New York Pão de Queijo

Amazing paode queijo. You must order this! Also got a beef empanada. Unique juices. Charming hostess/​waitress/​juice maker. AC isn’t really thier strong point. Small seating area. Prices are on point!

We got a smoothie and an acai bowl, both delicious and all the other food coming out of the kitchen looked and smelled amazing! We’ll definitely be going back.

My friend introduced me to this place and I can’t get enough! The food is consistently yummy and the prices are fantastic. I usually pass the restaurant when coming home from the gym and it takes some major willpower to resist. Bonus points because it’s located right off the NQ (Broadway). I’ve tried the X Bacon, X de Mina, Pao de Queijo, Acerola Açai Bowl, and the Salad de Casa. Everything I have ordered has been supper fresh and delicious. You must try NY Pao de Queijo!

Love the food! This cute quaint spot delivers, the burgers, salads and healthy sandwiches are delicious. And the natural juices & smoothies are really good. Let’s not forget their cheezy bread (pao de quiejo) which is to die for! Its so good its addictive. Make sure to try their desserts as well their passion fruit mousse is my favorite. The staff is super friendly and the place is clean and charming!

Location: Astoria is very much the queen at Queen. I mean, wow I am so surprised that I have been missing out so many great food around here
This place is very close to NR train. I figure I will just take the train and enjoy weekends here
The place doesn’t have a clear sign but it’s right around the corner. All the customers here are locals who have been around for a while.
I got a chance to talk to a local writer who told me the history of Astoria. I am grateful that there’s so many history behind this place.
Inside, it’s very much a small deli where you can choose multiple sandwicj choice, salad and bakeries. The writer told me how she love the steak salad and their creamy bakery so I went for it
Truly, I think steak salad is very very delicious
Food: yeah, I went for steak salad. The steak is fabulous. I bet it is marinated before grilled
And the salad is very fresh
Service: very friendly neighborhood based place where people are genuinely nice.
Price: so cheap but so delicious.
May this place thrive
Overall: soild 5 stars.

Everything seems to be made from scratch at the bakery restaurant. And it’s good. Very good. Mixed blessing for the owner. No one seems to have discovered this special place in a neighborhood loaded with culinary options. So, no line on Mother’s Day for brunch.

I’ve only been here for the Pao de Queijo, which from the first to most recent time I visited, went from an order being a medium handball size to tiny gumball size morsels of chewy cheese bread goodness. I last got my hands on a fresh batch which they said are made throughout the day. I remember them having balls on display which is why I came in… Normally, in these specific circumstances, that would repel me from a business, but I’m glad I defected.
My appreciation for Brazilian foods outside of Churrascarias and Caipirinhas had elevated. I don’t understand how they seamlessly infuse cheese into the dough to the point where you can’t tell one from the other? The texture of the cassava flour is fluffy and crisp at the same time, while the Parmesan plays off the sour dough so it tastes more like a white cheddar. Come in before 9 AM for the freshest batch. An order of PDQ and a cup of coffee will run you about 5 bucks and you’re day is good to go! Though, if you’re a coffee snob like me they make the equivalent of a bodega-​style café con leche, so you might be better off with a cashew nut or passion fruit juice.
With my office 2 blocks away, I will definitely be returning for a proper lunch meal and fresh suco.

I’ve only been here for the Pao de Queijo, which from the first to most recent time I visited, went from an order being a medium squash-​size ball to tiny gumball size morsels of chewy cheese bread goodness. I last got my hands on a fresh batch which they said are made throughout the day. I remember them having balls on display which is why I came in… Normally, in these specific circumstances, that would repel me from a business, but I’m glad I defected.
My appreciation for Brazilian foods outside of Churrascarias and Caipirinhas had elevated. I don’t understand how they seamlessly infuse cheese into the dough to the point where you can’t tell one from the other? The texture of the cassava flour is fluffy and crisp at the same time, while the Parmesan plays off the sour dough so it tastes more like a white cheddar. Couple an order of PDQ with a cup of coffee at 8am for less than 5 bucks and you’re day is good to go!
With my office 2 blocks away, I will definitely be returning for a proper lunch meal and fresh suco.

