What is Queens’ most famous restaurant?
/
Neir’s Tavern (top left), The Lemon Ice King of Corona (top right), Park Side (bottom left) and Taverna Kyclades (bottom right), could all be considered among the most famous eateries in Queens. Photos via Neir’s Tavern/Taverna Kyclades/Park Side/Screengrab via YouTube
By Jacob Kaye
Last week, the Queens Daily Eagle’s editorial team was stewing over a seemingly simple question – What is the most famous restaurant in Queens?
Like the inside of a kitchen during a Saturday evening rush, the conversation was heated, passionate and, at times, borderline belligerent.
We were hungry for an answer.
But rather than hurl the names of restaurants at each other in an endless and hunger-inducing loop, we decided to dig into the question as any good journalist would – with deft research, exhaustive interviews and an eye for nothing but the cold hard facts.
We all agree, there’s no shortage of good eats in Queens. The borough is home to numerous enclaves of cultures from around the world, all of which have brought their country’s dishes, their grandmother’s recipes and their unique perspective on food to the borough’s culinary life. One can have breakfast in Guyana, lunch in Greece and dinner in Guatemala, all without leaving Queens.
However, the question here is not of quality and not of the diversity of the borough’s gastronomical landscape. It is a question of fame. Is the restaurant known to you, to your mother, to the New York City newcomer?
A quick search online would suggest there’s seemingly no end to famous restaurants in Queens – there’s Elmhurst Famous Pizza, Famous Rotisserie and Grill, Xi'an Famous Foods and Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices.
But fame cannot simply be given by name – it must be earned.
There are the borough’s iconic restaurants – if it’s famous, it’s likely iconic, and if it’s iconic, it’s likely famous.
Any person flying into or out of LaGuardia Airport and traveling along the Grand Central Parkway will know the Jackson Hole diner, marked by its neon cowboy riding his wild steed toward the great unknown – and a hearty breakfast. And what about Eddie’s Sweet Shop in Forest Hills? It’s the oldest ice cream parlor in New York City, meaning it’s not known to only one generation, but to many. And it’s got the iconic look to match. That’s what fame is made of! But alas, according to most people, ice cream is not a meal and therefore Eddie’s can’t be Queens’ most famous restaurant.
And what’s more iconic than having a spot on the big screen? A number of Queens’ eateries and watering holes have been featured in film and television over the years, putting them in serious consideration for the answer we crave.
In 1989, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Ray Liotta – may he rest in peace – gathered in Neir’s Tavern to film a couple of scenes for “GoodFellas,” which has since been recognized as one of the greatest gangster films of all time. Neir’s Tavern’s fame only increased when Mayor Bill de Blasio paid the bar a visit in 2020 to broker a deal between the bar’s owner and the building’s owner, who was planning to evict his longtime tenants.
Even Queens Borough President Donovan Richards told the Eagle that Neir’s should be considered the borough’s most famous spot. But one visit to Neir’s website tells you all you need to know about how famous it is – “The most famous bar you’ve never heard of,” it’s website reads. No cigar.
The Lemon Ice King of Corona was featured in the title sequence of “The King of Queens” – may Kevin James’ fallen ice rest in peace. And don’t discount the small screen – Jack’s Fire Department, formerly known as Jack’s Ale House, was featured on an episode of “Bar Rescue.”
The most famous of Queens’ Hollywood eats, however, may be the one that actually doesn’t exist. McDowell’s, which, unlike McDonald’s, is home to the Big Mick and its seedless bun, is featured in “Coming to America.” The Queens Boulevard fast food joint offers Prince Akeem Joffer, played by Eddie Murphy, a chance to start his American life and get to know his future princess. But we can’t give the title to a fictional restaurant, especially with so many nonfictional restaurants deserving of it.
With our question still unanswered, we deferred to our readers, who, in many cases, were just as torn and argumentative as we were.
A number of names were tossed around – Taverna Kyclades, one of Astoria’s most popular Greek restaurants, was mentioned several times; as was SriPraPhai, the Thai restaurant in Woodside, Lenny's Clam Bar and New Park Pizza, which are both in Howard Beach. Eking out the top spot was Park Side, the classic red sauce restaurant in Corona that’s been considered one of the city’s top Italian eateries for decades.
And yet, our readers gave us no definite answers, no final course to satiate our appetite. We were left famished, more starved than when we began our search.
But if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s this – there’s no better place to be hungry than Queens.
