Astoria Top 5 List?

[buzzard83]

What are some go-to musts I can check out in Astoria?

[Yaxpac]

In no particular order:
1)Trattoria L'Incontro (amazing Italian fare that rivals Roberto's in the Bronx for my favorite Italian in NYC
2)Kabab Cafe - I love Ali's cooking and think that when he is on the flavors are amazing.
3)JJ's - both great sushi and cooked food.
4) Sorriso's Pork Store - Amazing food, especially their fresh roast pork heroes. great prepared foods too.
5)Cronan & Phelan's - One of my favorite burgers around.

[pcorntail]

no partic. order
jj fusion Japanese 31 ave and 37 street
romanos famous Greek Best gyro 33str & Broadway
picolla venezia italian 28 avenue
D&F deli 35 street Broadway
Omonia greek pastries

I could go on

[liveloveat34]

artopolis over omonia which i find to be very expensive. but helipolis next door for a great selection of beers...

[janie]

-Titan-best selection of feta cheese and other Greek grocery items
including very good greek pastries
-Sorriso's-best fresh mozzarella cheese and other Italian staples

-Never liked Agnanti--overpriced, small portions--
-Kebab Cafe--went many years ago, and didn't think it lived up to its hype then, but it seems like a place that if they know you and you're a regular than maybe the food will be spectacular........

[pcorntail]

I think they are both overpriced
artopolis is really good for certain desserts .....agreed

[liveloveat34]

with the greek easter bread, omonia weighs them for price- and they range in the high teens to twenties for one loaf while artopolis has then for 6 dollars each. i agree w. titan foods as a must go for greek products

[jathwi]

i'd agree with basically everything above, but i'd also add:
-rosario's (italian deli on 31st, across the st from rose & joe's)
-souvlaki cart on ditmars & 33rd (? could be 34th or 35th)
-victory bakery (uhh...38th st? and ditmars, could be 37th or maybe even steinway)

also, there's an amazing italian sausage place right by the corner of ditmars and 36th (again, could be 37th or 38th...)

[doona]

1. Watawa
2. Trattoria L'Incontro
3. Sak's Pizza
4. Athen's Cafe for brunch
5. Gandhi

[hudsonvalleyfoodblog]

Sak's is pretty good. Glad to see it made someone's list.

[astoriafoodie]

I've been here for 23 years--and gained about 35 lbs. :)

1) Piccolo Venezia
2) Bai--the best sushi. 37th & bdwy.
3) Kebab Cafe
4) Agnanti
5) Tequilla Sunrise--Satisfying Mexican--Steinway and Northern Blvd. (two blocks south of 36th Ave.)

[ctina]

Definitely agree with many of the above. Being in Astoria for a looong time, I came up with my list- no particular order

1. Zenon -my favvvorite Greek-Cypriot place- mezedes are especially my favorite- followed by the daily specials (especially on Wednesday) and it's family run/operated which makes the experience more amazing
2. Il Bambino- amazing paninis and such- owner is greeeat
3. Mundo- i loove all the apps and most of the meals- the owners are amazing here too
4. Avenue- for my favorite cafe- love the "greek pizza" and the crepe with nutella, banana and strawberry, and their tirocafteri for app!
5. Arcos- for Portuguese/ Tierras for Colombian...

[jnet62]

what are favorite dishes at mundo?

[Cail]

oh man... Red Sonja. I swear they put addictive substances in it! Also, the puro turco, Crab meat and artichoke dip, crabmeat burger, Dakos salad (i think they changed the name), Ottoman Dumplings (sour sauce, not everyone likes this), Turkish Meatballs... well you get my point. A few of the new dishes are really interesting too, like the cheese with the leaf and red pepper...

My suggestion: order lots of the small dishes for the table, and split one main course for every 2-3 people present.

[junglekitte]

i always walk by that taco truck. curious. now i MUST try the al pastor! maybe tonight! thanks!!! :D

ps, i love kebab cafe. one thing that is annoying is that it isn't consistent. i've ordered one dish three times and it came out three different ways....all wishing they were like the first time. his bro's restaurant down the block is pretty good too.

2ps. there is a lebanese place nearby as well (ill get the name later) that was great. and cheap. highly recommended.

[megc]

After living here a year and a half, I really like (in no particular order):

Il Bambino (31st Ave) - love everything here, especially the oven dried tomatoes with ricotta.
Wave Thai (Ditmars) - favorite Thai place in town, especially because of the vegetarian duck option with most dishes.
Mundo (Broadway) - Red Sonja, mmm....also love the Manti.
San Antonio Bakery #2 (Astoria Blvd) - the Chilean hot dogs are awesome topped with pebre.
El Rey del Taco truck (30th Ave) - amazing al pastor tacos.

