Elmhurst, Queens. Going into this, I didn’t know much about Elmhurst.
I know that my mom used to take me there to get my hair cut when I was little. For some reason we stopped going to that specific barber shop (still not sure why). I know that Elmhurst Hospital is there, which is where my friend Farah’s hilariously awkward stories took place when she worked there for, like, two seconds (not saying it’s not a good hospital!) And I know that the location of the Target I go to is considered Elmhurst (I love Target).
Now I know that it’s culturally diverse. There’s the Asian side, where you can find a bunch of restaurants, not limited to Malaysian, Vietnamese, and Chinese cuisines. And Asian supermarkets! My favorite kind of supermarket.
LOOK AT THAT VARIETY OF INSTANT NOODLES.
There’s the Hispanic side, which eventually turns into Jackson Heights. Where you can find (not limited to) Colombian bakeries, Argentine, and Cuban restaurants.
Both have really great places to eat, and they’re both very different. You can get empanadas and buñuelos and then pho and dumplings, all in the same neighborhood. Within walking distance! Today I’m going to talk about both.
Here are some of my favorite places in Elmhurst, Queens:
Joju
Located: 83-25 Broadway, Elmhurst, NY 11373.
Oh, Joju. I don’t even know where to begin. I’m just so thankful that I got to experience this. Like I’m actually really grateful that I followed the good Yelp reviews and came here. It’s a modern Vietnamese sandwich shop, and everything on the menu is so unbelievably good. And they put an Asian twist on almost everything on their menu.
According to their website, a Vietnamese sandwich is called a bánh mì, which they described as a sandwich made up of thinly sliced pickled carrots, radish, cilantro, cucumber, chili peppers, and different meats combined with a sauce, all sandwiched in a baguette.
My favorite sandwich on the menu is called Beef Bulgogi, which has thinly-sliced ribeye beef with kimchi. It’s a popular pick at Joju. And it’s unbelievably delicious. The meat was pretty sweet, which usually would turn me off (sweet meat grosses me out sometimes), but it was so good. There were really fresh carrots, cucumbers and cilantro on it too. Bulgogi and kimchi are Korean, which shows that Joju plays with foods from other countries.
Other sandwiches that are popular picks are the Lemongrass Chicken, which has grilled lemongrass chicken 
thigh, and BBQ Pork, which has sliced barbecue pork patties. Joju suggests you get a runny fried egg on your sandwich, always.
It’s number one on “The Ten Commandments of Joju,” written on their wall. It’s actually so cute.
“1. Thou shalt not forget the runny egg on the bánh mì.”
My favorite commandment is the sixth one.
“6. Thou shalt remember, ‘fries before guys’.”
Word, Joju.
With that said, let’s move on to their speciality fries. Their Kimchi Fries. THEIR KIMCHI FRIES. It’s overwhelming how good they are. They’re perfect on every level.
The Kimchi fries are topped with mild spicy mayo (kind of like a chipotle sauce), mild kimchi, chopped scallions, cilantro, and jalapeños. They’re crispy (probably double-fried *drools*), spicy, and fresh. Joju suggests that you top it with a fried runny egg, making them Loaded Kimchi Fries. You can view their full menu here.
Come check out Joju! It’s really amazing how all of these flavors come together. Don’t forget the runny fried egg! I did. I regret.
Plant Love House
Located: 86-08 Whitney Ave, Elmhurst, NY 11373.
Plant Love House isn’t only an authentic Thai restaurant serving up Thai classics, but it’s also one of the best dessert places in the area, in my opinion.
What’s really great about this place is that it’s inexpensive. And the decor is so cute. There are fairy lights all around, furniture pieces that look like they belong in a garden and picnic tables. It’s also all white.
One of their signature dishes is Tomyum Noodle, which is a spicy noodle soup with minced pork, fish balls, sprouts, peanuts, cilantro, lime, and crispy wontons. Num Tok Noodle is another signature dish, which is a spicy pork blood (yes, blood) noodle soup with Chinese broccoli, sprouts, pork balls, garlic and cilantro. They are both only $4.95 for a good-sized bowl.
According to their website, Manadsanan Sutipayakul is the head chef. She started cooking for her neighbors in her backyard, as a test run. Her daughters, Benjaporn Chua and Preawpun Sutipayaku, are in charge of their desserts.
