Some of the categories from the 2021 Survey did not make it onto the EAT, DRINK or DO & SEE pages. The main reasons being that there were too few responses or there were not clear winners. Here are the categories that were left off, and the top responses listed in alphabetical order.
Best Club (Social) ASTORIA
Astoria Horror Club
Astoria Social Darts League
Ladies First Astoria
Queens Rugby Club
Wandering Jews of Astoria
Best Date Spot ASTORIA
Astoria Park
The Bier & Cheese Collective
Break Bar
Burger Village
Diamond Dogs
Heart of Gold
Mar’s
Sweet Afton
The Wolfhound
LIC
5th Hammer Brewing
The Gutter LIC
Best Massage ASTORIA
Sonia Maksimovitch
LIC
Quintessential Therapy
Best Nail/Beauty Salon ASTORIA
Adriana Milhart
Best Beauty Salon
Bliss
Dahlia Nails
Eve’s Nail Salon
Faces & Nails
Haus of Wax
Kiki
Lily’s Nail Salon
Nail Berry
Rainbow
Spa Barlie’s
Wellshow
Best Place to Work or Study ASTORIA
The Bier & Cheese Collective
Burger Village
Corner Spot
Heart of Gold
New York City Bagel & Coffee House
Panera
Prince Tea House
Queen’s Room
The BOAST: Best of Astoria & LIC 2021 winners have been posted! You can see the new winners on the EAT, DRINK, DO & SEE and LOCATION pages. The LOCATION page has them on an interactive map and organized by location. We have a post here with a complete list of all the 2021 winners. And on this post you can see the Winners by the Numbers. This was the first time we expanded every category to include space for LIC, so there were a record number of winners, and since there were fewer responses for LIC, those winners were posted alphabetically. For Astoria, we were able to post those as first, second and third place, as we have done in the past.
We want to highlight Katch Astoria, which is a Featured BOAST Business on the sidebar of the DRINK page, as well as a BOAST 2021 winner for Best Bar for Sports. If businesses are interested in being a Featured BOAST Location, they can get in touch with us by email ([email protected]), on the CONTACT page or through social.
Winner stickers
Do you know a business that is a BOAST 2021 Winner? We are selling winner stickers and we can be reached at [email protected], through the Contact Form on the website, or through any of our social channels: Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
See below for the BOAST: Best of Astoria & LIC 2021 Winners graphics. If you are interested in these graphics as magnets (each magnet is 5.5 x 8.5″), we are selling both of them together for $20. Let us know if you are interested!
Here is the complete list of the BOAST: Best of Astoria & LIC 2021 Winners. The winners in Astoria are ranked first to third, and the winners in LIC are listed alphabetically since there were so many less responses on the survey for LIC.
EAT Best Outdoor Dining ASTORIA
1. The Bonnie
2. The Bier & Cheese Collective
3. Sweet Afton
LIC
Centro
Il Falco
Jackson’s Eatery | Bar
Top Quality
Best American Restaurant ASTORIA
1. Burger Village
2. Cronin & Phelan’s
3. Queen’s Room
3. Sugar Freak
LIC
The Baroness
Bellwether
Best Bagels ASTORIA
1. Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company
2. New York City Bagel & Coffee House
LIC
Bricktown Bagels & Cafe
Pumpernickel Bagel and Delicatessen
We Bagel
Best Bakery ASTORIA
1. Parisi Bakery
2. Martha’s Country Bakery
3. Queens Bake House
LIC
Blackstar Bakery & Cafe
Cannelle
Best Brunch ASTORIA
1. The Bonnie
2. Astoria Provisions
3. Mom’s Kitchen & Bar
3. The Shady Lady
LIC
The Baroness
Jackson’s Eatery | Bar
Sweet Chick
Top Quality (more…)
Before the end of the year, and before we post all of this year’s winners, we wanted to share the results from the BOAST: Best of Astoria & LIC 2021 Survey for Best Organizations or Causes to Contribute To. Thank you to everyone who filled out this survey question. These are in alphabetical order.
Let us know your favorites in the BOAST: Best of Astoria & LIC 2021 Survey!
The BOAST: Best of Astoria & LIC 2021 Survey is LIVE! The site is boast.nyc/survey.
Please fill it out by December 28, 2021, and be sure to add your name and email at the end of the survey for a chance to win a prize. We always appreciate short write-ups with your entries, and please share the survey with anyone who knows and loves Astoria or LIC! Also, this year you can fill out part of the survey, and then come back to it later and make changes until you submit it.
This year we are expanding the survey to include LIC, so each question has space for Astoria (plus write-up) and LIC (plus write-up). We appreciate you filling out as much as you can, but no need to fill out more than you’d like.
Outdoor dining is still very much a thing, so that leads off the EAT section of the survey. There have been a lot of dessert spots popping up, so a new category this year is Best New Sweet Shop. And in the DO & SEE section we wanted to highlight the category Best Organization or Cause to Contribute To.
There is a suitor; He loves a countess. There is a writer; She loves someone lost. There is a countess; She loves words. She loves them passionately, desperately, and literally.
