Tucked away from Queens’ more bustling corridors, a quiet stretch of Corona Avenue offers a rich, often-overlooked trove of hidden gems for food enthusiasts willing to venture off the beaten path.
Between Broadway and Junction Boulevard, this unassuming portion in Elmhurst stands as a vibrant microcosm of the borough’s global food culture. Despite its location in a relative transit desert—roughly a 15-minute walk from the nearest 7 train station and the buzz of Roosevelt Avenue—the corridor delivers an impressive array of international flavors.
From Dominican eateries and Peruvian kitchens to Bangladeshi cafes and creative fusion pizzerias, the area showcases the authentic, multicultural identity that has made Queens the “World’s Borough.”
Mom-and-pop restaurants dominate the stretch, many of them offering home-style cooking in intimate settings that evoke a strong sense of cultural pride and community.
Some businesses have been part of the neighborhood for decades, serving generations of families, while others represent new ventures by local entrepreneurs pursuing the American Dream.
Among the newer additions is Five Dreams Pizzeria y Antojitos, a Mexican-inspired pizzeria that opened earlier this year at 94-66B Corona Ave. Owners German and Norma, a local couple who began selling pizza from street corners, officially acquired their storefront in late December. Since then, they’ve attracted attention with their inventive approach to pizza, combining traditional offerings like plain cheese and pepperoni with bold, culturally-infused creations such as mole pizza and a tricolor pie featuring chorizo, onions and jalapeños.
German and Norma insist that they are not chasing the American Dream but the “Mexican Dream,” stating that the newly opened pizzeria is a family business that also provides work for their children.
“I try to teach them whatever I wasn’t taught,” German said. “You know, work, save money, and that everything is possible while you have to work.”
Located just down the street from Five Dreams at 94-60A Corona Ave. is El Gauchito, an Argentinian neighborhood staple that is the polar opposite of the newly opened pizzeria.
El Gauchito, an Argentinian grill and butcher shop, has lined Corona Avenue for 47 years, providing local residents with delicious home-style meals that could well have been served in an Argentinian home.
Marcello Civelli, the restaurant’s co-owner, says he has witnessed the area undergo a lot of change, but says this section of Corona Avenue still feels like “old-school New York.”
“Here, we cook like we cook in our country,” Civelli said.
Having said that, restaurant owners along Corona Avenue believe the area’s location can hamper business, with the nearest subway station located more than a 15-minute walk away. As a result, outsiders are less likely to journey to this stretch of Corona Avenue and sample the many flavors that it has to offer.
Bin Li, who recently opened Mr. Q’s BBQ at 90-58 Corona Ave., offering a range of Chinese barbecue street food, said businesses have been slowly picking up since he opened earlier in the year.
Li added that it would be a big boost if more people traveled to Corona Avenue to sample the area’s offerings.
“I think it’s a little far for people to just walk down this block right here (unprompted from the subway),” Li said. “I think more exposure would be good for us.”
George Landin, the owner of specialty clothing and sneaker store All The Right at 91-30 Corona Ave., has called this neighborhood home since early childhood and believes Corona Avenue boasts “hidden secrets” that out-of-towners are missing out on.
“They’re missing out on a lot of gems,” Landin said.
Landin, who has done business in the area for decades, said some restaurants in the area miss out because of presentation, stating that underwhelming storefronts sometimes fail to entice customers to come in. He encouraged customers to “take that one extra step” and check out what the restaurants have to offer.
“Everybody’s looking for an experience,” Landin said. “But little do they know, they have these amazing home-cooked meals right in their backyard. They just gotta take that one extra step, which is going inside, opening up the door and looking at the menu.”
Jonathan Forgash, founder of food insecurity non-profit Queens Together, is attempting to address that issue by promoting businesses along the avenue and encouraging people to journey beyond Roosevelt Avenue and discover hidden gems in the area.
“This stretch of neighborhood is one of the many hidden gems of Queens,” Forgash said.
He said Queens Together, which primarily operates by providing local restaurants with economic development opportunities while also addressing food poverty, is pivoting toward “new ways” to serve the people of Queens. Forgash said the non-profit is now also focusing on “community programming” that promotes entire areas.
This stretch of Corona Avenue is certainly worth promoting. Whether you’re looking for Ecuadorian-style cooking at El Guayaquileno, Bangladeshi food at Mezban House, Dominican staples at Yolanda’s, or freshly baked goods at popular neighborhood bakeries such as K&E Café or El Artesano, Corona Avenue has something for everyone.
The area also features $1 pizza slices exclusively for students at the newly opened Asian Halal Kitchen, located at 90-02 Corona Ave. While the special pricing is reserved for students, slices remain affordably priced for all customers.
