Exquisito
Exquisito
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
2 reviews
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The Latin American presence has always been noticeable in Queens, but in Astoria the variety is picking up. The Colombian contingent that continues to rule Jackson Heights / Corona as well as its lesser densely populated Ecuadorian, Cuban, and Dominican counterparts have made Astoria another hood where it's suddenly available. Exquisito is among the latter, dubbing itself as a neighborhood takeout spot and has recently dived headfirst into the world of delivery.
One thing that should be praised immediately are the prices. Their lunch specials for instance feature a nice glob of rice/beans/protein for somewhere between $4-8. The heaping for a small is certainly enough for a person with the most gluttonous appetite. Their pasta dishes are also in the $4 range and an entire cheese pizza is $9.99. Budget friendly seekers, you've found the right spot.
But the honeymoon ends there unfortunately. The menu is a scatterboard of Dominican specialities, Italian, pizza, and meats. It's already somewhat of a red flag to feature all of those things, but if they were all amazing then there would be no problem. Sadly nothing I've tried has been worthy of much praise.
Pastas are shoddily put together, the pizza is bland and dry, and the pork chops / steaks are also dry. I had a decent mofongo here in chicharron con queso fashion, but that's the sole highlight. I am not terribly fond of their pernil or the carne guisada, and the empanadas were too doughy for my preferences.
I'm all for Latin joints doing well, but it's just so hard to justify subpar food *with* ridiculously long delivery. I've done better when going in and ordering straight from the counter, but the food fail even makes that a chore in itself. Not a big fan of the service either, but that's not a priority in establishments like this.
2 stars for now, fingers crossed they step it up in time.
I love this place! The food is delicious and the ladies behind the counter are always nice and smiling. I've tried the oxtails, baked chicken, pasta with red sauce, pasta with garlic, beef stew, beef and chicken empanadas, Moro, rice and black and red beans, and Maduros. I've loved it all. The pasta with garlic is amazing with the baked chicken. The stew and oxtails are off the bone melt in your mouth deliciousness. The Maduros are ripe, sweet, crispy, and yummy. Every Time I go there I'm greeted with a smile, and leave with a lot more food than expected, paying a lot less than I thought, with a smile on my face.