A new fairytale from award-winning playwright Kati Frazier explores our relationship with the written word, sexuality, and how we learn to love one another properly. with Alexander Cannon, Maggie Cino, Adelaine Mollo
Directed by Tony Williams II
LIMITED ENGAGEMENT! November 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21 at 7:00pm Matinees on November 20 and 21 at 3pm. Run Time 85 minutes Playing at APAC, 44-02 23rd Street in Long Island City
COVID safety protocols are in effect. Audiences are required to wear masks and seating accommodated social distancing requirements. Proof of vaccination and ID required.
Andrew Karistinos’s mustache is amazing. So amazing, in fact, that it became the logo for his restaurant. He owns Jackson’s Eatery | Bar — located at 10-37 Jackson Ave. in Long Island City. Apparently, it’s a rare occasion if you don’t spot Andrew while there.
The dining experience was top-notch. Brunch was fantastic — we had egg dishes, French Toast and pancakes. The pancakes came with a generous portion of blueberry compote and homemade whipped cream — which the bruncher took home and said were just as divine later. The pancakes themselves were nice and fluffy and the compote was so fresh that it tasted like homemade jam. The French Toast was elevated with caramelized bananas and Nutella drizzled on — which was just the right amount. This bruncher said it was just delightful! The omelete was nicely fluffy and the gal who ordered this proclaimed that the potatoes it came with were the best part of her meal. One of our brunchers ordered a dish called Fixin’ to Feast — which included two fried eggs, biscuits ‘n gravy and yam hash browns. He said it was incredible, but wanted to know more about the meat in his gravy. Our host for our LIC adventure got the Southern Eggs Benny — a reliable and enjoyable dish, and he liked the mini sour cream cajun pancakes instead of the English Muffins. There was plenty of outdoor seating and the menu was accessible by scanning a QR code. We appreciated how the coffee was presented (check out the picture), and the cocktails were delectable. Also, the music gave off a chill vibe, and it was key that it wasn’t too loud.
The waitstaff were not only attentive to the human guests, but also to the dogs. Each dog accompanying their owners at the outdoor seating at this establishment was greeted with a big bowl of water.
Before our group left, we asked the owner, Andrew, if he’d be in a photo with us. He happily joined. We can’t wait to go back and try all their mac & cheese options and the chicken and waffles dish we saw on other tables. Both looked amazing!
The next item on our LIC agenda was to find a bubble tea place. Our host brought us to Mango Mango (which is just fun to say!) at 47-43 Vernon Blvd. and the ambience was just as bright and bubbly as the beverages! There was a mango-shaped chair swing which we all took turns being photographed in while waiting for our drinks. It was nice and clean inside and the employees were friendly. Most of the brunch crew got bubble tea (Oreo Creme Brulee, Passion Fruit and Signature White Bubble Tea) while others got smoothies (Strawberry and Coconut Mango). The bubble teas tasted very fresh, and there are many other desserts, such as ice cream, cakes, and waffles, so there should be something for everyone wanting a treat.
Our fearless leader continued to show off his new stomping grounds with a walk through Gantry Plaza State Park — where we stopped to snap photos and take breaks to just enjoy the New York City skyline and our drinks.
It was a wonderful adventure to explore LIC a little more. It’s a great neighborhood full of color and inspiring messages. (These signs were outside Black Star Bakery & Kitchen at 10-01 50th Ave.)
Text and photos by Emily, Jennie, Rachelle, Jamie and Jonah
Astoria Performing Arts Center welcomes Tony Williams II as new Artistic Director
Astoria, NY, August 2, 2021—Astoria Performing Arts Center has announced that Tony Williams II will take the lead as Artistic Director in August 2021. Tony recently co-directed and choreographed APAC’s Big Green Theater’s The Mystical Jungle and Luminescent City, a co-production with Superhero Clubhouse (now on FiveOhm.TV) and directed last year’s Summer Stars production of You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown. Tony will lead the previously planned 2021-22 Fall Season and curate the remainder of the Season this summer. “I look forward to continuing excellence that APAC is known for and elevating it to new heights,” said Williams.
Tony Williams II is a New York transplant who has worked regionally as both a director and a choreographer. His love of theatre and dance took him to Jacksonville University earning him a B.F.A with minors in Dance and Music. Since graduating in 2011 Tony has worked for companies such as Clayton State University, Players Theatre, Prospect Theatre, Children’s Theatre Company, Crosswalk Ministries USA. Bronx Arts Ensemble, and New York City Center.
APAC’s 2021-22 Season will contain premiere works of plays and musicals, plus dance, music, and art performances presented at their new permanent home in Long Island City. Currently announced works are Solo Flight (co-production with Heidi Latsky Dance) in July 2021, the postponed production of Man of La Mancha, a musical by Joe Darion, Mitch Leigh, and Dale Wasserman, directed and choreographed by Tony Williams II, Theatre of the Film Noir a play by George F. Walker, and the popular annual community programs Summer Stars and Senior Stars among others. The company will also present free readings and workshops and a new music series to be announced. For more information please visit www.apacny.org.
