A Day In Flushing

If I have a free day – no appointments, chores, or obligations – I’ll probably spend it eating my way through Flushing. In north-central Queens, Flushing is the largest of New York City’s nine Chinatowns. It is bustling, crowded, and chaotic, a dazzling thrill. And I’d wager there’s more good food per square foot in downtown Flushing than anywhere else in the country. It’s well worth a trip with a group of friends for food you will never forget.

Some may be interested in cultural aspects of the surrounding neighborhoods – the Queens Botanical Garden, the Queens Museum, the Queens Hall of Science, among others – yet there are so many options to eat, that a food tour is enough to fill my day.

To execute a trip, it helps to do some planning, all while maintaining the flexibility to explore. I have listed my favorite spots with food selections and descriptions below. Before you visit my preferred locations or find your own, there are some things you should know.

• These are my recommendations, based on my preferences. I am focused on “street food” and strive to try as many different tastes as I can in one day. That precludes me from visiting sit-down restaurants, getting a big bowl of noodle soup, or a large main dish. If that’s what you want, Flushing will have it. There’s no doubt that many of the sit-down restaurants I have never set foot in are excellent.
• Get out of your comfort zone. Venture into a small mall or food court with many stalls and try something new. There are a million food possibilities – just walk in, point, and spend a few dollars – sometimes you’ll discover something great, sometimes you will be disappointed. It’s only a few bucks.
• Ask questions. In my experience, the owners of each stand will be happy to help you.
• My recommendations are heavy on meat and carbs and not a lot of vegetables. Not ideal, but it’s one day. You can always order a vegetable dish, get vegetable skewers, or have a salad for dinner that night when you get home if you’re still hungry.
• Visit with friends. A bigger group means sharing and being able to try more items.
• Bring scissors or a pocketknife to help cut food to make it easier to share.
• Bring wipes or hand sanitizer.
• There may be many restaurants each preparing their version of the same dish. For example, you can find several places offering traditional dim sum for takeout or Cantonese roast meats, and many locations sell a version of a delicious minced braised pork or lamb “burger.” There also may be a number of outdoor carts selling tasty skewered and grilled meats. When I have a preferred location – because it’s the best I’ve found, it’s convenient, or it’s just the one I’ve always gone to – I provide it. However, others may be just as good.
• Cash is king. Bring plenty, preferably small bills. You can use cards at some places, but many are cash only.
• Food stands and restaurants come and go. Although you may be disappointed if one you love is no longer there, be ready to discover something new that was not there on your last visit.
• This food crawl is not for everyone. Vegetarians can make it work with some effort, however if you’re gluten free it will be very difficult. (Soy sauce contains gluten and most items have at least a little soy sauce in them.) Parts of Flushing can be gritty, which I love, but not everyone will. And let’s just say you never know what interesting things you may see.
• I have left items off my list. For example, I have not included restaurants serving pan fried or steamed dumplings, as I have not found a version I love since the Tianjin in the old Golden Shopping Mall closed and was renovated (although I’ve heard there are offshoots). There are other dumpling restaurants waiting to be discovered.
• There are lots of interesting things to check out other than food. For example, I usually stop at one of two different restaurant supply stores. Take your time and explore.

• Plan a second trip. You will almost certainly get too full to try everything and there’s always next time.
• Take a nap when you get home and don’t have big plans for dinner.

You can get to downtown Flushing on the Long Island Railroad Port Washington line or take the 7 train. I come in from Long Island and often return home with bags of groceries, so I drive. My preferred parking is a large outdoor lot on 138th St. between 39th and 37th Aves., which is where I start my tour, however there are other places to park as well.

Xile BBQ – corner of 138th St. and 39th Ave. – a street cart for grilled, skewered meat – my go to is lamb kebab (bite-size bits of salty, fatty meat), but there are many other choices – when they ask if you like it spicy, say yes – it’s not very hot, and adds great flavor – sometimes this cart is there, sometimes not – you are likely to find other similar bbq carts scattered around this route, and if not you can always try Kwafood for fried skewers (see below)

Dim Sum Garden Express – 136-55 Roosevelt Ave. – a takeout spot for traditional dim sum – I rarely stop here because I prefer sit-down dim sum where they roll selections to each table on carts and because there are so many other bites I want to try – nevertheless if this is your thing, then by all means, try it

?? – 136-55 Roosevelt Ave. – if you’re at the counter of Dim Sum Garden Express turn around 180 degrees to get a pork or lamb “burger” – succulent braised meat in a split warmed bun – and I recommend the chopped fresh hot pepper if you are asked – there are numerous other spots to get a similar “burger” in Flushing

Joe’s Steam Rice Roll – Landmark Quest Mall – 136-21 Roosevelt Ave. # A1 – Joe’s has become well known for its stuffed Cantonese rice rolls and now has locations in other New York neighborhoods – choose your filling and wait as they prepare it for you, which can take up to a half hour if they are busy (while you are waiting get a bun from Yukun Shaobing next door – see below) – watch the process, it’s fascinating – when you finally get your plate, add black vinegar and chili sauce, and enjoy

