Emerald Restaurant

Best decision I have ever made, was having my 21^st birthday party at Emerald! Not only was the owner easy-​going, but his staff went above and beyond in making it a night to remember. There were 2 other parties going on at the same night, and still our food was delivered quickly and all of my friends were telling me how great the chicken and salmon was. I had the bronzini fish, which I asked to be fried, and it was AMAZING. I kid you not, my non-​loving fish friends even enjoyed it! Anyways, the place itself is beautiful on the inside, and over the weekends they have live entertainment. The entertainment crew was awesome, and kept giving shout outs to me throughout the night because it was my birthday! Also last but not least, I brought my own alcohol (because obviously it was my 21^st so who wouldn’t) and I didn’t get charged a corking fee that other places usually charge. Also, the prices are really great for the food that they serve. With each main dish we got a side of something for free. The mashed potatoes were amazing! Also if you get the chance try the Greek salad, we kept getting refills of it because everyone enjoyed it so much!
Thanks Emerald staff and crew for everything you did for me last night! I had a fantastic time, and all of my friends and I will definitely be returning! For anyone who is debating to come or not based on the reviews I would tell you to give this place a shot, you will not regret it!

I came to try the place by Unilocal recommendation.
it was on Saturday around 7pm
1) NO one welcome us
2) we ordered fresh salad, nothing close to be Fresh, also way too much dressing.
3) it is kinda dark in side (the plate was Dusty) how can you bring your customer dusty plates !!
4) the waiter was never out side to the public, I always needed to go all the way on the back to call him 0_o.you gotta
5) we also got a shish kebab, until that point I never thought you gotta do something special
to mess up a chicken shish, was no where close to be ready.
6) no music
7) the bill came very poor hand writing, I couldn’t understand what i’m getting paid for.
come on guys 21^th century get a computer !!!

This place is a family owned business. And if you coming there with attitude then you better don’t go. This place is good for those who like home-​made russian food. I was there last Wednesday night, it was jazz night. I was celebrating my sister’s bday, we had such great time. The music was awesome, excellent service, and good food. Thank you for making our evening special.

I am absolutely convinced that the person who wrote all the positive reviews about this place is the restaurant owner. I grew up in America but I am Russian, but have never been to a Russian restaurant. I was very excited to finally go for my sister’s birthday, and we picked this place over Sveta’s place due to it’s reviews. Not only was it a huge disappointment, but I don’t think I have ever been treated that disrespectfully in my life.
When we arrived, it looked like the restaurant was preparing for a large party. We got ready to leave, but were told that we could still eat there, so we sat down. When the waiter came over with our drink order, he told us that 3 things from the menu were not available due to the party, but the rest was available. No problem, we thought, the menu is lengthy and there will surely be something else we can have it. However, once we started ordering, the waiter started saying that some of the things we wanted also weren’t available in addition to the food he told us about before. This included borcht, which is a classic Russian soup made from beets, as well as the pancakes, which is a big part of any russian meals and appetizers. We had to change our orders several times.
We received our appetizers and a few minutes later the waiter came over again and told us that yet more food that we ordered was not available. He made a point to tell us that it’s not a big deal, and we should just order something else. At this point I started to get upset because literally nothing I had ordered was available, and we were not told of this before we sat down and started ordering our drinks and food. So we asked to take the check after we finished our appetizers.
The waiter got visibly angry and said that no, we cannot have the check because some of the meal was already ready. I tried to explain that it was my sisters bday and we were really disappointed that we were not told about the limited menu ahead of time, so we just wanted to leave after the appetizers. The waiter said to me «you can speak in russian» in russian, because I was talking to him in English. I said that it was easier for me to speak English, and he has a huge attitude and said «I don’t know… I don’t understand English.» At this point I walked out.
The waiter made my family pay for all of the food that we ordered for dinner, even though we only had the appetizers, and despite the fact that it was the waiter’s fault we were not told about the limited menu ahead of time. I am absolutely appalled by the way we were treated there, and the horrible service. I am not sure if this is just this Russian restaurant or it is the general sense of how these places are run, but given that this is my first experience in one, I am absolutely horrified and I am not sure that I would go to one again. I really hope you consider this review before you decide to go there. They absolutely ruined our mood and our celebration. I would give it NO stars if it were an option.

This is not a first time we come to «Emerald», and it is always a great experience. Food is delicious; service is prompt and very friendly. Place itself is very nice, clean, and well maintained.
Food priced right, and you have many choices to choose from «a la carte» menu or from «preset» (banquet) menu. We celebrated birthdays few times there, and always feel like we are at home, with remarkable food and great live music awaiting us.
The restaurant has a website, which fortunately will not show you how great that place is, and this is probably for good, other ways «Emerald» would attract much more people and we would have a problem to reserve that that very special place for ourselves. The restaurant is a real hidden gem of Queens, and I wish it will stay the same way for many years.
Thanks for outstanding food and amazing service!

I hag my son’s first bday here and everyone left happy. The fid wad good the waiters took care of us gaff a good attitude. I even tried having shots with them but they were true pros and said no. We would come back again.

