Queens is always open for business — and this week, there is plenty of new business to discuss. From a major culinary event in Sunnyside to a classic pizza revival in Astoria and a sweet new scoop shop, the borough’s diverse neighborhoods are welcoming fresh additions that residents and visitors alike should know about.
Sunnyside Restaurant Week: Through May 4
If you have been sleeping on Sunnyside’s dining scene, the next two weeks are your wake-up call. Sunnyside Restaurant Week is running from April 20 through May 4, 2026, with more than 50 local restaurants offering three-course prix fixe dinners for $35. That is a genuine deal in a neighborhood that already punches above its weight for value, and this year’s event includes several restaurants that have opened within the past 12 months. New participants include Coba Pizzeria, Latino Bites, and Makina Cafe — all worth adding to your list. The event is organized annually by the local business improvement district and has grown substantially each year.
Sunnyside sits along Queens Boulevard between roughly 39th and 52nd streets, with the 7 train providing easy access from Manhattan and the rest of Queens. The neighborhood’s dining mix spans Korean, Irish, South American, Middle Eastern, and Italian — all within a few blocks of each other. Restaurant Week is the single best excuse to explore all of it at once.
Freddy’s Pizza Returns to Astoria
Freddy’s Pizza has opened a new Astoria location, expanding from its original Whitestone spot that has been running since 1961. The new outpost brings the same old-school pizzeria format — no-frills slices, familiar pies, and the kind of consistency that only comes from six decades of doing one thing well. Astoria’s pizza scene has grown increasingly competitive in recent years, and Freddy’s arrival is a welcome counter to the wave of trendy newcomers. Sometimes you just want a good classic slice, and Freddy’s has been delivering exactly that since before most current Astorians were born.
The Screen Door Opens in Sunnyside
Also new in Sunnyside: The Screen Door, a dessert spot specializing in classic American ice cream treats. The menu leans into nostalgia — sundaes, banana splits, egg creams, and more inventive options like ice cream pizza and ice cream nachos. It is the kind of place that is almost impossible to walk past without stopping, and Sunnyside’s mix of families and young professionals should take to it immediately. Precise address details are still circulating locally, but The Screen Door is open and serving.
What You Need to Know
- Sunnyside Restaurant Week runs April 20 through May 4, 2026. Three-course dinners at more than 50 participating restaurants for $35. Take the 7 train to 46th Street for the heart of the action.
- New Sunnyside Restaurant Week participants this year include Coba Pizzeria, Latino Bites, and Makina Cafe.
- Freddy’s Pizza has opened a new Astoria location, expanding from its original Whitestone pizzeria that opened in 1961.
- The Screen Door has opened in Sunnyside, serving classic ice cream treats including sundaes, banana splits, egg creams, and ice cream pizza.
- Queens remains one of NYC’s best boroughs for dining value — Sunnyside Restaurant Week is a great way to discover neighborhoods you may not have explored yet.
Queens keeps proving that it does not need the hype machine to have a world-class dining scene. These new additions join an already exceptional borough-wide lineup.
For more Queens exploration, check out our Queens Hidden Gems walk through LIC, Astoria, and Sunnyside and our deep dive on what’s changing in Sunnyside right now.
