Forest Hills Farmers Market

Queens Blvd, 70th Ave, 11375

Since last year I’ve been on a mission of eating more veggies at home and I’m on a search for the best farmers markets in Queens.

I decided to start with one that I’ve been to often the Forest Hills Greenmarket aka Farmers Market. It’s not walking distance from my home in Kew Gardens but it’s a quick 10 minute drive down Queens Boulevard and that’s a huge plus from carrying groceries on the subway back home to Queens from Manhattan.

It's honestly a pleasure having a farmers market in the next town that has a variety of vegetables, meats, fish, fruits and flowers.

Now that a lot of us are working from home and are rarely commuting from Manhattan I’m finding our local markets have great quality food to offer similar to the famous Union Square farmers market.

The Forest Hills market is bit small compared to those in Manhattan and Brooklyn but it's perfect for grabbing the essentials for a weeks worth of food. I left with a giant bundle of kale ($2/bunch), some wonderful peaches (mango peaches), warm whole wheat bread ($5) corn (2 stalks for $1) and tomatoes.
If you live in the area stop by before winter and get some pesticide free veggies.

The Forest Hills Greenmarket is open all year. The hours do change slightly.

The market only opens on Sundays. From January - May the market is open on Sunday’s from 8:00am-2:00pm EST and From June - December the market opens on Sunday from 8:00am-3:00pm EST.

BLACK OWNED - Communitea

Communitea 

11-18 46th Rd, Long Island City, Queens NY 11101

Communitea is a spacious coffee & tea house located on 46th Road in Long Island City (Queens) New York. It’s black-owned, founded by Kafia Saxe and Lloyd Canning 15 years ago and is now my favorite tea spot in LIC. 

If you are outside of the Long Island City area (and driving is not an option) you can easily get here by taking the E, F, or 7 train (it’s closest to Court Square). If you are driving, parking is a little difficult on the block of Communitea but if you drive a block or so away you’ll find a spot.  

At the top of my review, I mentioned that this is a coffee and tea house but you can get so much more here. They serve Buddha bowls, grilled cheese sandwiches, breakfast sandwiches, artisanal ice cream (tea flavored), freshly baked cookies/brownies/banana bread, beer, wine and even salads. 

When you walk in you are immediately greeted by a warm staff member and let me tell you the long list of teas on the board can be overwhelming but just ask a few questions and the staff will get you to where you need to be tea/coffee and even food wise. Communitea has lots of Vegan options and can substitute milk per your request. 

On my visit here, I ordered the following: 

• A soy cappuccino (because cappuccinos are my jam), 

• A Rooibos chai latte with soy milk (THIS WAS MY FAVORITE),  

• The BoB breakfast sandwich (pictured above) which was on a parker bun with bacon and cream cheese, 

• The croissant breakfast sandwich which is bacon egg and cheese on a croissant. 

The eggs on both sandwiches were so perfect and fluffy and the cheese was placed inside of the eggs so you got a good gush of cheese when you bite down. Honestly, I’m still thinking about these sandwiches days later. I have to return here to try the other sandwiches on the menu. 

Price-wise the lattes are about $5-$6 each and the breakfast sandwiches are around $9. 

Communitea also has a gift shop/section where you can buy loose teas, mugs, aprons and masks. 

Due to COVID-19, in-door dining is prohibited here but they have a nice sized out-door patio and are available for pick-up orders and delivery using Grubhub, Postmates, and DoorDash.

Gossip Coffee

37-04 30th Ave., Astoria NY 11103 

Gossip Coffee is a fairly new hip what I’ll call a “coffee-lounge” in one of the most poppin’ areas in Astoria (along 30th Avenue). I consider it a coffee-lounge rather than a coffee house because they serve fabulous cocktails.  Not only are the cocktails fabulous but some of them have coffee in them! 

I was introduced to this spot by the Queens Yelp Elite crew one night. After that night, I told a few friends about this spot and I’ve gone back twice just to chill and just to hang. I’m lucky enough to have one of my best friends living walking distance from place and he’s a coffee drinker so it all works out if you want a place to go and have a cocktail (that’s not a stuffy bar), maybe read a book while sitting outdoors. 

The space is pretty large, they have an open back seating area that’s open all year around. They have tall heaters that can be utilized in the cold winter months.

My favorite cocktail from here is the spicy margarita coffee. It packed a lot of spice, heat and of course the perfect amount of coffee. 

While you are grabbing a coffee cocktail you can munch on some of their small bites as well like tuna toast, oatmeal, avocado toast, chorizo bites, cobb salad, lobster rolls, or  a slice of cake if you need something sweet. 

The food prices range from $12-20 and the cocktails range from $10-12. 

