First of all, I’m not entirely sure what the correct name for this place is — on Yelp, it’s Cafe Bar, on their website it says Monikas and Monicas, but that’s a moot point. We were on our way to check out The Queens Kickshaw for brunch last Sunday, and while the menu looked great, we felt like we wouldn’t be taking advantage of the crisp, gorgeous Fall day by sitting inside a dimly-lit restaurant. Instead, we walked a few blocks over to Cafe Bar. Or Monikas Cafe Bar. Monicas? Whatever.
The place had lovely outdoor and breezy indoor seating, and the menu looked promising (huevos rancheros, poached eggs, ricotta pancakes, organic granola), so we decided to give it a go. We shared the Cypriot (fried eggs, grilled halloumi, olives, tomato, country fries and whole grain toast) and a Tsoureki French Toast (comes with blueberry compote and maple syrup, but we opted to get it with the Nutella and banana).
Eggs were amazing (by the way, it also comes with Greek sausage but we ordered it without). The grilled halloumi mixed with the eggs and country fries were a perfect combo. We wiped it clean with the lightly toasted bread it came with.
The French Toast was a little more disappointing. The toast has a slightly citrus and herb taste that didn’t mesh that great with the nutella and banana. And I thought the syrup also tasted a little off (more toasted?). Maybe I was hoping for something a tad sweeter after my eggs, because it wasn’t horrible. Just probably wouldn’t go for it again. There are plenty of other items I’d want to try first.
Also: order a latte. They’re pretty good here too!
Restaurant Info:
Monikas Cafe Bar
3290 36th St
Astoria, NY 11106
(718) 204-5273
Queens
REPORT CARD
Meal: Brunch
Occasion: Good weather
Price: $$
(Out of three stars)
Ambiance: *** (lovely outdoor seating and pretty inside too!)
Food: **
Service: **1/2 (they were busy and our waitress was nice, but wasn’t always the fastest service. To their credit, they didn’t rush us out when we took a while to get up, like most places do in Manhattan)
Would I go back?: Yes.
x
Shy
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