Recommended Area Restaurants

Updated February 26, 2023

• 5 Burro Cafe One of the best restaurants in Forest Hills with nachos that are sublime, just for starters. Everything here is phenomenal. In the mood for some lighter Mexican fare? Try their grilled chicken salad -- quite excellent!
• Aged Forest Hills' upscale steakhouse on the neighborhood's popular Restaurant Row.  Also has one of the best brunches in town on the weekends.
• Austin House Diner Reliably good diner food. I'd pick it as the best diner in the Forest Hills area. I usually have just the basics - sandwiches, salads, etc.
• Bangkok Cuisine Excellent Thai food. A beautiful place, great, friendly service and terrific food – what more could you ask for?
• Bareburger Healthier burger fare that has rapidly become kind of a New York staple. They are constantly working hard at their menu, always mixing it up and trying new things. A fun place for the whole family, and you won't feel guilty! What's not to like? 
• Cabana I stumbled upon Cabana's stall at a Forest Hills street fair. I immediately fell in love with their beef and chicken empanadas and their rice and beans. These were so exceptional, I just had to add the place to this page -- without having actually eaten at their Restaurant Row restaurant. That's an oversight I will correct asap. 
• The Cottage Bar Restaurant Formerly The famed Irish Cottage, it reopened during the pandemic with new management. I've only tried a couple of things but they were great - and they now offer delivery. 
• El Pollo Inka Peru This Peruvian restaurant on Queens Blvd. serves some of the best chicken, rice and beans you can find in the area. And, by the way, their avocado salad is simple, yet sublime. 
• Dani's House of Pizza This local Kew Gardens favorite has quite possibly the best pizza you will eat anywhere on God's Green Earth. What else can I say?
• Dee's Awesome pizza, pasta and everything else Italian. Always crowded and lively, one of the best overall family restaurants on Metropolitan Ave.
• Gotta Getta Bagel The best place to go for bagels and all the fixings in Forest Hills. 
• Jade Eatery & Lounge Indo – Asian food in a stylish, chic setting. One of the coolest-looking restaurants in Forest Hills. Also has outdoor seating overlooking lovely Station Square!
• King Wok Kitchen Looks like your standard Chinese food takeout place, but everything I've had from this tiny place on Ascan is just excellent. My always reliable go-to place for delivery or takeout Chinese food here in Forest Hills.  
• La Boulangerie A touch of France in Forest Hills. An authentic French bakery/cafe with all the touches you'd expect, from the wooden communal table, to excellent coffee, breads and croissants. And you can watch the bread being baked through glass windows as you soak in all the French ambiance. They also expanded into preparing some excellent sandwiches crepes and salads as well. Magnifique!
• Martha's Country Bakery  Loud and bustling (pre-pandemic) extremely indulgent and high caloric :) NYC bakery offering cupcakes galore and every cake on Earth. 
• Memories of Shanghai Awesome dim sum offerings for those wanting a more authentic take on Chinese food. Their menu recently expanded with a move to a bigger space on Austin St.
• Moca Asian Bistro I recommend you try their boneless B.B.Q spare ribs – sensational! According to the menu, they are marinated & prepared for over 24 hours. And it shows.
• Nick's Pizza To-die-for pizza. One of the best pizza places in the city, simple as that. And guess what? They now deliver. Would you believe it??

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  OBA Mediterranean Gyro & Grill 

• OBA Mediterranean Gyro & Grill Recently opened grill in an inviting, open space at the corner of Forest Hills' famous Restaurant Row (70th Road) and Austin Street. 
• Pahal Zan Looks like a hole-in-the-wall but don’t be fooled – terrific falafel and Israeli food. And friendly service to boot.
• Pizza Classica I debated whether to include Pizza Classica on the list. Their all-encompassing Italian menu is simply sublime. But, why in the world do they not deliver to anyone north of Queens Blvd.? It's an old-school gem, with an old-school delivery attitude to boot! Just an editorial note: Many of us don't own cars in Forest Hills. Expand your delivery --- Please!
• Portofino One of the oldest Italian restaurants in Forest Hills. Their general offerings are just ok, especially compared with some of the newer places in town. I still like their pizza, though. 
• Red Pipe Organic Cafe One of Forest Hills' two independent coffee shops, located smack dab in the middle of bustling Austin Street. Last I checked they also had a wide selection of veggie-based food offerings.
• Station House  Sensational bar, which also happens to have some of the best food in Forest Hills. Located on 71st/Continental Ave. across from the Long Island Railroad Station entrance. They recently started offering delivery during the pandemic.
• Tuscan Hills Probably the best Italian restaurants in Forest Hills. And they recently moved closer to central Forest Hills, now right around the corner from Ascan on Queens Blvd. 

Kevin kevinmahony22@gmail.com 2010/08/31 at 4:20 PM

1. Dee’s
   
2. Jade
   
3. Dirty Pierre’s
   
4. Danny Browns
   
5. Alberto’s
   

Other considerations:

• Diners – Do Jewish people really live in Forest Hills? We need some diners that don’t double as a Board of Health teaching facility.
  
