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Sik Gaek
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
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21 reviews for Sik Gaek
Ever since I saw Oldboy, I've been curious what it would be like stuffing a live octopus in my mouth -- is it as terrifying as it looks in the movie?
http://video.google.co...
But that curiosity was largely forgotten until I sat down at Sik Gaek and took a good look at the menu. When I saw "live octopus," I knew we had to try it, regardless of market price ($20). It's not exactly like that terrifying scene in the film, because here they serve it neatly chopped and squirming on a bed of lettuce with sliced jalapeno and garlic atop as garnish, with a spicy dipping sauce and another of sesame oil & salt. Still, the sight of the plate is arresting.
It tastes as fresh as you'd imagine a wriggling octopus to be, and extremely chewy. It also feels like you've just eaten something that would make you invincible for a while in a video game...a strangely potent food.
Before going invincible, we had eaten the standard starter here, three eggs fried in a small oily pan at your table stove, which your waiter starts cooking the minute you sit down. While we ate this he also brought us four enormous raw clams, juicy and delicious. After that a seafood pancake, I believe the best I've ever had, exploding with the fresh flavors of different seafood and vegetables.
We followed that with the huge seafood stew. Get the spicy one, with a bubbling red broth, stacked high with lobster, crabs, clams and mussels. Inside, if you dig deep, you'll find bean sprouts, noodles, calamari, bits of fish, rice rolls, and some exciting additions like fish ovaries and seasquirts. It's safe to say I'm not a fan of the last two, but try them at least.
We drank a bottle of Cham Isul during the meal, and afterward one of the waiters brought us a lovely cold cucumber drink, a sort of agua fresca Korean style. I haven't mentioned the service, but the waitstaff here are the kindest you could wish for -- everyone was courteous, smiling and eager to explain what the stranger ingredients were in the stew. And for those reviewers who say the staff speaks only limited English, any Korean who knows "seasquirt" could be teaching the language in my opinion.
Another reason I'd bump this up to six stars if I could -- when we first arrived to the packed restaurant, someone (possibly the owner) brought a plate of freshly fried calamari for everyone in the waiting area to snack on. It really doesn't get any better than this for Korean home cooking! All of this for $30 a person.
So i took my parents and my sister's boyfriend here to celebrate his passing his NYS Bar exam! Congrats!
He's spent time in Korea, in search of his roots and I was glad to hear that he thinks this place is awesome. He tells us it's very similar to the spots you'd find in Korea, foodwise, atmosphere, service.
I finally got to try the Anthony Bourdain noodle with the octopus over top. I have to say, it was really hard to watch and even my manly father was a bit bothered by it. I would never want to watch another animal die a slow death like that ever again. I think I just earned myself a potential invitation to hell for that one.
But we also got the octopus sashimi style and I still love it. They give you a spicy, red dipping sauce but I really prefer the wasabi and soy sauce approach. Raw octopus just has no flavor, but for whatever reason, the wasabi and salty soy sauce brings out the oceany freshness of the oct
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/28/2009
I was hoping it would blow me away. I confess after seeing it featured on No Reservations, I was… Read more »
great atmosphere! loud and fun, great for after work party with SOJU!
You must try the Seafood pot, the Clam, lobster and mussel are chewy, the udon at the bottom of the pot is very favored with the seafood soup if you wait a bit longer for it to absorb the favor! The lobster and Octopus in the pot is still alive, itz kind of funny....
I m not used to the raw octopus, itz too slimy
I had no idea there was such a thing as Korean seafood hotpot, but this was a pretty damn amazing experience. The menu is not English-friendly at all, so if you have friends who can speak and read Korean or Chinese (the menu is predominantly written in those two languages), you'll be fine, otherwise you'll pretty much be pointing at the pretty pictures.
We didn't get the live squirming octopus thing (waitress told us it was only octopus and lobster), but we did get the general seafood hotpot, which has a live lobster, lots of large mussels and clams, one huge sea snail or whatever, and lots of other good stuff. I wasn't a fan of watching the lobster die a slow boiling death so I tried to kill it as quickly as I could - maybe in the future I'll ask for the pre-killed lobster. Still, the food was the best seafood deal I've seen in a while. This was a super-fresh LARGE pot of seafood for only $59.99 (and enough to feed 4 people). We also got the seafood pancake (the haemul pa jeon), which is hands down the best Korean seafood pancake I've had ever (no joke). We didn't have enough people to order the watermelon filled with soju punch or whatever, but I'm down with that next time (the table next to us got WRECKED on the stuff).
This is also one of the most authentic Korean restaurants out there (especially because it's in Queens). You're sitting on plastic stools, the crowd is mostly local, and it feels like a restaurant you'd find in Korea, not New York.
It's also incredibly easy to get to from NY if you take the LIRR - the restaurant's like one block away from the Murray Hill station, and when we were done it was a 20 minute train ride back to Penn Station.