So I went ahead and gave them another try. I first did so about 2 months ago. I decided to pick up my usual order (the integral de frango and an order of French fries). I placed the order there and waited about 10 minutes for it to be ready. All went well. The sandwich and fries were delicious and the people very nice. So I tried again via telephone order. Again, everything went smoothly. Then, almost 2 weeks ago, I placed the same order. It took 50 minutes to get to me (I live about an 8 minute walk away). I paid about $ 15 for the sandwich, fries, a soda and their now-​included delivery fee. The French fries were cold as could be… not warm at all. They tasted as if they’d been sitting around for like, well 40 minutes. I immediately called and informed Jessica that I had just received my order and that my fries were very cold. She apologized, said that the fries were prepared fresh just for me, told me she’d speak to the delivery guy about it and was ready to hang up when I asked if she could send the guy back so that he could pick up the cold fries and return my money. Her reply was, «What? Return the fries? Ummmm… I don’t…» So I then told her that if that’s not possible I would like a credit towards my next order, as the fries were inedible and I know for a fact that those fries must have been sitting around somewhere because they always arrive hot when I have them delivered. «A credit? Ummmmm… I don’t…I will speak to the manager and call you back tomorrow.» This was on ⁴⁄₇ at 9:40 p.m. I placed my order at 8:50 that (a Thursday) night… I have yet to hear back from anyone. I tried calling the manager twice this week and no luck… apparently she’s never there. The employees at this establishment need training in order conflict resolution or something. Any other place in the neighborhood would have offered to bring a new order or would have offered a credit. Why can’t the employees here do the same when they mess up or when something they prepare and deliver to a customer is inedible? So much for like fourth chances!

Very authentic, casual little spot that offers good fast homemade fresh food. The burgers and sandwiches are so tasty. That green mayo is what dreams are made of– so go crazy! I highly recommend the X-​Calabresa. I constantly crave over their food, and I always look forward to returning– which is tonight!

Very good Brazilian food on the cheap! It’s a mix of being at a restaurant while also staying completely casual. While everyone raves about the different kind of burgers you can get here, I think the Perfect Plate options are the real steal. $ 9 got me a chicken perfect plate that fitness enthusiasts could go nuts over. So many carbs/​protein it makes for a very filling meal.
The brazillian soda was also really cool and while I rarely drink soda, I wasn’t sure when I would have the chance again. Definitely give it a try.

Great Brazilian Burger! Salad! Drinks & Dessert small bistro setting.

This place is everything. I could eat here (and have) multiple times a week. Burgers, Perfect Plates, Fresh Juices, and the cheesey breads are the stand outs. But nothing I have ever had here has been everything less than amazing.
Be sure to put the special green (cilantro) mayo and hot sauce on every single thing you eat from here.

Best place for a meal for under $ 10. The steak salad was pretty great and the sandwiches are fantastic.
Also try the acai bowls, they are great for about half the price for what you get in Manhattan.

I had to make my way in here for an acai bowl. I make them at home every day and fresh inspiration is very necessary in making acai bowls!
The bowl that I got was basic, but they did everything the right way. I know my acai bowls very well and it seemed to me that about 4 ounces was used in making my bowl. When I am paying 7.50, I expect at least 8 ounces of acai. Furthermore, they skimpted me out on the granola. Nonetheless, I loved the bowl anyways.
I couldn’t leave without trying the cheese balls. They did not disappoint!
Look, I love acai bowls. The place has smoothies with graviola and cupuacu also. That’s pretty cool and it reminds me of the juices that my ex girlfriend made me (she was Brazilian). But truthfully, I know that you ripped me off on the bowl. It’s cool, it tasted great, but you and I both know that for 8 dollars I deserve more acai, and less banana.
I might be back someday… Tchao

Best crinkle fries and cheese balls! Ordered the x Brazil sandwich and it was huge. Nothing short of amazing. Wish I had more green sauce though.

