For foodies, long forgotten Queens now the place to go

Bo O'Connor is chef and co-owner of the Pomeroy restaurant, which built buzz after a visit by O'Conno'rs childhood friend, the pop star Lady Gaga. [Photo/Agencies]

Gastropubs - a British import - are cropping up along main streets and often sport a similar look: a bar, minimalist decor, designer tables and chairs, intimate lighting and parquet floors.

The food is changing too, with new restaurants trying to offer something different to the options traditionally available in the area.

"The menu you see here you won't actually find anywhere else in Queens. Everybody else in Queens is serving the same exact traditional cuisine," says Sonny Solomon, owner of an Indian place called Kurry Qulture.

He used to be affiliated with Devi and Tulsi, Indian restaurants in Manhattan that earned Michelin stars.

"We're trying to elevate Vietnamese cuisine," says Louis Leung, co-owner of District Saigon, praised in a review by The New York Times in June just four months after opening.

At The Pomeroy, O'Connor serves American cuisine with a hint from South Korea, where her family is from, and lots of daily specials.

Queens is working-class, so while the new restaurateurs charge higher than average prices, they also try to stay affordable.

"There's just so many options," says O'Connor, whose offerings include small dishes that can be shared.

At Kurry Qulture, the average check is 45 to 50 dollars a head, "which is decent for the quality of food and service you're getting," says Solomon.

"When you come here, it's not only for food. It's about seeing and being seen," he adds.

Even the lone Michelin-star restaurant in Queens - the Mexican eatery Casa Enrique - aims for affordability, with most dishes priced at under 20 dollars.