7. Elmhurst
Elmhurst is one of New York’s most diverse neighborhoods, housing one of Queens’ Chinatowns, a Little Thailand, and even a Little Tibet. The second largest Chinese enclave in Queens behind Flushing, Elmhurst offers a mix of Northern and Southern Chinese fare in a bustling environment.
In addition to featuring many Thai stalls, Elmhurst’s Hong Kong Food Court features a diverse selection of options like Lan Zhou Ramen, which serves Lanzhou noodle soups and BBQ skewers; LaoMa Spicy, which offers a customizable stir-fry pot; and Chili Boiled Fish, which prepares all sorts of seafood like crayfish, sea whelks, and crab.
Also included in the food court is Khawachen, a Tibetan stall that makes incredibly juicy momos as well as thenthuk, hand-pulled noodles in a light broth. Lhasa Liang Fen, a tiny but cozy Tibetan restaurant nearby, serves paoze, steamed buns, and its namesake dish liang fen, a cold noodle dish with minced meat.
Lao Bei Fang Dumpling House serves many styles of hand-pulled noodle soup from fish ball to tripe to braised pork chop. Also known for their noodles is Wong Kwong Hop, which specializes in Cantonese rice rolls consisting of long thin noodles with choice of filling like pork or chicken.
Popular Cantonese options include Shun Wang, an Elmhurst staple that serves classics like roast duck and roast pork barbecue as well as rice rolls. High Pearl near the food court serves traditional Cantonese fare like winter melon soup, steamed lobster, and salty beef casserole.
Prominent in Elmhurst are dollar stores that sell all sorts of appliances and household items for very cheap prices. Hectic supermarkets like US Supermarket sell very fresh Chinese produce as well as seafood and Chinese snacks.