Walking around on a super-hot Sunday, finding Keuka Kafe was like an oasis in the desert.
But seriously, we had a great flight of white wines from the Finger Lakes, and the bartender was very knowledgeable about their wines. Â We also had a very tasty sandwich of grilled chorizo and fennel slaw on a whole wheat baguette, and topped it off with a piece of chocolate cake that had cereal rice krispies in it. Â A very fun little neighborhood find!
Finally tried Keuka last week and were very pleasantly surprised. Everything about this place says "small," "cozy," from the small but regionally-focused wine list to the tasty menu to the fewer-than-30 seats. Grilled watermelon was a revelation, sandwiches excellent. Wine comes immediately, food takes a while but is worth it. Please give this place a try, it fits a real niche in the neighborhood.
Review Source:I've been to Keuka a few times and each times it's been amazing. Â It's small, cozy and the owner and bar tenders are amazing and very accommodating. Â They let you enjoy the ambiance of the bar without hassling you and kicking you out the door.
Their brunch menus are priced greatly and the soju bloody mary is delicious!
Furthermore, everyone in that establishment is very honest. Â I left the restaurant without my wallet - leaving it on the table. Â The owner ran two blocks looking for me to return my wallet to me. Â
I cannot wait to go back and try other things on the menu!
First of all, let me say that NICK, bartender/waiter/host extraordinaire, makes the place! Â He was the only staff member in the front (maybe one or two in the kitchen-who knows) and yet he managed, very well, to take care of a full house, with all its comings and goings.
Secondly, the wine selection is great. Â Lots of local wines to try. Â I opted for the South of Europe Red Flight (not local, I know). Â Loved the Rioja! Â Next time I will try the New York State Red Flight. Â My friend had two different whites, a pinot grigio and a chardonnay. Â She liked them both.
We shared the Mediterranean platter (good, not the greatest, but the caponata was great) and the salmon carpaccio with mango salsa...Was that the best!!!! Music was good too.
So many more appetizers, salads and sandwiches to try. Â Can't wait to go back.
This place rocks. Â It really deserves 4 1/2 stars.
When this place first opened, I gave it 6 months at most due to its location. Â I just assumed it would be another wannabe wine bar with terribly overpriced wine selections and douchy customers. Â But boy was I wrong. Â They have a unique and reasonably priced, albeit small, wine list and some of the most delicious cheese selections this side of the East River. Â Cavemen Blue??? Â O.M.G......sooooooooo freaking delicious and that's coming from someone that doesn't even llike blues. Â Over the Pond was also fabulous as was the American parmesan. Â Their meat selections also tasted extremely fresh and their mussesl were very good as well. Â Overall, a great addition to the quieter side of FH.
A wonderfully warm, cozy and simplistic space that doesn't feel like it belongs on Queens Blvd. Â We were there on a very quiet night. Â The bar seems to attract lots of solo patrons, which is nice in an area with so many apartment buildings.. Â We were greeted and shown to our table. Â The wine list isn't huge but there is a variety to choose from. Â We started with a Finger Lakes flight and some oysters. Â The wine was brought immediately, but the oysters took forever. Â So long, that I actually thought they had forgotten to place the order, which they didn't. Â Considering there were only 2-3 other patrons, I'm not sure what happened. Â I was starting to get annoyed and thinking maybe we should just go. Â Luckily the oysters arrived and I have to say they were awesome. Â Super fresh and flavorful.
Since things started to pick up, we decided to order some more. Â The crab and avocado small plate was delicious. Â We also opted for the white garlic mussels which were tender and tasty.
All in all I left quite happy and would be glad to return.
Just spent 3.5 hours at this fantastic new wine bar. We passed it last week walking home  from the movies. Decided we would give it a shot. Food was fantastic and the value $18 for 3 meats and 3 cheeses plus homemade mustard, candied whole hazelnuts and apricot chutney was a great treat. The owner Olga showed up while we were there and gave us 2 pours of wines to try in addition to what what we already ordered. It was warm, inviting and made you feel like a regular. Really good wines from the fingerlakes and beyond. Olga has a passion for the fingerlakes and it shows. I really hope people find this place and help make it a success.
Review Source:Thee wine was good, but the food (we got Salmon Ceviche and salad) was just ok. It was probably not a great choice for dinner but would definitely come back for the wine. Cheese plates also looked good on neighboring tables.
(Updated after reply to my original comment, but the basic idea of review didn't change)
A lovely gem of a find in Forest Hills. Â We went on a Sunday evening. Â Very quiet and laid back. Â Fabulous wine selection and wonderful food choices. Â Settled on the salmon cerviche and grilled shrimp/avocado salad. Â All of the salads are named for a FH street. Â Really enjoyable. Â Sat with friends and was not rushed. Â I'm sure it's quite a bit more hectic on a Saturday evening. Â It's great to have this little gem in our neighborhood. Â Sure beats going to the various pubs and beer joints!