Let’s talk about their desserts and teas. They have this really amazing Passionfruit Iced Tea, which is this bright yellow color. And how cute are their cups?! I want clear mugs for my house.
Their desserts are pretty unique. They’re presented nicely, plated so neatly and pretty. There’s Plant Love Ice Cream, which is egg yolk coconut ice cream with young coconut meat. There’s the Plant Love Toast, which is basically French toast, served with sliced bananas, a scoop of ice cream and whipped cream. The Homemade Brownie Sizzle is Instagram-worthy. It sounds like a hot plate of fajitas when they bring it to your table.
And my favorite, the Choco Bear Lava Cake. Look how cute! There’s a powdered sugar bear! It’s a chocolate lava cake, so it gushes when you break off your first bite. It comes with ice cream, strawberries and whipped cream.
I thought that sticker in the whipped cream was a temporary tattoo, and I sat there for like five minutes trying to take the plastic cover off. There was no plastic cover. It’s not even a sticker, actually.
Come check out Plant Love House! There’s also a location in Brooklyn. Just a warning, it’s cash only!
La Fusta
Located: 80-32 Baxter Ave, Elmhurst, NY 11373.
Next we’re going to talk about an Argentine steakhouse, to show the other cultural side of Elmhurst. La Fusta is located right across the street from Elmhurst Hospital, and not too far away from the Elmhurst Ave. subway station.
According to their website, it has been open since 1970 and specializes in grilled meats and wines.
Their decor is chic, a lot of wood work. It’s kind of dark in there, but that only adds to the ambiance.
La Fusta has a large menu with soups, salads, grilled items, chicken, seafood, and pasta. Their La
Fusta Salad is so good; it comes with lettuce, watercress, tomato, white onion, ham, mozzarella,
anchovies, green olives (my favorite), and red pepper. It’s filling for a salad, and the flavors combine so well.
It’s very important to put chimichurri on your grilled meat! It’s a sauce that has parsley, garlic,
vinegar, vegetable oil, and chili pepper flakes.
It can get a bit pricey if you come for dinner, but there’s a great lunch deal I recommend. It’s Monday through Friday, 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
My favorite dish is the Skirt Steak (or Entraña). I usually get my steak medium well, and their skirt steak is always so juicy. Their Short Ribs (or Tira de Asado), are also so good, grilled perfectly as well. Grill items come with your choice of two sides.
Sides include mashed potatoes, sautéed spinach, sautéed broccoli, Russian salad, french fries, and sautéed onions. The lunch special comes with a soda.
Meat lovers! Come check out La Fusta for, in my opinion, the best Argentine beef around!
Lao Bei Fang Dumpling House
Located: 83-05 Broadway, Elmhurst, NY 11373.
This is the most authentic Chinese restaurant I’ve ever been too. It’s also the most unique one I’ve been to. And so ridiculously inexpensive. Lao Bei Fang Dumpling House specializes in dumplings 
(duh), noodle dishes, and other typical Chinese dishes. The ultimate cheap eats place in Elmhurst, for the amount you pay you get SO much food.
When I first heard about this place and how inexpensive it is, I was a little concerned. I thought maybe the food wouldn’t be fresh or the portions would be on the smaller side. But it got such great reviews on Yelp I had to check it out.
As soon as you walk in, you notice how fast-paced the whole place is. You have to stand on the line, which is really quick, and at the same time you have to look for a free table, which is hard to find. You tell the person behind the counter what you want to order, you pay, and I’m not even kidding, the food is almost always immediately ready. They move so quick.
There is a station where you can pour yourself tea and water, and there are sauces for different food
items passed from table to table. Everybody is pretty involved with each other, constantly asking other tables to pass them certain sauces.
I like their pork and chives fried dumplings, which were only $2.oo ($2.00!). Isn’t that crazy? And the order comes with eight dumplings! They were fried, but not oily at all, which is a plus. They tasted pretty fresh and had a good amount of broth inside.
And I loved their scallion pancakes, which were also only $2.00! It was a big portion, too. They also weren’t oily and so, so tasty. They also had a great dipping sauce, and there were so many I had to take home the leftover scallion pancakes.
Come check out Lao Bei Fang Dumpling House and experience this incredibly inexpensive place yourself!
Thank you for reading this post about Elmhurst, Queens! Go check out the different sides of this neighborhood, and all it has to offer. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
Elmhurst natives: Did I forget to mention your favorite place in Elmhurst? Let me know in the comments below!
Until next time!
