Chela & Garnacha has a tiny storefront in the southern part of Astoria, Queens, and with lots of scaffolding and other restaurants on the block, I have to admit that I had walked by it several times without even realizing a restaurant was in the space.
What led me to Chela & Garnacha instead was glowing Yelp reviews which have elevated Chela & Garnacha to one of the highest-rated restaurants in Astoria. To note that it serves Mexican fare instead of the other more familiar options in Astoria also made Chela & Garnacha a must-visit.
My eventual visit to Chela & Garnacha didn't disappoint - in fact, I returned the following weekend for brunch. Both visits featured immediate seating, friendly service, and a no-frills atmosphere. During my dinner visit, I ordered the quesadillas fritas flor de calabaza (squash blossoms) and the nopales taco, the latter of which I confirmed was fresh and not canned/slimy (nothing worse in my mind than slimy cactus slices).
My friend also ordered a side of the grilled jalapeños, which were served in some sort of soy-like sauce - very tasty. Overall, simple flavors and clean presentation. The only slight downside was that I felt that I had to add a fair amount of salsa/jalapeños to get more spice into the both the quesadillas and taco.
For my brunch visit, I ordered the chilaquiles, one of my favorite Mexican breakfast favorites. The chilaquiles were served in a tart tomatillo salsa and with an insane amount of avocado and vegetarian black beans. I was able to cut the tartness of the salsa with some additional red salsas, which made for two strong meals (huge, huge portion of food!).
I will actually be going to Chela & Garnacha next week for another dinner, so this casual spot is definitely part of my regular Queens rotation!
33-09 36th Avenue
Astoria, Queens
A few short blocks from the N/Q train at 36th Avenue, and maybe a 5-minute walk from the M/R trains at 36th Street.
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