Astoria Eatery's Outdoor Dining Setup Named One Of NYC's Best

ASTORIA, QUEENS — An Astoria eatery’s outdoor dining setup is one of the best in the city, according to a new award.

Blend Astoria, the Astoria outpost of the Latin restaurant group Blend Restaurants, was one of seven restaurants that won an Alfresco Award, the inaugural prize honoring the best such structures across the city.

Judges praised the “seamless design and color coordination” of the eatery’s outdoor dining setup, adding that it “significantly enhances the vibe at the corner of 30th Avenue and 38th Street” where the restaurant is located.

A panel of journalists, restaurant and economic development professionals, and mobility advocates selected the seven award-winning restaurants. Each will get $500 to acknowledge their “exceptional design efforts” amid the pandemic, which decimated the restaurant industry.

“New Yorkers made the best of an extraordinarily challenging moment socially and economically by transforming our streets and eateries into havens of joy and human connectivity,” said Kate Slevin, executive vice president of the Regional Plan Association — one of the groups that spearheaded the Alfresco Awards, alongside the Design Trust for Public Space and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign.

The groups gave out prizes to restaurants in all five boroughs, including two spots in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and one eatery in the Bronx and Staten Island.

Blend Astoria was the sole restaurant given an award in Queens, too, which isn’t such a surprise considering how many of the borough’s outdoor setups are in the neighborhood.

Astoria has more than 400 outdoor eateries under Open Restaurants, compared to other areas of Queens that have a relative handful, Gothamist reported. Jamaica, for instance, has only 61 Open Restaurants.

This disparity follows a citywide trend, where Open Restaurants are primarily located in wealthier, whiter neighborhoods, compared to lower income areas of the city, Gothamist found.

Eric Beaton, a deputy commissioner for transportation planning and management at DOT — the agency that oversees the city’s Open Restaurants — told Gothamist, however, that those disparities already existed pre-pandemic, when outdoor cafes were strictly regulated and only zoned for a few, mostly upscale, neighborhoods.

“Our goal is to try to make this program work and make it work for any restaurant around the city,” he said of Open Restaurants, which have eliminated a lot of the city’s outdoor dining “red tape.”

He added that the DOT tries to help restaurants address any issues that come up with outdoor dining “whether that’s looking at policing [or] whether that’s looking at the regulations along the curb.”

Alfresco awards were also given out for the best Open Street in New York City and for the best collaborations between Open Streets and nearby organizations.

In Queens, 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights was recognized as one of the city’s best Open Streets for its “strong multigenerational programming, engagement, and organizing.”

Find all the Alfresco Award winners here.