Maizal – Astoria

The first Maizal opened in Staten Island in 2010 and proved such a success the owners branched out in 2014 to Astoria, a previously underserved neighborhood when it came to fine Mexican cuisine. The attractive dining room has exposed brick and vibrant artwork, and weeknights at the bar it's happy hour right up to closing time. Executive chef Wilmer Alejandro Santos trained at the French Culinary Institute and gives serious attention to making tequila-lime shrimp, classic pozole and enchiladas topped with labor-intensive mole poblano. He's also not above throwing together crowd pleasers like nachos and burritos with all the fixings.