The city’s most diverse borough abounds with terrific takeout and delivery options, from street cart to steakhouse.
1. The Queensboro
80-02 Northern Blvd., Jackson Heights; 929-296-0038
The Queensboro has been providing meals for frontline workers at nearby Elmhurst Hospital and helping to feed local families by working with grassroots charity Covid Care Network. The restaurant has adapted to the times by offering large-format family meals like pork shoulder pernil-style, chicken and waffles, rice-crusted fluke with watermelon curry, and chicken mole.
2. Addictive Bánh Mì
32-64 87th St., Jackson Heights; 718-255-6772
The most addictive bánh mì at Addictive Bánh Mì? The classic: ground pork, peppery pork-belly salami, Vietnamese meat loaf, chicken-liver pâté, and pickled veggies on a baguette with butter and mayo and, if you wish, spicy sauce. (Takeout and delivery via Grubhub and Uber Eats.)
3. Farine Baking Company
74-24 37th Ave., Jackson Heights; 718-433-9830
A recently streamlined menu focuses on sandwiches and burgers including El Chimi: chef Danny Ventura’s Dominican-inspired patty seasoned with adobo and topped with green tomato, grilled onion, and sautéed red cabbage on a sweet pan de agua roll.
4. Papa’s Kitchen
37-07 83rd St., Jackson Heights; 347-724-9586
“We thought of adding it to the menu at the height of the pandemic, when we were craving KFC and had to wait on line for hours,” Maribeth Roa says
of her restaurant’s Filipino-style fried chicken served with spicy banana ketchup. Get it with sides of Filipino coleslaw, sweet-potato fritters, and rice.
5. Antojitos Doña Fela
Roosevelt Ave. at 90th St., Jackson Heights; 646-280-6731
This Peruvian food cart now delivers and has expanded its weekend hours from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. for when that early-morning ceviche craving hits. The ceviche de pescado is superbly refreshing on a hot day. (Delivery to Corona, East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, Rego Park, and Woodside.)
6. Tortas Neza
96-15 Roosevelt Ave., Corona; 718-424-0999
Galdino Molinero, master of the overstuffed Mexico City–style sandwich, is back at his tiny window in front of a bar where he offers more than a dozen creations, each named for a Mexican football club. The champion is the gargantuan Pumas, which includes a chorizo omelet, deep-fried sausages, a fried chicken cutlet, avocado, and a fistful of quesillo cheese, among other things. (Takeout only.)
7. Khao Nom
42-06 77th St., Elmhurst; 929-208-0108
This Little Bangkok eatery has added several $10 prepackaged meals to its menu, including khao man gai — steamed chicken with a gingery sauce — and nam kra duk moo, garlicky fermented ribs with sticky rice.
8. Leo’s Latticini
46-02 104th St., Corona; 718-898-6069
The shop’s stand at Citi Field is closed for now, but Irene DeBenedittis and her crew continue to sell hero sandwiches at the Corona store, albeit in a contactless fashion that seems at odds with the shop’s old-school Italian-American vibe. Get the Mama’s special—Genoa salami, pepper ham, and creamy white mozzarella—and say “yes” when asked if you want marinated mushrooms and peppers. (Takeout only.)
9. M. Wells Steakhouse
43-15 Crescent St., Long Island City; 718-786-9060
The M stands for magasin, French for “store,” a nod to the fact that chef Hugue Dufour and his wife, Sarah Obraitis, once envisioned their restaurant as a trading post, which is exactly what it’s become during the pandemic. Weekly rotating offerings have included everything from bake-at-home croissants to a 4.5-pound muffuletta for six.
10. Indonesian Food Bazaar
Order by 11 a.m. Tuesday via WhatsApp or by texting 347-615-2003
Elmhurst’s bustling monthly Indonesian Food Bazaar is on hiatus, but organizer Fefe Anggono has pivoted to a service that delivers dishes like West Javanese cumi cabe ijo, briny baby squid with ginger and chiles, citywide. (The weekly menu is posted Friday at facebook.com/IndonesiaFoodBazaar/ for Wednesday delivery; order by 11 a.m. Tuesday via WhatsApp or by texting 347-615-2003.)
*This article appears in the June 22, 2020, issue of New York Magazine. Subscribe Now!
