Queens International Night Market
“Great to bike there and see everything that the park that is adjacent to the market has to offer!!”
“I was also pleased to find the Gluten free snacks from Binnaken (sp?), it's Filipino snack that's not a donut or a cupcake.”
“The ones I tried with my friend tonight were Buddha Bodai Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant, Laoma Spicy, Mama Ping's Spicy Wontons and Dumplings, and Sam's Ice Cream.”
Queens International Night Market
Take-out: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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The night market was a lot of fun and makes for an enjoyable night out. Food items are limited to $5 each so you are encouraged to try a variety of items. Mostly Asian food but a bit of everything. The places with the longest lines have the best food (shark sandwiches and fried ice cream are worth waiting for).
As a bonus, my wife and daughter got free doughnuts for dressing up as Pikachus (it was Pokemon night).
It's a bit hard to find; it's BEHIND the science museum. There's a small sign at the entrance to the parking lot but otherwise it's easy to miss.
There's also a few booths selling non-food items, and live entertainment as well.
So glad I gave this a shot, I had a blast! After hearing about the mess this place was during opening weekend, I decided to wait a while and see if the market was able to get itself sorted. The verdict is in, it's a great time, the over-crowding issues seem to have been a one time thing.
The signs to the market aren't entirely clear, if you're coming from the 111st stop on the 7, once you see the Hall of Science make a left to go behind it. There's a beer garden with $5 cans of Tecate and Stella, as well as wine. They ID everyone before entering and stamp your hand. Booze is not allowed to leave this area, but you can bring food into it with you. Next to the beer garden is a small stage area where live bands play, and some picnic tables. Lots of people had brought blankets to sit on too.
There were lots of vendors and the lines moved fast for the most part. Everyone at the booths were friendly and eager to answer questions. Everything was between $3-$6, but if you try many places that does add up!
My only gripe was with the temperature of some of the food. A few vendors make their food in advance and then let it sit until a customer orders it, I guess they're trying to keep up with the anticipated hordes of people. But getting lukewarm or even room temperature food really sucks.
Here's what we ate:
Inti Sumaq: Peruvian food. I got the ceviche and thought it was just OK. I was expecting a bright citrus flavor but instead everything was very mild. I didn't think the hunks of dried corn went with the fish at all. They did add some spicy pepper for me, and while it was really spicy it also didn't incorporate well.
Karls Balls: Takoyaki, or octopus balls. You get 4 balls and they're covered in a slightly sweet BBQ-type sauce and Kewpie mayo, with dried fish flakes on top. These were nice, the sauce is what really makes them. I had never tried this before, so I was picturing the octopus ground up into the ball, but it's a solid hunk within the ball. So not every bite has octopus, but when you did get it it's tasty and not rubbery. Worth getting and splitting with friends.
Mama Food: Schezuan squid on a stick was what lured me here but it was room temperature! Blech! It was just hard to eat like that, I didn't finish it. But their lamb skewer was much better. I'm not usually a fan of lamb but this was delicious and I'd get this anytime, anywhere.
House of Mac: Fried mac n cheese balls. I wasn't expecting to even try this but it was great! 4 balls, they come with a delicious tomato basil sauce on the side. Perfectly creamy mac on the inside, really good. A little pricey at $5 but still one of the winners.
Eve and Johnny's Caribbean Style Shark Sandwiches: This stole the show! Not only was it the tastiest option but it was also the best value, for just $5 you get a nicely portioned, filling sandwich. The shark is breaded and fried, crispy on the outside, flaky on the inside. It tastes a little of chicken like others have said, but there is a very mild fish flavor there if you're paying attention. It comes with lettuce, picked cucumbers, pineapple, and your choice of 3 sauces (tamarind, cilantro, or garlic). I strongly advise getting it with all 3 sauces, it's delicious!
C Bao: We got pork, duck, and crispy roast pork and all of them were served cold. The duck was also on the slimy side. The pork bao had this green sauce on it that I did not like at all. The crispy pork is the best option, though parts of it were so crispy it felt like I was going to chip a tooth! Like rock hard pork cracklin. I'd skip this.
