QUEENS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CROWNS NIPPON CHA AS QUEENS’ BEST SUSHI

Credit: Anat Gerstein, Inc. Owner ChangQi Li (L) and George Hadjiconstantinou from Chamber (R)

QUEENS, NY (August 19, 2026) — On August 19, the Queens Chamber of Commerce—the borough’s oldest and largest business association—announced Nippon Cha as the winner of its Queens’ Best Sushi Competition. The competition, which launched on July 20, invited locals to nominate and vote for their favorite establishments creating exceptional nigiri, maki, uramaki, sashimi, and other delicious creations. Nippon Cha, located in Bayside, is known for Japanese Tea Sushi featuring Tochucha, a caffeine-free tea from the Seto Inland region of Japan. 


“Congratulations to ChangQi Li and the entire team at Nippon Cha on being crowned Queens’ Best Sushi,” said Tom Grech, President and CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce. “Queens is home to some of the best and most diverse food in the world, and this competition gave New Yorkers another reason to discover the incredible businesses that make our borough such a special place to eat. We’re proud to celebrate Nippon Cha, and we thank all of the restaurants and voters who made this year’s competition such a success.”


“We are incredibly honored to be named Queens’ Best Sushi, and we’re grateful to everyone who voted for Nippon Cha and supported us throughout the competition,” said ChangQi Li, owner of Nippon Cha. “This recognition means so much to our entire team, who put great care and passion into everything we serve. Queens has an amazing food community, and we’re proud to be part of it. We look forward to welcoming even more of our neighbors to Nippon Cha and sharing what we love with them.”


Elected officials representing the area weighed in on the win.



"With every kind of cuisine imaginable here in The World's Borough, there is no denying that Queens is the ultimate destination for any kind of food you could possibly want. That's exactly the case when it comes to the kind of authentic, high-quality sushi that you can only find in our borough," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. "Nippon Cha in Bayside is the definition of top-notch sushi and is more than deserving of the title of Best in Queens. Congratulations to Nippon Cha's hard-working employees for earning that accolade and thank you to the Queens Chamber of Commerce for uplifting our local restaurants across Queens."


“Congratulations to Nippon Cha on being named the winner of the Queens Chamber of Commerce’s Best Sushi Restaurant award! Located right here at 39-34 Bell Boulevard in Bayside, Nippon Cha is a wonderful example of the outstanding restaurants that make District 19 such a special place,” said Council Member Vickie Paladino. “We are proud to have some of the best dining destinations in Queens right here in our community. This recognition is truly well deserved!”


The top three businesses selected by the public were:

1. Nippon Cha (Bell Boulevard, Bayside)
   
2. A Sushi (Austin Street, Forest Hills)
   
3. Wabi Nori (Farrington Street, Flushing)
   

In addition to earning the title of Queens’ Best Sushi, Nippon Cha received a plaque and a complimentary year of membership to the Queens Chamber of Commerce. The second- and third-place winners also received certificates.

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This is the 15th “Best of Queens” food and beverage competition. Prior contests settled debates over the borough’s best pizza, burgers, halal, empanadas, barbecue, tacos, frozen desserts, bagels, pad thai, tavern, bakery, deli, soup, and craft beer.