Very fun place to have huge pot with friends!
What I had was seafood pot. Lots of lots of seafood including lobster.
Seafood pancake was also very good.
The interior remind me Asia very much.
Price is very reasonable by considering the amount and quality of food.
Definitely wants to go back. But its bit fur from subway station.
Sik-gaek was a great after-work chill spot for dinner and Korean-style drinking (low-quality, mass quantity). It was a tiny spot on a corner and was the main attraction in the Murray Hill section of Queens. Ever since it's departure in mid 2008 (apparently there was a lease disagreement with the landlord), the foot traffic in the area diminished notably. It's a true testament to how great Sik-gaek was as an establishment and community landmark.
The new location is bigger, but whether it's better or not is still debatable. What used to be a neighborhood spot for regulars is now a tourist attraction. What usually happens with growing restaurants is an increase in price and decrease in quality. The owner is a very friendly person and he always gives complementary drinks/dishes when my pals head there, but it's just not the same. I was at the grand re-opening at the current Northern Blvd. location and my group of 12+ must've eaten at least $500 worth of food and drink, and it was all on the house. Of course we left a tip...we're not monsters.
I personally hate all crowded restaurants. But at Sik Gaek, we were surprisingly able to still have our personal space for our party of 12. Sitting there eating together from our bowls of broth and monstrous mounds of seafood pile-ups.. We almost forgot we were in New York, let alone Queens.
Watching that octopus and Lobster slowly expire along with the mussels, crabs, and clams felt wrong but so right. All of the food were great , Seafood Pancake was well done, and the ddukbokkie (Rice Cake Dish) was just delish! We Ordered 2 of those mounds of seafood, 2 of the ddukbokkie, 2 of the Seafood Pancake, Some beef, and it came out to about 25 dollars a person, minus the bday girl. Overall, A great Experience and I think we might come back for my girlfriends Bday as well. Hopefully I can get to try the Octopus Sashimi next time.
Anthony Bourdain visiting Sik Gaek - http://www.youtube.com...
Us Visiting Sik Gaek - http://www.youtube.com...
The best favorite Korean bar in NY!
The ambiance is just like the ones in college towns of Korea. Busy, loud, small, hot, and laughs! Nice waiters and waitresses but they are always busy serving customers.
My all time favorite menu is Steamed Seafood. If you order large, you will get a huge pot of steamed lobster, crabs, clams and etc with seafood soup! The soup makes great combination with any kind of alcohol! After you finish all the seafood, you put noodle in to the soup and make noodle soup called Kal-gook-soo! And you don't get really drunk since the seafood helps prevent getting drunk. ;)
I usually visit this place when I wanna have drinks with my(non-Korean) friends. They all love this place too. And I sometimes see customers picking up food. I would do the same if I live near by.
Surely you must seen Bourdain's No Reservations: Outer Boroughs episode. Yes, this was the one where he went with my boycotted chef David Chang to eat raw octopus here, with individual waste baskets in tow. ~$70 is hardly what I would consider cheap for a go at live octopus, but I couldn't refuse. More slippery in texture than anything, it's one of those things you have to do before you die. I preferred my live octopus tataki style, aka dipped in hot broth for 5-10 seconds before consumption. With that dish, you also get a live lobster and other seafood (shimp, octopus, mussels, clams) over a sterno. We also ordered a skin on pumpkin dish with gochujang which was interesting to say the least, but in a good way. Most memorable to me was the seafood dish in which the leftover broth was reboiled with AMAZING udon. The appetizer consisted of a fried egg, 3 to be exact per (up to) 4 people. You can't make a resy since all I got was a fax noise, so arrive early (7'ish) to avoid lines. 3.5 stars rounded down since I'm not zealous to go back.
Total came out to ~$30/pp after everything
Pics: http://www.meetup.com/...
Ri-dic-u-lous.
This place is HEAVEN for seafood lovers. I was there with half a dozen other friends and most of us hail from Hong Kong, so we know our seafood. This place was fresh, fast, and cheap. We got a pot of steamed seafood (lobster, crab, mussels, clams, shrimp, and conch), a platter of raw seafood to grill (mussels, scallop, clams, shrimp, conch, etc), raw squid (with tentacles still moving), oyster pancake, and a side of rice cake. All for $224 (beer, soju, tax and tip included).
Did I say: Ri-dic-u-lous?
Service was good. Though our first waiter didn't speak much English. But, there's nothing clearer than pointing to a pot of seafood in the menu or on someone else's table. We had to split the bill on 4 cards and they obliged. I can't complain!
Food: Not really a strong point here. They find ways to destroy most every dish. I'm not Korean so bear with me here as I describe some examples. The dish with chicken, rice cake, and then you would mix in some rice, cooked on a stone plate, came with chicken alright, but it was chicken feet. ugh. The fried noodles wrapped in seaweed would be good, but a glob of sauce was put dumped on, resulting in a soggy mess. Word to the wise, order everything with sauce on the side.
