Win Prizes By Eating At These Black-Owned Spots In Central Queens

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — This weekend, you can win prizes and cast your vote in a culinary competition and by eating at one of 100-plus Black-owned local food businesses — several of which are in central Queens.

Misfits Nutrition, a nutrition club in Forest Hills located at 11514 Queens Boulevard, is one of 130 Black-owned food businesses participating in this year's second-annual tristate area Black Restaurant Week, which includes a series of specials, events, games and contests, aimed at uplifting Black cuisine and culture.

This week-long initiative, which runs through July 4 and includes a couple of other central Queens eateries, is especially significant after a year when Black-owned businesses closed at more than twice the rate of white-owned businesses, according to PIX11.

"For the restaurants, this is just another way to showcase the excellence we see in our community that often gets overlooked,” Falayn Ferrell, a founder of the Black Restaurant Week organization, told the New York Times.

The organization, which was founded in 2016, runs events like the tristate area's restaurant week throughout the year in over a dozen areas across the country.

We combed through the list of New York-area participants and found nearly 20 eateries across Queens.

Mother Earth Juice Bar Cafe, Inc, a Caribbean cafe located at 116-03 Metropolitan Avenue, and Historic Neir's Tavern, a pub-slash-eatery located at 87-48 78th Street, are two other central Queens-based restaurants that are participating in the event.

After ordering takeout or visiting any of the participating restaurants, you can cross a box off of a Black Restaurant Week bingo and get one step closer to a prize. Also, anyone can vote on the area's best Black-owned restaurants for the chance to win $500 and nominate participating businesses for a Black Plate Award.

Here's a list of the other participating restaurants in Queens:

Snowdonia: 32-1 35th Avenue, Astoria

The Nourish Spot: 107-05 Guy R Brewer Blvd, Jamaica

Forever Jerk: 145-94 Guy R Brewer Blvd, Jamaica

Sybils Hillside Original of Guyana: 159-24 Hillside Avenue, Jamaica

Breezes Island Grill: 230-06 S Conduit Ave, Jamaica

We Juicing: 171-4 Baisley Blvd, St. Albans

MumsKitchens NYC: 11953 195th St, St. Albans

Bar Got Juice: 204-11 Hollis Ave, St. Albans

Brooklyn Wing House: 227-01 Linden Blvd, Cambria Heights

Only Rare NYC: 229-13 Merrick Blvd, Laurelton

Sweet Treats Delight: 225-23 Merrick Blvd, Laurelton

Be in good health LLC: 227-17 Merrick Blvd, Laurelton

A LIVE KITCHEN: 227-12 Merrick Blvd, Laurelton

Last Dragon Pizza: 329 Beach 59th St, Arverne

Cheatdaze: Delivery

Bash Eats: Delivery