NYC: Queens Night Market – What to eat?

Queens Night Market is an open-air market with food vendors selling small-plate treats from around the world. Ethiopia, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and Peru, – I don’t think that I’ve ever been to a food market with such great diversity.

Most of the food is $6, but the portion sizes vary and some deals are better than others. You would probably need 4-6 different items for a full meal, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to try several different cuisines before you run out of appetite.

Here are some of my favorites:

Peruvian ceviche at Don Ceviche: Ceviche at its very best and a rather generous serving with lots of fish. It was the perfect way to start our market visit.

Emeye Ethiopian Cuisine: We had the Sega Wet Plate with slow-cooked beef, vegetables, and teff injera (Ethiopian Flatbread Delicious Ethiopian food). The fermented bread was right down my alley. It was a bit sour to the taste with notes that reminded me of Danish rye bread, and it tasted delicious with the beef stew. We also had a cup of Berze (Birz), Ethiopian honey drink, which was nice to try but not really for me.

Tibetan momos at Nomad Dumplings: Juicy, tasty dumplings, just like I remember them to be from when I was visiting Kathmandu and had momos at Yangling Restaurant. Delicious! No wonder the line here was very long, but it moved fast and was definitely worth the wait.

Mole Nachos at Nixtamal: Really tasty mole. It was so good you’ll fall in love with that place even if mole isn’t usually your thing (that was the case for me). This was one of our last stops that evening, and tbh, what first caught our attention was the prospect of grabbing the two seats at the bar (I think this is one of the only spots at the markets with seating), but that mole was delicious, and I would go back for mole nachos next time, even if the seats are taken.

Places on my list

There was a Filipino stall selling lechon (cripsy fried pork belly). Would have loved to try it (I love lechon!) but unfortunately they were sold out when we got there.

I also wanted to try the Pakistani BBQ rolls at Karachi Kabab Boiz, but I was so full when we got to their stall, I couldn’t squeeze down a single bite more, so it’s on my list for my next visit.

The Fish Amok at Cambodia Now looked tempting, but it just started raining when we got to the stall, so it also ended up on my to-do list for next time.

Tips for visiting Queens Night Market

Some vendors are very popular and attracts a long line, so make sure to arrive early if there’s a particular place you are curious about, or you risk that they are sold out.

You eat with your fingers or plastic cutlery, and things get messy, so bring wet wipes and/or hand sanitizer.

Most of the places are cash only, so bring cash.

How to get there?

Queens Night Market is located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park behind the New York Hall of ScienceThe most convenient way to get to the market is by taking the 7 train to the 111th Street station. From there, it is a short walk (about four blocks) south. We took the subway to the market and an Uber back home later in the evening.

Queens Night Market, 4701 111th St, Queens, NY 11368