Review Source:What a fantastic little gem in the heart of Forest Hills! There's something incredibly intimidate about this wine bar than any other. Probably because more than likely, you'll get a chance to chat with the owners Ollie and Ogla about the wines, cheeses, meats that they hand select, and the olives and other pickled condiments that they handmake. You won't get this kind of intimacy with your food anywhere else. You're dining into someone's passion and it's an incredible experience. The bartenders--Nick and Jane--are superb, equally extremely warm, friendly, and knowledgeable. It's an eclectic and charming wine bar, I highly recommend it.
Review Source:Oysters at a wine bar?!? The concept didn't quite mesh with me on my first visit, but I thought "Why not?" Â Nick the bartender recommended a white wine to go with them. Â I enjoyed them as my girlfriend enjoyed more traditional wine bar food. Â
On another visit, we enjoyed white wine flights. Â The wines were fresh, not necessarily recent vintage, but clearly from bottles opened recently. Â No day-old opened bottles here. Â I found the olives to be tasty. Â We enjoyed their beet salad and sandwiches. Â
The atmosphere is warm, cozy, inviting. Â The wines by the glass run about $10 - $15, with an option to try some flights for ~$14. Â The service is excellent -- they know when to stop by but not be too intrusive. Â I look forward to a return visit to try out more of the variety of cheeses.
Went here last night and fell in love with the place! Plus I'm so glad that it's close to home. Service is wonderful and the owner was really sweet. We ordered the large meat and cheese platter, a bottle of McGregor Vineyard Highlands Red wine, and a Cornell Sandwich. Everything was delicious!!! We ate and drank to our hearts content. The owner even gave us a free serving of duck liver mousse which was fantastic! I'll definitely be back!!!
Review Source:Went there for the first time Friday night and was very impressed. It is a small yet cozy spot with fresh food. We had the cheese and meat plate to start with some wine. The waitress was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the food and the wine. My boyfriend had the chorizo sandwich which he loved! I had the chicken sandwich which was also fresh and tasty. I will definitely be back to Keuka!
Review Source:I stopped by on a Tuesday evening with the bf and had the good fortune to meet Oleg and his lovely wife Olga. We sat by the window and feasted on meats and cheeses. Â I particularly liked the Paumonok Reisling, which is a new addition and appreciate how accommodating Oleg was towards me as I tried to decide which wine boded well with my palate. Â No pretentious people, great people watching and stellar customer service. Â I'm going to go back after work to see how their other dishes are. Â Welcome to the neighborhood Keuka.
P.S. Â It'd be great if they did wine flights!
So excited about this new edition to the hood. Although it is very small, GREAT, cozy ambiance. Just because this is a wine bar, that didn't stop them from having the basketball game on, I thought that was pretty cool and unpretentious, and that's coming from a girl. ON to the important stuff, the food, the cheese the meats!! are so fresh and yummy as are the rest of the food selections, great wine with a generous pour. Look forward to my next visit.
Review Source:This place looks unassuming from outside but has a wonderful atmosphere inside. Nice selection of wines with very friendly and helpful staff to provide suggestions. We also tried the meat & cheese board; you get to select the type of cheese and meat you want to have. The crab and avocado is delicious as well. Starts getting crowded from early evening.
This place is a nice welcome addition to the Forest Hill area; we are definitely going back.
This unassuming wine bar quietly opened in an unfortunate location along the uninviting queens boulevard. However, once you get past the door - you are welcomed by a warm inviting staff and a cozy environment. I forgot all about the eyesore of a street I was on. Keuka is very tiny - a small bar and a few tables with some seating facing the window. It is the perfect atmosphere for a local hangout. We sat at the bar looking over the wine list - the bar tender made some recommendations and actually made us taste a few even though we were just getting a glass. I tried their namesake wine - which is from upstate NY - it was good, but alittle too sweet for me. We wound up with a nice Cote du Rhone. The staff could not be friendlier and more down to earth. However, it wasn't over the top where it was intrusive to our conversation. We were looking over the food menu with no intent of buying anything - however they sold us on it, so we decided to split something. We had the crab and avocado. Fresh ingredients, great flavor - simple but some of the best tasting food I've had in the neighborhood. On the weekend, they have fresh oysters for $3, looking forward to going back to try them! On our way out, they insisted to "top us off" as we only had one glass of wine. Definitely had a great experience - exactly what the neighborhood needs.
