Astoria, Restaurants
Jun 29, 2017

Moroccan Restaurant Merzouka Opening on Crescent Street

Get your Moroccan food on in Astoria.

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Photo credit: Kellner F.

In our recent news & rumors post, a commenter mentioned a new Moroccan restaurant opening up on Crescent near 30th Ave. One of our WHA correspondents walked by and confirmed its existence and showed us what to expect.

As an aside, Merzouka is opening up a good distance away from the Little Egypt section of Astoria, the main Middle Eastern and North African neighborhood in town, which is full of all sorts of delicious things both sweet (hello, Al-Sham Sweets) and savory. As far as Moroccan restaurants go, it’s home to Little Morocco, one of my favorites in that area (get the Merguez sandwich), as well as the Halal Sandwich Shop a block or so away (which, sadly, I’ve had less than stellar experiences with) and Jour Et Nuit by 28th Avenue.

However, a few doors down from Merzouka is S & J, another eatery that offers Moroccan food; Pita Hot is not far from that, so this little section has a budding Middle Eastern/North African food scene. Merzouka is opening up in the space that was home to the NY Pharmacy, 29-14 Crescent Street, not far from the Mt. Sinai hospital. With the aforementioned S & J, Caffino, the Crescent Kitchen, and the pizza joint—as well as the Filipino market around the corner—there is an increasing number of places to nosh at this intersection.

According to the window, Merzouka will offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner; hot and cold coffee and tea; hot and cold sandwiches; salads, wraps, and soups; Moroccan food; and desserts and pastries. Love how there is a drawing a tagine on the window.

merzouka-side-crescent-street-astoria-queens

Photo credit: Kellner F.

Merzouka seems to have zero online presence, and even the name “Merzouka” confounds the Google to some extent. It wants to correct it to “Merzouga,” a small village in Morocco’s Sahara Desert populated mostly by Berbers; the nearby Erg Chebbi dunes look epic. Also, “Bab Marzouka,” a commune in Morocco’s Taza Province, often comes up. Bottom line, it’s no doubt named after a place or person in Morocco. We hope it has delicious food and drink and look forward to trying it out soon.

Merzouka Cafe (29-14 Crescent Street, Astoria)

About Meg Cotner

Meg Cotner was trained as a harpsichordist and now works as a freelance writer and editor. She is the author of "Food Lovers' Guide to Queens," and is a skilled and avid home cook, baker, and preserver.

2 Comments

Michael

Have not tried the restaurant yet. I was going to try it last week but after seeing how filthy their windows are…I decided not to. Reflection of how they prepare their food?

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