Do you want to know where to get the best bevs and bites during the @USOpen?
That’s right you guessed it: @itsinqueens and along the 7 train!
To get the details, Sharon Medina from the Queens Night Market took a trip. Her report follows.
The first stop on the 7 train was Vernon Blvd – Jackson Ave, where Sierra Brown from @licqns took us to her fave Mediterranean spot @safir_lic. We meet owner Mufit for a Turkish lunch with a Greek salad mixed grilled platter for two, their signature balloon bread, and Sigara Bourek, which mixes a pan-fried phyllo dough with feta cheese and parsley — fresh, healthy, and so incredibly flavorful!
We then walked to Gantry State Plaza Park to digest and take in some of the best views of Midtown Manhattan. We had to pop into @blendlic for a mojito and we couldn’t resist trying the Tapatizer Sampler, chicharrones de pollo, maduros, fried shrimp, fried calamari, and empanadas with aioli. We finished with a few more drinks, of course!
The next stop was Sunnyside (40th Street and 46th Street subway stops), where we met Dirk McCall de Palomá of @sunnysideshines and @brooksidemarketnyc owner Carrie Longo. She serves coffee and sandwiches by day before the joint transforms into a sweet wine bar at night. We then stepped next door to sister bar @idasnearabout for a frozen Irish coffee. Run, don’t walk folks!
We started to crave some chicken wings so we went to @seoulbystro. They specialize in Korean fusion small bites and soju and makgeolli cocktails. We quaffed the D7, a soju-based watermelon lime concoction that the bartender made on the spot.
We then hopped back on the 7 and headed to 82nd St. in Jackson Heights to meet with Leslie Ramos of the @82nd_St Partnership. She took us to @casariveranyc, a grocery store/butcher shop/restaurant all in one. You can find everything from pork trotters and lengua to Colombian obleas and Peruvian helado de lucuma. While we were there, we savored Colombia-style pollo guisado with rice and beans and a caldo de pollo for $10!
Leslie said we had to check out @libreria_barco_de_papel, which has been selling Spanish-language books since 2003. The community hub also hosts cultural events.
We bid Leslie farewell and met up with Don Edwin Lucero who manages @coronaplazamarket, an amazing outdoor plaza that’s home to Latin American artisans and street food vendors.
It was very hot so we moved indoors to @myleticias, an Ecuadorian staple. We ordered encebollado de pescado and tres chanchitos platter. We had to order cocktails, of course, so Edwin had the Pachamama, a naranjilla and Ecuadorian rum drink, while I went with La Cholita, a non-alcoholic raspberry-and-lime mocktail.
We walked to Park of the Americas to catch some futbolito before hopping back on the 7 train for a short ride to Flushing where we met up with Dian Yu of @flushingbid. Prince Street and Roosevelt Avenue are filled with some great eateries and bubble tea shops, such as @iristeaandbakery, @partea.nyc, and Eight Jane (no IG account). We enjoyed some crunchy jiangbing and the tiny-but-mighty dumpling shop White Bear (no IG account). Our last stop was @Maxisnoodle, where we met owner Maxi, who serves Hong Kong style noodles and the largest shrimp filled wontons you can get in New York. Attention savvy shoppers! New World Mall has a vast selection of food stalls and @Tangramnyc is the newest mall in Downtown Flushing. You can entertain the kids at @gatchany and shop your Hello Kitty heart out at @minisou.usa
Thanks for taking a ride with @itsinqueens! We hope you can enjoy some of these spots while you are in town for the @USOpen…or for any other reason.
Editor’s note: Click here for a fun video of the trip that spawned this article.
Images: Sharon Medina