Sweet Afton - Gastropub in Astoria, NY

The Bottom Line

Sweet Afton is Astoria's premiere gastropub, serving up excellent drinks and tasty food from a small, focused, and skilled menu. The space is made with reclaimed wood and lighting, and has a cozy, warm atmosphere. There's even a nice patio out in the back. Sweet Afton also makes what many believe is the best burger in Astoria.

Pros

• Located a short walk from the 30th Ave N/Q subway stop.
• Excellent focused food menu.
• Inventive cocktails and cask ale is available.
• The have a nice, private, high walled patio out back.

Cons

• Parking, as in most of Astoria, is challenging.
• It's a very popular place, so getting a table at certain times can be difficult.

• Sweet Afton's Address - 30-09 34th St, New York, NY 11103
• Phone - 718-777-2570
• Website - http://sweetaftonbar.com/
• Hours - Mon-Fri 4 p.m.-3:30 a.m.; Sat, Sun 11 a.m.-3:30 a.m.; Food served until 1 a.m. daily.
• Public Transportation - N/Q to 30th Avenue.
• Parking - Parking is troublesome in the area; best to take public transportation.

Astoria is full of bars and pubs, but there's really nothing else like Sweet Afton. Devoid of TVs, buffalo wings, and Bud, it is quite a different atmosphere from many watering holes in the neighborhood. You are guaranteed to find something really delicious on their food menu.

When you walk into the bar, you see a communal table in the front and a few other tables around it. The owners of Sweet Afton really wanted to have this communal table available for people to meet and get to know each other, and it works well.

Beyond the communal area up front is the bar that extends the length of the front dining area. There is also seating across from the bar. Further in, there is a doorway that leads to several booths, and then an entrance into the back patio.

Sweet Afton is known for its terrific cocktails, like the Spicy Cherry Margarita, made with homemade habanero-infused tequila, or the Sweet Tea, which is made with tea-infused vodka. There's also a number of interesting beers (bottle and draft), including monthly specials and a seasonal cask ale. Classic cocktails like the Manhattan and Martini are also on the menu.

Many believe Sweet Afton serves the best burger in Astoria. It's made with Pat La Frieda beef and is absolutely delicious, with an savoriness that is hard to find in local burgers. For brunch, you can even have an egg on top of it. The other star on the menu is the order of fried pickles, made with McClure's pickles and served with a spicy, smokey sauce.

Brunch is available on the weekend and features eggs, pancakes, the aforementioned burger, and a particularly interesting sandwich starring black pudding, a kind of sausage popular in Ireland (a hat tip to the owner Ruairi Curtain's homeland). There are special brunch cocktails offered that are really interesting. They're all pretty awesome, but particularly unusual is the Oatmeal Martini, made with oatmeal-infused vodka, raisins, and maple syrup.

Sweet Afton is a very popular spot, in part due to its location off bustling 30th Avenue. It does get pretty crowded - and understandably so - so don't be surprised if seats are in short supply. This really is a testament to how great food and drink and a beautiful space don't need much else to draw big crowds!