The (Culinary) King of Queens' Guide to Queens
Joe DiStefano, a food writer and self-proclaimed culinary king of Queens, lives in Queens and has devoted his life to exploring it because there is simply no other place on earth to experience so very many cultures and cuisines without having to get on a plane. It is the World's Borough in every sense!
Birrialandia
Photo Credit: Birrialandia on Facebook
One day, he was waiting for his taco fix from a truck in Jackson Heights called Birrialandia that specializes in beef stew tacos from Tijuana and noticed a Nepali gentleman eating a taco. After professing his love and devotion for the street food, he told Joe that he owns the nearby Laliguras Nepali restaurant. Now if that doesn’t scream Queens, Joe doesn't know what does.
Choila at Laliguras
Photo credit: DJ Yutin on Yelp
How can you best understand Queens?
Follow Joe’s itinerary:
If you’re here in spring, you must attend the annual Songkran festival or Thai New Year celebration at Wat Buddha Thai Thavorn Vanaram, a Thai Buddhist temple, in Elmhurst. Every spring hundreds of people Thai and non-Thai locals and non-locals gather to take part in the festivities, which include live music, muay thai boxing, amazing food, and mischievous monks splashing water on guests. It's like being in Bangkok!
But if you’re headed here when the Songkran Festival has just ended, Joe recommends beginning your trek with the sunrise over the Unisphere. There’s so much to do in Queens you have to start early! Then it would be on to early morning Malaysian breakfast at Satay on Kissena Blvd. in Flushing. This would be followed by a stroll and dim sum at Royal Queen in New World Mall. After all that eating, some relaxation would be in order, so a long visit to Spa Castle would be next. Come evening he’d head to M. Wells in LIC for a decadent haute French Canadian feast from his pal Chef Hugue Dufour. This would be followed by a stroll and a cigar along Center Boulevard.
Dimsum at Royal Queen
Photo Credit: Royal Queen on Facebook
Not everyone has a full day to dedicate to Queens, though, so visit the underground Yun Cafe & Asian Mart at the 74th and Broadway stop in Jackson Heights on your way home from work for a starter taste of Queens. You won’t regret it.
Pin Le Sar Tote, a Burmese seafood salad at Yun Cafe & Asian Mart
Photo Credit: Joe DiStefano
Rep Queens after you’ve turned into a Queens enthusiast with a Queens t-shirt from Lockwood or a Come to the Fair hoodie from All the Right in Corona.
Astoria Pillow at Lockwood
Photo Credit: Lockwood on Facebook
And if you're still looking for more good eats around Queens, book a food tour with Joe and take a deep dive into Queens at joedistefano.nyc/tours.
Don’t be alarmed if you don’t speak the owners’ native languages. Queens is the world’s borough and locals are happy to welcome anyone from around the world. Support Queens because we would support you and Joe, our culinary king, will show you how it’s done.