Pro
Great variety of burgers and shakes. Very refreshing take on a classic sandwich. Additionally, the side appetizers are delicious.
Con
Flavor is really lacking and the prices do not reflect a quality not quantity of appropriate High caliber food. Also, service is pretty slow.

I came in here last year with my Brazilian friend on Labor Day and all I remember was her telling me that their acai is really good and as close to Brazilian as it gets.
Flash forward to a rainy and windy night last week, it wasn’t too packed but the waiters were really friendly and quickly seated us. Upon inspecting the menu, I realized there was a lot of choices, from burgers to empanadas to desserts. The same waiter came back after about 5 minutes to check to see if we were ready. Of course, my boyfriend grabbed a Guarana, the official drink (?) of Brazil. (They have it in a little fridge to the back of the dining room.) Since we weren’t ready, he left and gave us more time.
About 5 minutes later, the owner came and asked if we were ready to order. She recommended the most popular burgers, the X Tudo and the X De Casa; she even recommended some items that weren’t on the menu, but I forgot what they were. She left again since we weren’t ready. After another 10 minutes, the first waiter came back and took our orders. We ended up ordering the X Bacon burger and the Pratos Freito Frango. The order didn’t take too long, maybe 15 – 20 minutes and it was really good. Our friend came a little later and ordered some empanadas and fries. He really enjoyed his food, too.
If it wasn’t so chilly and disgusting outside, I think more people would’ve come. Even so, more people came in later in the night. (My Brazilian friend that introduced me to this place even walked in towards the end of our meal!) Even though the owner and waiter were swamped with delivery orders and a catering event the next day, they made sure we were satisfied with our food. I really appreciate the time they took to make sure we enjoyed our time there. I even took the owner up on her offer to try the green bean hot chocolate. I had to get another cup to go because it was so good!
Also, the prices are affordable for the food you get. I had a whole plate of food for $ 9. My boyfriend’s burger was $ 7.50. For that price and the amount of food, you won’t be hungry for hours.
So if you’re in the area, or even if you’re not, you should step in and get a bite to eat. If you’re not hungry, get a snack for later. Try anything on their menu, or their «not on the menu» menu. You won’t be disappointed.

Good weather, good service, good recommendation, and good accompany! I got a Vitamina Completa which is a sweet smoothie contains papaya, banana, Apple and milk. Definitely will be back if I’m coming to this area.

Friend introduced me to this rustic little place which quickly fills up toward brunch time on weekends. The burgers are excellent and inexpensive considering the substantial portion. I tried the X Salada and was 100% satisfied both in terms of my taste buds and tummy. If they don’t offer you green sauce (which is mayo-​based), feel free to ask for a little tub.
The smoothies are so filling and creamy (the ones with milk at least). Totally worth the buck.
They have acai bowls for breakfast. Sandwiches are usually available for breakfast/​brunch as well but depending on the day /​what time the cook comes in. This one time I wanted a sandwich for breakfast but the cook was late, the counter girl offered me a cheese ball to try while I was trying to decide on an alternative. I didn’t end up getting the cheese balls but I’d say when in doubt, get these babies. Crisp on the outside, chewy and warm on the inside.
In general though, no complaints re: service from me — the staff are super friendly and accommodating. I’ve ordered via phone for pickup one time and the food was ready as promised when I arrived.

