Best date spots: Astoria, Queens

By Time Out editors Mon Feb 4 2013

Best date spots by NYC neighborhood

  • Photograph: Caroline Voagen Nelson

    The Astor Room

  • Photograph: Caroline Voagen Nelson

    Museum of the Moving Image

  • Photograph: Michael Kirby Smith

    Sweet Afton

  • Photograph: Lizz Kuehl

    Waltz-Astoria

Photograph: Caroline Voagen Nelson

The Astor Room

RECOMMENDED: More best date spots by neighborhood

The Astor Room

Plan a vintage date at this Art Deco supper club inside Kaufman Astoria Studios, once the center of the silent-film industry. Romance your companion over a cocktail at the mahogany Beaver Bar, where a buttoned-up barman pours stiff, old-school cocktails. Then grab a table and order a nostalgic dish like oysters Rockefeller.

  1. 34-12 36th St (at 35th Ave), Astoria, Queens
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Museum of the Moving Image

Casually inquire which side of the Wars-versus-Trek debate your sweetheart falls on while moseying through this dynamic institution. Aside from exhibiting all types of media (such as vintage fanzines, old cameras and arcade consoles), the facility also offers a 267-seat cinema with multiple weekend screenings.

  1. 36-01 35th Ave (at 37th St), Astoria, Queens
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The Sparrow Tavern

If you’re not the roses-and-chocolates type, this low-key neighborhood bar is a great place to down some beers to a garage-rock soundtrack. Join the locals chilling at the bar over an American or international brew, and sample the upmarket pub grub (which once earned a mention on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives). The joint also runs a short-film competition every three months; check sparrowfilmproject.com for details on free screenings. 718-606-2260, thesparrowtavern.com

  1. 24-01 29th St at 24th Ave, Astoria, Queens

Sweet Afton

If pickles and beer are your idea of a match made in heaven, plan your next tryst at this laid-back gastropub. It combines an industrial feel—lots of exposed brick and massive overhead beams—with the dim, dark-wood coziness of an Irish pub. The array of reasonably priced suds includes strong selections from craft breweries like Sixpoint and Singlecut; complement your brew with beer-battered McClure’s pickles, an epic bar snack if there ever was one.

  1. 30-09 34th St (at 30th Ave), Astoria, Queens
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Waltz-Astoria

Dropping into this multiuse performance space is a bit like playing date roulette: Depending on when you turn up, you could stumble upon a comic-book reading group, a classical-music performance or a magic show. If none of that strikes a chord, visit on a Tuesday or Wednesday at 8:30pm for Queens’ longest-running open-mike music night, hosted by Pedro Gonzalez. (Sign up at 8pm if you actually want to take the stage yourself.) Most shows are free to attend (with a $10 food/drink minimum), meaning you can magnanimously pick up the tab without breaking the bank.

  1. 23-14 Ditmars Blvd (at 23rd St), Astoria, Queens
More info

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  • You should list here Locale Italian Restaurant that is right off 34th Ave in Astoria as it is the best date spot in Astoria!

    Lina Tue Jun 19 2012
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