Queens is often referred to as “The World’s Borough”. It’s one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse places in the world with over 100 nationalities represented and a whopping 360 different languages and dialects spoken. From Sunnyside to Astoria to Jackson Heights to Flushing, we’ve done many a Queens food crawl. But if you want a taste of Queens in one convenient locale, look no further than the Queens Night Market.
The Queens Night Market is a Saturday evening (4pm-12am) affair that runs Spring-Fall. There are live performances, artisans selling various wares, and anywhere from 70-100 different food vendors depending on when you go. You can try dishes from West Africa, Cambodia, the Caribbean, Iran, Tibet, and the Philippines… just to name a few. And the best part?
It’s a Frugal Foodies paradise, so we went with empty bellies and plenty of cash.
We started out with a roujiamo, AKA a Chinese hamburger, from Amo Crispy Burger. This dish starts with a super crispy, layered flatbread that’s filled with chopped meat and spices. It’s a dish that’s been around for over 2,000 years, and it’s traditionally made with pork belly. We opted for the chicken, which was fairly tender and juicy. The flatbread itself was a bit dry and I regret not asking for a solid squirt of sriracha. However, it was fun to try and pushed the hanger away so we could make rational foodie decisions from there on out.
Next, we snagged a beef meat pie from Soronko for $6. The pastry itself was ultra buttery and flakey, and the beef filling had a nice zing of spice. I do wish it had double (maybe triple) the amount of filling, as it was mostly pastry.
By 5:30pm, long lines were starting to form outside popular stalls. Congo’s Grill by Kizzie was one such stall, and we decided to bite the bullet and wait. We got the curry crab and dumplings ($5) and doubles ($4).
Curry crab and dumplings is a classic dish from Trinidad and Tobago that features crabs cooked in a rich coconut curry served on top of boiled cassava dumplings to soak up the sauce. I enjoyed the slightly sweet, slightly spicy sauce, but admittedly had a tough time getting to the crab meat. The doubles made the wait worthwhile. It had two pieces of fluffy, fried flat bread (bara) that were filled with a sweet, spicy, tangy chickpea curry. Messy, but so darn tasty.
For our fourth and final stop at the Queens Night Market, we went to Saltfish Shack. We started with the taste of Barbados combo for $6 which came with 2 fish cakes and 1 bake. The fishcakes had a lovely chew and didn’t taste “fishy” at all. They had a subtle spice to them which complemented the sweet and tangy tamarind sauce perfectly. The “bake” was a fluffy, sweet fried dough that came with a healthy drizzle of a caramelized rum sauce. These were my favorite bites of the night and I’d certainly go back!
We also got a piece of the macaroni pie. It was cheesy and noodly with a decent crust to it and tasted like proper home cooking. (Which means I could make it at home… so I wouldn’t get it again.)
Most food markets in NYC are far from frugal, and many have the same exact vendors. The Queens Night Market has totally unique stalls serving up exciting dishes with plenty of options I bet you’ve never tried. The $6 price cap is the cherry on top….
Pro-tip: go early to avoid lines!
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