Searching for the best Jackson Heights restaurants to dine at? We’ve got you covered!
Over the decade, Jackson Heights has blown up into a cultural enclave in terms of food, offering a diverse variety of cuisines. The highlight – you can find some of the most sanely priced restaurants in NYC right here in Jackson Heights.
Quick Recommendations: Our top 2 recommendations are Angel and Buddha Asian. Enjoy!
What more can you ask for? Check out our list of the best restaurants in Jackson Heights.
1. Angel
Featuring a small menu, Angel is an Indian restaurant where the vegetarian food demonstrates how good meatless and vegan dishes can be, served in a compact, family-friendly space with minimal decor.
Start with Chef Amrit’s famous Paneer Tikka. Paneer is Indian cottage cheese, which comes with a subtle marination, and is grilled perfectly to retain its fluffiness.
The Dahi Batata Puri will transport you straight to the streets of north India with the potato-filled puris drenched in yogurt and the most flavorful tamarind mint chutney.
You CANNOT miss the chef’s signature Dum Biryani. Available vegetable, chicken, and goat versions, this dish is likely to put you in a food coma, AND you’d still want more!
But, if you’re leaning towards Naan or Kulcha, our advice is to get the Paneer Khurchan. This dark and fiery curry with paneer, tomatoes, and peppers would be the perfect sauce to dip your bread into.
How can you finish an Indian meal without dessert? Yes, we know Gulab Jamun is enticing; but, we suggest that you try the Suji Halwa.
What to order: Paneer Tikka, Dahi Batata Puri, Dum Biryani, Paneer Khurchan, Suji Halwa
Address: 74-14 37th Road, Jackson Heights, NY 11372
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2. Buddha Asian
Delicious food and friendly service – that pretty much sums up your dining experience at Buddha Asian, an Asian fusion restaurant in Queens. With simple, Asian-inspired decor, the restaurant is ideal for family dinners and get-togethers with friends.
One of the most popular dishes here is Drunken Noodle. This is broad noodle tossed with veggies and eggs in a spicy sauce, and adding a meat of your choice to the noodle will leave you very satisfied.
A Chinese fusion dish, Peking Pork Chop, is quite irresistible with the juicy pork in a sweet and sour sauce.
Don’t miss the Tempura Ice Cream. This is Buddha Asian’s version of fried ice cream, and tastes impressive.
What to order: Drunken Noodle, Peking Pork Chop, Pad Thai, Tempura Ice Cream
Address: 37-09 83rd Street, Jackson Heights, NY 11372
3. Arepa Lady
Serving people’s summer night cravings since 1990, Arepa Lady started as a food cart, and is now one of the go-to places in Jackson Heights for South American comfort food. The place is casual and homey, and the outdoor seating is the perfect spot to devour their popular arepas during summer.
To get a clear idea of the kind of arepas you can have here, taste the Mixed Arepa de Queso first. Filled with melted mozzarella, this arepa is thick, sweet, pillowy, and lush; one bite into this pillowy goodness, you’d want to try all the different variants they offer. And it’s gluten-free!
Arepa de Choclo is an equally good variant. This one is made from corn, is thinner, and comes folded with your choice of filling.
What to order: Mixed Arepa de Queso, Arepa de Choclo, Chicharron Arepa Rellena, Passion Fruit Sangria
Address: 7717 37th Avenue, Jackson Heights, NY 11372
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4. The Queensboro
Established in 2018, this relatively new Jackson Heights spot is popularly known as “A Community Restaurant” for its effort to support the locals and local businesses. The rustic-chic decor, vast space, and great American food make The Queensboro ideal for large family gatherings.
Available for dinner, their Garlic Clam Bread has quite a following. Dancing on a fresh, toasted, buttery, and garlicky bread are chopped clams, and finished with parmesan cheese, this appetiser is a perfect ratio of soft and crispy.
The Supreme pizza, loaded with veggies and different meats, is fresh, flavorful, and super yummy.
If you’re there for weekend brunch, you should start with the Ricotta Fritters, which are fried ricotta donuts dusted with cinnamon sugar. The inside is soft, and they get the right level of sweetness from the cinnamon sugar dusting – so good!
What to order: Garlic Clam Bread, Supreme pizza, Ricotta Fritters, Buttermilk Pancakes
Address: 80-02 Northern Boulevard, Jackson Heights, NY 11372
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5. El Toum
El Toum is a quaint little spot that serves authentic Lebanese cuisine in a pleasing atmosphere. Remember to say “hi” to the super personable owner, and enjoy fresh and flavorful food, with lots of vegetarian options as well.
There’s no better way to start your Middle Eastern meal at El Toum than with the El Toum Appetiser. This is a mix plate of all of the restaurant’s popular starters – hummus, tabouli, baba ganoush, falafel, and pita bread – an assortment that’ll get you excited for the meal that follows.
Loaded with fresh herbs and spices, the beef Kofta is juicy, flavor-packed, and a constant hit.
