Flushing holds a not-so-secret secret. The neighborhood, located in Queens, is home to a famous – and underground – food establishment known as the Golden Mall. Unlike other malls or restaurants, this place is very unassuming and rather hidden. A casual passerby or tourist would never visit the Golden Mall by stumbling across it by chance; it’s a place you visit because someone else recommended it through word-of-mouth.
It was also featured on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations…so there’s that too.
As you can imagine, it’s pretty popular. In fact, Bourdain even admitted that it serves some of the most authentic Chinese food he has ever had. To enjoy it, you just have to get over the mall’s less than impressive décor.
"Mall” is actually a pretty generous word to describe the place. It’s more like a basement that’s jammed packed full of tiny restaurants. It’s crowded, noisy and yes…dirty. You’ll feel claustrophobic and at some point, you might think to yourself: “How hasn’t the New York Health Department shut down this place already?”
Who knows…but none of that actually matters when you taste the food. If you’re an open-minded foodie, I highly recommend trying Xi-An Famous Foods, which - as the name suggests - is quite famous. The place specializes in lamb burgers and all kinds hand-pulled noodles.