First of all, let me tell you how much I LOVE their cheese bread.
BUT, their customer service is SO horrible that I will never patronize them again.
My cheese bread review:
I grew up in South America, where Brazilian food is bountiful. One of the things we missed the most is pan de queso or cheese bread, so when I found out about this great place for cheese bread. I couldn’t wait to try it. The first time, I went with my boyfriend and LOVED it!
It’s the perfect combo of cheese to bread, you get the chewiness to the fluffy doughi-​ness. So delicious that you need like 5 to yourself.
Our HORRIBLE Experience:
I decided to take my mom here as she loves cheese bread even more. She first bought a pack of mini-​breads for $ 3 and after her first bite, she sent me out to get more.
I proceed to the counter to order our breads. As the waitress is bagging our breads, my mom tells the waitress girl that she’s grabbing the first batch of breads to the car as I’m still there ordering more food. Then I continue to order more food as I read the menu. Once I finish placing a large order (bought 2 full trays of breads and more), I pay the waitress with my credit card.
Then I quickly drop off the rest of the breads I just purchased into the car. I go back in to wait for my order. As I’m waiting, I find more food I want to order. Second round, I order more bread and food! :)
The same waitress is taking my order begrudgingly. :(
Another waiting customer (also Brazilian) looks at me and is surprised by how much food I order, I tell her how hungry I was and how much I love their bread. (it was true, lol)
The waitress tells her (Portuguese) «Well she grabs the food and doesn’t pay for it.»
I didn’t say anything and ignored her comment, since she obviously thought I didn’t understand it.
Then she starts packing up the food I just ordered. I then hand her my credit card.
This time she tells her (Portuguese) «Oh look, now she’s paying for her food»
At this point, I tell her (English) «I pay for all of my food, thank you very much.»
I decided to speak to the manager/​boss lady, her response is even WORSE.
She plays dumb and denies what happened even though she wasn’t there. I told her I’m holding firm on my stance that the waitress should apologize for her rude actions. She then tells me to wait outside for my food, attempting to kick out a paying customer who’s still waiting for their food. She never once acknowledged her employee was being rude. Not only that, I’m quite sure this action was discriminatory. Sorry, waitress girl, I look Asian but I understand Portuguese, speak Spanish fluently and grew up in South America, so yeah, you can’t disrespect me with Portuguese. :P
At the end of it, the waitress girl came out of the kitchen, she said «What am I apologizing for?» The manager lady says «Stop playing dumb and just apologize» The waitress girl tells me a quick «I’m sorry.» I acknowledge it, grab my last bag of food and make a mad dash for the car! Run, Runaway as fast as you can!
Every customer should be treated fairly and with respect. Clearly they were playing favoritism with their Brazilian customers. Not only that, but being racially discriminatory is UNACCEPTABLE and for that, you receive 1 star only for the bread.

Nice Brazilian sandwich place! Been here two times and both times the service was really friendly. As for the food,
coxinhas — While not as tasty as in a sit down restaurant, they’re pretty good for a quick lunch
cheese bread (pao de queijo) — Mehhh, kinda dry and not as cheesy as you can find at Colombian places
dulce de leche roll — Delish! Coconutty on the outside and full of rich dulce de leche on the inside, great dessert
xTudo — Really good! Absolutely massive portion, and they really don’t skimp on the filling here. It’s filled with delicious steak and ham and egg, and I love how they add corn to it too. Despite the artery clogging contents, the sandwich wasn’t greasy and came out just perfect.
While not a foodie destination, it’s a really good place to grab lunch if you’re in the area! If I had one suggestion it would be to give more sauce for takeout orders, it goes great on the sandwiches!

Dear Owners:
I skimmed through your reviews on here and felt compelled to add to my original review. I read a lot of apologies and «Can you give us another chance, blah, blah, blah» from you but the 1, 2 and 3 star reviews just keep coming your way. Clearly, something is wrong here.
You would think that after being open for so long you would get your act together. Maybe take some customer service classes. Actually listen to who’s keeping you open and stop ripping unsuspecting customer’s off by making up your own prices according to who you’re stereotyping. FYI, that is illegal. Under both federal and state law, it is unlawful to mislead or deceive a consumer, even if it doesn’t actually fool anyone. If you are deceptive, you’ll face legal problems for intentionally misleading your customer. Using the excuse that you wrote in your review responses about your pricing changing because of market value but not physically changing it on your menu’s is preposterous. NYC Law state’s that you pay the LOWEST MARKED PRICE.
You must post pricing for every item that you sell and adhere to it!
Formal review:
We came on a cold Feb/​March day to try out the menu. The place was empty and freezing with no staff in front. We waited what felt like a long while until someone came out to greet us.
The food was ok, nothing great and the service was lacking in every aspect. The staff didn’t seem to care if we were there at all. The food took forever to come out, in the meantime we froze our butts off in that room. It was cold!!! Not a proper environment to host.
We were over charged on all empanada’s according to the written menu prices at the end of our meal. They claimed it was an oversight on their end.
I would not return or recommend.
Sincerely yours,
Unsatisfied with your level of service

