The NYC Soccer Neighborhood Guide: Astoria Park
Day or night, Astoria Park brings out the ballers from Queens and beyond!
There's a recurring conversation that reads like a Seinfeld script where people discover Astoria and announce it like they found a new planet. "Have you been to Astoria? It's incredible. The food, the energy, the prices—" Yes. Yes, we know. Astoria has been incredible for a very long time, largely because the people who live there aren't particularly interested in being discovered. They're interested in getting on with it.
We're playing at Astoria Park this summer, and if you've never played soccer within sight of the Hell Gate Bridge and the Triborough, with the Manhattan skyline visible across the water, then you have been living an incomplete life. The park is 60 acres of green space sitting on the East River waterfront in a neighborhood that will feed you exceptionally well before and after your match. This is not a complicated pitch to make. Astoria is excellent. Come play soccer there.
Getting There
The N/W trains to Astoria-Ditmars Blvd drop you about a 15-minute walk from the park. The Q18 bus is another option. If you're driving from Manhattan, the Triborough (RFK) Bridge deposits you practically into the neighborhood. From Brooklyn, the N train makes this a seamless trip. Astoria is, logistics-wise, much easier to get to than people give it credit for.
Pre-Game
Astoria is one of the great food neighborhoods in New York City, and the Greek food in particular is genuinely transportive. Taverna Kyclades on Ditmars Boulevard has a line most nights because it deserves a line — the grilled fish, the octopus, the saganaki — but for a pre-game meal the move is something lighter. Butcher Bar on 31st Street does excellent smash burgers and has the kind of casual outdoor seating that is perfect for a game day afternoon.
For coffee, Patis Pastry is the real deal — a French pastry shop that takes its croissants and espresso with complete seriousness. Pre-game and a pain au chocolat: European in all the ways that actually matter.
The Post-Game
Astoria's bar scene is robust and unpretentious, which is exactly what you want after 60 minutes of chasing a ball. Queens Brewery is the local choice and the right call — a neighborhood craft brewery that actually feels like it belongs in the neighborhood, which is rarer than it should be. The outdoor seating in summer is among the best post-game spots we can recommend anywhere in the five boroughs.
For watching soccer specifically, Café Bar on 31st Street is Astoria's de facto soccer watching hub, with screens that run Champions League, Premier League, Serie A, and whatever else is on. The crowd actually knows what they're watching, which is the baseline requirement for a good soccer bar and, depressingly, still not universal across the city.
Team Bonding
Astoria Park itself is worth at least an hour of your time after the match. The views from the park's upper section, looking south toward the Hell Gate Bridge and across the water to Randall's Island, are some of the most quietly spectacular in the city. Most tourists never see this. That's their problem.
The neighborhood's cultural landscape is anchored by the Museum of the Moving Image on 35th Avenue, which is one of the most underrated museums in New York and a perfect rainy-day option if the weather turns. On a clear summer day, though, there's really nowhere better than the waterfront park, with something cold in hand, decompressing from the match.
Stoppage Time
Astoria has been one of New York's great neighborhoods for a very long time and it will continue to be long after every trend has moved on. Playing soccer at Astoria Park — with those views, that neighborhood at your back, Queens Brewery waiting for you at full-time — is the kind of afternoon that converts people. We've seen it happen. Come play here and see for yourself.
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