The Barn

A friend of mine was ranting and raving about this place so I decided to come and check it out. The front of the place is pretty small, if you’re not really looking for it– you might pass it right by. I actually didn’t even see the little banner hanging off the side of the building when I first got there. Anyway, it’s not very big inside either. It’s a long narrow type of place. The bar takes up the majority of it. I came on a Friday night and it was still fairly early– about 7pm. The bar area was already pretty full and there were two sets of tables all connected and empty in the back, and scattered around were two seater tables here and there.
We were told when we walked in that both the really long tables were reserved and so were the small two seater tables and we were asked if we wanted to sit at the bar and eat instead. I was about to just leave at that point because I don’t enjoy eating my dinner at a cramped bar area unless it’s like a «Chili’s» or something. But before I was getting ready to walk out the waitress said that one party for a two seater wasn’t coming until 8:30pm so if we wanted that table we could have it for the time being. That was fine by me considering it doesn’t take me an hour and half to eat a dinner lol So we ended up sitting at a small table away from the bar and ordered some dinner. Now this place has a lot of meat platters for dinner. Pork, steak, chicken– that sort of stuff. I do like steak and chicken but I’m not big on pork– especially when it’s slabbed hanging off a big bone with fat and grease all over — yuck. I actually looked at some pictures of the food here before coming so I knew the meat plates looked like that, but they had other things that seemed interesting.
I ended up getting the meatballs stuffed with cheese appetizer and something I never tried before– the spaeztles dish. I didn’t even know what that was actually but the pictures looked good to me on the Unilocal reviews. Plus somebody said it tastes sorta like Mac and cheese– so I was curious to try it. The meatball appetizer was pretty decent, nothing to rant about. They were a little, hard the meatballs. The sauce was alright too. So the spaeztles dish wasn’t bad. First time trying it, and I did enjoy it but I think it might be better off as a side dish– not a main course. It’s heavy and sits in your stomach like a rock. I ended up taking most of it home with me. It actually tasted better cold the next day lol
It started to get really packed at this point, and the two large parties that had the big tables reserved began arriving so that was my cue to leave. I could tell they were going to be loud and annoying — so we ended up skipping dessert and left. The servers were very nice and attentive though. The prices were reasonable as well. Overall, not a bad place. I’d like to go back and give it another try though and order something else. The burgers looked really good, I saw one go by on a tray. Maybe I’ll try that next time. I won’t be rushing back though anytime soon. I’d try another night other than a weekend night where maybe a large party isn’t coming in and taking up 75% of the place.

I live just a few blocks from this place and never thought to enter it. However, during the week of my boyfriend’s birthday, we decided to stop in. The décor is a little off putting at first because it is dark which threw me off a little bit but the place is very clean.
I would like to start off by saying we had excellent service. The young woman who was our waitress was very nice, attentive and just over all a sweet person.
I highly recommend getting the braised short ribs. The ribs are seasoned extremely well and cooked to perfection. They are very tender and falls right off the bone. It is served on a bed of mashed potatoes with beets. I don’t even eat beets but I ate those. The mashed potatoes are seasoned well and it also helps that the juices from the short ribs sink into the them. Sometimes I dream and crave these short ribs. I can’t get enough of them.
We usually go during happy hour which is an excellent time. It is not very crowded, but there will be other patrons there. They have $ 4 draft beers that are very large. The well drinks are also $ 4 as well.
I rarely ever order dessert because I am not a big fan of sweets but I did this time around. I genuinely do not remember what we order for dessert because this was last July, but it was good. The dessert was not for me. It was my boyfriend’s birthday week and I really wanted to do something nice for him, every day, until his actual birthday. I typed a message on my phone and showed it to my waitress stating that it was his birthday and she was very accommodating. The dessert looked beautiful and there was a candle along with ‘Happy B-​Day’ written in chocolate sauce on the plate. The waitress went so far as to give us two free rounds of shots because it was his birthday.
I must say, it was a great experience my first time there. It was so great that my boyfriend and I have been back a few times for happy hour and sometimes to eat. GET THE BRAISED SHORT RIBS and GO FOR HAPPY HOUR. You will definitely be satisfied with the food, service and beers. The shots aren’t bad either, if you’re into taking shots.