This is a tiny hole in the wall place with a few tables. We came on a Friday night and had no problem snagging one of the tables.
We both had one of the burgers, which were yummy and good for the price. But they were nothing to write home about. The only reason I gave this place 4 stars is that their little pao de queijo balls are so yummy! I would go back for just those. In fact I often think about walking down the street with a bag of them in my hand, eating them on the go.

I came here for Saturday brunch last weekend and we were the only ones that arrived. It was around 1pm. I was a bit skeptical since I read on Cheap Eats that this place was a gem. We proceeded anyway.
The location is on 30^th street and it’s a quiet area and actually very relaxing. The place was set up like a regular sit in deli. The waitress was really nice and shy. She suggested the Tudo burger when we asked what she recommended. When it arrived it was HUGE but delicious. Sausage, egg, ham– can’t go wrong. I also got to try the pao de queijo (of course) and they’re lwarm little bites of cheese heaven. I did try the coxihna de frango which was a potato and chicken type of turnover but wasn’t a fan. Too mushy. I also asked for coconut water but they said they were out of it which was disappointing.
Overall, I’d come back to try the acai bowls as they looked pretty good!

My first ever Queens food review. Huey Lewis once crooned about The Pao Of Love. So did Jennifer Rush and Celine Dion for that matter. And Frankie Goes To Hollywood.
Well if Frankie wants some decent Brazilian food, then that’s exactly where Frankie needs to go, because he won’t get any here at PDQ. I will give it a 3 star just because it’s not too overrated and it’s a little family business struggling to be successful in a competitive market like Astoria.
But let’s say that the Pao De Queijo here was average (cheese bread balls… sounds kinky)… and the Acai… well, I was dreaming of Acai from the moment I landed back in NYC from Brazil. Landing in Queens of course. So was the hot Texan girl that was with me. So we hit PDQ on our first day back in NYC, and ordered the overpriced Acai bowl (Acai Ni Tigela), and it was not only far inferior to the ones in Brazil, it tasted pretty bland, bitter and awful, and we couldn’t eat it.
Still I’ll give them a 3 and an A for effort.
And by the way, this is my first ever review of a food place in Queens… so yay. In fact I think it’s my first Queens review of any kind. Queens has my fave food in the whole world, so watch this space… after I’m done with Broke-​lyn and Womanhattan in a few weeks or so, you’re going to get some pretty amazing food recs for this paradise of food they call Queens.

My favorite salad spot in all of Astoria. I’ve been here over two dozen times and the food is excellent every time. The house salad and the grilled chicken salad are amazing (green sauce makes everything better). The burgers are also amazing and have interesting ingredients inside like potato sticks or cream cheese. The fried ball with cheese and meat is to die for. I’ve been a regular at this place ever since I discovered it about 2 years ago.

