Casa Enrique.

Local tip Long Island City has some of the best views of Manhattan from anywhere in the city. Gantry Plaza State Park’s waterfront benches offer an unobstructed panorama of the Midtown skyline, and it’s almost always less crowded than the Brooklyn waterfront.

Casa Enrique is my top recommendation to anyone asking where to eat in Long Island City. The mole is incredible and the mezcal margaritas are perfectly balanced. It’s the kind of place where you can come for a casual dinner or celebrate something special.

The atmosphere here is something you have to experience in person, from the ambient sounds to the way the space draws you in, it stays with you long after you leave.

My advice for timing. Midweek visits offer the best experience by far. If you are visiting on a weekend, aim for early morning or late afternoon to avoid the heaviest foot traffic.

Long Island City. Michelin star. Not cheap. But the mole is life-changing and I don’t use that word lightly.

This isn’t your Tuesday night taco run. This is where you go for a birthday, an anniversary, or a random Wednesday when you decide you deserve something exceptional. The mole negro alone is worth the trip across the East River. It’s rich, complex, and tastes like someone spent two days making it. Because they did.

Expect to spend $40-60 per person with drinks. It’s a splurge, but it’s the kind of splurge that reminds you why you live in New York.