Brian Guyadeen

4 months ago

"If you’re in Astoria and you haven’t been to Blackbird Café yet, you’re missing out on one of the best neighborhood gems. This place has everything you want in a bar/restaurant — great food, solid drinks, amazing staff, and just a fun vibe. Let’s start with the star of the show: Wing Wednesday. Easily my favorite night of the week here. The wings are hot, crispy, and always on point. You can go with honey barbecue, mild, hot, or nuclear if you’re brave, and they come with ranch or blue cheese on the side. Whoever’s running that kitchen deserves credit because the consistency is unreal. Now, the sweet potato fries. Most places give you soggy, limp, forgettable fries. Not here. These are crispy and they hold up. They come with chipotle ranch that gives them just the right kick. Honestly, I’d come back just for the fries alone. Add in their creamy mac & cheese and you’ve got peak comfort food. Drinks on Wednesdays are always fun too. All beers (except Guinness and a couple others) are served in mason jars, which just fits the vibe. Shot specials, beer specials — it’s a great midweek hangout. Just a heads-up… Wednesdays are cash only, so plan ahead. The staff is a huge part of why I keep coming back. Shoutout to Lynn and Christine — they’ve been here a while and always take great care of me and my friends. Even if I don’t come in for weeks, they remember my order like clockwork. The barback/food runner (wish I caught his name) deserves love too - he’s always hustling and keeping things moving. Blackbird Café is the kind of spot you don’t just check out once. Between the wings, the fries, the drinks, and the team that makes you feel like a regular, it’s easily one of my go-to places in Astoria. *I don’t have a photo of the sweet potato fries… because they never survive long enough for a photo. They disappear the second they hit the table.* If you know, you know. And if you don’t, go find out"

Skeeter Gee

7 months ago

"Fantastic wings. Crispy. You usually don’t get crispy wings at restaurants. Also some crazy flavors on Thursday. The outside of the building looks like a Greek wedding hall. The windows in the front give you a great view of the neighborhood. Bartenders were nice and attentive."

Saurav

8 months ago

"We tried wings and beer here on a Wednesday. Found the food and service to exceed expectations. The bar is rich, and the wings are priceless. Staff is attentive and quick. There's also a jukebox that can be accessed with TouchTunes app. What deserves a special mention? The wings served here have 3 levels of hot. Might wanna start with medium. It's just perfect. What could be better? Not accepting cards for payments is a huge inconvenience today. Might wanna consider keeping a card reader."

Faidon Kefaleas

9 months ago

"Blackbirds in Astoria is a neighborhood gem! We stopped by and tried their famous chicken wings, and they absolutely lived up to the hype. Crispy, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. The steak quesadillas were another standout, packed with delicious, well-seasoned steak and melted cheese. The cozy atmosphere made for a great dining experience, and the service was warm and attentive. This is a place to enjoy a drink with friends, Blackbirds is definitely worth a visit."

Jason U.

a year ago

"We were impressed with the food and service here. This is one of those places we'd walked by a hundred times and always said "we should check that place out one of these days". We finally did and liked it a lot. Nice bar and restaurant with a good menu with plenty of options, some with a Cajun flare. We ordered the Q18 Burger (half ground beef half ground bacon), the Shrimp Poboy, the Mexican style corn on the cob and half a dozen chicken wings with mild buffalo sauce (they make all of there own sauces so we thought we'd play it safe on the first run). Everything was really good and we were very impressed with the wings. My wife mentioned that this is her new "wing place" so that's that. The burger was good and the poboy could have used a couple more shrimp, but was otherwise good too. The fries, both regular and sweet potato, were crispy and very hot. The wings were crispy under the sauce and I would call their spice level normal so the mild definitely had some heat but didn't get my head sweating. Pretty lively bottled and draft beer list as well as some wine and cocktails which we didn't explore this visit. Several flat screens with various games on for the sports fans and the place was quiet enough to have a conversation without raising your voice much. The bathroom was clean and nice enough. Our waitress Caitlin (sp?) was super friendly and fun and we didn't have any problems with our food or anything else. Very nice friendly local vibe here and we'll certainly be back to try more of the menu. Easily recommend this place."