Blackbird's — Restaurant in New York

I’ll fill you in on some of the other parts of Blackbird’s Bar and Restaurant, but let’s be honest, you’re reading this because you saw deep fried grilled cheese in the title. Yes, it tastes just as good as it sounds.

Atmosphere

Blackbird’s is one of those neighborhood hangouts where it’s clear that mostly everyone knows everyone else, and the bartenders and waitstaff treat customers, both familiar and unfamiliar, as if they were part of their family. The bar/restaurant is rectangular shaped and outfitted in dark colors – reds and exposed brick – that complement a dark wood bar and tables.

Food

Here’s the part you’ve all been waiting for… deep fried grilled cheese! As soon as I saw this on the menu, I had to order it. You have the choice of adding bacon, tomato or avocado as well. I went with bacon. Since I already was going with a deep fried grilled cheese, I figured I might as well add to the artery clogging goodness.

The grilled cheese came out cut in half with a side of fries. The grilled cheese consisted of two very thick slices of white bread with lots of gooey American cheese and bacon in between. This was all lightly fried completely around. The frying locked in the flavor of the grilled cheese and kept the bread extremely soft. This sandwich was amazingly delicious. Oil from the frying oozed out during each bite and coated my fingers, only reaffirming my thought that my arteries were slowly clogging. After devouring this sandwich, I was stuffed. It’s very filling.

Service

Service at Blackbird’s is great. The waitstaff is extremely friendly and accommodating. I have no complaints.

Value

The deep fried grilled cheese was only about seven dollars. For an enormous grilled cheese and fries, this was one hell of a deal. An incredible value.

The Verdict

Blackbird’s is a quintessential neighborhood hangout and I could easily see myself heading here every Sunday for a few beers and some food. Kicking it up a notch is their deep fried grilled cheese. Twinkies, Oreos and now grilled cheese… you can deep fry anything. Blackbird’s is on the right path here. I’ve never seen this on a menu before and I can’t wait to come back and have it again. Blackbird’s, I’ll see you again...

If you’re in Astoria and you haven’t been to Blackbird Café yet, you’re missing out on one of the best neighborhood gems. This place has everything you want in a bar/restaurant — great food, solid drinks, amazing staff, and just a fun vibe.

Let’s start with the star of the show: Wing Wednesday. Easily my favorite night of the week here. The wings are hot, crispy, and always on point. You can go with honey barbecue, mild, hot, or nuclear if you’re brave, and they come with ranch or blue cheese on the side. Whoever’s running that kitchen deserves credit because the consistency is unreal.

Now, the sweet potato fries. Most places give you soggy, limp, forgettable fries. Not here. These are crispy and they hold up. They come with chipotle ranch that gives them just the right kick. Honestly, I’d come back just for the fries alone. Add in their creamy mac & cheese and you’ve got peak comfort food.

Drinks on Wednesdays are always fun too. All beers (except Guinness and a couple others) are served in mason jars, which just fits the vibe. Shot specials, beer specials — it’s a great midweek hangout. Just a heads-up… Wednesdays are cash only, so plan ahead.

The staff is a huge part of why I keep coming back. Shoutout to Lynn and Christine — they’ve been here a while and always take great care of me and my friends. Even if I don’t come in for weeks, they remember my order like clockwork. The barback/food runner (wish I caught his name) deserves love too - he’s always hustling and keeping things moving.

Blackbird Café is the kind of spot you don’t just check out once. Between the wings, the fries, the drinks, and the team that makes you feel like a regular, it’s easily one of my go-to places in Astoria.

I don’t have a photo of the sweet potato fries… because they never survive long enough for a photo. They disappear the second they hit the table.

If you know, you know. And if you...

We were impressed with the food and service here. This is one of those places we'd walked by a hundred times and always said "we should check that place out one of these days". We finally did and liked it a lot. Nice bar and restaurant with a good menu with plenty of options, some with a Cajun flare. We ordered the Q18 Burger (half ground beef half ground bacon), the Shrimp Poboy, the Mexican style corn on the cob and half a dozen chicken wings with mild buffalo sauce (they make all of there own sauces so we thought we'd play it safe on the first run). Everything was really good and we were very impressed with the wings. My wife mentioned that this is her new "wing place" so that's that. The burger was good and the poboy could have used a couple more shrimp, but was otherwise good too. The fries, both regular and sweet potato, were crispy and very hot. The wings were crispy under the sauce and I would call their spice level normal so the mild definitely had some heat but didn't get my head sweating. Pretty lively bottled and draft beer list as well as some wine and cocktails which we didn't explore this visit. Several flat screens with various games on for the sports fans and the place was quiet enough to have a conversation without raising your voice much. The bathroom was clean and nice enough. Our waitress Caitlin (sp?) was super friendly and fun and we didn't have any problems with our food or anything else. Very nice friendly local vibe here and we'll certainly be back to try more of the menu. Easily...