Came here for lunch with a group of 3 and we had to wait for a seat because the place is small with limited seating. Luckily they have 3 tables that can seat a party of 4. While we were waiting, the waiter (possibly co-​owner) was really nice. He was very apologetic that we had to wait for such a long time. He was really nice about it.
As for lunch, we ordered the x brazil, prato do dia, x veggie, cheese bread, and fries.
For drinks we ordered: vitamina tropical, batida brasileira, and vitamina tropical.
As for the food, I thoroughly enjoyed the x brazil. A disclaimer, nothing healthy about this sandwich. It is very filling and tasty. I would love to have this as my breakfast sandwich. Ingredients are fresh and they did not let the oil/​fat from the sausages soak the bread. The bread was not soggy and it didn’t feel like eating a bite of fat everytime. If you are looking for something hearty, this would be it.
As for the prato do dia, the meat was well cooked and the rice was not overly soggy. The salad tasted great. If I remember correctly, the steak they used was top sirloin as opposed to the sandwich which was just sirloin.
The fries weren’t overly fried and not dripping with oil. They all had a nice crunch to them and I think if you add the green sauce and the spicy red sauce, it really enhances the fries.
The cheese bread was good but I felt it was lacking. They do give a lot of cheese inside but I wished the outside had more crunch to it. It was a little soggy and I have never had Brazilian food so I’m not sure of the texture but I would err on the more fried side (or don’t let it sit out too long). I did not get a chance to try the x veggie.
As for the drinks, I really enjoyed all the smoothies. They give you a lot and I think it tastes better than most smoothie places. If I had to recommend one, it would be the vitaminai tropical.
Throughout our meal the waiter came back every so often and asked us how we were doing. We even had the opportunity to discuss with him about Brazil and learned that they had a cashew fruit juice. I never knew that cashew had a fruit component to it. Long story short, they had the juice and he let us try it. It’s not that sweet at all and you can taste hints of cashew nuts in it. I thought it was really good and I am now on the hunt to find the fruit =D
At the end of service after we paid, he gave us some banana/​chocolate candy (on the house). His way of saying thank you to us for waiting earlier.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and food. The staff was amazing and extremely patient. I would highly recommend this place and would definitely come back here again.

«Theft» is how I would describe this place. I came to this place in a snowy day. When I entered the restaurant they provided me a menu without pricing without them realizing that I had previously checked out the menu online. I ordered: 1 Xtudo and Abacaxi com Hortela. Online menu prices are: 8.50 and 4.25 respectively. I got charged 9.75 and 4.75 instead. Really??? They thought they could get by… I did not say anything at the time because I was gonna write it out in Unilocal to warn others. It seems they didn’t realize that Unilocal exists and people can describe their customer experience through it.
This is not the way to do business. When you have the menu with pricing online, then you should stick with your pricing. Also, having a menu with blacked out pricing is sketchy and shitty (I apologize for my foul language).
It seems I am not the only one that experienced bad customer service, other Unilocalers have also experienced similar or worse service. Please read all the ratings before coming to this place. It seems that the business owner does not know that in order to have a successful business is to have great customer service… This place needs lots of improvements!
Will not be coming back again to this place and I do not recommend eating in this sketchy place.

Came here to do a little research on Brazilian food + branding. In retrospect I should have gotten a sandwich or some pao de queijo which is probably why my review isn’t higher. I got the basic and healthy choice: Chicken, rice, beans, salad, fries. The fries were cold and vinegary — not about it. Super friendly staff though. The guy gave me a free chocolate hazelnut ball at the end.
Definitely have the Guarana soda. Basically a Brazilian Shirley Temple + Gingerale.
I’ll revise my review if I go back for a sandwich, but I won’t be coming to Queens specifically for this place like I did originally.

YUMMY BURGERS at this hole-​in-​the-​wall joint. so sad i wasn’t hungry enough to order my own .BUT i was lucky enough to try Long K. s!
burger meat tasted more like GYRO instead of your standard beef patty & the bun was a hard shell (i took a bite of Long K.‘s X tudo burger)
–pao de queijo: you’d think these babies are good since that’s the name of the restaurant. WRONG. hard, stale, & the filing was way too thick and heavy! it was $ 2 for the large ones but maybe the smaller 65cent ones would’ve been chewier
–brazillian soda guarana flavor: interesting but not something i’d order again
–fries: not bad but the green sauce to dip was good!
the ladies serving us were really nice
NOTE: there’s maybe 5 tables for you to stay in & eat!

I came here since a good friend was raving about this place. I have to say the service was outstanding, our server Ferdandes was amazing, he was friendly and really knew his stuff. We started with coxinha de frango c/​catupiru which is sort of like a rice ball fileld with chicken and cheese, I really liked. Then tried the kibe which I didn’t like.
For my entrée I had the X Brazil burger it was good but not great.
I might come back and tried other dishes to see how I feel.