of what cut you would like (rib or leg).  Highly recommended, only served on the weekends.

 

Sushi B @ JJ's

This is the best Sushi I’ve had in Astoria.  It’s a wonderful mix of whatever is freshest, although its not quite omakase, it is somewhat standard.  In the past this included White Tuna and fatty Salmon belly which were amazingly delicious.  Sadly they don’t offer those portions anymore, but the mackerel and the rest of the box (sans the fake crab) are delicious.  Also the miso is above average.

Shrimp & Grits @ Queens Comfort

Had this once, was so memorable it makes the list.  It was packed with bacon, rich, deep flavor, perfectly cooked shrimp that still had a bite to them.  Huge fan of this place.

Pork schnitzel in potato pancake batter-topped with cheese @ Koliba

Pure indulgence, this is a crazy rich heavy dish that I just love.  Nice tender pork in a very crunchy flavorful crust with mild cheese on top.  Heavy yes, but perfection for what it is.  The garlic soup with egg yolk and cheese is also excellent.

Stamatis

Standard but good Greek food in Astoria, decent service, decent prices, nothing outstanding, but nothing at all bad, recommended for sure.  It is quite big and bright, and I believe they pool their tips, because they service is spotty.

The meal starts with nice toasted bread with a few herbs and olive oil.  There is also a huge jar of opened olive oil and one of vinegar on the table, to use as your liking.  They also drop off a small plate of lemons, you can douse just about anything they serve with lemon, and you should.  For appetizers we had the Avgolemono which was thicker then usual, very good version after I squeezed a few more lemon wedges into it.  Great soup.  We also had the fried eggplant with Skorthalia, which I usually find too bitter from way to much raw garlic, thankfully this one was seasoned just right.  Well fried, lightly battered eggplant, nice portion and well matched with the just garlicky enough Skorthalia.  Another good dish.

For entrees we ordered the Seabass and the Sole.  Both were good, although the seabass was overcooked and the Sole took an extra 5 minutes to arrive, albeit with multiple apologies from the server.  My seabass was grilled as I asked for, but it was overcooked to the point that the entire head was burnt, hard to pick at the crevices for tender pieces.  I like the skin crispy so I still enjoyed this dish, especially served with the oil and garlic sauce, but it was a bit dry.  The Sole was fine, standard, a bit boring, but that is on the fish, not the restaurant.  The lemon potatoes were not so good, not enough lemon and since they cook everything (aside from the fish/meat) in advance it sat around and started to break up, not very appetizing.  The rice and peas were passable.

The cherry on top is the free dessert that is so common in Astoria Greek restaurants, (which of course is a Greek tradition).  The name eludes me, but it was phyllo stuffed with a type of custard, topped with honey and cinnamon, wonderful flavor although a bit sweet for one of the dinner guests.  It was surprisingly light, and I personally loved it.  The house wine by carafe was decent, nothing memorable, standard house red.  Overall good meal, large portions, you will not leave hungry.  Decent service, not overly friendly, but attentive to your needs.  The octopus appetizer is $23 which is ridiculous considering how relatively inexpensive octopus is, I know the same dish served better is $12 a few avenues away, however the prices overall were moderate.  Recommended for fish.

Koliba

 
This is a review specifically of their yearly Venison Feast, a very exciting event! This was my first visit and I will absolutely return, I loved this place!  The inside looks like a hunters lodge with wood everything and a few stuffed animal heads on the walls.  It was quite busy when we arrived, the noise level a bit high, and we almost did not get a seat since we did not have a reservation.  Thankfully they seated us, and since 99% of the food appears to be cooked in advance (appropriate since its generally low and slow type food) it was a short meal and they got to turn the table over for the next guests in no time.  Our waitress was very friendly and helpful with the menu and beer choices.  Excellent, attentive service.

For our appetizers we had the combination plate of Goose Pate and Venison Meatloaf.  The pate was amazing, one of the creamiest, richest, full flavored pate i've ever had, we loved this!  The meatloaf did not stand up to the qualify of the pate, it was not bad, but a bit dry and not nearly as flavorful as expected.  Still a nice sized portion for a great price.

