Date Night in Elmhurst: Romantic Restaurants and Bars (2026)
An omakase party under the 7 train, an Argentine grill from 1970, Thai rooms full of flowers and a Latin jazz bar with mezzanine seats — where to take a date in Elmhurst, from dinner to the last set.
11 restaurants
Elmhurst is better known for lunch than for romance: it is the neighborhood of Thai noodle counters, Indonesian and Malaysian kitchens and Argentine butchers, most of them bright, fast and cheap. But between Roosevelt Avenue, Broadway and Woodside Avenue there is a small set of rooms built for an evening — a basement omakase counter that runs like a party, flower-hung Thai dining rooms, a family grill that has been open since 1970 and a music bar where Latin jazz plays almost every night.
The picks below are grouped the way a date actually runs: somewhere to celebrate, a prettier room for a long dinner, then a place to keep the night going. Two classic Italian rooms just over the line in Jackson Heights, on Northern Boulevard, are included for the anniversary crowd. Everything here is a short walk from the 7, E, F, M or R trains, and several places take cash only or a deposit, so check each page before you go.
For a celebration
Birthdays, anniversaries and the dinner you want to remember — book these ahead.
- 01
Fifteen-course omakase with unlimited sake
Sushi on Me · ELMHURST, QUEENS
A basement counter on Roosevelt Avenue where the chefs work to music and colored lights, refill your sake cup across the counter and hand you a torch for the fatty tuna. The set price has stayed close to $100 before tax and tip, booked through OpenTable with a deposit. It is dinner and a show — not the place for a quiet talk.
- 02
Parrillada for two with a bottle of malbec
La Fusta · ELMHURST, QUEENS
A family-run Argentine grill on Baxter Avenue since 1970, with an equestrian-themed room and long-serving waiters. Start with the empanadas, then share the mixed grill or the charred entraña. It is unhurried and old-fashioned, the kind of anniversary dinner that runs long.
- 03
Seafood risotto with lobster tail
Armondo's · JACKSON HEIGHTS, QUEENS
Northern Italian in Jackson Heights since 1972, reopened on Northern Boulevard on Valentine's Day 2015 after a fire. The menu is the classic book — clams oreganata, veal marsala, tiramisu — and the staff will pick the wine if you let them.
- 04
Seafood salad, then a frutti di mare risotto
Uncle Peter's · JACKSON HEIGHTS, QUEENS
An Italian dining room on Northern Boulevard with Argentine and Spanish touches, a bar for a cocktail first and holiday prix-fixe menus. A grown-up room for dinner that runs to dessert and a last glass of wine; book ahead on weekends.
A pretty room for dinner
Elmhurst's Thai kitchens, at their most romantic.
- 05
Crab fried rice, duck curry and a lychee martini
Spicy Shallot · ELMHURST, QUEENS
The prettiest corner on Little Thailand Way: flowers line the walls and hang in a cloud from the ceiling over pale pink and blue chairs. The Lam family has run it since 2005. Ask for a table under the flowers and share a curry and a fried rice.
- 06
Steamed whole fish and tom yum
Na Rath · ELMHURST, QUEENS
A tiny triangular room on Whitney Avenue, run by owners who also have a florist business — it is crowded with flowers and warm twinkling lights. Most of the menu is all-you-can-eat and cooked to order, so go slowly: the fish and the tom yum first.
- 07
Yum pla duk (crisp catfish with green mango)
SaRanRom Thai · ELMHURST, QUEENS
A cozy, warmly lit room on Broadway with a Michelin Bib Gourmand and a place on the New York Times' 2026 list. The menu is long, with detours to the north and south of Thailand; order the catfish salad for the table and one regional dish each.
Keep the night going
Music, late plates and something to share after dinner.
- 08
A set from the mezzanine benches
Terraza 7 · ELMHURST, QUEENS
A narrow music bar on Gleane Street, named for the 7 train, where salsa, cumbia, bolero and Latin jazz play almost every night. Arrive before the first set and climb to the mezzanine benches above the bar. Some shows are ticketed, so check the calendar.
- 09
Boat noodles and a dish-inspired cocktail
Pata Paplean · ELMHURST, QUEENS
A twenty-seat Thai bar on Woodside Avenue with cocktails that riff on Thai dishes and a happily cluttered room. Order the small bowls of boat noodles in pairs. It is walk-in only and very small, so come as two.
- 10
Larb-spiced wings and nam khao tod
Jai Sang Ma · ELMHURST, QUEENS
A late-night Thai bar on Broadway, opened at the end of 2025, dressed as a village food stall under lanterns and blossoms. It fills toward midnight, when live music often takes over. Come after 10pm, order three or four plates and bring cash.
- 11
Hot pot split between jaew hon and tom zap
Jaew Hon · ELMHURST, QUEENS
Isan hot pot up a flight of stairs, two doors from Sushi on Me: a cloudy herbal broth and a sour, very hot one, shared at a small, steamy table. Best on a cold night. Listings report cash only and an automatic gratuity, so check first.
Every kitchen here was confirmed open as of 2026-10-19. Menus change — confirm a dish is on before you make the trip.
Good to know
Tasting menus in New York, answered
Is Sushi on Me in Elmhurst or Jackson Heights?
Its postal address on Roosevelt Avenue says Jackson Heights, but the block sits on the Elmhurst side of the neighborhood line, and Time Out lists it as Elmhurst. A second Sushi on Me runs on Driggs Avenue in Williamsburg. Source
Which trains go to Elmhurst?
The 7 runs above Roosevelt Avenue (82 St–Jackson Hts is closest to Terraza 7), the M and R stop at Elmhurst Av on Broadway, and the 74 St–Broadway / Jackson Hts–Roosevelt Av hub connects the 7 with the E, F, M and R. Source
Do I need cash?
For some places, yes. Jai Sang Ma and Jaew Hon are reported to be cash only, and Jaew Hon adds an automatic gratuity. Sushi on Me takes a deposit when you book on OpenTable. Source
For your next table
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