I look forward to hanging here and catching up with friends while eating cake and sipping coffee cocktails in the backyard area enjoying the space. 

Gossip Coffee is perfect for a first date, friend hang, small group hang out, a quick meeting, a solo hang, or just somewhere to take your laptop and get some work done. It’s a great addition to the neighborhood. 

BLACK OWNED - Soup Junkies

Address: 87-17 Lefferts Blvd, South Ozone Park, NY 11420

Menu: Soup Junkies

Soup Junkies has been around for a few years servicing traditional Trinidian soups and cuisine in the Richmond Hills area of Queens. 

For those who are not familiar. Trinidad is a country in the Caribbean, it’s the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. 

Trinidad is highly known for their popular yearly carnival and for the food. Like lot’s of other islands in the Caribbean the food (to me) is so impressive the way it perfectly blends Indian and African culture. Trinidad is one of the most influential islands when it comes to Caribbean cuisine. 

Growing up I ate a lot of soups. My Caribbean grandmother Maureen would make the best hearty soups. Filled with beans, peas, dumplings and various meats (chicken, beef, goat). So one day while picking up pizza with bae I stopped by Soup Junkies and took a look at the menu and was pleasantly surprised by the variety of soups (oxtail soup, corn soup, dhal soup and even cow heel soup). All things I grew up eating though my grandma was not from Trinidad these soups were still popular amongst Caribbean people. 

So last year when I was feeling a bit homesick I decided to give Soup Junkies a try. I ordered the curry chicken and large corn soup. When I tell you I was hooked. I ordered food from here 2 more times that week. 

I’m within walking distance of this location however if you are traveling within Queens it’s totally accessible by driving, taking either the J, M, or Z train or the Q10 bus. 

Obviously from the name, this place is popular for it’s soups but if I were you I would get a soup (I LOVE the corn soup and the oxtail soup) and try a platter. The curry chicken (pictured) with cabbage and rice or the jerk chicken platter (also pictured). I have to warn some of you. Jerk chicken is spicy, it’s meant to be spicy and the jerk here at Soup Junkies will set your mouth on fire (in a good way). The curry chicken is seasoned very well. The jerk is very saucy (heads up) to those who like their jerk chicken dry.

Discuss general prices for soups range from $5-$10 (depending on veggie soup or soup with a protein) and the entrees range from $10-$14. 

If you visit Soup Junkies, the woman working the front is so friendly and willing to help with any questions you may have about the menu. 

The location is small, it’s a grab a quick bite for 2-3 people type of place (I believe there are only about 4 seats in the location), so this place gets a lot of foot traffic for customers picking up large orders to go. 

If you are in the neighborhood and looking for some good Caribbean food be sure to stop by Soup Junkies and tell him Tameeka Eats sent you. 

Dirty Pierre's

Address: 13 Station Square Forest Hills (Queens) NYC 11375 

Dirty Pierre’s is a long standing bar/restaurant located in Forest Hills. 

Forest Hills is known for dining in Queens. Most people dining in Forest Hills will mention or go to a place along Austin Street. Austin Street is a long strip of restaurants, small shops, gyms, bars, and everything in between. If you are looking for somewhere away from the crowds Dirty Pierre’s is not located on Austin Street. It’s tucked in along the beautiful cobble stoned area of Station Square. Since this restaurant is tucked away from Austin Street it’s not as packed as some of the other restaurants but this places sees a lot of traffic. 

Speaking of traffic, there are a number of ways you can get to Dirty Pierre’s. It’s about a minute walk from the Long Island Railroad (Forest Hills station stop), a less than a 10 minute walk from the Forest Hills-71st Avenue station via the E/F/M/R  train. It’s accessible by car but the cobble stoned area has limited parking and once you hit Austin Street it’s usually packed on weekends and nights so finding parking can be a bit of a pain. I suggest taking the train, bus, or share ride service.

Brunch is what you come to Dirty Pierre’s for and you’ll be happy with the options and the prices. On average prices range from $15-30 for meals (with drinks included). While brunching, I ordered a half portion of mussels which were DELICIOUS. I know.. you must be asking yourself “why would you order mussels from a bar”?! It may sound mad but Yelpers did mention it and I decided to take a chance and was pleasantly surprised. The sauce was my favorite part of the mussels. I also ordered the $17.95 brunch special which includes 1 entree and 2 cocktails. I chose the steak and eggs entree (it came with home fries). The steak and eggs were cooked to my liking and was pretty tasting and filling. The sangria didn’t do it for me but the mimosas were on point. 

The ambiance is super chill. There are biker jackets hung up around and you will get a bar vibe once you arrive so dress as you want to come here. Dirty Pierre’s is perfect for a brunch w/ bae, the girls, the boys, or friends.