We loved both entrees.  Large portions of well cooked, very flavorful, lean, tender deer.  Excellent food!  The Deer Goulash was great, strong, deep flavor, rich but not too thick, well cooked moderately tender deer.  The addition of bacon in this dish was awesome.  I'd order this again for sure, however the venison in cream sauce was better and more tender.  Fuller flavor, deep brown thick cream sauce which was unexpected and delicious.  The sweet cranberries were an excellent foil to the thick velvety sauce, they helped to cut the richness of the dish.  We cleaned the plate of meat, soaked up the remaining sauce with bread and loved every bite.  I enjoyed the German Spaetzle, but preferred the dumplings which were lite and fluffy and reminded me of steamed white bread in Chinatown.  Great sponge for the thick sauce.

Overall excellent, flavorful food, cooked well.  Exciting dishes even when they are not serving the venison feast.  I do look forward to returning to try basically the entire menu.  They have a decent variety of draft beers that are quite inexpensive.  Highly recommended!

Aroma31

 

 

This place is perfect for me, its casual, service is warm, it feels local, and most importantly they serve excellent Mediterranean food.  Everything looked so good we ended up with a 5 course meal on a recent visit!  To start the brought us pita slices with hummus, always a great start, I appreciate the complementary hummus alongside the usual free bread most places in Astoria serve.

For appetizers we had the Mac & Cheese, a simple dish served everywhere but not usual with this much class.  Excellent, huge portion of rich aldente pasta, cooked to order which is always a plus for mac and cheese.  It was so big we had trouble eating the rest of the meal.  The octopus was very good, not the best I've had, nor the softest, was a bit chewy, but a nice portion and well paired with capers and tomatoes, a change on the usual Astoria octopus.  For entrees we had the burger (one of the few items available with the voucher we had, although those conditions were certainly not printed on the voucher.....).  Really amazing thick beef patty with huge flavor.  A better burger than one from the place across the street.  Slightly undercooked, but served with a pile of fries, that were well seasoned, excellent stuff!  The dessert was one of my favorites of all time, Greek yogurt with honey and walnuts.  This item is always something I cant stop thinking about, so simple, great contrast of the tart yogurt with the sweet honey, and the crunch of the walnuts are a perfect foil to the texture of the yogurt.  So simple, so perfect!

The sangria was the only miss of the evening, just terrible, do not order it.  Very watered down, not really Sangria as much as watery cold red wine.  However it was amazingly inexpensive.  Overall excellent food, a chef that knows what he is doing, attention to detail and quality cooking overall.  Good prices too, I look forward to trying this place for brunch, highly recommended!

Sac's Place

 Had a wonderful filling meal here recently with family, we all enjoyed the food tremendously as well as the service and ambiance.  I like the look of the place, the wooden tables appear to be made from the wine cases, very slick tables, great reminder of Italy.  The place is well staffed and friendly.  The vibe is relaxed, great neighborhood place.  It also smells good and is quite warm from the pizza ovens.

The meal started with fresh bread of the oven, great crisp bread with a dash of tomato.  I would have preferred Olive Oil instead of butter to dip, but we loved this as a start.  For an appetizer we shared the Fried Artichokes.  I was glad to see that they were not deep fried as it would have been too oily, although the version they served was not exactly light.  Very well seasoned tender strips of artichoke in oil, memorable dish, recommended for sure.  It was however a bit expansive and not a large portion for $12.  The pasta fagioli was decent, not memorable and under salted but not bad at all, the table enjoyed it.  The linguini inside the soup maintained some of its texture, it had not boiled to mush in the soup as sometimes happens.

For entrees we enjoyed them as much as the start of the meal.  The Fettuccini with shrimp and caramelized portabellas in alfredo sauce was excellent!  Likely the best alfredo I've ever had, it was not just a thick creamy sauce, there were subtle flavors in it, the shrimp itself had flavored the sauce too which was nice.  The caramelized portabellas were a perfect unexpected sweet component that helped to counter the rich cream sauce.  A well balanced meal with a great portion of about 7 large shrimps, great value.  The shrimp parmesan special with prosciutto was also good, the sauce was pungent and thick, enjoyed by all.  The last entrée we had was a red pepper fresh ravioli stuffed with I believe shrimp and lobster.  Another great dish, the ravioli was large and thin, well stuffed and delicious.  Memorable meal, great, simple Italian food.  I look forward to returning to try the pizza's, they looked amazing.