Crawfish: These were OK, the sauce they were in was mildly spicy but could have used a deeper flavor. You get a generous portion for $5 and it comes with some corn and potatoes- this is one you have to find a table for. They give you plastic gloves.
Dawa's: 5 momo's for $5, we got some with beef and some with chicken. The chicken is the better option, but the skin does fall apart. Meh. The spicy creamy ginger sauce they use was the best part.
Hapagkainan: Filipino BBQ. My friend got a pork dish over rice with shrimp paste and some other delicious ingredients and while it wasn't hot (grrr) it was still tasty. But I came here for one thing: Balut!! A fertilized duck embryo. The woman who worked the booth was super excited that I was super excited to try it, and showed me what to do: crack the wider, round end of the egg and gently pick off pieces of the shell until you can see the liquid, sprinkle a little salt in the egg, drink the liquid, with a fork take out the duck and eat it, and then finally eat the yolk. The liquid tastes like duck broth and was my favorite part, the duck itself didn't taste like too much of anything to me, the texture wasn't even as crunchy as soft-shell crab. Soft bones that almost melt in your mouth, the peach fuzz barely noticeable. The yolk tasted like a normal egg yolk, maybe a little dryer. Jump in and try it!
I had so much fun and can't wait to come back!
I added a star to my review because of the Kati roll shack! I had one of their chicken Kati rolls at the Queens festival last month and have been craving it since. Came just for them but I tried other things too…this is the list:
Kati Roll Shack – Chicken kati roll ($5) , Rose lemonade ($3), Mango lemonade ($3)
The Kati roll and the lemonades were the best thing I had at the night market. The kati roll is marinated chicken wrapped up in fluffy paratha bread with tomatoes and homemade sauces. You can ask for mild or spicy. Its a party in your mouth, just delicious. To my surprise, the lemonades were also delicious, not too sweet and just enough tartness. The rose lemonade have just a hint of rose and the mango lemonade was bursting with mango flavor.
**I will come back again just for them since the roll and the lemonade was the best thing here.
Teinei Ya – Pork belly skewer ($4), green tea shaved ice ($4)
Same as last time, good but Kati have them beat. The shaved ice top with green tea flavor and red bean was good and it came with 2 pieces of mochi. I had a taste and my daughter had most of it.
Ceylon Sri Lanka – Tacos choice of chicken and/or fish (2 for $5)
I tried this because when I was eating my Kati rolls, one guy told me they are really good and I should try it. The line is long because they make each taco shell which were like crepes. You get a choice of pieces of marinated chicken or fried fish and it was topped with some lettuce mix. When I got to the front of the line the same guy that was assembling the tacos was taking my money. Did not take his glove off for the money (gross) but being a good sport, I got one of each anyway. The crepe like shells were savory but too thin and broke apart when I tried to pick it up, luckily I grabbed a fork. The fish taco was meh. The fish did not have much flavor and it was topped with a pink/orange spicy sauce. The only thing I tasted was the sauce. The chicken was kinda dry and not enough lettuce to give it a crunch.
Won't be back here.
Mama Food – Squid Skewers ($5)
Don't waste you money here! They do not clean the grill or the squid. They left the brown skin on the squid which give it a bitter taste. Only got it cause my daughter wanted to try it.
Inti Sumaq – Ceviche ($5)
It was good for what it was. Topped with some corn nuts for a nice crunch.
Paella y Tapas – paella valencia ($5)
We were walking out but when I saw the guy cooking on the Paella pan we had to try it. It was good but it was missing the chorizo!! Not the same without it!!!
All in all, this is a good place to go if you are in the neighborhood. go early where the crowds are much lighter.
Long overdue review. I wanted to come here last year, but didn't have a chance to before it was closed for the season. I made a point to come here this summer soon after it opened for the season. I read about the long lines so we made a point of getting here half an hour before it opened. The parking lot was already half full and a line had started to form around the entrance.