Went here on a Friday night with my husband before the blizzard so it wasn’t crowded but there were more people than I expected given the impending storm and that the outside of this place is very low key borderline shady.
Inside the vibe is unassuming, very chill with low volume music, nice lights and a lot of wood décor fitting with the barn theme.
To start we had Astoria brewery beers (Singlecut), mussels (came in a tomato sauce, I prefer white wine garlic sauce but still tasty) and parmesan truffle fries. For our main we shared the shortrib and brussels sprouts with bacon. The brussels sprouts were strangely tiny, perhaps out of season… The food was all very tasty, nothing blew me away but it a delicious meal with beautiful presentation.
The service was ok, the apps took a while to come out and the waitress seemed pretty miserable, absolutely no effort to be friendly but I wasn’t there to hang out with her so that’s ok.
Nice date spot or quiet chill place to have a few drinks with friends.

Great location, close to a lot. There was a nice buzz going on, with people going out to the back patio. Friendly bartender who was attentive. Had a shrimp appetizer. Followed by the infamous braised ribs. I thought it was good. Got terribly sick unfortunately, ended up in the ER for dehydration. I’m an RN, it happens I suppose. The experience of being in the hospital for food poisoning would keep me away from here. Just a fluke I suppose.

This is a review of a Saturday night. There was 3 or 4 other parties with two front of the house servers. That was proven to be understaff as our entrees took half an hour to come out and then another 40 for our desserts. The table we were initially sat at was sticky so we moved to the bar. The servers were kind but just too busy to take care of each patron adequately. The atmosphere is dim and divey in the back of the restaurant but bright at the bar due to the TVs.
What makes the slow service worth it are the wings ($ 6) that come out quick. I love wings and these were one of the best I’ve had in queens. They weren’t too big or too small. The meat fell off the bone and the sauce was delicious. The pork chop was perfectly cooked with fontina cheese inside ($ 18). The beef short ribs were tender and juicy ($ 18). Both filling entrees with room for dessert. Steam dumplings were dry and doughy. They are not worth it especially if it cost $ 6 for two. The key lime pie was mediocre ($ 5).
Overall, do come here for the food if you have patience to wait and wait.

So good that my wife requests that we go their weekly and strictly for their food. Unfortunately for us, this spot at the border of what can still be called «Astoria» is just too far. If your lucky enough to live close enough, here’s what wifey and I recommend:
Fried Bread — it’ll help soak up that pint you had (traditional Czech and even the domestic stuff)
Pork Shank — a special not on the menu but ask for it ! also, bring a friend to help you eat it…
Short Rib — they are fall of the bone, activating my salivary glands just thinking about it !

All of the food we orders was delicious! The truffle fries were amazing! The short ribs was my favorite. It’s a bar/​restaurant which is low key.

The waitress has a STRONG accent that I can barely understand her. I told her that my daughter has an allergy to eggs. I asked if the mash potatoes has eggs. She said «I am pretty sure it doesn’t have eggs. «You as a server, your answer should always be «I will check with the chef». Allergies are something that you fool around with. She did check with the chef after I asked her to.
Food was average. The ribs are quite good but lack of flavor on the inside. The mash potatoes was good.
The worse part of our dining experience was that this server who is maybe 23 years old was left alone to handle the restaurant/​bar. She had to call the owner on the phone because the credit card machine wasn’t working. She told us to use the ATM in the place. We refuse to use a random ATM machine. Then she wanted to write down our credit card info to charge later. Who does that? Which kind of establishment doesn’t have an imprint device for manual transaction? That was just fishy.
We left to find a bank. Luckily, we were able to dig out close to the bill amount in our wallets to pay for it.
We will never visit this place any or recommend it to anyone.