Review Source:As the name implies Keuka Kafe spotlights some of New York's amazing wines from the Finger Lakes and Long Island as well as wines from other wine regions around the world. . Great ambiance, great food, and really good wine. The staff was friendly. Had a great time and a great meal. Can't wait to try more of the menu and the wine list. If you live in Queens and enjoy a good glass of wine, you have to try Keuka Kafe. If you don't live in Queens  its well worth the trip
Review Source:I have been walking by for a month now and peering into the window and checking out the menu. I finally walked in and I will certainly be back with friends. The decor is simple and comfortable. Jane, who was my bartender and waitress, is warm, personable, knowledgeable about the extensive wine menu, food menu, and very pleasant. I also met the owner, who is earnest as well. Â I enjoyed their homemade olives (hit the spot), had 2 glasses of Chardonnay, which was better than most, (I do not normally drink more than one) and the crabmeat and avocado appetizer with yummy toasted bread. The sandwiches are named after streets in Forest Hills (clever), and are just yummy as well. I had the turkey with prosciutto and provolone on a baguette sandwich which was also terrific. All ingredients are fresh and tasty. The wine list is extensive and there are specials as well. There is a brunch special which I am looking forward to trying. All in all, a lovely experience, which I recommend for dates, friendly get togethers, and after work chilling. So glad this wine bar is in Forest Hills as it is a perfect option for a night out off of crowded Austin Street.
Review Source:I have now been here for brunch, lunch and just for some good wine. Amazing bartenders (Nick and Jane). Super sweet staff, extremely accommodating and attentive. Owners are great people- completely devoted to the business. So happy to have Keuka Cafe in the neighborhood! Â Great dishes to accompany the great wine- from sandwiches to salads to wine/cheese plates. Doesn't get better- I have loved everything I have tried here and look forward to what is to come. A must try.
Review Source:This place is *brand new*. And I believe this is the owner's first foray into restaurant ownership. So I feel that it would be shitty of me to be hard on them. This place has a lot of potential, they have a great wine list, and the owners are very friendly and their heart is definitely in the right place. This review is mainly to point them in the right direction.
I would like to see very brief descriptions of each wine on the wine menu, because one should assume that you're going to get a lot of customers coming in there who don't really know about wine and are going to need a lot of help choosing. Also, I ordered a wine flight and the bartender, and by my third glass the owner, poured each subsequent glass of wine into the same glass. In my opinion, and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone on this, every glass of wine in a wine flight needs to be in a clean glass so that none of the flavors are sullied with each new wine.
I'd love to see the bar menu available a little later than the dinner menu. At 10 o'clock they told me they were closing the kitchen, which in my opinion is totally OK for dinner, but I think it would be cool if simply for a limited bar menu, they stayed open a little later for finger food with your wine.
Like I said, the owners are friendly, the interior design is low key but chic, they have a really cool theme, which is focusing on Finger Lakes wines, and on top of that, they make their own house-marinated olives. I would say in six months, if they adjust well and tweak just a few things, this place could be a real top-drawer wine bar.
Quite a few things to say ... The owners have done a superb job bringing Finger Lakes wines into my Queens neighborhood. Who needs Napa, when Central NY vintages kick ass so much? I'm far from an oenophile, but am impressed with the selection and tastes of upstate. There are beers on tap and in the bottle. Nice to see that there are local craft brews (Bronx & Brooklyn) available.
Food, wow. Oops, I mean "Wow!" The meat & cheese plates are the best quality I've seen around town. I made an attempt at the 5x5 (5 meats, 5 cheeses) platter, but ended up taking some home. Best you try that one if you visit with one or two other people. There's a 3x3 and a beer cheese platter which are sized better for one. The rest of the menu (fish, chicken, a killer chorizo, sandwiches, salads, etc.) is/are on my 'to-do' list.
Staff? Fantastic. Both bartenders are friendly, and happy to let you get a taste of this & that. Both of the owners are in & about, and happy to go into detail of this cheese, that wine, this meat, that salad ...
Yelp review, so I'll mention decor as well ... this place is cozy. There's medium/low light table seating for quiet couples, but I've been enjoying the neighborhood locals at the bar/counter.
Yup. I'm hooked.
Update Edit: I've been going here for 5 months, and have made my way through a good selection of the menu. I wish that I could add another star. The warm sandwiches (chorizo, shrimp, chicken, mozarella) are my staples, but the cold ones and salads are happy alternatives. Can't forget the oysters and mussels. Yummmm.
Keuka Kafe has become a wonderful neighborhood spot! I've met more local people in this one spot than I have in over a dozen years in this area. Good friendly people, in a great place to eat, drink, and socialize. That is awesome.
Oh, keep an eye on their Facebook updates (and chalkboard). They have wine and beer tastings several times a month.
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