Imperial Palace
136-13 37th Ave
Flushing, NY 11354
(718) 939-3501

Pricing: Not Cheap
Venue: Sit Down
Cuisine: Chinese
Favorite Dish(es): Pork Ribs in Black Bean Sauce Sizzling Rice Casserole ($11), Sauteed Dried Squid with Vegetable, Mixed Seafood Dish

To be honest, we only came to this place because Joe’s Shanghai was too packed (even in Queens), and it was right next door. We’re sure glad we did. The menu features a lot of seafood dishes you won’t find in Manhattan, let alone in most Chinese restaurants we’ve been to. This place’s specialty is a steamed sticky rice dish with lobster or crab, served in a huge bamboo steamer that serves a family of four. We opted for the smaller sizzling rice casserole dish with tasty little pork rib tips in black bean sauce. We also had a perfectly cooked squid dish with a green chive-like vegetable that we’ve never had before but was tasty and had a very interesting texture. To finish, they usually give you a plate of canned lychees and pineapple, but this time we also got a cup of red bean porridge, which is usually served on special occasions like Lunar New Year. The food here is clean, flavorful, and comes out fast. This restaurant is well worth the trip to Main Street Flushing. On the weekends, you can take the LIRR CityTicket for $6.50 roundtrip and get there in under 20 minutes.

Sauteed Squid w/ String Beans

Pork Ribs w/ Black Bean Sauce Rice Casserole

Red Bean Porridge

13621 37th Ave, between Main St and 138th St
(212) 247-1585

Pricing: Cheap
Venue: Sit Down
Cuisine: Chinese
Favorite Dish(es): Crab Meat/Pork soup dumpling ($6.65), fresh calamari in black bean sauce ($12.35)

The first Joe’s Shanghai: home of the soup dumpling.
Maybe it’s because it’s the original restaurant. Maybe because it’s Flushing and all ingredients get shipped from there anyway. Maybe because it was FREEZING last night during our trek to Queens (LIRR to Flushing was free this past weekend. 7 line was down b/c of contruction…check the MTA schedules for this sort of thing. It only took us 20 min from Penn Station on the LIRR vs. 50 min on the 7 train.)
Anyway, so maybe it’s all of the above but the journey in the 20 degree weather was worth it. SO HOT AND SO GOOD.

**UPDATE: we also found the “City Ticket” for the LIRR. Only on weekends, it’s $3.25 one way to go anywhere between Manhattan and Queens.

Online Menu

Elias Corner For Fish
24-02 31st St, 24th Ave
Astoria, Queens
(718) 932-1510

Pricing: Not Cheap
Venue: Sit Down
Cuisine: Seafood, Greek
Favorite Dish(es): Grilled Fish of the Day, Fried Potatoes (side)

This is a no-frills, traditional family style Greek seafood restaurant with a simple, unassuming diner-styled interior decor. There are no menus, and only seafood dishes are offered. The curt yet friendly waitstaff will present a few options of the day’s freshest seafood, based on your preferences, and don’t be afraid to ask what else they have. Mostly every fish selection is prepared on the grill, whole, and is served with perfect char marks and a wide selection of side dishes ranging from paper-thin sliced fried potatoes to zucchini – grilled, of course. Be prepared to smell a bit smoky and fishy, but with the fresh seafood you’ll be feasting on, it will be well worth the trip out to Queens.

Online Menu