Where To Eat On A Budget In Jackson Heights, NYC
First rule of eating in Queens: Bring cash.
By June Xie
Having labored in my tiny kitchen for the past two years to bring you episodes of Budget Eats, I've been granted a temporary reprieve from cooking and got a chance to share with you the great variety of food that exists in NYC restaurants. The first neighborhood we're exploring is Jackson Heights, which I consider to be the heart of Queens. It's ripe with a multitude of cuisines, all concentrated within a 15-minute walk of each other.
As far as the rules of this new show goes, they're simple: I'm handed a $50 bill and attempt to eat as many things as possible at as many different places as possible. For our first round, we bring you three different types of cuisines offered by four different restaurants.
Goat Jhol Momo, Nepali Bhanchha Ghar
These are juicy goat dumplings in a delicately jade-colored wrapper marinating in a warm, curry-like orange broth. Need I say more? For $10, you get nine dumplings, which is filling enough to feed two not-very-hungry people. If you're still a little hungry after, order a sel roti—essentially a big sweet rice donut—for $1.50 and dip it into the momo and the sauce it comes with for a crunchy-chewy starchy filler.
Tacos, Taqueria Coatzingo
Listen, there are tacos everywhere you go in Jackson Heights, but not every one comes with free chips and salsa. Taqueria Coatzingo gives you free chips and salsa, which is already enough reason for me to go al the time. They also make tacos with amazingly toasty tortillas that have a good bite to them. I ordered the oreja (pig's ears), carne asada, and vegetariano, all of which came loaded with guac and toppings and ring in between $3.50 and $4.50 apiece. Warning: that pickled pepper is SPICY.
Shrimp & Octopus Cocktail, La Esquina del Camarón Mexicano
This classic spot has been written up many times, but because it's tucked away behind an unassuming smokeshop, there wasn't a line around the corner like you'll see at many hyped-up places in the area. Which is good news for me, because the longer we can keep well-kept secrets actually secret, the longer they'll remain secret. A small cup of shrimp and octopus cocktail comes generously filled with seafood, soaked in a sweet tomato sauce base, topped with fresh avocado, and rings in at $13.07.
Samosa Chaat, Raja Sweets & Fast Food
If you're a snacker like I am and you love having a variety of fun textures in every bite, this chaat is the snack for you. A fat samosa stuffed with creamy potatoes and peas is enveloped in tamarind chutney and green herbalicious sauce, topped with crunchy fried snacks and strewn with tender, braised chickpeas. There's also cooling, tangy yogurt and spicy, fresh onions, and the whole thing is so dense that your plastic spoon will struggle underneath the value of it all: $3.99.
June Xie is the former Senior Food Producer for Delish, where she hosted recipe videos and the wildly popular YouTube show, Budget Eats. She previously worked in numerous restaurant kitchens throughout NYC before first joining Delish as our Test Kitchen Assistant and chief baking expert with a passion for bread dough, peanut butter, whipped cream, and gluten free cookies. She also loves staring at alpacas.
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