I came here for dinner on a certain weekday night, and it was really quiet. The candles on the table and the dark lighting definitely added to the romantic ambiance of the space, but I was kind of confused when I first entered due to the massive bar at the front and the oldish sign in the front of the store promising some forgotten renderings of a club.
I of course ordered the short rib, which so many have craved about, and my partner ordered the angus burger. We also shared the beef tartar and the spaetzel (a sort of lux Mac and cheese with fried bacon bits on top).
The food was really good for the first few bites, and personally, everything got really heavy, which made it hard to finish. Considering the size of the short rib I ordered it makes sense, so perhaps if you ever come here, possibly share with your date?
Aside from the dishes, we got a line of cocktails including the old fashioned, the Cuervo classic, and the lemon basil martini. The drinks were just very strong, with the liquor washing out any other tastes (I’m not complaining as my second drink had me rolling already).
Overall, the restaurant is nice. However, for the pricepoint, I think I can do for a better lick-​your-​plate clean kind of place. If you’re in the neighborhood, do come and try the short rib. It’s a beautiful dish.

What a surprising, pleasant little place. Walked in to this neighborhoody restaurant on my birthday week. Drove past it a million times and decided to support local and see what they offered. Glad I did. The décor is slightly off putting, I was a little worried when I first walked in to be honest. Very rustic and woody, but clean.
The beers were large and inexpensive. We didn’t try the mixed drinks They’re happy hour is nice as well. $ 4 draft beer and well drinks.
Absolutely get the short ribs. It’s the best I’ve ever had in my life. You’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t order them. The mash is seasoned just right and all the flavors blend perfectly (as you can see I really like short ribs).
I don’t give too many 5 stars, but this place deserves more credit (and business) than it gets.

Went to this place specifically to try the short ribs and I will say they were absolutely on point. I subbed the polenta for the potatoes which were also delicious. My complaint is that the service with a little lackluster which I blame on it being a Sunday night and we were the only two people in the place. The bartender forgot to put in my side order of brussel sprouts which ended up being a blessing in disguise because I was stuffed after eating the heaping portion of short rib and polenta that I was served. Still, when I’m the only person ordering anything and you forget half of what I order, that’s a problem.

Came here for dinner and I have to say the braised beef short rib was one of the best I’ve ever had. A definitely must have when you come here.

My hubby and I arrived early for our 6pm reservations so we waited at the bar. Starving, we ordered the wings to snack on before our friends arrived. A little while later, our wings were still not out but our friends had arrived so we had the wings brought over to the table.
We ordered some drinks (I had the lemon basil martini, which was the perfect balance of sweet and refreshing).
Then we placed our food orders, some apps to share and 2 entrees. We waited over an hour for our food. We were only offered a round of drinks when my friend said something to the waitress. We sat there patiently for an hour! Not even a bread basket was brought to us.
Here’s a rundown of the food
Wings-​Very crunchy
Truffle Fries-​tasted like pre-​frozen fries with truffle salt, nothing special
Meatballs-​a little tough but had good flavor
Short Ribs-​VERY tender, also liked the beets it came with
Overall, there’s a great food selection but the service was just… bad. I can’t believe it took over an hour just to bring out some fries.

Nomnomnom. Very happy to find this place. They have a very cute backyard with a rustic feel. The waiter was very friendly and knew the palce very well. We wanted to do the checkin deal but it is only available from 5−7pm and it is a seperate menu… so keep that in mind.
My friends and I did a family style dinner and shared everything we ordered. For appetizers, we got the meatballs and fried squid. The meatballs were good. They had cheese on the inside and out and plenty of sauce. But I’d go with the fried squid for sure. One of the best calamari’s I’ve had. The combo of the sauce and well cooked squid was perfection.
For the entrée, we shared the short ribs and the Spaetzle. The spaetzle is a potatoe-​y pasta with delicious thick bacon. It was like creamy comfort food. The standout was definitely the short ribs. It was well seaoned, and laid perfectly paired with garlic mashed potatoes. It was a good portion and melted in your mouth.
The waiter also recommended the Weihenstephan-​hefe weiss and it was awesome. The waiter was great at recommendations and super friendly. Can’t wait to go back!

