Eat the 7: This New York City train line doubles as a food tour

There’s a time and place for glossy restaurants with celeb chefs and slick PR teams behind them, and fair warning – these aren’t that.

In New York City’s borough of Queens, the 7 Train (Flushing Local) runs east and west from Main Street in Flushing, Queens, to 34th Street Hudson Yards in Chelsea, Manhattan.

Referred to as the ‘Orient Express’ in the parlance of locals due to its route through ethnic neighbourhoods, these are folks that hold fast to their cultural conventions… especially when it comes to the glory of food.

Travel to another country in the space of one stop after another for the privilege of trying them all. Here are a few of our favourites.

Pupuseria Izalco

Pop in for a savoury pupusa, a thick pillowy griddle cake from El Salvador and Honduras. They’re made with cornmeal or rice flour, and here they’re stuffed to the gills with cheese, beans, rice and pork crackling.

We also love the tamal de elote (sweet corn tamales). Wash it all down with a Salva Vida, Honduras’s best brew.

SriPraPhai

Hands down, this is considered the best Thai food in all five boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island). All of your favourites are here, but why not branch out and try something new?

The papaya and dry shrimp salad is garnished with crispy ground catfish, and the jumbo noodle soup features pig’s offal and egg. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

Jackson Diner

One of New York City’s insider guides calls this place one of the five reasons to leave Manhattan for Queens. The food is divine, so much so that you may even find yourself in the company of the many celebs who come here to eat, like Harrison Ford, Sylvester Stallone and Hillary Clinton.

New Yorkers never stare, so mind your business and attend to your tandoori bater (quail in aromatic spices) and your mulligatawny (traditional legume and herb) soup.

Michelada House II

Two words: Come hungry. This is the third (and most say best) of Jose Luis Diaz’s three ‘fonditas’. Cheap and cheerful, don't miss the chilaquiles torta (Mexican breakfast sandwich) or challenge your taste buds with the pancita (cow’s belly soup with rice and tortillas). It’s unbelievably tasty.

El Chivito D’Oro

Meat and more meat, this is the spot to calm your inner carnivore. Think platters of marinated beef, chicken and Spanish blood sausage cooked over an open flame – the juices spit over the coals for flavour that won’t stop until you do. Heads up, this isn’t the place to come for salad.

The Lemon Ice King of Corona

Italian ice, anyone? These are the real originals with a 60-year history of churning out fruit-laced shaved ice creamy nirvana that goes down as well in winter as it does in the dog days of summer.

Since there are more than three dozen flavours, and a small serving costs less than US$3 (NZ$4.90), we recommend you try a few – liquorice, peanut butter, mint chip. Plan on queueing – this is a bustling spot.

Eight Jane Food

This hot spot initially earned its street cred by serving the popular jianbing or Chinese crepe with eggs, scallions, chillies and a crispy wonton centre.

Eight Jane is a grab-and-go, so do just that and browse the neighbourhood. If you arrive early enough, you might even be fortunate enough to nab a youtiao, also known as yu char kway, a soft, tearable deep-fried strip of wheat flour dough. They sell out fast, so beat the crowd.

The 7 Train (Flushing Local and Express) Line runs from Flushing, Queens to Hudson Yards, Manhattan. For current pricing, timetable and maps, visit:

Air New Zealand and Qantas operate non-stop flights from Auckland to New York. See: ;

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