Cappuccino Thoughts 120: On How to Spend a Day in Flushing Queens [Neighborhood Guide]

feat. the best wontons I've ever had, why everyone is trying this tea, and a visit to the botanical gardens

Cappuccino Thoughts is a weekly newsletter about culture and creativity in New York.

Sant Ambroeus, Upper Eat Side, NYC

Growing up in San Francisco in a family with two working parents, we enjoyed a lot of Chinese takeout for dinner. I was treated to delicious Cantonese, Hunanese, and Hong Kong-style food often, soit’s total comfort food for me. A while ago, I was talking to my friend D. (the same D. who runs this lovely mochi company!) about trying to find some good Chinese food, and she said I had to go to Flushing, Queens.

Anyone who’s lived in New York for a while knows that Flushing is a mecca for amazing Asian food of all varieties. My friend J. kindly offered to tour me around and I quickly realized what all the hype was about. I’ve since been back to continue the food exploration. For those looking for a day outside Manhattan that feels like entering another world, here’s how I’d spend a great day in Flushing.

Hop on the 7 train and take it 45 minutes from Grand Central to the very last stop, Flushing-Main Street. It will land you in the heart of this densely populated area. Downtown Flushing is also known as the Chinatown of Queens. It’s home to about 130,000 Asians and Asian-Americans. This super vibrant area has some of the best food I’ve had recently. Start at White Bear, just a block from the subway stop, and get the chili crisp wontons.

Prince Street is home to more than a dozen different tea shops. The most popular might be Molly Tea, which is known for sumptuous jasmine tea. The wait is long, so put your order in, then head across the street to the Tangram Mall for some window shopping while you wait. If coffee is more your thing, walk one more block to Caphe Den, a Vietnamese coffee shop known for its egg custard coffee. The strawberry matcha is also delicious.

The Tangram Mall is the definition of “fun for all ages.” I haven’t been in a mall in forever, and certainly not one this entertaining. There were no western brands, so it was fun to discover all kinds of different stores. For kids, there are a bunch of different games and even an indoor swimming pool. For adults, there’s a food court, movie theater, cute clothing stores, and lots of little kiosks. There was even an Angry Birds store that also doubled as a make-your-own-jewelry store. I tried to convince F. to bead a friendship bracelet with me, to no avail. Maybe next time. Grab a Taiwanese wheel cake at Money Cake (I liked the matcha red bean flavor). For a sit-down meal, the peking duck at Juqi is supposed to be amazing.

Next, head to Eight Jane for a scallion pancake. You can also stop at Joe’s Steam Rice Roll for a—you guessed it—steam rice roll. Joe’s used to have a location on Canal Street, but it closed, so get your fill here. You can also get delectable dumplings at PanBao66 or beef noodle soup at Henan Feng Wei.

If you still have room, or you prefer a sit-down lunch, Pho Hoang is a great Vietnamese restaurant. The spring rolls wrapped in lettuce are simply unreal.

After all that walking and eating, pick a spa on Main Street. There are many options for foot reflexology or a neck massage for a very reasonable price.

Walk about 20 minutes to the Queens Botanical Gardens. It’s only $6, cheaper by far compared to the Bronx and Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Enjoy the respite. We saw multiple wedding and family photo sessions. Then cross the street to Flushing Meadows and enter the best kind of chaos. On a sunny day, you’ll see families barbecuing, playing soccer, walking dogs, or just relaxing. Take in the view of the Unisphere, a globe sculpture commissioned for the 1964 World’s Fair. You could also go to the Queens Zoo or New York Hall of Science if you were so inclined. Or, depending on the season, take in a tennis match at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center (where they play the US Open) or a Mets game at Citi Field.

Call it a day and get back on the 7 train from Citi Field!

I’m sure there are more spots yet to discover. If you have any favorites, leave them in the comments!

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On the podcast Version 1, Emmy Award-winning producer Waverly Colville dives deep with creators about their spectacular failures, crippling self-doubt, and unexpected breakthroughs. Each Tuesday, writers, actors, artists, and innovators reveal the messy truth behind their work and share hard-earned wisdom. I was last week’s guest! You can hear me talk about how I started Cappuccino Thoughts and my bag brand, and expound on creativity here.

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During our day in Flushing, we came across the “Fourth Annual Asian American Dragon Boat Gourmet and Cultural Festival” and, boy, did it deliver! Gourmet food AND culture! After nibbling on duck buns, we spotted these ladies all dressed up. I’m a big proponent of any kind of traditional dance, especially when it involves flashy costumes. Were they on beat? Not really! Were they having a great time? 100%! I loved that they were representing their culture and just having fun.

A new segment: 3 things I love, covet, or think are worth covering:

1. The Rhode Barrier Restore Cream. Ah, I don’t love recommending nepo baby products, but honestly, this is my new favorite cream. It just feels so LUSH to put on and is super moisturizing. It’s also fragrance-free, which is nice for my sensitive skin girlies.

2. Erika Veurink
   wrote about going to a bookstore on Friday afternoons to stock up on books for the weekend, and I thought that was the chicest thing I ever heard. I picked up The God of the Woods by Liz Moore on Friday and have loved reading it all weekend.

3. I try to wear sunscreen every day, but in the summer, it becomes imperative for my skeleton-white skin. I love this one from Elta MD, which has a velvety texture and keeps me from looking like a tomato.

I devoured Brooklyn by Colm Toibin. I had seen the 2015 movie adaptation starring Saorise Ronan. After visiting Ireland recently, I decided it was high time to read the original novel. The story is about Eilis, a young Irish woman who has no opportunities in her hometown and immigrates to Brooklyn in the 1950s. She lands a job in a department store while taking night classes in accounting. She meets Tony, the son of Italian immigrants, and they start a relationship. Then a major obstacle is thrown her way and she has to make a heart-wrenching choice. The plot is fairly familiar, but it was the finely wrought characters that engrossed me. You can’t help but root for Eilis, who sees the world with both naivete and stunning clarity. She knows more than she lets on. Reading about New York through her eyes made me feel like I was discovering it all over again. The movie is the rare adaptation that really does the book justice. I remember so vividly watching it with my mom the summer before I went to Yale, and let’s just say that watching a young woman move thousands of miles away from her beloved mother to pursue a major opportunity hit close to home, and had us both in tears. Read this book if you want to remind yourself of the choices you’ve had to navigate to get where you are, or if you want to fall in love with New York again. Five stars.

This week, I am going to see the controversial production of Othello starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal. I will report back.

All my best,