NYCGuide
Where To Take A WFH Snack Break In Astoria
photo credit: Titan Foods
Pioneered by kindergarteners, snack time is fundamental to the human experience. And since many of us are working from our apartments these days, snacking has taken on greater meaning. It’s a chance to get outside, stretch your legs, and heed the calls of the 3pm sun, all while eating something delicious. If you’re in Astoria (or would like to be in Astoria) and looking to take a break from your work day, here are our favorite spots in the neighborhood to pick up a quick bite to eat. They’re all open around lunchtime, and make it easy for you to grab and go.
The Spots
If you’re looking for Greek food, you’re in the right neighborhood. For a quick snack on the go, we like this Greek specialty grocery store on 31st Street. Almost everything is imported from Greece, and they even have their own feta bar, complete with dozens of cheese hunks comparable in size to square basketballs. Stop by to pick up some fresh kataïfi, olives, crackers, and skordalia spread.
When you’re in the mood for a coffee break in Astoria, going to Comfortland is like collecting a mushroom in Mario Kart, it’s a significant level-up. This counter spot on 30th Avenue has a menu of elaborate pastries like funfetti twinkies and a donut whose flavor is reminiscent to that of a Samoa Girl Scout Cookie. They also sell some delicious (and monstrous) sandwiches in case you plan on “working really hard” for the rest of the day.
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Technically, this is a beer store. Are we advising you to drink interesting cans of beer at 3pm during the workday? On behalf of your boss, we are not. (And make sure to tell our boss we’d never do such a thing.) However, we are suggesting you explore the charcuterie options available for takeout here. Just imagine yourself eating eight ounces of prosciutto from a small Northern village in Italy at 3pm on a workday. It’s a nice thought, isn’t it? Both Astoria Bier & Cheese’s Broadway and Ditmars Boulevard locations are open for takeout and outdoor seating starting at noon every day.
Snack or not, New York Pão de Queijo simply serves some of the best Brazilian food in NYC. Although, oddly enough, pão de queijo is not the thing to get at this all-day spot on 30th Street. Instead, your snack focus should be a massive, thick-shelled coxinha filled with potato, cheese, and chicken. They also have a couple of acai bowls, sandwiches, and a burger with layers of juicy picanha, salty linguica, bacon, cheese and corn.
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You could always dip carrots into some store-bought hummus at home, or you could go to Duzan in Little Egypt for our favorite hummus and pita in the area. It’s so creamy and delicious that you won’t mind decorating your keyboard with hummus in between typing and snacking. They also make great shawarma if you want a more sizable snack.
Since it’s neither lunchtime nor dinnertime, sweets are acceptable an headline edible item. Whether you’re in the mood for tiramisu, some very acidic lemon sorbet, or a large slice of cheesecake, the original Martha’s Country Bakery location in Astoria is open every day in the afternoon to support you while a fork rests on your spacebar to keep your Slack emoji green.
It’s possible you’ve reached a point in the day when you can no longer decipher the alphabet, and you’re starting to resent that one coworker who’s living in an AirBnB in the Bahamas. We’d suggest distracting yourself with juice made with lemons and unrefined whole cane sugar, and an arepa filled with cheese and avocado from this Venezuelan restaurant. They have a bunch of meat and non-meat options for fillings as well as patacon sandwiches.
Chip City makes cookies the size of a baby’s head - like Levain but gooier. With the exception of chocolate chip, this cookie bakery changes their menu every day so no two snack outings will ever be the same. You can even plan your snack excursion ahead of time by checking out this week’s menu, which will successfully waste five minutes of your workday as well.
photo credit: Josh Greenfield
In some circles, a gyro is a lunch item rather than a snack delicacy. But, to us, BZ grills gyro transcends such categories. This counter-service gyro spot on Astoria Boulevard makes the crispiest pork gyro we’ve encountered, and they have a few cafe tables and nice yellow chairs set up outside where you can sit and admire it in all of its fat-dripping beauty. If you can’t tell already, we suggest the pork over the chicken.
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A bar-certified lawyer once told us that bubble tea counts as a snack because you have to chew in order to consume it. So it must be true. You can see for yourself at neighborhood boba places like Vivi Bubble Tea, Prince Tea House, or at this spot with no other locations around the city. They let you customize the sweetness and temperature of your drink, and offer add-ons like double the amount of pearls, whipped cream, and coffee jelly. Unlike run of the mill bubble tea chains, The Teapsy also sells specialty tea from places like India, the Philippines, South Africa, Hong Kong, and Japan.
