It’s not unusual for noodle shops to dole out food and drink pairings, but at the sleek Cha Menya, the ingredients come together in the bowl itself. There’s a rare matcha ramen, possibly the only one of its kind in New York City, that incorporates the tea into a rich chicken paitan broth. Fresh greens, organic ajitama, and chunks of chicken chasu float in a vibrant green broth. This new Little Neck spot also offers an appetizer of enoki mushrooms that are fried to golden, unrecognizable crispy stalks and a wagyu mazeman with black truffle shaved tableside. Both are delightful dishes worth ordering.

This gastropub opened its doors in July, serving gastropub fare from a space outfitted with dark marble tables, custom light fixtures, and exposed brick walls lined with photographs of notable artists like Jimi Hendrix to Arthur Rimbaud. The food is worth checking out, too. The wagyu beef carpaccio with shiitake mushroom tempura and black truffle salsa and the namesake burger, a seven-ounce black angus beef burger packed with smoked pork belly, chipotle onion jam, and Roquefort cheese are hits here.

Since April, Monkey Noodle Bar has been serving hearty portions of Korean comfort foods: kongguksu (chilled soy bean milk noodle soup), gamjatang (a spicy meat-heavy pork bone soup), junbokjuk (abalone rice porridge typically cooked at home to nourish sick family members), seafood kalguksu (knife-cut noodles topped with squid and mussels), five kimbap rolls including squid and fish cake, and dripping heads of Napa cabbage kimchi cut tableside by a server. The house special is a kimchi pancake.

Downtown Flushing is home to a new Hainanese chicken spot that offers family meals and assorted chicken preparations. A two-person meal includes roti canai with chicken curry, boneless Hainanese chicken, stir-fried string beans, rice cooked with chicken fat and stock, and a light wintermelon soup for $20. There are two types of fried chicken here, too: spiced with mala and Hainanese-style. Bring cash to this seven-table joint.

Jian bing, a crepe-like dish that’s a staple street food in China, is the focus at this Downtown Flushing restaurant. Followsoshi offers nearly a dozen different kinds jian bing with fillings like spicy ramen, peking duck, and spiced beef. The menu extends beyond jian bing, however, and offers items like roasted cold noodles, crispy beef patties, and a variety of bao. The restaurant is a takeout-only operation.

After the original Lhasa Fast Food was destroyed in a four-alarm fire in March, owner Sang Jien Ben re-opened his momo counter just a few blocks away at 76th Street and 37th Avenue with the support of a $22,000 GoFundMe campaign. The cult-favorite momos and thentuk soups have stayed the same at this expanded space with an outdoor dining area and liquor license.

Championed by a mustached submarine mascot, Mariscos El Submarino has been serving ceviches, tostadas, and other Mexican seafood dishes from this narrow Jackson Heights storefront since last summer. The restaurant excels at its aguachiles, a cousin of ceviche that comes served in a dramatically large molcajete with tostadas and saltine crackers on the side ($18 to $21). Order the negro version, prepared with shrimp, octopus, tilapia, and a touch of soy sauce.

Jonathan Cordeiro, co-owner of beloved neighborhood spot the Alcove, has teamed up with his father Gilson Cordeiro, also an industry veteran, at this hit restaurant in Sunnyside. Locals have been packing Belo’s dining room for its friendly service and menu full of Brazilian classics with eyebrow-raising details. Highlights include torresmo de barriga (fried pork belly with pineapple chunks and a spicy pineapple dipping sauce); dadinhos de tapioca (deep-fried tapioca cubes with bacon and guava sauce); and feijoada, the national dish of Brazil. Order from an extensive list of craft beers that hail from São Paulo to Long Island City in a cool space outfitted with graffiti murals, hanging plants, and dark brown and blonde wooden slats.

Acclaimed sushi star Kazuo Yoshida, of Chinatown omakase restaurant Juku, has turned to Elmhurst for his next project, a thoughtful, Japanese-style izakaya. The short menu includes a chilled tomato salad with dashi, bacon and caramelized onion (it comes chef-recommended); a Japanese pancake loaded with lobster chunks; and a roasted green tea panna cotta, among other hit dishes.

Gula Southern Comfort Bistro spiced up Forest Hill’s restaurant row along Austin Street when it opened in June. The menu of seafood-forward Cajun dishes features charred octopus ceviche in aji amarillo citrus sauce, baked catfish with spicy corn gravy, and a pairing of lobster tail and shrimp atop a bed of mashed potato. Mango barbecue baby back ribs and chicken fried steak round out the menu.

Porcelain first opened in 2019 with an Austrian-leaning menu and a charming dining room outfitted with a grand piano, mid-century modern wallpaper, and vintage chandeliers. What’s it doing on this list of newly opened Queens restaurants, then? During the pandemic, chef Kate Telfeyan took over the kitchen with a revamped menu that largely looks to Korean, Taiwanese, and Sichuanese flavors for inspiration. Given the casual, order-at-the-counter set-up here, the cafe is just as ideal for pulling up with a book and a cup of coffee as it is for a low-key dinner of nori-dusted pork chops and wine.