The 15 food places that just scream ‘Flushing’

Flushing, often acknowledged as the hub of Asian-American activity in Queens, has also been acknowledged in various blogs as “that one place where you get lots of authentic Asian food for cheap.”

With that kind of attention, and in the recent swell of gentrification, the food doesn’t stay cheap for long. So here are 15 places in Flushing where you can still get ‘authentic Asian’ food for relatively okay prices.

1. Pho

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You really have to wonder how long Phobang and Pho Hoang, two Chinese-run Vietnamese joints, have managed to coexist in side-to-side businesses right across the Flushing Library, the unofficial town square. They both serve the same thing, except Phobang has started to expand into selling groceries and bubble tea at the front after getting a facelift in past years.Still, one thing they have in common is the literal Number One on their menus: the noodle bowl with everything in it, or the “Huǒ Chē.” (That means “train” in Mandarin.) The monstrosity is seven bucks now, but with that size, you won’t regret it.

2. Woo Chon

“Gosh!” you say. “Vietnamese food made by Chinese food isn’t very authentic. I thought this was Flushing!” Well, if you have a couple more (literal, paper) dollars in your pocket, or just ran out of cash, you can hop up a few doors in front of Woo Chon, which proudly tells the world about its $9.99 deal on soondooboo, or Korean tofu stew. Trust me. Considering the cost of soondooboo in other restaurants, it’s a steal.

3. Red Bowl

On the other side of the library, you’ll see it immediately. The literal red bowl lying on top of a building, complete with chopsticks that got a facelift several years ago.Now, I’m not going to lie. If you really want to eat well, the Red Bowl Noodle House is pricey. Almost Applebee’s pricey. But unlike Applebee’s, which smothers you in darkness so you don’t see how unlovingly they made your food, the Red Bowl is brightly lit and serves you. Well. Food. Good food. Go for the rice “hot pots.” They take about half an hour to make, but the layers of rice and meat and vegetables are so. Worth it. The most you’ll spend after tax is about $12.

4. Li’s Lanzhou Hand Stretched Noodles

People like to marvel at Chinese people’s hand-stretched noodles, even Chinese people. If you find the underground New World Mall, that should be your first destination. Get the spicy ones. You won’t be spending more than $10.

5. Mongolian BBQ

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Anywhere in town, really. There’s one in New World Mall, there’s one in Skyview Mall, there’s one down the street from Joe’s Shanghai. I would definitely recommend the one at Skyview Mall, known as Little Lamb Mongolian Hot Pot, but the price range is also very Applebee’s-esque. Good thing the barbecue’s meant to be eaten by a group.

6. Kimganae

Kimganae, located at the end of Roosevelt Avenue, has been the hotspot for all types of Korean and Korean American food for years. For some reason, people still go despite the prices shooting up like no tomorrow. The six dollar rice plates have since hit eight to 10 dollars. If it’s any comfort, they still serve refills of scallion soup and radish kimchi like no tomorrow.If you’re there for a real meal, I recommend spicy octopus or squid, or bulgogi, or curry pork cutlets (tonkatsu). These rice plates come with salad and corn.

7. Chung Moo

…Or Grandma’s (disclaimer: I don’t know what Chung Moo actually means). They’re next to Kimganae, and serve some of the same Korean fare for similar prices. Unlike Kimganae, you can taste the love from the grandmas cooking and serving your food. Go there for the squid fries, deep-fried chunks of squid, or sweet potato fries.As for entrees…two words. Cheesy. Tonkatsu.

8. Joe’s Shanghai

This is a bit of a cop-out, because Joe’s Shanghai was once great and our Chinese American secret. Now it’s overcrowded and overrated. Expect Applebee’s prices, but also the glory of biting into a soup bun, or xiaolongbao, and scalding your tongue with a flood of meaty flavors. If you’re feeling especially hungry, go to the next level by getting the crab xiaolongbao. Eat the lettuce cushioning it while you’re at it – people usually don’t, and it’s such a waste of a palate cleanser.

9. Mojoilla Fresh

Back to New World Mall. I don’t recommend the takoyaki, or squid balls, which are flavorless. I do, however, recommend you get any of their $5.50 crepes, which you can assemble with your choice of ice cream and toppings.

10. T-swirl Crêpe

Maybe you’re not satisfied. Maybe you want a different, more fruity kind of crepe. Maybe you want one that costs the way it tastes. T-swirl crêpe is part of the gentrification wave on Union Street, right next to its partner-in-gentrification, TeaUs. For a range closer to seven to nine dollars, you can get savory crepes, salad crepes, cheesecake crepes and fruit matcha crepes.I would recommend the Lychee Romantic. While Mojoilla Fresh wraps your crepe into a cone around the good stuff, T-swirl crêpe folds the crepe into layers and layers of bits of fruit.

11. Xi’an Famous Foods

The original had its humble beginnings in a basement, and has since expanded so that one can be found even across the Empire State Building. I found out during my last trip to China that no one can imitate the taste of Xi’an style noodles in the city’s Muslim quarters. You can’t imitate that numbing aftertaste or the freshness of being served in the marketplace.But for five to nine dollars, depending on what you get, you can experience the closest thing to Xi’an’s wide noodles. Or you can get the actually pricey three to five dollar “burgers,” small doughy pockets full of spicy meat.

12. Caffeine Fix

This cafe in Murray Hill, right across the Long Island Railroad station, is like any other Korean establishment: It’s comfy, air conditioned, with power outlets lining the wall. It serves waffles. What makes it so different?

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The shaved ice melon. It is a whole half of a honeydew loaded with green tea ice cream, condensed milk and shaved ice. They even give you the balls of melon they scooped out in a cup. It hurts to eat, but only because it hurts so good.

13. Paris Baguette

Another cop-out here. There’re everywhere now. This Korean chain is in Beijing’s streets, and in Manhattan’s streets, and God knows where else. The only chain you see more is, for some mystifying reason, Caffe Bene.This bakery screams quality. Its birthday cakes start at $24 for a small thing of cream and fruit. The bread can be anywhere from a dollar to five apiece.

I recommend you take it easy on yourself the first time and get one of the five dollar chiffon cake pieces.

14. Tea Shop

I hate sharing Teashop with the world, but its prices have gone up so much I’m beyond caring. The original for Hong Kong food stands by Horace Harding on Main Street. The rice and noodle plates there once cost six dollars at the most, but now hover dangerously close to eight or nine, depending on the plate.

See, Hong Kong itself had to put up with English cooking during its time under its rule, and what we have as a result is the best Chinese-Western fusion you could ask for. Ketchup in fried rice? It works. Spaghetti sauce cooked Chinese style? All the yes.Here’s an example of western fried rice. It looks and tastes amazing.

15. Shanghai Cuisine 33

Drunk. Chicken.

You read that right. Shanghai people like their chicken cold and boozy. This picture shows chicken feet, but the place offers a whole chicken too.When this place opened up where the tae kwon do school used to be on Main Street, I thought it was the Chinese equivalent of Kimganae. A dip into their expanded room this New Year’s showed me a semi-fancy restaurant instead. All the yes to their Shanghai drunk chicken.