[AstoriaGal]

I really need to try the taco truck. I always seem to be in that area too early, though.

[AstoriaGal]

Mine have already been mentioned, but here goes:

1) Il Bambino - I could eat here everyday
2) Mundo - wonderful food and such nice owners
3) Brick Cafe
4) Lil Bistro 33 - can't wait for the new location to open
5) Stove

** Honorable Mention to the Bohemian Beer Garden. Nothing better than kielbasa and a cold beer on a Summer night.

[Cail]

where is Il Bambino exactly and what should I order?

[doona]

The new Lil Bistro 33 is open. And its fantastic.

[melon]

I loathe Kebab Cafe too, if it makes you feel any better.

Brick is good as long as you keep it simple - I have definitely had "off", overcomplicated specials. But I like the atmosphere in there and the bar in the back is fun.

[Cail]

1) Mundo- a weekly regular, definitely my favorite
2) Piccola Venezia- Second the Gnocci
3) Kabab Cafe on Steinway- great food, original atmosphere
4) 31st north of Ditmars- Italian restaurant whose name I cannot currently recall
5) 32nd and B'way Street Cart

I did not like San Souci, and I believe it has closed. I've been to Brick a few times and never really enjoyed it. Do not bother with their French Toast for brunch.

Sabor Tropical is pretty good, as well as quite a few others here. For take out we tend to stick to the Thai place on 30th Ave near 34th Street, as well as Thai Palace.

[besmircher]

aaah!! More Kebab Cafe hype! I loathe that place after trying it tonight (posted a review).

I don't have 5 places yet, but I quite like Il Bambino, which is across from Brick Cafe and has MUCH better food. Brick is fine, but something about it is just...I don't know- off. Il Bambino has very nice Italian sandwiches and decent coffee and is good to pop into on a Saturday morning.

San Souci is indeed closed... I liked the place but found it very overpriced given the location. Perhaps that's why they packed up and left? I read the chef went to LI to open another place.

[DrSessions]

Which park is that? I've been on a mole kick and would love some Astoria mole, but not sure where said grocery store is...

[zemilideias]

1. Malagueata
2. Lo Russo's on 18th just n. of 27th Ave
3. Taco and mole joint in grocery store on 29th (or is it 28th) just south of the Greek park that got tagged and got Peter Vallone bent out of shape
4. BZ grill
5. Stamatis on 23 Ave still good

Agnanti and Ali's are all hype (despite artistic settings) and for suckahs

[besmircher]

Are you talking about the taco joint next to park lounge on 29th street off of 30th avenue? I always see people in there but haven't tried it yet.

the park is called athens square park and has a big statue of athena in it. the taco place is in a little mexican grocery store right next to park lounge and a barber shop.

[plumerai]

I just finished a dinner from that taco joint! I've been happy with their food, though I've only had their tacos (repeatedly, the tacos de pollo with green salsa) and the quesadillas.

[kellygobraugh]

I haven't been to Trattoria L'Incontro, so it's not on my list. Also, Le Sans Souci is closed (sad). Here is my top 5 list:

1. Stove
2. S'Agapo
3. Thai Palace
4. Aliada
5. El Rey del Taco (Mexican food cart outside RiteAid on 30th avenue)

[Astoria Lurker]

I'll second Stove as a replacement for Le Sans Souci on my list. I think the food there is better than Brick Cafe and the people are amazingly friendly. I went this past weekend not expecting much, and although the food is pretty standard, everything was well prepared and tasty. Definitely a great neighborhood place!

[kellygobraugh]

Ok, I finally went to Trattoria L'Incontro and all I can say is "WOW". Amazing place. Easily first on my list now with Stove as 2nd. I had the pan-seared Alaskan sea bass breaded in a medley of nuts complemented with a delicious spinach, fennel, potato yumminess.

[Cail]

where is Stove and what kind of food is it?

[MarcInSunnysideGardens]

-Sal, Kris, Charlie are on 23rd Avenue and I wanna say 34th St, though it may be 35th St. Right around there.

-It's somewhat of a close call but I think Watawa sushi is better than JJ's. Nom, have you tried Watawa?

[Nom De Plume]

I haven't but would certainly be interested -- do you have the address so that we can all check it out? Thanks.

[jdf]

Its on Ditmars, b/t 32nd and 33rd Street, I believe.

