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Things to do in Flushing, Queens – NYC’s largest Chinatown

Flushing is the kind of place that I see as a New York City secret. It is a Queens neighborhood about 30-40 minutes from Manhattan and provides an incredible cultural immersion. To give you some context, the Chinese-immigrant population of Flushing surpassed Chinatown in Manhattan years ago. Roughly two-thirds of the residents in this bustling Queens neighborhood are foreign-born—most of whom come from Asia. You will probably feel like you are not in New York City. Unlike Chinatown in Manhattan, I think Flushing is less “chaotic” – if you know, you know – and a more authentic neighborhood with several things to do. I’ve been there many times, and here are my top recs of things to do!

Spring Shabu Shabu Restaurant

If you are a foodie, Flushing is your place – you can “travel” to many different spots without leaving the neighborhood. Spring Shabu Shabu is among my top recs there. It is a Hot Pot restaurant – and you cook your food. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, hot pot is an experience – it’s great to go with friends. You will cook meats, veggies, seafood, noodles, and more in a pot of simmering, seasoned broth heated on an induction burner or electric range. Once it’s cooked, you dip it in the sauce of choice and eat it. I absolutely love the experience. This spot has an all-you-can-eat buffet – with raw veggies, noodles, and more, plus a lot of sauces for $19,95 (lunch) or $22,95 (dinner). I think the price is very reasonable – and you can order meat, pork, or seafood separately. It is a unique dining experience! And the food is delicious!

JUQI restaurant

JUQI has over 20 locations all over the world and they serve authentic, home-style, food from Beijing. One of the highlights here is the Peking Duck– a traditional and signature dish. Besides that, the menu features a lot of different dishes with meat, pork, chicken and seafood. My recommendations here are the Braised Pork Balls and the Royal Style Barbecue Lamb (pictured) – great to share. I love the fact that the menu has pictures, so it’s easier to choose what to have – keep in mind that a lot of the plates can be shared, and, because of that, I think the prices are very reasonable. Check the menu.

Prince Tea House

 

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This place is super cute and, as the name suggests, you can have an authentic afternoon tea experience with finger sandwiches, scones and assorted desserts plus unlimited tea for $30 per person. Besides that, their menu also features a lot of delicious desserts. We had the Brown Sugar Boba Mille Crêpes Cake, the Lava Cake and we also got a scone. Everything was delicious! Check the menu.
Spot Dessert Bar

 

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Have you ever thought of a restaurant that serves only dessert? Yeah. In New York, that exists – and it’s really good. Spot Dessert Bar has some locations in the city – including Flushing. The owners are Asian and the place specializes in desserts that are created to be a blend of distinctive flavors.  They take Eastern and Western influences, balancing unique ingredients such as Green Tea, Kabocha, and Yuzu to create one-of-a-kind confections. The Harvest is probably the most famous one – it is served in this unusual format, and it looks like a plant – but it takes a mix of ingredients like berries, cheesecake and Oreo. To check out the complete menu, click here.

Tangram

This new development in the neighborhood is a residential building that also features a retail space plus restaurants and a food hall – JUQI is located inside Tangram. Such a nice place – so many spots. You can check all the restaurants and stores here – and some of the highlights are a Mimiso Store, Angry Birds Cafe and Akiba House (for anime fans).

The Shops at SkyView Center

 

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Not so far from Tangram, you will find The Shops at SkyView Center, a mall with well-known stores. Marshall’s, Nike Clearance Store, Nordstrom Rack, Old Navy, UNIQLO, Carter’s Babies and Kids, Best Buy, and Target are some stores. You will also find Daiso, a Japanese dollar store that sells beauty products, holiday décor, clothing, gifts, snacks, home goods, and sundries, priced at or around $1.99.

New World Mall

 

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I also recommend stopping at New World Mall – they have retail shops and J-Mart, which is the highlight for me – a huge Asian supermarket with fresh produce and dozens of Asian products. I love it!  Another highlight is the food hall, with great options of eateries.

K-Beauty

There’s no way to talk about Flushing without talking about Korean Beauty – honestly, I feel that in the past, it was easier to find K-beauty stores in the area – but now a lot of them have been closed – and you can even shop K-beauty at Sephora. But, if you are in Flushing, there’s a Nature Republic location and a Besfren Beauty location. Make sure to check out my K-beauty shopping guide in NYC.

A day in Flushing also deserves a stop at Queens Museum. I am not a museum fan, but I recommend this visit. And this is because of Panorama. It is the jewel in the crown of the Queens Museum collection and a locus of memory for visitors from all over the globe. Conceived as a celebration of the city’s municipal infrastructure by urban mastermind and World’s Fair President Robert Moses for the 1964 Fair, the Panorama was built by a team of more than 100 people working for the great architectural model makers Raymond Lester & Associates over three years. In planning the model, Lester referred to aerial photographs, Sanborn fire insurance maps, and a range of other City material as the Panorama had to be accurate, with the initial contract demanding less than one percent margin of error between reality and the “world’s largest scale model.” Comprising an area of 9,335 square feet and built to a scale of 1:1200 where one inch equals 100 feet, the Panorama is a metropolis in miniature. Each of the city’s 895,000 buildings constructed prior to 1992 and every street, park, and some 100 bridges are represented and assembled onto 273 individual sections comprising the 320 square miles of New York City.

As previously mentioned, Panorama is the highlight of the museum, but there is also other exhibits. Queens Museum opens from Wednesday to Sunday from 11am to 5pm. Suggested admission is $ 8 (but you can pay what you want).

Behind the museum, which is located in Corona Park, you will find one of the most beautiful places in the city, in my opinion: Unisphere. It was designed by the architect Gilmore D. Clarke for the New York World’s Fair of 1964-65, 120-foot-diameter. During the summer, the fountain is turned on, and the monument is even more beautiful. Corona Park is a vast park – there is also a zoo there – and that’s where US Open takes place every year. The New York Hall of Science is also located at Corona Park.

How to get to Flushing?

  • You can either take the 7 train and go to the last station – if you are going to visit the museum and the park, make sure to get off one stop before – Mets – Willets Point.
  • You can also take the LIRR to Flushing, from PennStation.

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