SUNNYSIDE, QUEENS
Sik Gaek
Seafood hot pot with live octopus, haemul pajeon and soju under the 7 train — a raucous Korean pocha since 2010.
Under the 7 train where Sunnyside runs into Woodside, Sik Gaek has been one of the liveliest Korean rooms in western Queens since 2010: scorched wooden tables, walls papered in dollar bills, a deliberately 1970s look and a crowd that is there to drink and share.
The famous order is the seafood hot pot, a red, spicy broth heaped with lobster, clams, shrimp and — for the brave — a still-moving octopus. Around it: a pan-fried seafood pancake, raw oysters in gochujang, and barbecue in a spicy house marinade. Bring friends, order soju, and expect to leave smelling of it all.
Editor’s tip
Come with four or more, order the seafood hot pot and a pajeon, and ask how lively the octopus is before committing.
Also in the neighborhood
SUNNYSIDE, QUEENS
Makina Cafe
A beloved Eritrean-Ethiopian food truck, finally indoors on Skillman Avenue — two-day doro wat.
Eritrean · Date Night · $$
SUNNYSIDE, QUEENS
The Kasbah Café
Sunnyside's Algerian kitchen — couscous, rechta and kalb el louz from a family from Algiers.
Algerian · Neighborhood Café · $
Editorial draft — core details last reviewed October 13, 2026. Confirm practical details with the official site before you go.