The Chicken Shawarma and Lamb Shawarma come with thin slices of perfectly roasted, tender, and flavorsome meat, and taste AMAZING with the creamy and bold toum sauce.
What to order: El Toum Appetiser, Kofta, Chicken Shawarma, Lamb Shawarma, Mint Lemonade
Address: 35-62 76th Street, Queens, NY 11372
6. Birria-Landia
Known to be responsible for creating a wave for birria tacos all across NYC, Birria-Landia is Jackson Heights’ favorite taco truck, serving mouthwatering food. You can almost always find a long line here, so be prepared to wait.
The menu here is extremely short, and Birria, the authentic Tijuana-style filling that put the food truck on the map, is the foundation of all the items on the menu.
Yes, you HAVE TO get the Tacos first. The flavorful and succulent birria filled tacos become richer when dipped in the birria broth (Consomé), and together, they create a flavor bomb in your mouth.
These are most definitely one of the best tacos you can find in NYC!
Birria-Landia’s Mulitas are meaty and cheesy, and are basically quesadillas on steroids!
What to order: Tacos, Consomé, Mulitas, Tostadas
Address: 77-99 Roosevelt Avenue, Queens, NY 11372
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7. Mustang Thakali Kitchen
A small place on 37th Avenue, Mustang Thakali Kitchen is an Indian/Tibetan restaurant known for its elaborate “thalis” and reasonable pricing. This place is perfect for a casual sit-down meal with friends.
Served with rice, vegetable curry, dal (lentil soup), pickle, curd, and your choice of protein (mutton curry, chicken curry, or fish curry), the Thali Set is Indian home cooking at its best. We urge you to try the mutton thali, it’s finger-licking good!
Chicken Momos, savory Nepali-style dumplings, are light and taste fantastic with the thin skin and juicy and well-seasoned minced chicken filling. The spicy chutney you get on the side takes the flavor up a notch.
The Veggie Momos also steal the show with the crunchy vegetable medley filling.
What to order: Mutton Thali Set, Chicken Momos, Veggie Momos, Mango Lassi
Address: 74-14 37th Avenue, Queens, NY 11372
8. Uncle Peter’s
Food at Uncle Peter’s is drawn from the cuisines of Italy, Argentina, and Spain, but Italian dishes tend to be more prominent on the menu. The eatery features a relaxing vibe, and is an excellent choice to enjoy good food with your favorite people.
The golden, crispy, and tangy Goat Cheese Fritters served with sweet truffle honey make an enjoyable appetizer.
After you devour the rich and creamy classic Fettuccine Alfredo, which tastes even better with the extra addition of bacon, go with the buttery and delicious Branzino Piccata.
The fried lemon pepper potatoes you get with the fish are in a league of their own!
What to order: Goat Cheese Fritters, Fettuccine Alfredo, Branzino Piccata, Lychee Martini
Address: 83-15 Northern Boulevard, Jackson Heights, NY 11372
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9. Playground
Playground – if the name makes you think of it as a kid-friendly restaurant, you are wrong!
This is a Thai restaurant cum bar serving authentic and unique dishes, some of which can be rarely found in the city. The place is dark and narrow, and would be a good choice for dinner with friends.
Playground serves some hearty soups like the Spicy Pork Spare Rib Soup & Tamarind. The slowly simmered pork spare rib is melt-in-the-mouth succulent, and the broth is spicy, aromatic, and soul-soothing.
The Grilled Jumbo Shrimps are nice and plump, come cooked to perfection, and taste divine dipped into the hot and spicy Thai sauce.
Spicy and savory, the Green Curry tastes absolutely yummy with jasmine rice.
What to order: Spicy Pork Spare Rib Soup & Tamarind, Grilled Jumbo Shrimps, Green Curry, Ice Crush with Mixed Sweet Thai Jelly
Address: 71-30 Roosevelt Avenue, Queens, NY 11372
10. Armondo’s Italian Restaurant
Located just minutes away from Manhattan, Armondo’s takes pride in offering fine Northern Italian cuisine in the historic Jackson heights. Enjoy extraordinary Italian food and fine wine in a warm and casual setting on a romantic date or with your friends and family.
As you go through the menu while nibbling on the complementary bread and bruschetta, the Chicken Marsala is likely to intrigue you. Golden crispy chicken drenched in rich and creamy marsala sauce is a beautiful mix of comforting and luxurious flavors and textures.
The Eggplant Parmigiana comes to the table bubbly, and the crispy, cheesy goodness makes you understand why the simple casserole dish is so popular.
For dessert, try the Tartufo instead of Tiramisu. This dome-shaped dessert has multiple layers of ice cream covering a cherry inside, and covered in a hard chocolate shell.
What to order: Chicken Marsala, Eggplant Parmigiana, Tartufo
Address: 73-16 Northern Blvd, Jackson Heights, NY 11372
Looking for the best restaurants in Brooklyn? Fret not, we have the ultimate list for you to check out.