Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Top Five Takeout Foods in Forest Hills

Hey, I, like many others, love to have a delicious home-cooked meal every so often. Nothing can really beat that (I just had one last night). But let's face it. We're New Yorkers, and many of us just don't have the time to sit down to such a quality home-cooked meal very often.

So, the fact is, takeout is an essential necessity to survival in the Big Apple. Unfortunately for us Forest Hills remains quite challenged when it comes to takeout options. It's like we've been left behind while the rest of the city has continued around us. While our sit-down dining options have vastly improved, not so much takeout. It's not that our takeout isn't good, it's simply virtually non-existent when it comes to high quality options.

 But there are some excellent options, if you know where to find them.

Thus here are my choices for the Top Five Takeout Foods in our 'hood that you can quickly grab and go. These are not desserts, mind you. Those I may do in another post given how many new dessert places have opened here in the past year.

These are ranked in order with one being the best:

1. Chicken tacos from the Mexican Cart in front of Citibank on 71st Continental Ave. - It's saying a lot, I think, that the best Mexican takeout food in Forest Hills can be found at a food cart. But that is the rather sad state of affairs when it comes to our options in FoHi. You'd think by now someone would have figured out that there's a huuuuge demand for a takeout Mexican food place somewhere around Austin St.
Geez, the amazing 5 Burro Cafe is packed past midnight on weeknights! (I should note here that I used to be a huge fan of Chipotle, but, sadly, I haven't been back since the chain's recent problems. Just seems to me if you're a restaurant chain, you have one purpose: to serve safe, quality food to your customers.)

Some of La Boulangerie's grab-and-go selections
2. Pastrami Sandwich from La Boulangerie - Everything comes together just right for this excellent sandwich at our lovely French eatery, just off of Austin Street. They'll make it for you either warmed up so the cheese melts a bit, but I prefer it cold. Either way, you'll love it.

3. Shake Shack Burger - Well, pretty much anything from Shake Shack is great. That's a given. Shake Shack is rapidly becoming a staple New York City eatery - they're opening all over the place - but since they just opened here they do deserve to be pointed out as filling that huge need Forest Hills has for excellent, higher quality food to go. And their options go beyond just the burgers. If you want a hot dog, they've got that too.

4. Chicken Salad Hero from Mr. Vino's Cucina - Well, they've got the chicken salad in their display case, always kept very nicely chilled. And I think it's excellent - not too overly flavored, just nice and mayonnaisey with a hint of some light spices. Grab one of their breads from the front counter and they'll make it up to your liking. Nice, fast and always good quality.

5. A falafel from Pahal Zan - They've been around the longest of any of these others places on my list. This is not the greatest falafel I've ever consumed (that'll be pretty much any place I've eaten in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem) but, hey, it's what we have here, and that's what matters. They will, of course, fix it up just the way you want it. I'd suggest having them add the egg plant and all the other fixin's.

So, there you have my choices. You'll note some seemingly no-brainer takeout cuisines are sorely missing from this list. Chinese food? Hello? There are some, but they're really not that great to merit being put up here. Pizza? There are some good ones, but they just don't make my list this year for those in the Central FoHi area around Austin.

If a great make-your-own salad joint moved into the 'hood that might be a no-brainer and probably shoot up to the top of the list pretty quickly, by the way.

Let's revisit this topic a year from now and see if much has changed. It will be a good barometer of how the neighborhood continues to evolve as younger and younger residents move in, appalled as they are by the millionaire lifestyles of the rich and famous that populate our more slender borough to the west.


36 comments:

  1. I guess I'm a little confused about this. Pretty much every restaurant in Forest Hills does "to go." And most of those are for "while you wait." Are you only talking about places that do not offer waiter service?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Take 5 Burros as an example. I would take out from them every week -- they do offer it and their food is spectacular -- that is, if I wanted to wait crammed in amongst a restaurant packed to the gills with diners and bargoers. It is not set up as a takeout food place. Shake Shack, however, is. It has more than enough space to wait for your food. And the takeout is pretty quick. It's designed for takeout food. Certain places just are designed to make it easy and inviting for you to take the food out. All the ones on my list are...

      Delete
    2. I will probably take a lot of flak for this but I don't get why people are so enamored with 5 Burros. I have dined in once and done takeout probably 4 times and it definitely falls into the "good, for Forest Hills..." category for me. Not spectacular or amazing and not worth a long wait for a table. It's alright.

      Delete
  2. Great Wall and Grand Sichuan are pretty good (Americany) Chinese options.

    Don't forget about Nick's Pizza (yeah, you need a whole pie though...)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nick's pizza is amazing! I'm so sorry I didn't discover them until recently! Great service, too. Everyone who works there is incredibly polite and friendly.

      Delete
  3. This comment was accidentally deleted, so I'm adding it back:

    Amy in QueensAugust 24, 2016 at 11:22 AM

    For me, Sushi Time is one of my top choices for takeout.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Gloria's is hands down the best NY style pizza in FoHi. The Chinese food options suck. The closest non-"Americany" place we have is East Ocean Palace. Excited for The Bund though - just wish it was closer. on Top Five Takeout Foods in Forest Hills

    ReplyDelete
  5. I would add Ivan's Empanada Truck and also Violets Bake Shop for Vietnamese sandwiches.

