Restaurants in Long Island City

A steely color scheme and sleek chrome fixtures set the stage for savory burger binges at Stand4. Thirteen patties spring sizzling from the kitchen's grills to be dressed in classic lettuce, tomato, and American-flag fixings as well as bolder accessories such as chipotle sauce and fried egg. Blenders buzz up sweet shakes in flavors such as blueberry pie and toasted marshmallow, some spiked with libations such as Kahlúa and Frangelico.

Middle Eastern and Moroccan aromas waft through the walls of Horus East Cafe as servers ferry trays of saffron-infused paella and skewers of lamb to awaiting tables. Beneath sheer curtains and exotic oil paintings, diners lounge at burgundy-colored booths to sip bottled beers and partake of aromatic tobacco blends from towering hookahs. On Thursday–Saturday evenings, belly dancers flaunt their colorful garb and undulating moves as they meander between tables, suffusing the eatery's atmosphere with kinetic creativity. The café's doors remain open until 4 a.m., facilitating late-night noshing and providing sanctuary from streets filled with carriages turning back into pumpkins.

Aromas of roasted lamb, spicy merguez, and subtly sweet shisha waft across Le Souk's three stories of space, surrounding patrons with the scents of Moroccan cuisine. In the kitchen, the chefs stuff housemade lamb sausage and sprinkle strands of saffron into their fragrant sauces. Platters of couscous and tagines with duck confit, red snapper, or lobster help to lend distinctly North African flavors to the menu.

Moorish archways link the restaurant's orange-walled rooms, which are lit by dangling lanterns and smoldering coals atop hookahs filled with fruit-flavored shisha. Guests can practice their smoke rings or smoke dodecahedrons while live dancers and occasional DJ performances entertain them throughout the night.

Coiling steam from 23 flavors of cappuccino wafts across Sambuca’s Cafe's open-air dining room, where an epic menu of old-country fare complements the interior’s floor-to-ceiling spread of modern italian architecture. Italian wines from Campania and Toscana beg to be sniffed and swirled in much the same manner that the bar’s globetrotting array of beers longs to be immortalized as foam mustaches. Chefs at this Italian outpost deftly compose cheese platters, fashion homemade pizzas, and scoop sorbet and handcrafted gelato. Fresh-baked muffins and a continent-spanning coffee selection aid early risers reclining under the umbrellas of Sambuca’s outdoor patio.

Korean Express’s ensemble of chefs sears traditional eats on hot stones, filling the shop with a piquant bouquet of steam. In the bustling kitchen, fingers fly as they prepare a variety of time-honored dishes such as hot-stone bibimbap and savory seaweed rice rolls that only respond to questions when addressed by their Korean name, kimbap. Proof of the kitchen’s dedication to the region's culinary traditions is evident in the use of established ingredients including sweet-potato noodles, kimchi, and handmade boiled dumplings that don't require a chopsticks-to-fork converter.

Under the guidance of founder Paul Likitsakos, the chefs at Anthi's Greek Food draw on family recipes to craft classic Mediterranean cuisine. The eatery, named after Likitsakos's daughter, boasts a menu with such Greek staples as baba gannouj, flaky pastries, and house-made yogurt bedecked with almonds, honey, and sliced mangos that double as makeshift mouth guards.