✦ Neighborhood Guide · Elmhurst

Best Restaurants in Elmhurst

The best restaurants in Elmhurst, New York City — 6 ranked picks with ratings, must-try dishes and live table availability.

6 picks

Elmhurst has 6 restaurants worth the trip, and this is the ranked list. Hug Esan NYC leads it at 4.8 stars, with Taste Good Malaysian Cuisine close behind. Most of this list stays under $40 a head, and the strongest showings are Thai, Malaysian and Taiwanese. If you only order one thing, make it the whole tilapia at Hug Esan NYC. None of these take online reservations — they are walk-in or phone-only, so go early.

Elmhurst covers a lot of ground for its size — Thai, Malaysian and Taiwanese are all well represented across the 6 spots we track here, and the neighborhood averages 4.6 stars.

Hug Esan NYC Watch

Hug Esan NYC

Thai  ·  Elmhurst  ·  $

★★★★½ 4.8

Regional Isan cooking in a tiny dining room that locals talk about for weeks afterward

Must-try: Whole tilapia, Spicy mee ka tee, Grilled chicken livers

📍 77-16 Woodside Ave, Elmhurst, NY 11373

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Taste Good Malaysian Cuisine Watch

Taste Good Malaysian Cuisine

Malaysian · Southeast Asian  ·  Elmhurst  ·  $

★★★★½ 4.8

The roti canai here is one of the best things you can eat in this city

Must-try: Roti canai, Singapore kari laksa, Satay panggang

📍 82-18 45th Ave, Elmhurst, NY 11373

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Happy Stony Noodle

Happy Stony Noodle

Taiwanese · Chinese  ·  Elmhurst  ·  $

★★★★½ 4.6

The beef soup is one of the single best dishes you can eat in Elmhurst

Must-try: Taiwanese beef soup, Suan cai noodles

📍 83-47 Dongan Ave, Elmhurst, NY 11373

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Zaab Zaab Watch

Zaab Zaab

Thai · Isan  ·  Elmhurst  ·  $$

★★★★½ 4.6

Isan cooking from northeastern Thailand in Elmhurst — sour, funky, and genuinely spicy

Must-try: Larb, Som tum with salted crab, Grilled pork neck

📍 76-04 Woodside Ave, Elmhurst, NY 11373

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Lhasa Fresh Food Watch

Lhasa Fresh Food

Tibetan · Himalayan  ·  Elmhurst  ·  $

★★★★½ 4.6

Momos and hand-pulled noodle soups that work equally well for a family or a solo lunch

Must-try: Beef and chive momos, Thenthuk with hand-ripped noodles

📍 8109 41st Ave, Elmhurst, NY 11373

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Sky Cafe Watch

Sky Cafe

Indonesian · Southeast Asian  ·  Elmhurst  ·  $

★★★★☆ 4.4

Some of the best Indonesian food in New York, and forgiving of solo diners

Must-try: Lontong sayur, Nasi lemak ayam goreng

📍 86-20 Whitney Ave, Elmhurst, NY 11373

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best restaurant in Elmhurst?

Hug Esan NYC — 4.8 stars across 4,469 reviews, the highest on this list. Regional Isan cooking in a tiny dining room that locals talk about for weeks afterward.

Do these restaurants take reservations?

None of the 6 on this page take online bookings — they are walk-in or phone-only. Going early, or on a weeknight, is the reliable move.

What should I order?

The whole tilapia at Hug Esan NYC, the roti canai at Taste Good Malaysian Cuisine and the taiwanese beef soup at Happy Stony Noodle. Those are the dishes regulars point to first.

How were these picked?

Ratings and review volume decide the order, but the list itself is drawn from restaurants people actually post about — 5 of the 6 here have a TikTok attached to their card. Every entry is checked as open before it ships.

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