The Strand Smokehouse Reopens and Features Enticing New Menu

The Strand Smokehouse has long been one of Astoria’s largest and most exciting venues for live music and food, boasting 6,000 sqGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. ftGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. and a spacious backyard patioGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028.

The Strand, located near the corner of Broadway Avenue and 29th Street, combines all the best features of a beer hall with the delicious aromas of barbecueGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028.

However, repeated friction with the Deptartment of Health caused the restaurant to be shut down multiple times over the last few yearsGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. For the most part, its wood-paneled dining room has remained empty and unused since 2018Give_Me_Astoria_image_00028.

Last month, The Strand Smokehouse officially reopened under completely new ownership and management—and with an executive chef who’s been a connoisseur of barbecue ever since his childhood on a Pennsylvania farmGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028.

“We are taking it back to its original roots,” said Chris Cortez, executive chef at The Strand, “that being purely a smokehouseGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. However, the idea behind it is to make it very experimental—having a lot of traditional aspects involved, but also stepping outside of that comfort zone and seeing what we can doGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028.”

While comfort-food favorites such as brisket and ribs are staying on the menu, The Strand will also be offering a spread of more adventurous items that remain faithful to the smokehouse theme, such as avocado toast topped with whole smoked egg yolksGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028.

“I’m trying to introduce a fancier element while keeping it with that homey barbecue feel,” Cortez saidGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028.

Though the restaurant is under new management, the owners of the rejuvenated Strand Smokehouse have preserved the most appealing aspects of the spot, with live music on the horizon, as well as a fully stocked barGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028.   

“We have some really great bartenders that are in the process of putting together one hell of a cocktail menu,” Cortez saidGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. “Same thing—there’s going to be a lot of smoky aspects, between smoking syrups and smoking different herbs, those kinds of thingsGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028.”

With a fresh and innovative crew at the helm, The Strand Smokehouse has positioned itself to once again become a mainstay of the Astoria communityGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. And though the restaurant’s experimental nature means more changes might be on the way, the chef and owners’ vision for The Strand is crystal clearGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028.

“Smoke,” Cortez said, “is the name of the gameGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028.”

25-27 Broadway | 718Give_Me_Astoria_image_00028.440Give_Me_Astoria_image_00028.3231

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