• Pizzeria – I love brick oven pizza, but once in a while you need a good Brooklyn style Neapolitan Pizza. AJ’s is great by the slice, but as a pie doesn’t travel well. Other slice places on/near Austin are horrible. Mazarro on Metropolitan is good.
  
• Steak – I’ve eaten at AGED about five times, the food and service is good. But, for their prices, get in the car and go to Peter Luger for an experience.
  
• Fish – London Lennie’s. I wish this was my restaurant.
  
  
  
  
  Susan
  susannyny@gmail.com
  2010/08/28 at 4:09 PM
  My top places to eat in Forest Hills include:
  
  1. Sushi Yasu (71-45 Yellowstone Blvd). Hands down the best sushi in the neighborhood and it beats out most sushi places I’ve eaten at in general. Fish is extremely fresh and well prepared. Service can be slow but you can leave very well satisfied for < $30.
     
  2. Dirty Pierre (15 Continental Ave). A truly FABULOUS burger and fries. Another local neighborhood joint that I find on par if not better with many of the well reviewed burger places in NYC.
     
  3. Tuscan Hills (115-20 Queens Blvd). Finally, really good Italian food in Forest Hills. Service is fabulous and the owner, Roberto, is a gem. I'm a big fan of their pizza (makes for a great appetizer for two) but truth is, I've yet to be disappointed with any of the dishes, including those on the brunch menu (how come there aren't more places to enjoy a good brunch in Forest Hills?)
     
  4. Danny Browns (104-02 Metropolitan Ave). We need more wine bars with fabulous food in Forest Hills. I love the cured meats & cheese platters and they make a mean steak frites for a very reasonable $25. I still need to try DBs Brunch.
     
  5. 5 Burro (72-05 Austin St Queens). Down and dirty tex mex that is still a good value for the money. You also can't beat the margarita's.
     
  6. Forest Hills Diner (68-60 Austin St). I wish more people would take the trek down Austin street to eat at this place (versus Austin diner, which has more health violations than I care to think about). The owners are lovely and the food is leaps and bounds better than the other diners in the neighborhood.
     
  7. Hot Bialy's and Bagels (116-63 Queens Boulevard). Real, fabulous New York bialy's and bagels. Enough said.
  I also want to add, for those of you who are willing to take a short subway ride to LIC, you won't be disappointed with the Rudar Club (34-01 45th Street). This is an Istrian restaurant that I find myself going back to time and time again. The service is gracious, the food is rustic, Istrian home cooking and the price point makes you feel as if you're under-paying for all the food you are served!
  
  Anonymous
  2010/08/27 at 12:34 AM
  Has anyone tried Wafa on 72nd Ave off Metropolitan Ave? They have authentic Mediterranean food and their Falafels are out of this world. They do deliver!
  
  JCA
  godmothersupreme@yahoo.com
  2010/08/27 at 8:03 AM
  Wafa is excellent and sooo fresh!
  
  
  
  JCA
  godmothersupreme@yahoo.com
  2010/08/22 at 12:25 PM
  My top haunts (as a family and also a couple):
  
  
  1. 5 Burros on Austin St – aMAZing Margaritas, great Mexican food, fab juke box. It can get VER-y crowded and wait time is ri-DIC-ulous after 7 PM but that just proves how popular a place it is. I can sit at the bar and nurse a Margarita for hours…
     
  2. Bonfire Grill on Austin St – great food and great drink menu. Simple as that!
     
  3. Cheeburger! Cheeburger! on Qns Blvd – great for taking daughter and her friends. Multiple owners and as 1 or 2 are always there working, the service is terrific. Wednesday night is FREE face-painting and balloon art. (These 2 artists are just that: artistes! I have hired them for events.) If you’re hungry and don’t have kids with you, the wait time for a Wed night table is not worth it. Families camp out while waiting for their freebies.
     
  4. Bangkok Cuisine in Forest Hills Station – top notch adult dining. Pricey so not great for bringing kids but great for impressing your Manhattanite friends who dare(!) to pooh-pooh living outside of their island.
     
  5. A.J.’s Pizza on Austin St – good, quick slice-aria. Big screen T.V.s keep you entertained if you need to be.
     
  
  
  Wayno2424
  2010/07/15 at 1:34 PM
  Top Five Forest Hills Restaurants
  
  1. Dee’s — The menu looks like a diner menu at times but damn if Dee know’s how to make all of em good good good!
     
  2. Nick’s Pizza — Best pizza in Fohi, some of the best in NYC.
     
  3. Danny Brown’s — great wine list, great service, great food. The cheese/meat boards are nothing to write home about but the entrees are fannnnntastic.
     
  4. Cabana — Some of the best latin infused food in NYC
     
  5. Dirty Pierre’s — Best Pub food in Fohi and sometimes thats all I want
     
  Honorable Mention Da Silvana, Il Poeta, Alberto’s, Cheeburger, Five Guys, 5 Burro, Forest Hills Diner (so much better than Tower)