Flattopps
“Those ghetto blasters were good, but I loved the popcorn shrimp the most (I can't remember the name).”
“Neon lights, swivel stools, deep dub cuts, and a pretty solid burger & fries.”
“Love the ambiance, there's a modern jukebox and 2 arcade games and also there is a small Dj set up.”
Flattopps
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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My favorite thing about this place is the names of the items on the menu! Ghetto blasters, Murda Burger, and Big Pimp Patty. Ordering is just so fun. Those ghetto blasters were good, but I loved the popcorn shrimp the most (I can't remember the name). It was a little loud for my taste, but I knew that going into it. It felt like I was at a house party back in high school, but with the added punch of friendly, smiley servers. Real quick walk from the train so you have no excuse not to pay a visit!
I'm being generous and rounding this review up to 3 stars. I really wanted to like this place considering how big a fan I am of Queens Comfort. Sad to say, this just didn't live up to my expectations.
I'll start off the review with the positives:
1) Great ecclectic decor. It's a hodge podge of just about everything, down to even the music, so it definitely has a fun vibe.
2) The drinks are bomb and definitely worth every penny of that $12 price tag. I would come back for these alone.
3) They have rotating specials so there's always something different to choose from; maybe one of the future specials will catch my eye and tempt me to come back here.
That being said, if it stays as is now, I would only be back for the drinks, not the food. A group of 5 of us came for dinner shortly after they opened on a Saturday night. We figured since we were there closer to opening time, service would be better. While there were already quite a few people in the restaurant, we did get a table despite the small-ish space.
The staff were friendly but the service definitely left something to be desired. Our waiter disappeared frequently and didn't update us on the status of our very delayed order. My friend ordered cheese fries with her burger and didn't have the fries until well after finishing her burger. The waiter only apologized when he returned with them, not explaining why something so simple was so late. Not to mention, she had asked for crinkle cut fries and he brought curly fries. They were really nothing special, just some imitation cheese sauce drizzled over regular fries. It wasn't worth the wait. We had the Cap'n Crunch Popcorn Chicken and Fried Ravioli for appetizers to share. It was good, but didn't really blow us away.
For my meal, I ordered The Schnook burger but requested chicken instead of beef. The waiter wasn't sure if they could substitute it but said he would find out. He didn't come back to tell me whether they could do that or not and I only found out they could once he brought the burger (about 10 or so minutes after everyone else's food) and said it was with a chicken patty. The burger itself was pretty good, nothing amazing, but was enjoyable.
My boyfriend had the Maple Miso veggie burger and was surprised that it didn't come with any toppings on it (no cheese, nothing). It was $11 and wasn't worth more than $5. I think that's the reason why we weren't so thrilled with this place: everything is priced way higher than it should be. If you put a high price tag on something, we'd better get our money's worth. At Queens Comfort, we never regret anything we order and always thoroughly enjoy all the dishes. Here, it was just so-so.
Not to mention, when I was waiting for the restroom in the back, I noticed several waitresses bring back plates of food to the kitchen. It seems like everyone was getting orders wrong in some way left and right. Queens Comfort staff has always been perfect despite the busy brunch rush, but this place couldn't even get it right during a not-so-busy time after just opening half an hour before.
I really hope they can improve everything soon, and I am willing to try them again if they do. But if not, I will at least come back for the drinks next time I'm in the area.
3.5/5.0 – Man, I really wish they allowed half stars..
I'll skip the part about being excited to eat here based on my love of Queens Comfort blah blah blah. You simply want to know: Should I eat here? Was it good?
My answer: Sure, but it's not bucket-list worthy. At least not yet. And yeah, it was pretty good.
The space fits about 24-ish people at tables, plus there's a bar/counter area in the back that can house a bunch more. Modest. The decor has character, or as a lot of people would say "freakin' hipster." Are they wrong? No, and the place doesn't quite nestle in with the rest of upper Ditmars, which is still stubbornly low-key and casual. But the neon lights and hip-hop inspired retro diner-look definitely offer some escapism to Brooklyn if you don't feel like taking the G train (and who ever does?).
