Considering the sheer number of different cultures that merge on Flushing’s streets, it’s no surprise that an enormous variety of different cuisines can be tasted, affordably and with a dash of authenticity.
Let’s begin with the wide variety of Chinese food available:
1. 3410 Linden Pl is an ornately decorated dim sum restaurant whose ritzy exterior contrasts with its homey, traditional food. Not only does it produce delicious food but is a terrific venue for events and parties.
2. Spicy and Tasty Restaurant (3907 Prince St # 1H, Flushing, NY 11354) is precisely what it sounds like. With authentic food from the Szechuan region of China, this restaurant will satisfy anyone that likes chili oil and peppercorns.
The Vietnamese population of Flushing truly outdoes itself in terms of food. Like other Asian cuisine, Vietnamese food is well-loved by most taste buds, and has a particular lightness and delicacy that is unique – pickled carrots, peanuts, cilantro, rice noodles, and beef rounds, are all essential ingredients that give Vietnamese food its simple (but not simplistic) power.
To see what I mean, head to Pho Vietnamese Restaurant, on 3802 Prince Street, which offers the real deal, with a casual atmosphere and good prices (a big bowl of rice noodle with beef round is just six dollars)
Another phenomenon of Vietnamese cuisine is the French features often present, as a result of France’s occupation of Vietnam in the 17oo’s and 18oo’s. French influence is present in rich Vietnamese coffees and baguette sandwiches (which contain French bread and pate, but also roast pork, cilantro, and the ever-present pickled carrots.) To taste Vietnamese food with a dash of French thrown in, visit Paris Baguette (15624 Northern Boulevard) for a large variety of sandwiches at good prices.
Queens is the best place in New York for good Thai food, and Flushing has several excellent places for it. A notable one is Green Papaya Thai Cuisine, which takes cash only (so you know it’s authentic) and has excellent coconut curries and soups.
Korean barbeque is a recent trendy addition to the Westerner’s diet, and Koreana Restaurant (136-20 38th Ave) is a well-known restaurant in Flushing, where waiters bring you plates of kimchi and banchan while you wait for your order. It is located in a mall but still has a flavor of sincerity and authenticity.
Gary, Macaulay student from CCNY, looks longingly into a Colombian bakery.
Latin Cuisine thrives in Flushing; small bakeries and restaurants offering arroz con pollo, flan, and cicarrones flank the streets.
Dosa Hutt (45-63 Bowne St) offers a full scope of Indian food from dosas (immense savory crepes) to iddlys (similar to dosas but shaped as patties) to samosas. It is completely vegetarian and perhaps most appealingly, everything at Dosa Hutt is under five dollars.
4327 Main St
In addition, many grocery stores cater to customers of many cultures, not just those with the ethnicity of the owners, like Al Habib Halal Meat and Grocery, whose customers include not only the significant Afghan and Muslim population of Flushing but many other residents as well.
Another example is the Indian grocery stores Patel Brothers (4292 Main Street). Check out their Diwali special on Ching’s Noodles (I have a feeling those Szechuan noodles are not from India!)
References:
http://www.asian-nation.org/colonialism.shtml