This is a delightful little spot slightly off the main commercial area of Astoria, right by Vesta. It can be easy to miss. Fantastic place for happy hour, which goes until 8. The crowd is varied, but generally pretty low-​key. I think the bartenders might all be models? That’s a creepy-​ass thing to say, man. The bartenders are super friendly and accomodating every time I’ve been there. Don’t be a creep and annoy the very pleasant bartenders, please.
The food is hit or slightly not hit, but the only miss I tried was the pulled pork, which was very very dry. The linguine is surprisingly good — there is a very strong clam flavor, along with a massive amount of fresh clams in the shell. For a place with somewhat of an eclectic menu, one wouldn’t expect the one or two Italian dishes to be so on-​point.
The garlic bread is EXCELLENT, and very very powerfully garlicky. Don’t go this route on a first date. Let them see how you really are on the second date, with an upfront and honest display of, «yeah, we’re totally going to make out after we garlick the heck out of ourselves.»
The spaetzle is more like a straight mac and cheese, which, like all restaurant mac and cheeses, needed some salt.
The pierogies, which I’d thought were the thing to get here, were actually definitely pre-​prepared pierogies, that you could buy in any store. The lardon and brussels sprouts were very good with them, but aren’t pierogies supposed to come with caramelized onions, or even onions roasted until slightly black? These onions were basically raw, and it was a bit curious of a combination.
Basically, this is a good slightly out of the way local spot, which is way less likely to be packed than other places on or off 30^th ave. Good happy hour, nice staff, nice crowd. Worth going to in order to see if your second date will tolerate your garlic breath enough to be a keeper.

So glad we chose this place for dinner. Definitely will come back soon. The steak tartare is amazing if you like some spice. The beet salad was good and truffle fries were on another level. The braised short rib needs to be someones entrée at your table because it’s definitely one dish you want to try here.

Do you like braised beef short ribs? Yes?! Go to The Barn, seriously, it’s great. And if you don’t, go to The Barn anyway so you can at least taste it.
The Barn is a small-​ish bar/​restaurant right on the outskirts of the busier parts of Astoria. Because it’s not in the middle of all the action, parking isn’t too bad, even on weekends. For some reason Google maps has it almost half a block off. The location is narrow but long, and relatively spacious. There is a decent bar right in front and they even have an outdoor seating area for summer dining. The ambience is well. a barn, but thankfully not overdone, with some faux accents and dark, yellowy lighting.
But where this place really gets it right is the food. Did I mention the braised beef short rib. It’s good, really good. Tender, saucy, with an accompanying mound of mashed potatoes to soak up the flavor. I’m a huge fan of braised short rib and have had it in a lot of restaurants around NYC, and honestly, this one is damn good. And phenomenal at this price point. Honestly I’m surprised they don’t highlight it in their menu. Sure there’s some other things on the menu, including some decent calamari, but if your here, do yourself a favor and get the short rib.

I came here after my fellow Unilocaler Ben raved about this place. It was a very cold winter night but we made our way here and thank god found parking right in front.
I had to get the short ribs since that’s what Ben recommended and in the pictures it looked amazing.
Well let me tell you it did not disappoint.
It was huge, tender, juicy and tasted perfect with the mash potatoes.
The presentation was great since they serve it on top of a cutting board, very rustic.
This was the perfect meal to make me feel warm and cozy inside on this cold night.
If this wasn’t enough they had hot wine (mulled) which has become one of my favorite things to drink during the NYC cold winters.
I will be back.