Stove

Decent food and service, nothing above average but nothing bad either.  On a recent Saturday night it was busy and very loud.  The place is simple, painted white walls, not much going on.  They do have Guinness and Blue Moon on tap which is good.  Although specials are often the freshest and recommended items on a menu, i'd pass from this place.  Both specials we had were tasty, but they were very expensive, especially for the informal style of the restaurant and when compared to the other items on the menu.  Its a few blocks north of the busy Steinway area, and it has a feel of a real local place, with a few large tables of friends and family. 

The french onion soup was decent, not memorable at all.  They did not serve us bread although I noticed on the way out every other table had a bread basket.  For main courses the Shepherds pie was again decent, but not nearly as good as you can get at Cronin and Phelan.  Great value at $11, it a typical huge portion, however it came out a few minutes after the other entrees and was not quite broiled enough on the top.  One of the specials, Chicken in Whiskey Cream, was under-seasoned and a terrible value at $19, served with boiled vegetables and good mashed potatoes.  I had the fish special, sea bass with olive and sun dried tomatoes and a cream sauce.  The best dish of the night for sure.  The sea bass may have been a touch overcooked, but the sauce and veg topping were very tasty, good dish.  I would not have ordered it if I knew it was $24, more than double most of the items on the regular dinner entree menu. 

Service was ok, she was a touch cold, we waited a bit long for the good and it did not come out at the same time.  Value was mixed, some items well priced (soup, Shepherds Pie) but the specials being way over priced.  I'll give this place one more shot.

MexiQ

Some things about this place I like (beer selection, service, ribs) some things I don't (the pork skillet), but overall a decent place.  As noted by others they have 48 beers on tap (actually 46 plus 2 ciders I believe), which is a huge and awesome variety.  Our waitress, Cat, was super friendly, and very helpful with choosing our drinks, even gave us little samples of a few we had not heard of.  Her beer recommendations were great, I really liked the Chocolate Stout.  The place is nice, big, clean, a bit random, and the music is a bit too loud.  The host, runner and busboy were also very friendly, great attentive service.

The food was hit or miss.  The guacamole is inexpensive ($5 or $6 with a topping) and was decent, a bit too much onion for my taste, but well seasoned and nicely citrusy served with not stale chips.  The Ribs were really good in a decent sauce.  They were extremely soft (in a good way) and "fell of the bone" as the saying goes.  I actually ate them with a fork and knife.  Very meaty and quite delicious, I'd recommend this dish for sure.  They are served with a large portion of French fries and a moist, light jalapeño goat cheese cornbread.

If that were all we ordered I would likely give this place 4 stars but the pork skillet was a big disappointment.  The sauce itself (mustard like) was excellent, bright, tasty, not too overpowering.  The meat lean, but very overcooked, to the point that it was dry and chewy, not appealing at all.  I was also confused at how they served it.  I asked for no coleslaw (as I don't personally enjoy it), so they served me a skillet with HALF of it filled with food (the pork) and the other half empty.  They did not substitute any vegetable, or starch.  Even my corn bread side was another sent out another 2 minutes latter, so my plate stayed half-full.  It irked me that a kitchen would send out an "entrée" with no side at all, kind of lazy and confusing actually.  Also from a presentation standpoint it was a disaster, dark charred meat with dark sauce on a black skillet (again only  1/2 full).

Despite the pork dish I would recommend this place and I would like to return to try a few more items, the beers are well priced and the service is excellent.

William Hallet

Super impressed with this food.  It is not perfect (the double cut pork chop was undercooked so was the brownie, completely soupy in the middle), but the food is very very tasty in huge portions and modestly priced.  Its also a bit funky and neuvo (Foie sliders, wild boar chili, turducken, bacon caramel, etc).  I've been here twice and both times have been impressed with everything we ordered.  I enjoy the music they play, mainly consisting of Indie rock (Built to Spill), nu-folk (Fleet Foxes) and the like.  The waiter/bartenders are all young, hip, fun, and friendly, the service both time I went was excellent, very knowledgeable about the food.  Our server even gave me a few samples of the various dark beers on tap before I made my selection, nice service for sure.

 The best item I've ordered here is likely the Suckling Pig, (which was much more like pulled pork), with cheddar grits.  This was awesome. I did not leave 1 bite of food on the plate, and it's a big portion!  Appropriately salty and a bit sweet (which I like), this was a great memorable dish and a good value at $17 (although the menu says $16).

 

The double cut pork chop aside from being slightly undercooked was excellent!  Massive piece of meat, enough for dinner and lunch the next day... Another sweet sauce in a delicious demi-glaze and well cooked potatoes.  Excellent dish, very tasty pork chop.

