Food Struck, An Astoria Comfort Food Favorite, Reopens Its Doors

ASTORIA, QUEENS — Astoria residents flocked to the reopening of Food Struck, a comfort food venue that closed amid the pandemic.

Food Struck, located at 30-93 38th Street, officially reopened on Sunday after a series of bureaucratic hurdles that kept the owner from bringing back the eatery's famous chopped cheese and chicken sandwiches.

Owner Ravi Thapa posted the announcement of the soft opening on Instagram the day before opening Food Struck's doors.

"I was getting anxiety because it's been so long," Thapa told Patch. "On short notice, we had a line, and the wait times were over an hour.

Food Struck first opened in July 2019, serving as a hole-in-the-wall joint for restaurant industry workers after they clocked out. The restaurant initially opened at midnight and would sometimes close at 4 a.m.

Thapa said neighborhood residents eventually found out, and he started extending the hours to earlier in the night.

After gaining popularity, Thapa and his former business partner were planning to move to a bigger space, but the pandemic upended their plans.

Three years and a handful of electrical and lease-related problems later, Food Struck is back with a familiar menu: chopped cheese sandwiches, sloppy burgers, and chicken thighs.