This spacious taverna established in 1990 is a prime spot for Greek families after Sunday church. Here, diners can treat themselves to a vast menu of Greek classics that are superbly executed, like the charcoal-grilled lamb chops, shrimp saganaki, and seafood dishes like grilled octopus, whole branzino, fried spearings, and swordfish kebabs so soft it’s possible to  forget it’s a meaty fish. Make room for the complimentary loukoumades – golden-fried pillowy donuts – at the end of the meal. A cool, foamy frappe makes a great dessert pairing.

There’s no shortage of competition in Astoria’s Greek scene, but Taverna Kyclades stands out for its consistency. The seafood-heavy menu’s stars are the grilled octopus and heaping portions of grilled fish. Expect a wait for tables in the indoor and outdoor seating areas. There’s an additional crowded location in the East Village.

Egyptian seafood spot Hamido indulges diners who love to ogle arrays of fresh seafood hauls, from branzino to jumbo shrimp, and thrill in not only picking out the plumpest fish but also the seasoning and preparation. Are customers in the mood for grilled, fried, simply baked with olive oil, garlic and lemon or prepared in the traditional Sengari style (oven-baked with the zing of spiced tomatoes and onions)? Add sides like tahini, beet salad, and moussaka and a refreshing mint lemonade. Take advantage of the $16.99 lunch specials from 12 to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Hospitality group Sleeping Giant (the Wren, the Spaniard, Bua, Wilfie & Nell, the Penrose and Astoria’s own Sweet Afton) runs this gastropub in a sleek space with exposed brick and a sizeable backyard. The menu leans on hearty offerings like honey rosemary waffles topped with chicken schnitzel at brunch, and at dinner, a burger utilizing Pat LaFrieda beef adorned with pork belly and frizzled onions. Cocktails and a late-night menu available until 11:45 p.m. keep things going deep into the night.

Via Vai is an undersung destination for Italian food in a snug space with rustic furniture. It specializes in housemade pastas like gnocchi and orecchiette and Roman-style thin-crust pizzas that come out of a brick oven. Don’t skip the top-notch meatballs appetizer and tiramisu for dessert. Fourth-generation Astorian, chef-owner Antonio Morichini and his wife, Cynthia, grew up in the neighborhood, and after meeting and starting their family in Italy, returned home to share their riff on Italian cuisine locally.

Head to this neighborhood institution before it gets bulldozed to make way for new condos. The blue-and-white paper placements at this 24/7 spot won’t let customers forget that it was once voted the best diner in Queens, in the Y2K era. Still, it’s a local favorite for diner classics, like hefty breakfast combos, multi-level hot sandwiches, and a nostalgic banana split. Greek options also abound, and with waiters in penguin-esque suits kindly attending to plastic booths all night long, there’s never a wrong time for a platter of moussaka followed by fresh seafood.

Vesta, a popular Italian spot, emphasizes seasonal and local ingredients in a menu that runs the gamut from thin-crust pizza topped with housemade pork sausage to lasagna layered with wild boar bolognese. The chic, candlelit space at dinner carries a romantic atmosphere.

This Middle Eastern counter-service shop in Astoria’s Little Egypt is a dependable, inexpensiveoption in the neighborhood. Shawarma off a spit roast is available in chicken or a mix of beef and lamb. Get it packed in a pita or fill up with a platter and douse liberally with the spicy harissa and Duzan sauces.

This 2021 newcomer is a narrow shop of huge Colombian delights. The glass counter at the foyer leading to the dining section holds extra-large, freshly baked pastries like the almojabanas (cheese bread balls), arepa de choclo (sweet corn cakes), pan de coco, and a pan de yuca that’s the size of someone’s face and has a soft, glutinous texture inside. Parceros also has a hefty Colombian breakfast and a popular selection of beef empanadas, baked chicken, and assorted soups.

This modern Mexican establishment treats traditional Mexican dishes with flourishes of technique, presentation, and inventive ingredient combinations. Popular concoctions include the guajillo chile and coconut milk-marinated shrimp tacos, roasted sweet corn soup with huitlacoche mousse, sea bass over a black bean and truffle oil puree, and tostaditas with lumps of crab that the chef is eager to show off, if asked.

The all-day Sanfords executes their dishes with sophistication, from wild mushroom and truffle risotto to a gouda-stuffed duck burger. The chic setting includes a backlit bar with an expansive (and affordable) whiskey selection.

This cozy, brightly colored Thai restaurant has a narrow indoor area that managed to fit in a full bar, as well as a romantic back garden with a fountain and pond. Hawker food, like yum woon sen (glass noodle salad), doesn’t skimp on the country’s intense flavor and heat. Signature boat noodles offer the option of four types of noodle (rice, wide ribbon, egg, or vermicelli) dunked in a deep bath of broth (pork, beef or vegetarian) alongside toppings like meatballs and pork rinds for crunch. On the table, caddies of vinegary peppers, sugar, chili and garlic allow diners to customize their dishes, just like in Thailand.

Owner Sami Zaman found a home for his Afghan specialties in this simple storefront adorned with rugs. Start with mantu dumplings delicately enveloping cumin-spiced beef and drenched in yogurt. Kebabs come with mammoth servings of meat on a bed of rice.

This no-frills, old-school, mom-and-pop shop is a holdout from an era when the Balkan immigrant population was heavier in Astoria, and it has some of the best Balkan comfort foods the city has to offer. Its specialities include juicy cevapi sausages (considered the national dish of Bosnia-Herzogovina), saucy karma stuffed cabbage, puffy lepinja bread, and a lightly sweet avjar, a roasted red pepper and eggplant spread. Spend some time there and customers will inevitably see round trays of spinach pie and cheese pie going in and out of the oven.

Customers at Astoria Seafood walk past packed tables under harsh lighting to the seafood market in the back, where they can select their desired fresh catch, cash out by seafood weight, and watch the open kitchen cook the seafood to their liking. Shrimp and calamari arrive in a pool of lemon-spiked oil, fish is expertly grilled, a flurry of Greek sides help build a generous family-style meal. Prices are fair, and the BYOB policy keeps meals affordable.