Yes, there are arcade games, but comparing the place to Barcade is misleading – Flattops houses just two: Lethal Enforcer and X-Men, which are so perfectly, enjoyably terrible that the wait for a table will fly by. At least 10 minutes of it will before you, too, realize, "Wow, this game is terrible."
Food! I hope you're here for burgers, because that's their specialty. Whether it's beef, chicken, or veggie, you have very exciting flavor options ahead of you. There are a bunch of creative flavor twists sprinkled throughout the menu, like Cap'n Crunch crusted bacon, maple tabasco drizzle, a french toast bun, or figs to top your burger.
I had the Butter C.R.E.A.M., which was tasty. The meat was perfectly cooked, the onion rings were delicious, crispy, and perfectly portioned, and the BBQ sauce added a decent tang. Also major points for a potato bread bun, which is the only bun that should legally be allowed for burgers, in my opinion. Some downsides: I actually think the buttercream ranch diluted the flavor, and both the bacon and bottom portion of the bread bun were hard/stale? Boo. Not quite deal breaking, just pretty disappointing.
But curly fries! Yes. They are everything you expect out of a tasty curly fry – served hot in a little basket and nicely seasoned, they were the best part of my meal.
The alcoholic slushies were no joke. I didn't doubt for a second that there was alcohol in my King Coco, but I was underwhelmed by the flavor. Still, it was refreshing, icy, cool, and adult-y. I'd be interested in trying the other flavors.
The service! I have nothing but good things to say about everyone who works here. They're friendly and chill without feeling fake, and perfectly attentive without being overbearing. They hired a good crew here.
They just started offering brunch, so I would come back and check that out. If you're a normal person, you may find Flattopps to be a bit pretentious (there's a DJ booth in the middle of the restaurant), but if you own a fixed speed bike, grease your mustache and, I don't know, shop at Topman, you're gonna love this place.
Tips: Can't split the check across more than 2 cards and groups of more than 4 people would probably be difficult to seat for awhlie. Oh, and late hours (opens at 5pm).
Queens Comfort, you really outdid yourself with this one!
DECOR!
They really hit the nail on the head with the RETRO look.
They've got the red leather bar stools & chairs, old posters, vintage arcade games, and the LIGHTS!
We were seated immediately and were informed that the menu might or might not be temporary and that it's just a "soft opening". Because of this, my girlfriend and I decided to order a little more than we normally can handle but it was well worth it!
FOODS!
-Apricot Short Rib Sliders ($10)
2 fair-sized sliders stuffed with an amazing braised beef. It had a nice sweetness to it that wasn't overpowering. I've also never had sautéed bok choy on a slider before and I really enjoyed it! The slight bitterness of the bokchoy paired well with the sweetness and the stem added a nice crunch to it. These might've been the yummiest thing we ordered and the best slider I've ever had. Hoping they keep these on the menu!
-Flattopp Original ($7)
A solid cheese burger in between perfectly toasted buns topped with carmelized onions. You can't go wrong with this one.
-Curly Fries ($3.5)
Fries were perfectly curly lol and were super crispy. These are a MUST! Plenty of fries for 2 people or 1 hungry hippo.
-Toasted Ravioli ($8)
These were very tasty! A nice cheese/cream sauce to go with perfectly toasted ravioli. Though it was a bit small. A couple more pieces would've made it worth the price.
Service was exceptional. Our waiter wasn't only efficient, he was friendly, witty, & provided some humor to the experience. Our water glasses were also never empty!
Question: What does rapper extraordinaire Gucci Mane have to do with a small burger joint in Astoria?
Answer: It's the name of a seriously good, and seriously creative burger, which I sunk my chompers in.
The establishment, an ode to the bygone era of rockabilly, pin-up and American muscle, is the latest addition to Astoria's changing line-up. With neon lights, a DJ playing dance music and a craft beer list so obscure you have nothing to loose by picking something by random, they sure know how to dish out a mean burger. And by mean, I mean good. Very good.
