🍛 Business Spotlight: Curry Corner Indian Cuisine — 206+ Reviews and Counting

🚆 LIRR Strike: What It Means for Your Monday Commute

⛪ Astoria's Historic Church Is Gone — Now the Real Question Begins

🍳 Sunnyside Up: Breakfast Is Back at Alpha Donuts' Old Corner

🎬 Lights, Camera, Astoria: The Film Festival Is Coming

MONDAY, MAY 18

🚌 Free LIRR Shuttle Buses — 4:30am–9am (inbound) & 3pm–7pm (outbound). MTA shuttles run from Long Island to Jamaica Center (E/J/Z) and Howard Beach (A) subway stations. Free to ride, no LIRR ticket required. Limited capacity — plan ahead! (Source: MTA)

🌿 Socrates Sculpture Park — Open daily, 9am–sunset. The Chakaia Booker Homecoming exhibition is on display on the waterfront. Free admission. Vernon Blvd & Broadway, LIC.

TUESDAY, MAY 19

🎭 Q.E.D. Astoria — Check qedastoria.com for this week's lineup of comedy, storytelling, film screenings, and workshops. Something's always happening at 27-16 23rd Ave.

THURSDAY, MAY 21

💃 Dancing with the Queens Stars Gala — 6–9pm at MoMA PS1, Long Island City. Watch local Queens leaders compete in a dance-off trained by Queensboro Dance Festival artists. Fun, festive, and for a great cause.

SATURDAY, MAY 23

🩸 Blood Drive — 9:30am at Advance Masonic Temple, 21-14 30th Ave, Astoria. Roll up a sleeve for a neighbor.

SUNDAY, MAY 24

🍺 Czech & Slovak Heritage Festival at Bohemian Hall — Noon–9:30pm. Free and family-friendly! Pierogies, Moravian stew, potato pancakes, imported Czech and Slovak beers, and traditional music & dance performances at the oldest beer garden in NYC. 29-19 24th Ave, Astoria. (Continues Monday, May 25.)

There's a reason Curry Corner Indian Cuisine already has over 200 Google reviews since opening last October, and it's not a QR code on the receipt. They've never once asked a customer to leave a review. People just keep doing it on their own.

That kind of thing doesn't happen by accident. It happens when the food is right and the people behind the counter actually care.

The Story

Syed, one of the partners, told us the team spent 7–8 years working together in other Indian restaurants right here in Astoria. They built real relationships with their regulars over that time. So when the group decided to bet on themselves and open their own spot on Astoria 30th Avenue last October, they weren't starting from scratch. More than half their current customers already knew them by name and followed them over on day one.

The menu is authentic North Indian, and the chicken tikka masala is the clear crowd favorite — it's the dish that keeps showing up in those 200+ reviews. But what really sets Curry Corner apart is the consistency and hospitality that comes from a team that's been cooking together for nearly a decade.

The Deals

Here's where it gets good for your wallet:

If you've walked past and haven't gone in yet, this is your sign. Check out their menu and order online at https://currycornerastoria.toast.site/, or just stop by on Astoria 30th Avenue and see what those 206+ reviews are all about.

Join us in showing some love to Curry Corner — a brand new neighborhood spot built by people who've been feeding Astoria for years. The kind of local business that makes the neighborhood worth living in.

The Long Island Rail Road went on strike early Saturday morning, halting service on the nation's busiest commuter railroad for the first time in 32 years. With roughly 250,000 weekday riders depending on LIRR daily, the ripple effects are landing hard across all of Western Queens this morning — and nobody's quite sure when it ends.

Contract talks between the MTA and its unions stalled over wages and healthcare premiums, and workers walked off the job just after midnight Friday. The National Mediation Board has stepped in and summoned both sides to the table, but as of this morning, no new talks are scheduled. For Queens commuters, the MTA is running free shuttle buses: from Long Island points to Jamaica Center subway station (E/J/Z) and Howard Beach station (A). Buses run during peak hours — 4:30am to 9am inbound, 3pm to 7pm outbound. Only 275 buses are available for a quarter-million daily riders, so don't count on a seat.

