Cultural Bars and Clubs in Astoria, Queens, NYC
It’s true, Queens has been the homely older sister to bad boy siblings Manhattan and Brooklyn for ages. Naturally, there developed a stigma attached to the area. After all, this is where Archie Bunker lived! But believe it or not, the nation’s most ethnically diverse county and New York’s largest borough is quickly becoming a hotbed of nightlife and restaurants, as loads of young professionals abandon trendier neighborhoods for Astoria and neighboring Long Island City. The reasons: virtually no crime, clean and quiet neighborhoods, diverse populations (everyone from yuppies to students to families) and most importantly–cheap rents.
And let’s not forget cheap bars. While you can find every cuisine under the sun in Astoria, from Pizza to Serbian to Thai, you can also drink around the globe as well. Here’s a handy listing of spots where you can teach your liver a little bit about cultural plurality. And hey, go nuts… A cab ride back to most Manhattan neighborhoods runs about $15 without tip or tolls. The subway’s even better, getting you from most Astoria stations to 59th Street or Times Square in about 20 minutes or less.
Czech
Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden
29-19 24th Avenue (N/W to Astoria Blvd.)
The granddaddy of Astoria drinking establishments. $12 pitchers of quality Czech beer can be consumed into the wee hours in this bustling and cantankerous neighborhood staple. Friendly staff will patiently pour you a frosty one, but beware the ides of March. Once it gets warm, drinkers from all over New York make the pilgrimage to drink at the dozens of picnic tables under tall, leafy trees. The line to get in can stretch half a block on weekends. My advice? Go early on a Saturday or Sunday and sip cold ones with your friends. The food is great too, with traditional Czech fare for cheap.
Greek
Cavo
42-18 31st Avenue (N/W to 30th Ave.)
If you can’t take the line at the Beer Garden, head south a few blocks and try Cavo’s fetching garden. It’s smaller, but you’ll still enjoy a night under the stars, that is, if you can see any despite the haze of streetlights. The drinks and food here are great, but waver a bit towards the pricey side for Queens. Still, go at a reasonable evening hour. As it gets later, the predominantly Greek crowds gets rowdier and the music gets louder, so conversation’s kind of out of the question.
Indie
Sparrow
24-01 29th Street (N/W to Astoria Blvd.)
Okay, so Indie isn’t a nationality, but with all the tattooed, shaggy-haired hipsters running around this city, it might as well be. Within shouting distance of the Beer Garden sits Sparrow, a tiny cube-like bar tucked into a row of non-descript apartment buildings. The owners of Sparrow used to run a wonderfully divey bar in Astoria called Tupelo. Sadly, the landlord evicted them and they reopened farther north, in their current digs. While Sparrow suffers from a lack of space (real sparrows would suffocate in here) it also benefits from being a genuinely down-and-out place to grab a beer and a shot of whiskey. The jukebox always plays the best music you’ve never heard as well as those indie, punk and rap favorites you wish you knew all the words to when drunk. And the hipsters aren’t pretentious at all; they’re the personable, intelligent version of what’s lurking down in Williamsburg.
Irish
Cronin & Phelan
38-14 Broadway (G,R,V to Steinway St.)
Trying to find an Irish bar in Astoria is a lot like trying to find a cab in Manhattan; they’re everywhere but you want to get the right one, not too crazy, not reeking of puke. When I’m in the mood for a shot of Jameson and a perfect pint, I usually go to Cronin & Phelan. It’s everything an Irish bar should be–dark, quiet, occupied by other whiskey drinkers teetering at the bar. When I first moved here, I remember walking by at 11am on a Saturday and seeing two drunk elderly men in a heated argument. Those are the types you’ll find here, but on weekends and weeknights you’ll also find a nice mix of young people having a good time watching sports. And either way, it sure beats the homogenized “pubs” of NoHo and the Upper East Side, where a pint of Guinness can run $7 or more.
Mexican
Las Margaritas
38-01 Broadway (G,R,V to Steinway St.)
Upscale Mexican food has had its share of popularity in the past, with places such as Ixta and Rosa Mexicano charming foodies in Manhattan. Las Margaritas won’t knock your socks off in the culinary corner, but give it a try for its namesake. The margaritas are honest-to-goodness freshly made, no pre-mix. Varieties of tequila abound. It can be a little somber on the wrong nights, with a half-empty dining room, but you can always check out the Futbol on the TV or practice your Spanish with the livery drivers on dinner break.
Mediterranean
Brick Cafe
30-95 33rd Street (N/W to 30th Ave.)
This charming corner spot sits surrounded by take-aways and plastic-chaired holes-in-the-wall. It’s a refreshing place to enjoy a nice meal, great for dates, especially in the softly-lit front dining room. The back dining area contains a large bar, and that’s the best reason to visit Brick Cafe. Have a nice glass of wine or a stiff scotch and take in the ambiance and surrounding crowds of young Astorians. Outdoor seating is plentiful during the warmer months and affords great people watching on the busy 31st Avenue corridor.
Spanish
El Boqueron
31-01 34th Avenue (N/W to Broadway)
Situated under the racket of the elevated subway tracks is this cozy Spanish tapas outpost. Tapas may have peaked in popularity some time ago, and restaurants serving “small plates” or mezze abound in any neighborhood. But it’s always a good idea to go to the source of the culinary craze, and in this case El Boqueron is a terrific place to sip Spanish wines and sherry and sample the many tastes of that sun-soaked country. The service and clientÃ?¨le are friendly enough and you really feel like you’re getting the “real thing” here, as opposed to the often put-on atmosphere of some of Manhattan’s Spanish outposts.