The gate opened at 6pm and a massive crowd of people flooded into the market. The Shark Sandwich booth was situated at the front of the market, and approximately 8-10 people began to line up in front of the booth as soon as the market opened. I had read that the shark sandwich is one of the must tried food here, as such, I've decided to line up here as well. There were four people working here, all busily chopping and prepping. They were apologetic about the late start, and 15-20 minutes later, they finally started to fry up their first sandwich. Once they started cooking, the line moved pretty fast and I was able to get mine within another 10 min. Was the wait worth it? Eh…. I thought it was just average. The shark itself was a bit flavorless, but all of the fixings, i.e. coleslaw, pineapple, onions, etc. helped. Also, the sauces helped. Overall, I think that it is one of those dishes where you try it once out of curiosity, but I won't get it again.
By the time we got our shark sandwiches, the weather began to turn, as wind started to pick-up and tiny droplets of rain began to fall. We've decided the best way to approach the market is to "divide & conquer", so the four of us split up to get as much food as possible in a short amount of time. One upside of the bad weather was that there were practically no line in front of most of the vendors. We tried:
Takoyaki – it was ok, I thought the dough itself was too mushy, and lacked in flavor. This was also one of the few vendors that had long lines, which I don't really understand
Squid Skewers – again, it was average. The squid itself was too chewy and bland. The skewer guy on Main St does it so much better and cheaper.
Sugar Cane Juice – I personally thought it was too sweet, but my guy loved it. I definitely don't think a cup of sugar cane juice is worth $5.
Romanian/Hungarian Chimney Cake – the best thing we had all night. The sugar were perfectly caramelized and the cake itself was delicious. The portion is huge, even the four of us struggled to finish it.
Bahn Mi – it was probably one of the best value dish here. The sandwich itself was pretty big and very filling. It was a good bahn mi, but not very memorable
Burmese Noodles – it was very good, I've never had it before so don't really have a point of reference, but would definitely try it again.
We had a bunch of other dishes that I am struggling to remember as it has been awhile. Overall, none of the dishes stood out as particularly good or bad. Most of the dishes were $5, even the drinks, so the prices added up quick. For the amount of money we've spend, we could've had an amazing meal in Flushing, instead, we walked away feeling somewhat disappointed. Just a quick note on the facilities here, I was dreading having to go into a porta potty, but it was pretty clean and not at all disgusting as I expected. I think the market is worth a visit for the novelty, but I don't plan to come back again.
I went on Fourth of July weekend and I have to admit, I was very happy with the setup and the market overall. It was a good amount of people but I guess I was lucky since it didn't seem crazy busy. The setup kinda reminded of a state fair and I thought it was pretty cool. The shear variety of stalls was pretty amazing, I think I read they try to do between 40-50 vendors. Some of the stalls are very hit or miss, of course, but the big issue I had with a lot of the food was the temperature. Since they are preparing food for the masses, a lot of the food is precooked. My friend had a big issue with this but it didn't bug me as much. Also, the market was meant to be pocket friendly so nothing cost more than $5. Beer and wine is served in a specific section and you can't leave that section with your drink.
The food:
Caribbean Street Eats- Trinidadian Shark Sandwiches. This was easily the best thing I had that day. It is an absolute must order. The shark kinda felt like chicken mixed with fish with some seasoning. I asked the lady behind the counter which sauce should we try and she said to try all three and it was awesome. The sauces were a tamarind, a cilantro and a garlic sauce and all three were excellent. The bread was a fry bread very similar to the Native American fry bread which was very good. The shark, slaw, pineapple and fried bread was magical! Highly recommend.
House of Mac- Fried Mac & Cheese. I was hesitant to get this since it is mac and cheese but this was so good. It was fried well, it was nice and crunchy yet not greasy at all and the mac was nice and creamy. This is a must get and the tomato sauce, basil and garlic oil complemented the mac and cheese very well.
