74th and Broadway, Jackson Heights, Queens

1 Koryod@ng Some of the neighborhood’s best early-morning bargains are at this Seoul-based chain (with three other Queens locations and two in Manhattan) that slings 75¢ java, and satisfying pocket pastries called gorokke for just $1.40 a pop. Try one of the savory versions or a sweet one filled with chestnut cream. 72-22 Roosevelt Ave between 72nd and 73rd Sts (718-779-6019)

2 First Taste This Chinese café bakes all kinds of rolls and sweets, including three dense macaroons for $1, and squishy rice-gluten balls filled with chopped peanuts or sweet bean paste (70¢ each). Add a $2.50 coffee slushie if you’re feeling flush. 75-08 Broadway at 75th St (718-803-1844)

Lunch

3 Rice Ave White banquettes and angular contemporary lights make Rice Ave feel modern, but the chow is authentic traditional Thai. Several peppery curries (with chicken, beef, pork, tofu or vegetables; seafood costs an extra dollar) are offered among the $6 daily lunch specials, which come with an appetizer and rice. 72-19 Roosevelt Ave between 72nd and 73rd Sts (718-803-9001)

4 Delhi Palace For $7.95 per person, Delhi Palace’s lunch buffet showcases 14 fresh South Indian dishes, including a rich makhani chicken or lamb, a curry (often goat), idli (lentil cakes) and footlong dosai (crêpes). 37-33 74th St between 37th Ave and 37th Rd (718-507-0666)

5 Gusty Chicken At this Colombian luncheonette, the namesake dish, a rotisserie pollo, is fine, but hungry hedonists opt for the $8.50 plato montañero, or peasant platter, heaped with chopped beef, fried pork and a sunny-side up egg, and served with beans, plantains and an arepa (corn cake). 74-01 Roosevelt Ave at 74th St (718-457-0925)

6 Chilli Chicken Here’s a chance to try the latest Queens fusion cuisine: Tangra. Basically, it’s Chinese food with red Indian spices. The weekday lunch buffet ($7.95, meatless $6.95), is half vegetarian, with choices like curried greens and sweet almond tofu. Don’t worry if you’re a carnivore—plenty of options await you. 73-08 Roosevelt Ave between Broadway and 73rd St (718-651-0848)

Malaysian Rasa Sayang

7 Malaysian Rasa Rayang This place sells the Indonesian-Cantonese-Thai fare of Malaysia’s Penang state. Lunch-sized curry noodle soups (squid for $5.25, shrimp for $5.50) are deliciously coconuty; sweet-and-sour asam laksa soup combines smoky mackerel, tamarind and pineapple for $5.50. 75-19 Broadway between 75th and 76th Sts (718-424-9054)

Dinner

8 La Porteña This Argentine steakhouse is known for its parrillada mixed grill ($16.95), a meat lover’s mélange of expertly flamed rib chops, skirt steak, sweetbreads, tripe, chorizo and morcilla (blood sausage). 74-25 37th Ave between 74th and 75th Sts (718-458-8111)

9 Fiesta Mexicana You may find Abuelita—that’s “Granny” in Spanish—in the kitchen here, cooking up Oaxacan moles and tamales. The roasted-pork cochinita pibil, marinated in chilies and oranges and wrapped in banana leaves, is memorable and costs about the same as many Manhattan margaritas—$11.95. 75-02 Roosevelt Ave at 75th St (718-505-9090)
—Karen Tina Harrison

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