Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden
29-19 24th Avenue between 29th and 31st Streets
Astoria, NY 11102
718-274-4925
Ooh, the first Queens place to be written about here! So this joint is almost notoriously popular in the pleasantly warm times of the year (meaning not now) since it boasts a generous outside patio. But now that Old Man Winter is making himself known, sitting on the patio isn’t really a sane option. Max and I sat in the dim bar (there is also a restaurant section), pouring from a so-called pitcher (small it was) of Hoegaarden and nibbling buffalo wings which were so-so. A bit dry but kicking, spice-wise. Lily showed up, and we all ordered some dinner. I went with the chicken paprikash. While all the Czech items on the menu sounded palatable, I couldn’t decide as is often an issue with me, and the dealbreaker was the dish with the coolest name. Paprikash! Our mysterious waitress who had been popping up less than we would have liked, informed me that these weren’t garden variety dumplings. Adventerous me said whatever.
They came out with the chicken and resembled pieces of bread. We were all slightly flummoxed. Lily even asked the waitress to make sure that the bread was the dumplings. Yup indeed. Chicken paprikash is basically like chicken in gravy. Or chicken and dumplings if you will. Creamy gravy coats the chicken, and you can swish your bread, er, dumplings, around in it. The bread was very moist and soft, so maybe they were dumplings after all. Way filling. I had to take a break before I could down the dumplings.
The Beer Garden is on our radar now; we’ll have to return when we don’t have to wear gloves and scarves and hats. Hey, it was my first Czech food experience, very neat! But yeah, the Bohemian Beer Garden is a place where you don’t go for the food. Beer first, food second.
