salsiccia-basil-brick-oven-pizza-astoria-queens

Excellent pizza from Basil Brick Oven in Astoria, Queens

Serious Eats reminded us of one of their favorite food guides from this past summer, wherein Jennifer and Ben Sandler (owners of The Queens Kickshaw) guide us to their favorite spots in Astoria. Here’s their list (with additional comments by us in parentheses):

  • Sac’s Place, pizza by the slice (Pizzas are cooked in a coal oven.)
  • Basil Brick Oven, whole pies (They are simply amazing, not much else to say – the Speciale is wonderful.)
  • New York Pão de Queijo, X Veggie burger (Also try the brigadeiros, which are round sweets – chocolate is the fan fave.) 
  • Il Bambino, panini (Their truffled green bean salad is also spectacular.)
  • Circulo Espanol, dive bar (It’s also a Spanish social club, and therefore mysterious to outsiders.)
  • Crescent & Vine, craft beer and wine (They make good panini, too.)
  • Pachanga Patterson, paletas (No one else makes them in Astoria!)
  • Al-Sham Sweets, baklava (They also make amazing qatayef with cheese during Ramadan.)
  • Mama’s Empanadas, takeout (Give the empanadas at San Antonio Bakery #2 a try, too.)
  • King of Falafel and Kabab Cafe, falafel (Both are amazing in their own ways. For Middle Eastern food, Duzan on Steinway is also amazing.)
  • Café Triskell, date night (You’ll find wonderful Breton style crepes here – have a boule of cider with yours.)
  • Vesta, can’t miss neighborhood spot (we totally agree, but also consider Stove, another neighborhood gem.)

Really, there are so many quality spots in Astoria, it can be a Herculean task to narrow them down. Ben and Jen did a great job! We hope this may inspire you to check out these places in the neighborhood – you’ll get great food at all of them.

Serious Eats Neighborhood Guides: Ben Sandler and Jennifer Lim’s Astoria [Serious Eats]
LIC for Brooklynites – 15 restaurants you should check out [QNYC]


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