If you normally take LIRR to get into the city, your best bets today are the N/W trains via Astoria Blvd, the E/M/R lines from Queens Plaza, or the Q/7 further south. Expect heavy crowding and delays all day. Pack patience — and maybe snacks. We'll keep you updated as negotiations develop.

👉 Read more: CBS New York — LIRR Strike Updates

👉 Read more: MTA Official Strike Info

The First Reformed Church of Astoria — a 137-year-old landmark at 27-26 12th Street that's sat vacant for decades — is gone. A five-alarm fire tore through the church and its attached rectory on April 23rd, injuring six firefighters and leaving the structure hollowed out. The Department of Buildings declared an emergency and demolition crews moved in on May 1st. The spire and bell couldn't be saved, though the gargoyles and finials that graced the steeple were carefully removed before it came down.

The church was more than just stone and mortar. Historians have long believed that Stephen A. Halsey — the man who planned and founded the Village of Astoria, and came up with the idea of naming it after John Jacob Astor — may be buried beneath the church grounds. An obelisk thought to mark his grave was discovered by congregants back in 2001, but its exact location remained a mystery. Now, with the building down and the site exposed, there's a rare chance to finally find out.

What happens to the lot next is an open question. Bob Singleton of the Greater Astoria Historical Society is pushing for something community-oriented — a community center, perhaps — something that honors the site's deep roots in the neighborhood's founding. Queens Gazette ran a "From the Ashes" piece exploring the possibilities. Whatever comes next, Astorians are paying close attention.

👉 Read more: Queens Gazette — "From the Ashes"

👉 Read more: Gothamist — Is Astoria's Founder Buried There?

It's been three years since Alpha Donuts — the 24-hour, no-frills diner beloved by cabbies and night owls for half a century — shuttered at 45-16 Queens Boulevard. The corner has felt a little emptier ever since. But now, a new breakfast-and-lunch café called Sunnyside Up has opened its doors, and early signs suggest the neighborhood is ready to embrace it.

The new spot leans into specialty sandwiches made with homemade bread baked at the owner's Long Island operation — a notch up from the grab-and-go diner food of its predecessor. Breakfast sandwiches, fresh lunch items, and beverages make up the menu. It's positioned right near the Sunnyside Arch, making it an easy stop for morning commuters navigating — yes — the LIRR strike chaos this week. Timing, as they say, is everything.

Alpha Donuts was one of those old-school Queens institutions that felt immortal right up until it wasn't. Whether Sunnyside Up can fill that emotional void (and the very real coffee-and-egg-sandwich void) remains to be seen, but the neighborhood is rooting for it. Stop in, say hello, and tip generously.

👉 Read more: QNS — Sunnyside Up Opens

Astoria's own film festival is back — and it's happening at the neighborhood's most iconic venue. The Astoria Film Festival returns May 28–31, headlining at the Zukor Theater inside Kaufman Astoria Studios, with a lineup that spans an opening night party, youth programming, a student showcase, professional workshops, and the main festival and awards ceremony. If you've ever wanted to see where tomorrow's filmmakers debut their work, this is your ticket.

The festival kicks off with a Thursday night party on May 28th at Heart of Gold (7–11pm) — a great chance to mingle with filmmakers, local film fans, and industry types before the main events begin. Friday the 29th features the Youth Film Festival at Kaufman from 4–9pm, a genuinely special event showcasing work by young filmmakers that consistently punches above its weight. The main festival and awards runs Sunday May 31st, noon to 7pm.

Sponsors this year include NYWIFT, MOMI, Bareburger, the Queens Botanical Garden, and Samansa — which is offering a real distribution deal to one selected project. For a neighborhood whose identity is so tied to film and studio history, this festival feels like a homecoming every single year. Mark your calendar and support local cinema.

👉 Read more: Astoria Film Festival — Full Schedule

Astoria Insider is inviting local businesses and organizations to be featured in its growing community newsletter.

The platform highlights local news, events and community stories, providing businesses with an opportunity to reach a highly engaged local audience and showcase what they offer.

From restaurants and shops to services and community groups, all are encouraged to participate and share their story with readers across the Astoria and surrounding areas. Don’t own a business? That’s ok… Know of one that should be featured?

Those interested in being featured can reach out to learn more about available opportunities and upcoming editions. Click the button below to feature your business or send an email to [email protected] with your business details and we’ll reach out!