Mama Food- Lamb skewer and squid skewer. First, the lamb skewer was excellent, it was super flavorful and juicy with a nice lamb flavor. This was very good, but the squid was just OK, it was previously cooked and left on the grill but when it was served, it was no longer hot. The sauce was nice since it was kinda sweet and sour but it was a bit too sweet, this was just OK.
Hapagkainan- Bicol Express. I enjoyed this, the rice was super hot but wasn't that special. The pork belly was good and it was interesting that it was served on a stick but it was precooked and not that hot. They add a coconut milk sauce on top that had good flavor but was a tad sweet.
C Bao- Taiwanese Pork Bun, Peking Duck Bun, HK Style Crispy Pork Bun. Don't do it. First, the line is massive, second I hate their bread. The bread as well as the meats were all cold, but the bread was huge and was completely lifeless. If I had to pinpoint the worse thing, it would be the bread. The HK Style Crispy Pork was the best of the three, the pork had nice texture and the skin was super crispy, but almost in a bad way. The duck was cold and kinda lifeless, the Taiwnaese pork was sweet and fatty but the pickled veg cut some of the sweetness.
Dawa's- Beef Momos and Chicken Momos. Worth skipping.
Viva Natural Foods- Brazilian Cheese Bread. I have had these in other places and the ones here had OK flavor but they were oddly chewy. The sauce they give was like a caramel sauce, it was good but too sweet.
Not doing anything on a nice Saturday evening? I would definitely recommend swinging by for some food, drinks, and entertainment of sorts.
We came by on a beautiful Saturday evening. There were probably fewer than 50 or so vendors between food, drinks, and other vendors selling goods. A majority of the food was Asian or Latin American inspired from local restaurants around Queens – definitely a plus. We tried the House of Mac regular mac n cheese that came with garlic bread crumbs. It was good but I'm sure it would have been better if it was a little warmer.
Next stop was a pb&j stand but I don't remember the name exactly. Ordered the Nutella and strawberry roll which was good. I mean, ya can't really go wrong with Nutella.
Others in our group had arepa with mozzarella and beef rice burgers. The bun for the burger was made of rice. Both were good. Another had paella which was less than average. And our last food stop was at Twister Cake. A hollow Romanian cake in the shape of a cone. You can add toppings to the outside of it or add ice cream of whipped cream in the center. Definitely try this!
We ended the night in the beer and wine area where there was entertainment – a violinist and then a beat boxer. Everything was $5. I don't know if vendors take credit cards so come with cash.
I'll definitely be back!
The Queens Night market is in the back parking lot of the Hall of Science. It's from 6 PM – 12 AM on specific Saturday nights. Check their website in advance to make sure it's on! There's about 25 or so small food stands, mostly Asian food. There's also about 5 or so stands selling different clothes and things. There's also music playing and a bunch of picnic tables to hang out. There's even a designated "beer and wine" area. Some food stands have long lines and it might take you 30 mins to get your food. I highly recommend getting there at 6 PM and immediately going to one of the more popular places like Burmese Bites. Then anticipate a casual evening where you eat a small plate of food and then plan your next small plate of food.
Places I went:
Burmese bites – absolutely amazing! I had the bread with onions, cilantro, and minced white meat chicken and it was incredible.
Bao – I had the bulgogi bao and it was also amazing.
Fish balls – If you love octopus then definitely check these out.
Beef dumplings – These were pan fried to perfection.
Shaved ice – This tasted nothing like Snowdays which I love. You could skip.
Transylvanian funnel cake ice cream thing – This wasn't amazing but was different and worth trying!
Pastelles and oyaki
Yesterday, I started off with a pork pastelle. It was like a Pop tart shaped soft, wet cakey tortilla with pork filling. The lady said they wrap and cook the pastelle in banana leaves. I got hot sauce with it. It was worth it.
Sweet pork oyaki with tofu salad was filling. The oyaki is like a big dumpling/fried thin skinned bun lol. You can add Sriracha and kewpie mayo if wanted (I didn't cuz I wanted to try it plain first). The tofu salad comes with threads of spam(?) which was fun and tasty. A lil broccoli and tomato accompanied the meal.