This place may have just reaffirmed my love for my hometown. Yes, I am a Queens girl. Grew up in Astoria, then moved to Bayside, and my mom still lives there. She’s reppin the Baysizzle HARD.
That last part right there is a good example of why I don’t brag about being from Queens…
BUT NOW I WILL.
Located in Astoria, merely a few blocks from where I grew up, sits Queens Comfort. It looks like an old school deli or diner from the 80’s/early 90’s, complete with funky graffiti. First things first, if you’re coming for brunch on a weekend, BE PREPARED TO WAIT.
We drove by and there were quite a few people outside; I’d say roughly 10-15. I walk up to the guy with the clipboard, who was an absolute character, and he explains the check in process:
They have a question of the day, and your answer + your name is how they call you when your table is ready. He told me the wait was 15-45 minutes (big window) and asked me “what did the teacher say”? I wasn’t awake yet, so he gave me a default answer which was “stop picking your nose”. After I caught on, and after we waited OUTSIDE FOR NEARLY AN HOUR, it definitely helped hearing this big dude yell “Natalie, party of 2, SIT YO ASS DOWN” and “Jason, party of 4, YOU GO TO DETENTION”. Get it now? It was entertaining.
Anyway, let’s get down to brass tacks. The food. The menu is to die for. Seriously it’s one of those menus where if you’re a fat kid at heart like I am, you will read it and go “Oh what the actual fuck? This is impossible”. The choices range from multiple versions of eggs benedict (one of which I will go on to devour), to creme brulee brioche french toast, to cornflake crusted chicken sandwiches and disco tots.
My favorite dish was probably a toss up between the eggs benedict I had and the disco tots. When these tots arrived at our table, I wasn’t impressed with their look. The cheese looked hard, almost like it had been sitting under a heatlamp and then air dried. But alas, I was wrong (thankfully) and the cheese was super melty – then underneath the cheese blanket was a nice coating of white country gravy. Mmmm. So good.
Bonus points for Queens Comfort: they are big fans of sriracha, so I asked for some on the side for dunking. Which leads us to our next dish…
Atomic Fireballs. I was actually watching an episode of Diners, Drive Ins and Dives (don’t judge me) over the weekend, and Queens Comfort was featured. It got me pretty pumped for the Atomic Fireballs, which are deep fried mac and cheese balls, and almost every layer of prep and seasoning has sriracha involved. It’s intense. Honestly though, these were not my favorite. They were good but a little drier than I thought they would be, and they are served with ranch (which is probably my next favorite condiment next to sriracha) and I still didn’t love them. I’d switch these out for something else next time.
The eggs benny I got was an addition to the menu, and it was called “Hardcore American” or some funky name like that. It was poached eggs on top of pecan-crusted bacon, on top of one of the best biscuits I’ve ever had IN MY LIFE and topped with hollandaise sauce. Seriously, there was crack or 6 pounds of butter in these biscuits. I don’t care if my heart stopped beating for a few while eating them, because it was worth it. MURICA.
My pigout partner for this meal (hi Birdy!) got the spicy chicken and bacon enchilada with cheddar, fried egg, pico de gallo, and more. I don’t know. This one was good but SO heavy. I don’t even know half of what was going on in this dish, but it was definitely spicy, and definitely had some nice thick pieces of bacon in it. Works for me.
Lastly, on our way out, we saw the Trix donut. A bunch of them actually, just lined up and shined up with their glaze and Trix cereal pieces on top. They were taunting me with their size and stature. This is a massive donut, and it better be for $9.50 or whatever it is they charge for it. SO GOOD THOUGH. It’s a cakey donut, and oh so moist – there were pieces of Trix cereal baked right in to the donut. I ate it in the car on my way to the train. It was windy and the Astoria avenues are LONG. Therefore I justify my car ride to the train, and my snacks for the trip.
Proud to associate myself with Queens now, thanks to Queens Comfort. I would love to come back here on an “off” day or night to avoid the crowds, but I’m not sure that they ever have such a thing. When the food is that good, people will wait for it.
Queens Comfort
40-09 30th Ave (nr Steinway)
718-728-2350
Website: Queens Comfort