There are 10 out of 10 for the taste. I think what I definitely recommend is to try their beat kiev katleti. They are very tasty and come with mashed potatoes. If you are real gyrman and dieing for real different stuff try their Fuagra leaver. I would definitely recommend this place if you in da neighborhood

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Queens. Delicious food and great service. I definitely recommend to try it. And one of my favorite things is that a Thursday night is a karaōke night

I went twice to this restaurant and it has truely nice food but the service is horrible. First of all, we had to wait 1 hour to get our order and we were the only ones in the restaurant! The server would not bring any water so we had to ask him to do it. Second, the waiter is not friendly at all, does not talk and barely speaks English which is bad. The second time we went there hoping that may be this time the experience would be better but instead it was even worse. The waiter forgot half of our order and then disappeared. We were waiting for him so to remind him to bring the rest but he was not around so we had to eat whatever was brought. The music was also very depressing and gave us headache. Another thing was that when we payed with our card, they said the machine accepting card is not working and we have to pay with cash only. So we had to go to atm to pay fees and when we payed, the waiter said that we also have to pay tax too which he forgot to include and was not sure how much it was. Seriously! It was truely bad bad experience not coming back there again even for delicious food.

Bring your own boos? I was sold. Half my family is Russian, im not a fan of Russian food, but Emerald never fails. I always find something yummy to nosh on. Its just a fun place, endless food and drinks and dancing… It really is a good time.

Yummy

My favorite restaurant in Queens!!! The food, service, music, everything is amazing!!! And affordable even just for a full dinner on a regular day!!! The owner, the waiters are very friendly!!! The food is just like home made Russian style. i’ve been their guest for 5 years and never got disappointed!!! One more thing, everything is fresh!!!

If you come here, come on a weekend night with a large group and feast on the pelmeni and watch the dancing and live entertainment. Can’t speak to the quality of the larger main dishes, but the pelmeni were amazing.

We loved the «old slavonic» leg of lamb and the eel salad. The waiter siggested a red wine that we never tried before, which went great with the lamb. We definily plan to return many times and try everything on the menu. Our only mild disappointment was that they had no Eastern European or Central Asian desserts, only a few Italian ones, which were fine.

My first real experience at a Russian restaurant was actually a few years back. I came here with a coworker after we were invited by the host of the party. And wow, I was blown away by the experience.
We had a party of about 20 people. It was really late by the time we got there. But the table was set up. There was a large amount of salads and cold cuts, and wines were all over the place. Not to count out the Russian Standard, which my husband downed by the gallon. It was really delicious to be able to try an assorted of different foods. I am not sure if it was because we were a party, but the waiters were very nice. I asked and they gave. I never had to wait for more than 2 minutes to get everything.
The dish with the fish was really tasty and not fishy at all. Being Chinese, our fishes are steamed then drizzled with light soy sauce, so we don’t lose the flavor. SO I am an extremely picky fish eater. But this fish was light and creamy. I couldn’t help but take second helpings. The baked lobster was also really tasty. There was so much food, I didn’t know where to stuff it.
There was also live entertainment, where ladies went up to dance and sing for us. Very interesting. Then, one of the girls I work with got up to sing! Even more entertaining! I didn’t know Russian’s enjoy there food that way.
Overall, I am looking for a chance to come in and just eat dinner again. Then I would know the name of the dishes that I’ve had and I will be able to tell people more about it. Definitely a great Russian experience.

Emerald you’re my favorite Russian place in the hood. Not that you have much competition. I’ve been coming here for years and the food is consistently good. I mostly come on weekends but have been on weekdays as well. It’s homemade Russian food at a good price. We usually come in a group and split the greek salad, salat olivye, blintzes with red caviar and a plate of assorted pickles and then everyone gets an entrée, kebabs of some sort is the usual and it comes with a side… mashed potatoes being my favorite. I really like their julienne as well. Food is always fresh and yummy and it’s usually somewhere around $ 25 per person for a ton of food and we still take some home. They do serve liquor but it’s a Russian place so it’s BYOB as well… there’s a liquor store down the block which is perfect. We always bring our own bottles. On weekends they have a singer who sings russian songs and sometimes the owner who is very nice joins her. There’s a small dance floor which is always bumpin. Always a good night here!

oh, EMERALD, you know I love you! This is my favorite russian/​european restaurant in Queens! although they now have a liquor license, it is BYOB… so go across te street and stock up on wine, vodka, whatever you prefer and bring it in with NO CORKAGE FEE ever. such good food! the best Greek salad ever! Food is asbsolutely yummy, very fulfilling and yet feels like you ate healthy and didn’t over do it with calories! definitely a fun place to go with a group but i also grab a bottle of wine and come with hubby all the time and the bill is usually about $ 40 for 2 people so figure in the low $ 20s per person (we always BYOB, so prices are for dinner only). On friday and saturday nights they have a singer and it”s definitely fun to get tipsy and pull off some moves on the dance floor. anyway, this is my home away from home, come on a weekend night, you won’t be dissapointed! ;-)

MJ’s Star: 3
Price: Assorted pickles platter $ 6.95, Red caviar $ 11.95, Herring $ 7.95, Marinated mushrooms $ 6, Chicken «Kiev» $ 13.95, Pork loin (baked in mayo with mushrooms) $ 13.95, Escalop (Pork chops on bone) $ 13.95 (except Tip & Tax)

The Emerald is a super Russian place, which means the owners are Russian and so its not just the food… its the band, the live entertainment (gymnasts and sword swallowers and organized dance troupes)…great for Russian birthday parties where theres forty thousand cousins, booze, dancing, and stuffin face til people start droppin.
The cuisine is a mix of old school french, eastern european backwoods type grilling (which is by far the favorite, so order kebabs, its what we’re good at), and a general display of varied Euro-​inspired tastes.
If youre just stopping in and arent attending somebodys elaboratealy planned and hosted party, there’s no live show like I talked about, but there is a russian dude on a guitar, singing along to canned music, sometimes english, mostly not. Prices for walk ins are also moderate– its when you gather a group that we’re talking $ 80 a head.
Chances are if you’re going here, you’re already Russian and you know all this. If you by chance are not, hold on to your hat, we’re a fun bunch.