Closing Time: Astoria Loses Beloved Bakery, Sweets, and Meats

While we love to tell you about new places opening up in the neighborhood, we also like to acknowledge the places that have closed. The three in this article are beloved by various cohorts in Astoria, and they have been so popular over the years, these groups bleed over into greater love of these businesses—and they are San Antonio Bakery #2, Vanilla Sky, and House of Prime Meat.

San Antonio Bakery #2

The completo is the best dog ever.

I gotta say, this one kills me because San Antonio Bakery #2 (36-20 Astoria Blvd) was one of my earliest favorites in Astoria when I moved to the neighborhood back in 2005. At the time I lived just a few blocks away, so it was convenient for me to walk there, but the food kept me coming back even when I moved a half mile away. My favorites were the pan cake, cheese empanada, and of course the completo, AKA the Chilean-style hot dog.

The hot dog was served on a house-made bun, and was topped with avocado, tomato, guac, and mayo—yes, I said mayo. They served it with the pebre (Chilean salsa), a condiment that was also wonderful on the empanada or on one of their sandwiches. Loved eating it all with a Chilean soda. And the pan cake was thin layers of sponge cake with dulce de leche in between. Seriously, how can you go wrong with that?

The staff was always so nice whenever I stopped in, and I loved seeing Chile play football on their TV (it was THE place to go in the neighborhood to see Chile play in the World Cup, too). They have a location further east but it’s just not the same. Adios San Antonio Bakery #2—your closing is the end of an era.

Vanilla Sky

Their toppings were the best.

Froyo stormed into Astoria about, say… five years ago, and there was plenty of bad frozen yogurt (I’m looking at you, 32 Handles in—your yogurt tasted like chemicals). The standout IMO was Vanilla Sky (33-18 Broadway). They had frozen yogurt that tasted good! I enjoyed eating it, plus the toppings that were good and varied. My favorite topping was the bits of mochi, which was hard to find elsewhere.

They also had a nice, relaxing back lounge/patio space where it was a nice place do some work, too. From what I’ve heard, a lot of Astorians will miss Vanilla Sky.

House of Prime Meat

For a while I used to shop at House of Prime Meat (22-55 31st Street) mostly for organic chicken breasts, but their kabobs and sausages always looked good. They also sold eggs from a farm they had access, too, and they were of good quality. For a long time they were called A & D Meat Market, and to be honest, I preferred them when they were under that name. There were times when hardly anyone was in there, and I often wondered what the deal was. It was one of those places that reminded me how nice it was to live in slower-paced Astoria.

A cursory glance at the Department of Buildings reveals that the address of 22-55 31st Street is now associated with a lease owner connected to Colombian bakery out of Jamaica, Delicias Calenas. Who knows—maybe a new bakery will grace the Ditmars area.

Have we missed any closings you know of? Leave us a comment!

2 Comments

djb October 24th, 2017

The bagel shop on the other side of 31st street under the ditmars station closed. That was only open for a minute. The old Razzie’s Pizza spot has been rebuilt for the third time without actually opening. What’s the deal??

A good substitute for the butcher that closed is K&T @ 33-14 Ditmars Blvd.

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Ryan October 23rd, 2017

I loved House of Prime Meat. Have been wondering for months what happened. Not easy to find a butcher with humanely-raised options.

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