 

The turducken sandwich is decent, I'm not sure I could distinguish between the three types of meat, but it was tasty.  The bread was delicious.

 

The lobster roll is another winner, big pieces of lobster, good value.  Served in a nice open top bun, as I think it always should be.

 

The wild boar chili cheese fries are out of this world.  HUGE portion (as it should be for $15) of well seasoned chili over thick-cut, crispy potato wedges.  This is an item that must be shared, and I recommend you do just that, really nice appetizer.


 My brownie dessert I was informed is cooked to order and needed 15 minutes, which I did not mind waiting, but it arrived soupy and very undercooked.  Still very tasty and they took it off the bill so I'm not really complaining, mistakes happen.  I did like the bacon caramel.

The only thing I don't love about this place is that it can get quite loud at times, so even if you are trying to have a private meal it feels a bit like you are sitting at the bar at all times.  To their credit the music is not that loud, which often forces people to speak louder to be heard, its just loud enough to be heard but not intrusive.  The value is quite good, this food in Manhattan would cost much more, and for the most part its prepared well.  I'd highly recommend this place for dinner, drinks or lunch, I look forward to returning soon!

Psari Seafood Restaurant & Bar

Great place.  I used to eat at "Greek Captain" occasionally, and did not realize it changed, dramatically... I believe its  1/2 the size now that it once was.  They still have the old "Greek Captain" sign up in addition to the new sign, which is kind of funny.  The old place was bigger, not nearly as friendly and felt old and stale... This place is very nice, great ambiance and the staff was very friendly and professional.

We sat outside which is always nice.  It is not a very busy street so it was decently quite.  The meal started with great warm garlic toast, very tasty, perfect start, much better than regular bead and butter/oil.  They have pitchers of sangria which of course are not Greek, but who cares!  My dinner partner and I love sangria and we were happy to order it.  It was very strong, fruity, sweet, and a great price for $18.

For appetizers we had the Saganaki.  Very good, although not quite as good as the flambe version at Zenon Taverna.  Still delicious, not very greasy, but as expected quite salty fried cheese.  Very good start, although not particularly memorable.

For our entrées I had the Stripped Bass, which was excellent.  I ordered it Broiled (cooked in butter and garlic) instead of the grilled version that I'm usually offered (which has oil and lemon).  Perfectly cooked, moist fish, very fresh, topped with garlic, spices, and other accoutrements.   The lemon potatoes on the side were standard but excellent.  The table also ordered the fillet of Sole, which is not a fish i'm partial to, but my guest enjoyed it very much.  It was a huge portion, perfectly cooked, moist and delicious.  It was served with decent rice with a few veggies in it.  Simple, clean, well cooked, healthy and delicious food.

We ended our meal with a great Red Velvet cheesecake which was like Red Velvet on the bottom and Cheese cake, which was much nicer than a mix of the two.  Great dessert!  We were also given a complementary Greek desert as well, which is tradition.  Excellent food, well cooked, great friendly service, outdoor setting, not overly crowded, and a very good value, highly recommended.

John Brown Smokehouse

 

Amazing BBQ!  This is exactly what this area needs.  The BBQ flavor is deep, the spices are perfect, not just salt, pepper, paprika, but a lot more.  Walking in for the first time we were greeted by the owner with a sample of most of the meats to try, nice service.  I love that they do Pork Belly and Lamb Sausage in addition to the more typical BBQ cuts (Brisket, Pulled Pork).  The Pork Belly was delicious and perfectly fatty, I look forward to ordering it next time.  The brisket was as expected juicy and delicious, with a small strip of melt in your mouth fat on the top. 

 

  


After trying a few items my company and I both decided on the Burnt Ends.  One of the best BBQd items I've ever had, ever.  Despite the name 'burnt' they do not have a burnt taste, are perfectly crispy on the outside and still miraculously moist on the inside.  Its well marbled, and served at the perfect temperature, the fat just melts in your mouth and helps to keep the meat perfectly moist.  Salty, sweet from I believe brown sugar in the rub, umami, and spicy from the addition of the excellent BBQ sauce, make this perfect food!