Came here because I forgot I had bought an amazon deal for it and it was about to expire– For kinda a throw-​away buy, this ended up being AMAZE-​balls.
The décor is rustic, dark and romantic — its kinda manly, but I like that and for the food and the way they serve the food it fits perfectly. Exposed brick and big wooden tables. Some really cool light features along the brick.
****We started with the crispy squid– Definitely four stars. The batter was light, not greasy. The spin of the olive, sundried tomatoes and garlic added a really awesome briney taste– very different and very delicious.
**** B/​f got the short ribs thanks to so many high marks on Unilocal. Everyone is right– these are delicious. They fall off the bone and the roasted beets and garlic potatoes compliment them so well. B/f’s only complaint was there wasn’t enough!
***** I got the Pork Chop — I saw that some people didn’t like it, maybe they upped their game, these were AWESOME. Seriously, this was my fav of the night. I loved the filling and the polenta was so so tasty. I liked the outside a little crispy with the pork still being moist inside. yum yum yum Five stars.
We got a couple cocktails — him: an old fashion (ok. Nothing special. and no cherry. kinda weird) Me: Hot Toddy — perfect for the cold night.
All in all, it was a fantastic meal. We both agreed we will be making our way back soon.

Heard of this place from fellow Unilocaler Katty D. She put up some pic of a short rib dish that left my mouth watering, I had to try it. It also helped that there are deals on the restaurant from Unilocal deals to Amazon Local deals. The place itself is a very casual eatery, it feels kinda like a European beer hall in a way. There are wooden tables to floors to everything. This place is a perfect place for relaxed comfort food. PS– if you want to be eaten alive by mosquitoes, eat outside in the back garden. Be aware of the specials, I saw some pork knuckle dish that looked bomb on Unilocal but it was only a special *sad face*
The food:
Braised Beef Short Ribs– garlic mashed potatoes, roasted red beets drizzled w/​a balsamic reduction. God almighty creator of heaven and earth, thank you for bringing this into my life. I don’t normally start my food section with an entrée, but this one dish is worth coming to the restaurant for. This dish was so perfect for me, the short rib was so insanely tender, the garlic mash was on point and the beets offered a nice subtle sweetness. This dish should be ordered by everyone, even if you are eating at a different restaurant lol
Crispy squid– tossed sun-​dried tomatoes, mushrooms, Kalamata olives, scallions and garlic. This dish is a must order as well. It’s well prepared fried calamari with with a salad of sun dried tomatoes mushrooms, olives and greens and it’s soooo good. It’s sweet and tart at the same time with some crunch from the squid, sooo good lol
Fried Brie Cheese Special– the cheese was wonderful. I don’t normally like brie but it was ooey gooey. It was also perfectly fried. The peaches and the greens complement the cheese very nicely.
Grilled Shrimp– w/​avocado and spicy chipotle sauce. The shrimp are cooked wonderfully, the avocado adds a nice richness and the salad is nice palate cleanser.
Barn Platter– It was a good charcuterie plate. Grilled bread, three different types of meat and cheese, spicy mustard, some honey and some grapes? Yum yum.
Pork Shank Special– It tasted like a a really made well ham. The meat is nice and juicy with a slight crunchy exterior. I thought this was good.
Pork Chop– Stuffed w/​sage, fontina cheese, wrapped with prosciutto over crispy polenta w/​sauteed mushrooms. The polenta cake was the clear star of the show. The cake was perfectly crunchy on the outside and wonderfully creamy on the inside. The chop was ok, it was slightly too thick and dry and grainy.
Chicken Medallions– mashed potatoes and asparagus doused in a lemon white wine capers sauce. I am not a fan of white meat, but the ones here were pretty good but a tad on the tougher side for me. The white wine sauce was excellent though. The mash and capers were very nice additions.
Meatballs stuffed w/​Manchego cheese– tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese. On paper, this sounds amazing, the execution was just OK, I thought the meatballs were a tad dry and kinda dense, the tomato sauce was quite good, though.
Rigatoni– sweet sausage w/​peas in pink sauce. This was a solid pasta dish, but it was a mistake to eat the short rib first since it blew this one out of the water. The pasta was cooked well, a tad under, but the sauce and the sausage was excellent.
Key Lime Pie– One of the better Key Lime pies I have had. The crust is wonderfully crunchy and the filling has a nice tartness to it.
Home made spaetzles– w/​soft sheep cheese, scallions and Larson bacon. So far this is the only miss. I thought the spaetzle was doughy and heavy. It also didn’t have a lot of flavor, even with the lardon and scallion. I would skip this.