"A restaurant that’s also a decades-long art installation, Mombar has been a fixture in Astoria’s Little Egypt since 2000. Thickly plastered with found objects, mosaics, and Egyptian motifs, it’s part-MoMA and part Temple of Dendur, with some hippy touches, like booths separated by bedsheets. The artist/chef is also the host, and he’ll come over to tell you what’s available, then go back behind a counter to cook your dinner. With simple, homey dishes, partly microwaved to order, this is above all just a place to exist among other people. You won’t be rushed out—if anything you might wait awhile for food on a busy night—so bring a couple of bottles of wine, and settle in for an evening that’s the antidote to all those overly orchestrated restaurant meals." - sonal shah, bryan kim, neha talreja, willa moore, will hartman