The selection of the day

The side dishes was good to great.  The Mac and Cheese was good and cheesy, very tasty, although it was a bit on the mushy side, which I find typical at BBQ places, its not a dish cooked to order.  The BBQ beans however were memorable, they tasted like the usual canned, sweet, rich, smokey beans, however instead of the more mild pork that is usually added, this version has (it was explained to me) brisket and some burnt ends.  Really good beans, very rich.  The portion too is a large size, very good value.  The fries are standard frozen fries, but they did cook them well done, as ordered, so they were good, and perfectly seasoned.

Burnt End sandwich 1/2

  The platters are very well priced considering the quality and portion of the food.  Absolutely delirious real BBQ, unmatched in the area, perhaps in NYC.  Go out of your way for this place!

Got Empanadas?

 Decent little Empanadas, one note food, slighly oily, not memorable, but rich and perfect for desert.  The only savory one i've had was the "Cheeseburger" Empanadas, which was ok, nothing special.  These are not light fluffy baked Empanadas seasoned with olives, or eggs or raisins, these are simple.

Slightly undercooked inside but nice color on the outside.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry

They seem to coat all the dessert ones in sugar, which is not necessary, nor does it match with the guava and cheese.

Oreo cheesecake, surprisingly light.



Chocolate, Caramel & Peanut Butter... Almost too rich... Almost.

Junko Sushi

Only 2 weeks old and despite a few issues, I thoroughly enjoyed my meal at Junko, as did my company.  The location is great, right on the corner with big windows from floor to ceiling letting you watch the busy Broadway street.  I enjoy the view but there are also less busy tables towards the back.  Immediately upon entering we were showered with greeting from the staff and sushi chefs, nice enthusiasm, friendly, accommodating service.  Nice large menu, many sushi options as well as a wide variety of cooked dishes, i look forward to returning to try the yellowtail collar.  We started with a large portion of edemame, which was perfectly seasoned and delicious.  Complements of the kitchen we were given an order of fried whitefish.  Whitefish is so simple and bland, and the texture is not that appealing either, so their fried preparation was perfect.  Very crispy but not oily, surrounded by a few sauces including spicy mayo.  Very tasty appetizer, i would love to see them do this with salmon or another fatty fish. 

The sushi rolls were on the whole very good.  The fish itself was good, not the best I've had, not do I believe its the best in Astoria (that distinction still goes to JJ's).  The rolls that were not covered in sauce or fried were just alright, both the Salmon roll and the White Tuna and Avocado were not particularly memorable, but still enjoyable.  All fresh fish, nothing we did not enjoy  The presentation was excellent but at times a bit strange, one plate came with Strawberries on the side, although it was not clear what it was meant to be eaten with, if anything at all.  Also the Banana Leaf over the sushi was a nice decoration but strange to have inedible food sandwiched between edible food.  The sauces, presentation, size of the rolls and value was all very good; I was also happy with the depth of the sushi menu, so overall the food was very good.  I'd stick with the elaborate multi fish rolls, they one covered in eel was excellent.

I like the fact that it is a big place and I don't feel like i'm rushed during my meal.  A few of the places I like in Astoria are too small to, so this is a welcomes addition to the neighborhood.  The servers went over and above to ensure we were having a good meal and were very friendly.  They filled up our water every few minutes.  I'd drop the top 40's music, but that's just me.  Recommended for sure.

Ovelia

 I've eaten here many times for brunch, and its always very good.  The service in particular is excellent, they are attentive but they do not rush you.  The last time I was here with friends, they let us sit for an extended time after eating and did not try and rush us out at all.  The food is exciting and fresh.


I often have the Greek yogurt stuffed French toast, which is a great play on the more popular cream cheese stuffed French toast.  Excellent variation, great flavors, although I think I would like to try it with some jam inside also.  Its well prepared and not runny, as I might imagine stuffing bread with yogurt would be.  The sausage is interested, I'm pretty sure its lamb which I enjoy.  It's different than most breakfast sausages and the addition of what I believe are Greek spices.


One dish I think is really good and quite interesting is the feta bread sandwich with bacon and apples.  Fantastic mix of salty, sweat, savory and umami with the rich bread.  Great mix of flavors here, really fun breakfast!  The coffee is good and strong, although I would much rather fresh milk then the little milk packets.  The mugs are quite nice.


 We asked for well done hash fries and these delicious potatoes arrived, perfectly crispy with just the right amount of seasoning, great side dish.  The mimosas are strong, and the prices are decent.  Highly recommended, my favorite place for brunch in Astoria.