QUEENS — Move over, Manhattan; it’s Queens’ turn to grab the dining spotlight.
Foodies in the borough will be able to fill their stomachs without emptying their wallets, as Queens Restaurant Week begins next week.
The event, which runs from Oct. 8-11 and Oct. 15-18, will offer three-course prix fixe dinners hundreds of Queens restaurants for $25 — $10 cheaper than a dinner during Manhattan's restaurant week.
Borough President Helen Marshall celebrated the return of restaurant week at a kick-off event in front of Borough Hall on Oct. 2, calling it “one of the borough’s most anticipated and popular annual events.”
“It provides residents and visitors alike with great opportunities to sample at discounted prices the wide variety of gastronomical delights that can be found right in America’s most diverse county,” Marshall said.
Dozens of foodies got a chance to sample the cuisine offerings at the kickoff event, dining on meatballs from Uncle Peter's in Jackson Heights and clam chowder from London Lennie's in Rego Park.
Over 125 restaurants will be participating in Restaurant Week, said the event’s organizer, the Queens Economic Development Corporation.
When the event kicks off, diners will be able to sample food from several Zagat-rated restaurants, from tempura shrimp at London Lennie's to enchiladas and chicken chowder at Mojave in Astoria.
Eateries across the borough are poised to see an increase in business during the next two weeks.
Hunter Price, a bartender at The Irish Cottage in Forest Hills, says that the restaurant sees a significant uptick in customers during restaurant week.
“We usually see a boost of 20 to 30 percent,” said Price, who added that the Irish Cottage, located at 108-02 72nd Ave., participates in restaurant week every year.
For a complete list of participating restaurants, visit www.discoverqueens.info/QRW.
