Three-Hour Lines and Oxtail MacPatties: Datz Deli Turns Hollis Into NYC’s Guyanese Food Capital

On a muggy Wednesday afternoon, the line at Datz Deli wraps out the door and snakes down 205-17 Hollis Avenue. Some folks are here for the first time, lured by TikTok videos showing molten cheese oozing out of a golden macpatty; others are regulars who know to call ahead and still end up waiting over two hours for oxtail anything. At 3 p.m., a delivery driver from Jamaica—Queens, not the island—says he’s “on break, but this is worth being late for.”

Datz Deli, opened by the Persaud family in 2021, has become a destination for Queens teens skipping out early, cabbies on lunch, and food influencers from all five boroughs. The signature: an oxtail macpatty—think flaky pastry stuffed with cheesy macaroni and tender, slow-cooked oxtail. This week, some customers report waiting three hours for one. “We’re not used to this kind of attention,” says owner Dhanesh Persaud from behind the counter, dishing out doubles and pepperpot. “But we’re grateful. It’s a taste of Guyana, right here in Hollis.”

Prices aren’t shy. The oxtail macpatty runs $16, but nobody’s complaining. “It’s a meal and an experience,” says Shantel King, a nurse from St. Albans, who ordered two to go. The deli’s also become a late-night hangout: on Fridays, the doors stay open past midnight, with speakers thumping soca while neighbors debate who makes the best bake.

The spot’s popularity has spilled into the block. Last Saturday, a nearby bodega started selling their own version of a curry chicken patty—“Not the same,” says a group of teens outside Datz, “but respect.” Persaud’s family is already scouting a second location, but for now, everything’s coming out of the Hollis kitchen.

With Memorial Day weekend looming and school wrapping up next week, crowds are only expected to grow. “We’ll keep cooking,” Persaud shrugs. “Queens is hungry.”