Yukun Shaobing – Landmark Quest Mall – 136-21 Roosevelt Ave. (next to Joe’s) – flaky, baked, stuffed flatbreads – more than a dozen different fillings (my favorites are Black Pepper Beef and Cumin Lamb) – these freeze very well and once defrosted in the microwave can be baked back to crispness in a toaster oven or air fryer – these may be my single favorite item of the entire day

Bathrooms – if you are waiting for your rice roll at Joe’s you can use the bathrooms in the Landmark Quest Mall – walk to the back and down the stairs on the right, following signs for the music studio – it’s nothing fancy, but it works

New World Mall Food Court – 136-20 Roosevelt Ave. – cross the street from the Landmark Quest Mall and head down to the basement food court – there are twenty or thirty food choices from a myriad of cultures in the New World Mall, and you could spend the whole day here – the stand I visit is:

Tarim Uyghur Food – inside the New World Mall Food Court – I go for the lamb-filled samsa (baked dumplings) at this Uyghur halal food stand

Bathrooms – before you leave the New World Mall, use the bathrooms, the entrance of which is just to the left of Tarim Uyghur Food

Maxin Bakery – 37-01 Main St. (corner of 37th Avenue and Main St.) – baked and/or steamed roast pork buns, plus many other types of buns, including some for dessert – there are other locations of this bakery and similar bakeries throughout downtown Flushing on the route

J and W Restaurant Equipment – 3648 Main St. – restaurant and kitchen supplies of all kinds, because you always need something for your kitchen and this provides a nice, interesting break from all the food (there is another restaurant supply store later on the tour) – plus kitchen supplies make great gifts

Ten Ren Tea and Ginseng Company – 135-18 Roosevelt Ave. – quality loose tea and ginseng and/or a hot cup of tea to go

Kwafood Fried Skewers – 135-05 Roosevelt Ave. – all kinds of meat and vegetables on skewers deep fried and dusted with cumin and not-too-spicy chili powder – I prefer the bbq grilled skewers from street carts, although if they’re not open, this is a good bet

Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao – 39-16 Prince St. – this Michelin-recognized restaurant is the place for soup dumplings – while it is primarily a sit-down restaurant, you can order them to go, but be prepared to wait

New York Food Court – 133-35 Roosevelt Ave. – this food court contains roughly two dozen food stalls serving a wide variety of items – choose whatever interests you – most interesting to me is Fat Cat Flatbreads which sells guokui – plate-size, crispy flatbreads with a variety of savory and sweet fillings

White Bear – 135-02 Roosevelt Ave. (the order window is actually around the corner on Prince Street) – this no-frills spot is famous for its pork wontons with chili oil (the “Number 6”) and is a stop on almost every Flushing food crawl – they are delicious, and an order is large – as a result if I’m alone or with only a few people, I often skip it

Corner 28 – 135-24 40th Rd. – there are several stalls in this small food court where I buy a pound or two of char siu (bbq pork) to freeze (for future homemade ramen, pork fried rice, or banh mi) and half a roast duck to take home – they also sell different types of chickens and other roast meats by the pound – order at the front and then walk a few feet to your left to pay cash only – even though there are other spots in Flushing to get Cantonese roast meats (just look for ducks, chickens, and parts of pigs hanging in the window) this is where I go

James A. Bland Playground – corner of Prince St. and 40^th Rd. – no food here – backtrack a few steps from Corner 28 to sit and enjoy your roast meat and other snacks or rest your feet by sitting on a bench in this recently updated playground before continuing up 40^th Rd.

Xing Fu Tang – 40-52 Main St. – friends and relatives say the boba or bubble tea from this international chain is the best they’ve ever had – they make the tapioca pearls and caramelize them in brown sugar right in front of you

Lao Jie Food Inc. – 40-52 Main St. – slip right next door while your friends wait in line for bubble tea to get great, crispy boneless fried chicken (ask for a dusting of spice) and other snacks including jianbing (crepes with an egg, a crispy fried cracker, and other fillings) and various buns – many of these items can be found at other locations as well

Bathrooms – Starbucks (41-02 Main St.) or the Queens Public Library (41-17 Main St.)

Golden Mall – 41-28 Main St. – walk down the stairs into this newly renovated food court – I have yet to extensively explore the roughly a dozen stalls (I miss the old, gritty version), some of which look very promising

Sunrise Kitchen and Hardware Supplies – 42-05 Main St. – another stop to purchase items for your kitchen, your own cooking pleasure, or gifts

Royal Queen Dim Sum – between 40-15 and 40-19 Main St., directly across from 40^th Rd., street level, almost under the escalator to J-Mart on the first floor of the New World Mall – if you’re still hungry at this point, you can enjoy your pick of steamed, baked, and fried dim sum treats, or take some home for later – I believe this stand is an offshoot of a large dim sum restaurant on the upper levels of the New World Mall

I usually end my tour by visiting a supermarket such as J-Mart on the second floor of the New World Mall (entrance between 40-15 and 40-19 Main St., directly across from 40^th Rd.) or US 1 Supermarket (39-12 Main St.) – there are lots of others in the neighborhood – buy groceries for your own cooking, including vegetables it’s hard to find anywhere other than an Asian market, and make sure to check out the seafood section with a huge variety of fish, shellfish, and other creatures, many live, including frogs and turtles

Waddle back to your car or public transportation for the trip home.

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