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Queens Night Market Opens With Over 20 New Food Vendors

Scott Lynch

Published Apr 25, 2019

Modified Apr 25, 2019

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Scott Lynch / Gothamist

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Scott Lynch

Published Apr 25, 2019

Modified Apr 25, 2019

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The Queens Night Market kicked off its fifth season in Flushing Meadows Corona Park last weekend, with nearly 60 food vendors firing up their grills amidst some intermittent rain storms.

Last Saturday, as well as this one coming up, are technically "preview" nights, with a $5 admission fee, at least 20% of which goes to the New York Immigration Coalition and City Harvest. Entry to the grand opening on May 5th will be free, as will all subsequent night markets throughout the summer. The location, on a parking lot and grassy hill behind the Hall of Science, is the same as before, but one new thing this year is that you can drink beer and wine anywhere on the premises, and they've added a second bar area near the rear entrance.

Many of the most popular vendors have returned, including Burmese Bites and their Keema Palata; Joon's Crispy Persian Rice Cups; those elaborate, delicate "lollipops" at the Chinese Sugar Painting booth; and the excellent Ramly Burger at the Malaysian Project. The Indonesian desserts of Moon Man; Hong Food Street Food; Arepalicious; and those ubiquitous Twisted Potatoes are also back for another season.

As is custom on opening night, however, I tried to eat from only among the twenty-odd new vendors this year, as well as a couple who came midway through last season. Everything, as always, will cost you only about five or six dollars each. Here are a few of my favorites:

Chicken Satay Lilit at Warung Jancook The name of this lively Indonesian-food operation translates into something like "hell, yeah, this small cafe is awesome!" Reads better in the original though. And the satay, poured over with a fiery sauce, is stellar
Soulfood Sunday Cupcake at Chefboyarnetty Lynette Thompson is the namesake chef, and her booth specializes in various Mac-n-Cheeses as well as this clever savory cupcake. The "cake" part is cornbread stuffed with a bit of mac-n-cheese, the "icing" is garlic mashed potatoes, and the topping is a piece of first-rate fried chicken. Definitely fun.
Pie Crust Cookies at Janie's Before getting to these amazing cookies, a little backstory. Your baker here, Janie, struggled with addiction and found herself homeless as a young adult, and she credits her love of baking with helping her get, and stay, clean. Today she bakes out of Hot Bread Kitchen in East Harlem, and works with shelters, rehabs, and youth centers on providing second-chance employment and mentorship. And her Pie Crust Cookies are phenomenal, an ingenious creation featuring a flaky bottom, gooey filling, and buttery streusel on top. I ate three there, and brought three more home. Delicious.
Black Rice With Fried Pork at Tania's Kitchen A Haitian couple living in Kew Gardens serves up some superb West Indian food at the Tania booth. The pork was tender and juicy, the black rice full of earthy, garlicky flavor, and the spicy slaw delivered both acid and heat. You get a generous portion, too.
Fuzhou Ice Rice It may not look like much, an assemblage of fruits (watermelon, mango, kiwi), nuts, raisins, red beans, and cold rice floating in a bowl of milk, but this dish delivers on all counts. It's sweet and refreshing, has a nice textural balance, and there's a lot of it for only five bucks. A sleeper hit of the market.

Other new vendors include Wembie, with Moldovan Waffles and Cheese Donuts; Lion City Coffee with Singaporean Mee Pok; Jaa Dijo Dom with South African Bunny Chow; Em's with Vietnamese Hu Tieu Em and Bun Rieu; Native Noodles with Singaporean Hae Mee & Laksa; and Delicacy, with Brazilian Pão de Queijo and Brigadeiros. There's live entertainment and DJs, 20 or so art vendors selling their wares, and up on the hill the Knockerball bubble soccer "arena" was busy all evening.

The Queens International Night Market is located near the Hall of Science in Flushing Meadow Corona Park, and is now open every Saturday from 5 p.m. to midnight through August 17th, and then again from September 28th to October 26th.

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Scott Lynch

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Photojournalist, food writer, preschool receptionist. Love NYC.

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