The Gucci Mane's selling point is evidently a Captain Crunch batter slab of bacon. The burger ends up being more a dessert upon first bite, but it's so, so wonderful for those of us with serious sweet tooths.
My only gripe with the place is that they don't allow customization. Now, I get it, chefs work incredible hard to concoct their dishes, but, in restricting customizations, I had to get a well-done burger instead of my favorite of rare/medium-rare. While untested, they will probably do substitutions if you have an allergy, but you're pretty sh*t out of luck if there's just an ingredient you don't like on a burger that you happen to like as a whole.
Anyway, I will rave to anyone about the Gucci Mane and how happy it made me.
On my first go at this restaurant, I really enjoyed my experience. The place is very "Queens" in the sense that all things are just based around growing up in NYC.
The burgers are really wonky and a bit out there (an egg roll on a burger?) but they all seem to work. They're a tad greasy–but if that's a deal breaker, you might want to reconsider eating burgers for the rest of your life.
Reading the menu is an experience in itself and the whole vibe of the place is contagious. If you haven't gone, you've gotta check it out!
Got a significant appetite going after a stop at a brewery, and this new burger joint was seemingly the perfect remedy. Saturday late afternoon, the restaurant just opened up and many of the tables are filled up – a good sign – easily got a table for 5.
Started off with the Cap'n Crunch Popcorn Chicken ($8) and Gin N' Juice Slush cocktail ($12). The chicken tasted like any regular popcorn chicken, not bad but was expecting more. The slush cocktail was strong and deliciously balanced with the slush. Shared the Butter Cream ($11) and Gucci Mane ($13) burgers: the butter cream had a decent sauce and a crispy onion ring to go with a juicy patty. The gucci mane has a french toast bun which can be hard to hold, but has that nice sweet/savory taste you'd expect it would. Sandwiches are kinda small for the price.
Biggest complaint here is the service. When we ordered drinks, they served a few of us then told the others their drinks weren't available; so we reordered and those took a while to come out. Then they forgot to take our entree orders so we had to flag someone down to get our waiter. Next: one of our friends didn't get their entree until most of us were done with our meals. Another person ordered fries but that was also delivered right when everyone was done (wasn't worth the wait). Not sure why things couldn't be served all at once. Overall disappointed in the service and felt the food wasn't worth it. Would go back for drinks only.
I really wanted to be blown away by this place. Especially since I am such a big fan of Queens Comfort. Flattops has been on the top of my Astoria bucket list since I heard about its funky, hip-hop retro flair with the coolest artwork around. It's emits a pretty different vibe from the rest of the Ditmars trail which is cool.
Their specialty is their burgers which are some of the craziest concoctions I've seen in a while. Their menu is pretty concise but they're dolling out new specials pretty frequently which keeps things interesting. After glancing the menu, we decided on their two most popular burgers – the Gucci Mane and Butter C.R.E.A.M. with a side of curly fries (wish they came with the meal).
I really liked the Butter C.R.E.A.M. which is topped with cheddar, onion rings, bbq sauce, buttermilk ranch and bacon on a potato roll. The sauces melded together really well and I liked that they pile the onion rings high. It had a nice crunch. Unfortunately even though we asked for our burgers to be medium/medium rare, they came out pretty well done. They usually don't ask how you like your cooked so make sure to mention it if you'd like.
As for the Gucci Mane (one of their signature burgers) it's sandwiched between french toast brioche (yum) with raspberry jam, gruyere and captain crunch crusted bacon. This one is a doozy. Honestly, it was a bit overpowering for my liking. Super sweet for my burger. Call me a purist maybe. But it was just okay. The burger kinda fell apart and had a bit of a hard time staying together. But if you're down for something different and adventurous, go for it.
The service was good. Everyone here is so chill and friendly. One of the waiters even dances throughout the seating area which is pretty funny. He seems to be lovin' his job which I like to see.
Overall, good experience. I would come back to try some of their other specials.