    ReplyDelete
  6. BareBurger also a great option, if you call in your order ahead it will be ready when you get there. Also love the duck breast sandwich at Boulangerie.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I've actually been pretty happy with the salad counter at Natural. Plus they give you a delicious baguette to go with it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Replies
    1. No, there are 6. One of them is written in invisible ink

      Delete
    2. The invisible ink Chrome plug-in must be installed in order to view.

      Delete
  9. I like Chipotle, and feel the issues they had last year are mostly overblown. I know I am the exception, but that could happen to any restaurant. If anything, their desire to be organic and local is what bit them in the ass.

    But hey - no lines for me is always a positive :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Not just the pastrami sandwich at La Boulangerie, but really everything is phenomenal! The chicken sandwich, croque monsieur, beef lentil soup, everything really.., and they just started serving crepes full time now, such a gem!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Maybe it's considered "lowbrow", but I would definitely put Boston Market high on my list of takeout joints. Though it's a little pricey (for me), I'll get some fried shrimp or soft shelled crabs from the Fishery on Austin to augment my homemade dinners. As for pizza, while Nick's is charming, I have to go with A&J for greasy satisfaction (and a larger menu).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Totally agree on Boston Market AND A&J pizza. If you took the food from Boston Market and put it in a new store with a cool name, reclaimed wood and exposed brick on the walls, and "farm to table" signs everywhere, people would rave about it.

      As for A&J, thats definitely the best pizza in the "nabe" IMO

      Delete
    2. A&J is fantastic and 9 times out of ten, if I'm craving pizza, they're the ones I tend to go for.

      Delete
    3. Why do people sweat A&J so much... I think it's nostalgia; the place is neither interesting nor very good...

      Goto Best Pizza in Williamsburg to understand what a good slice truly is...stop trying to recapture a past that wasn't as golden as you remember...we all just had bad taste.

      Delete
    4. I really like A&J's, but this is pretty much exactly how I feel about Gloria's. I don't understand the hype. Their crust always seems so limp and bland. Almost soggy.

      Delete
    5. 1. I dont need my pizza places to be interesting.

      2. I'm not traveling to Williamsburg for a slice.

      3. No one is trying to "recapture our past" via food. We just want a quick bite to eat

      4. Im glad we arent friends.

      Delete
    6. Primadonna pizza near the 67th Avenue subway stop is amazing. Great buffalo chicken pizza as well as their veggie supreme slice! I avoid A&J - it tastes like pizza from a mall. If I'm in a mood for something "artisanal", I'd go to Astoria. No need to visit Brooklyn.

      Delete
  12. Sushi Time is awesome. Also love Nick's, the Vietnamese sandwiches at Violet's, Shake Shack, and La Boulangerie.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Tokyo Teriyaki is pretty great.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I second the Boston Market sentiments. It's affordable, good quality and fairly quick service. We should be glad we have it here and I am one of the people on here who also goes to the more expensive places too, but Boston Market shouldn't be overlooked. Anderson Cooper used to eat it everyday, so how bad could it be? :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Everything is there is over-salted, as most things from chains are. The chicken is salty, the sides are salty. I'll eat it when nothing else is available, but it's just a higher grade of KFC.

      Delete
  15. Everyone needs to head down QB to Cippolina -- great sandwiches, salads and more....not to mention the coffee! Family owned small business.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I enjoy Cipollina. They may seem a bit pricey at first, but the quality is top notch and very authentic too. The owners are so nice and welcoming also. The location is their drawback as this section of town definitely has less foot traffic.

      Delete
  16. Know it was already mentioned, but Ivsns Empanadas Truck is a great addition for food-on-the-go and the price is right

    ReplyDelete
  17. Surprised no one has mentioned El Pollo Inka on QB. Their chicken and chicken tamales with their green sauce are great. Also Fuji Sushi and King Garden for Chinese on QB are another two of our go-to places for takeout.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Primadonna Pizza at 67th Avenue (by the R train stop) has great buffalo chicken pizza, veggie and caesar salad chicken slices. Their prices are great. I pick up a few slices on the way home, so convenient and delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Ordered from Gloria's once and it was very greasy and oily. It's a bit of a trip but Dani's Pizza in Kew Gardens on Lefferts is my go to pizza place. For (American) Chinese, I order from Mr. Tong's on Queens Blvd in Rego Park. The owner used to be a part owner of Tung Shing House, which used to be on Queens Blvd near Yellowstone where the Bank of America mortgage office is now back in the day (next to Key Food, formerly Waldbaums).

    ReplyDelete
  20. Violet's: y'all need to try the new cold noodle salad. Great alternative when you're not in the mood for a Bahn Mi.

    ReplyDelete
  21. For pizza, Dante's on Metropolitan.

    ReplyDelete
  22. For Chinese delivery it's Red House on Yellowstone, hands down. For Pizza delivery it's Dante's on Metropolitan. I agree with those who feel that 5 Burro is good for FH but it's nothing special. We need more good food in the neighborhood not more banks and hair salons!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Completely agree about Red House. I think I discovered them around 2008 or 2009, and I've never looked back.

      Delete