Grano’s has been around for just under three months, so we decided now was as good as any time to check them out!

 

You would assume that such a new restaurant would still be working out the kinks, but it seems Grano’s has settled in nicely – as if they’ve been here much longer. They easily do 95 food deliveries in a night, so it seems the neighborhood is really loving them so far.

 

 

At first glance, we thought Grano’s was strictly pizza, but they do so much more – and so far, they’re doing it really well.

 

Grano’s is an authentic Italian restaurant, so they serve some of Italy’s most classic dishes. We had a chance to chat with the owner Nick, and he told us that his goal with Grano’s was to bring really great, wholesome food to the neighborhood. He also wanted an Italian restaurant that was more than just pizza.

 

 

Did he accomplish that? We think he just may have. We tried items from the current menu, as well as the new menu coming out this month, and here are our thoughts.

 

We had two salads, the beet salad (current menu) and the orange and fennel salad (new menu). Both were really refreshing, but the beet salad felt more classic, while the fennel and orange was much more modern, and had a spring-y feel to it.

 

 

The beet salad has roasted beets, garlic, dill, truffle cream dressing & caramelized walnuts, while the fennel has Fennel, oranges, red onion, dried cranberries, red wine vinegar and optional avocado.

 

 

We then had the chicken noodle soup, because come on – it feels like Antarctica outside. The soup was perfectly hot and wholesome, and reminded us of growing up and drinking soup in the winter. We love flavors that make us feel nostalgic, and this was definitely one of those.

 

 

One of our favorite dishes that we tried was one from the new menu: the new Grano’s signature. It was this huge intense steak, topped with blue cheese sauce.

 

 

Just as a warning: this thing is massive. As in, come with a big appetite. The combination of heavy meat and the savory, salty blue cheese left us insanely stuffed. We really enjoyed this course – it might have been our favorite of the night. It was served with roasted broccoli, and mashed potatoes to make it even more filling.

 

 

As far as main courses go, we also had the Parppadelle con Bistecca Funghi, which is wild mushrooms, sirloin steak strips, marsala wine, truffle cream, tarragon. While it was seemingly less food, it felt just as heavy and intense – we’re guessing it was from the mixture of the meat, mushrooms and truffle cream, all of which have a really filling flavor.

 

 

We also had the Shrimp Rice Krispies, which are tiger shrimp and lobster bisque, and they were extremely enjoyable. If you’re a shrimp lover (like we are) you’ll adore these – especially the sauce.

 

 

To close, we indulged in dessert (don’t ask how we still had room in our stomachs. We do this for you guys!) and had the Torta Di Formaggio Fritto con Gelato. It was this heavenly mix of warm and cold, with the perfect amount of sweetness to bring the whole menu together.

 

 

Overall, we really enjoyed our trip to Grano’s. We loved that the chef pairs things so uniquely – like the fennel and orange salad – to create flavors that blend so flawlessly. We also really liked the signature drinks – which we totally missed out on photographing, but that you should definitely try.

 

 

Another thing we enjoyed was the décor – which was rustic, and cozy – and completely designed by Nick.

 

 

We’re excited that owner Nick has a new project coming – an Italian pizzeria on 30^th and 23^rd, called Veloce – which we’ll definitely be checking out.

 

If you want to check out Grano’s, keep an eye out! We’ve got a gift card giveaway coming your way!

 

 

Grano’s Astoria
38-01 Ditmars Blvd
Astoria, NY 11105
(718) 728-1111