[doona]

Absolutely one of the tops on all of my restaurant lists. So cozy and friendly and fresh.

[Nom De Plume]

I agree with several of the choices above (not Himalayan Tea House, though; that's a dud as far as I'm concerned), so this list constitutes five additional ones:

1. Aliada -- B'way and 30th -- Cypriot; the salads (which you can get with grilled seafood and all sorts of things) are awesome.

2. JJ's -- 31st Ave and 37th/38th -- Japanese/Asian fusion (but don't let that scare you); best sushi in Astoria

3. El Mundo -- just off B'way at 31st St. -- pan-ethnic w/Latino and Turkish emphasis

4. Sabry's -- 24-25 Steinway -- Egyptian (grilled fish their specialty; you can pick out your own for grilling)

5. Malagueta -- 25-35 36th Ave -- perhaps this is technically LIC, but that's a distinction for realtors to suss out, and it's certainly close enough to Astoria -- great Brazilian

[YoungHood]

Malagueta is within astorias boundries. And I agree its great it should be higher then 5.

[Astoria Lurker]

I enjoy Malagueta, but didn't include it because it's not really in my area of Astoria, I guess you could say it was Astoria, but it's really more of LIC, though I will agree the distinctions are fuzzy. Sabor Tropical on 30th ave is also excellent for Brazillian.

[gem]

Curious as to why you wrote off Himalaya Teahouse -- have you eaten there?

[Nom De Plume]

Yes. Between three of us we had a decent range of the menu items, which we all shared, and they were without exception pretty bland and unremarkable. The atmosphere in the place is also rather depressing. Granted, their tea is good, though.

[Astoria Lurker]

I usually go to Himalaya Tea House once a week, but only for tea. On Sunday I went specifically for dinner, and was pleasantly surprised for the most part. The Soba plate was really excellent, as were the Tibetan Dumplings. The wife's curried vegetables were decent, but wasn't quite what she expected as they were listed under "Soup", and we thought they would be in some kind of broth. In general I think this place is a superb addition to the area, it also seems to be more crowded lately so hopefully people are hearing about it more. I don't find the atmosphere depressing at all, and the service is very friendly if a little slow.

[Polecat]

Rose and Joes, Stamatis (even though it seems to have fallen from favor amongst a lot of hounds), the Bohemian Beer Garden, the street Kebab dude on the corner of 32nd and Bway and the make-your-heart-pound coffee at Cafe Kolonaki.

I've also had some wonderful hits, and some misses, at Eastern Nights on Steinway. One night, I ordered Freek (pidgeon), as well as duck, both succulent and moist. On another night, not so much, more dryed out.

Anyone try the new Moroccan joint, I think it's on the corner of Steinway and 34th?

[ceeceee]

for all the astorians...how is the brick cafe?

[Astoria Lurker]

Brick Cafe is consistently good, though not one of my top 5 in the neighborhood.

[agent99712]

been twice, first time was good, can't mess up chicken and pasta though, second time was scary. food was unmemorable. go for a glass of wine and then move on.

[Steve R]

Ali's Kebob Cafe

[mshpook]

For excellent fish, I would have to recommend Taverna Kyclades on Ditmars Blvd. Simple preps but always fresh and wonderful.

[MarcInSunnysideGardens]

1) Piccola Venezia (gnocchi)
2) Agnanti (calamari, pasta with rooster)
3) Rose and Joe's Bakery (baked goods, sicilian slice)
4) Sal, Kris, and Charlie Deli "The Sandwich King of Astoria" (try any of their special heroes)
5) S'Agapo (Greek classics)

[jenniebnyc]

I work in LIC.... where is Sal, Kris, Charlie deli located? Do you know if they deliver? Thanks!

[ctina]

Sal Kris and Charlies is amazing-- located on 23rd ave? (right before ditmars if you're coming from LIC) between 34 and 35th street (I believe.. just had another great sandwich from there last week- phone number is 718-278-9240.. I'm not sure if they deliver though... sorry for not being sure about everything... :)

[jenniebnyc]

Thanks!

[Astoria Lurker]

1) Trattoria L'Incontro
2) Le Sans Souci
3) Agnanti
4) Himalaya Tea House
5) BZ Grill

[hudsonvalleyfoodblog]

1) Trattoria L'Incontro
2) Taverna Kyclades
3) Elias Corner
4) Sal, Kris, and Charlie Deli
5) Gyro Corner (ditmars)

Runners Up: Astoria Bagels, Beer Garden