Drink: Usual Korean fare, soju and Hite.
Service: Pretty average from the wait staff. The owner is really the best thing about the place. First he plasters his likeliness onto all the workers T-shirts. Then he hands out free Coor's Light and appetizer samplers to everybody waiting on line, since the line can get pretty long on the weekends. Gotta like someone with that much ego and business smarts.
Ambiance/Crowd: Predominantly Asian crowd seated on small tables or those long lunch room style tables back in elementary school, but made of wood instead of plastic. Tight space echoes the close chatter and open kitchen. Pretty festive place.
This place is awesome. It's not even a far trek from Manhattan. You just take the LIRR from Penn Station to the B'way Stop in Queens. You have to get there early though because it gets crowded really quickly. My friends and I went Saturday. As the other reviewers stated, you do start off with cooked eggs over-well, gyeranjjim and a soup. We ordered a haemool jungol, haemool pajun, and a seafood boil. Everything was great. Portions are huge, so we left a lot of food. The staff was great and very serviceable. The food was cheap for the price too. We drank lots of soju and ate lots of food for a decent price. You know it would have cost a lot more in Manhattan and the quality wouldn't have been that great.
Korean Seafood.
After it was lost to me for a while, it is now found. Of course those who have been to this place in it's previous two incarnations know what I'm talking about (OG on 149th, AYCE on 152nd). It's now back to it's original menu but much larger. Granted, it took Anthony Bourdain to let me know that it had moved to it's current location.
This place is pretty much Korean seafood heaven. Those who enjoy seafood this is a place to be. Various forms of seafood pots in various sizes. Of course if you are not much of a seafood fan, this might not be the place for you to be, but they still serve non-seafood dishes.
Don't shoot me, but I don't remember the exact names of the dishes I had ordered, because it was late at night and I was really hungry with a group of people. For an appetizer, we tried the live octopus and the egg and cheese casserole. We had ordered two seafood pots, one with just plain seafood that had clams, mussels, snails, crab legs, and blue crabs. Another with with the same, but it was spicy had extra food items in it and had lobster also. And then we had an extra order of the spicy pork spare ribs.
How was the food? As good as it was when I had it a few years ago. The live octopus was something interesting and it's texture makes it hard to really chew, so you have to swallow. But it is kinda fun to have the tentacles stick to your tongue when you are eating it. The egg and cheese casserole was very good, cooked just perfectly. If you like spicy food, the spicy spare ribs are nice and spicy for you. Cooked very well and coated with hot sauce all over, you are guaranteed to tingle in your mouth. Of course the main part of this review is the seafood. All of it was very good and very enjoyable. The plain seafood pot is nothing to rave about, it's similar to a clam bake. However, the spicy seafood pot is the one to get. An abundance of fresh mixed seafood with goodies underneath. Udon noodles, rice cakes and veggies all buried under the goodness of seafood. The lobster was still moving in our pot while we were eating it.
Overall a great experience since when I had it years ago. It is a great spot, but it can get busy at times, since it's now bigger than it used to be and in a very busy spot. Of course through the various moves it had made and economic issues, some of their seafood portions have shrunk, but the food is still good as I had it a few years ago.
Definitely I'm coming here again!
Try the live octopus... if you dare!
Went here to help my friend celebrate his 30th. Besides the fact that you have to take a train and a bus to get here, its not all that bad (for all you car "less" ppl like me). For the ppl that have cars, there's plenty of parking and they even have valet in the back of the restaurant.
Here's what we got:
Fried calamari - This Asian take of what I considered an Italian appetizer is overall much softer and less greasy, but not as bold in flavors
Seafood casserole pot - A pretty looking dish (or pot), with tons of clams (nearly the size of baseballs) and mussels top off with 2 crabs and a whole lobster in a pot. But as for taste, the natural flavors of the shellfishes are muted by the spiciness of the broth and the textures of meat are ruined by being overcooked
Raw platter - Unlike your standard raw bar platter, this platter is actually for grilling. You have the giant clams and mussels like the casserole pot, but they also have other items like conch. I think this was the best dish. All the natural flavors of the shellfishes are cooked in its own liquid. The only problem is while no one really mind eating undercooked clams, they do not feel the same way for mussels so we ended up overcooking them.
Live Octopus - "Its Alive!!!" What more can I say? Actually a lot more. They are chopped into inch long pieces so they squirm around more like earthworms than Octopii. There's actually a video of me popping one of those suckers in my mouth (too bad Yelp doesn't support video). Chewy, delicious, and more interesting than the cooked version. I don't recommend putting a bunch of them in your mouth at once unless you really have a death wish (the suction cups on the tentacles will grip on to your throat). The chopped up head doesn't move like the tentacles and its much harder to swallow than the tentacles. You can also torture it like your own science experiment by tossing it in the grill, but I prefer it squirming.
Spicy seafood w/ Mozzarella cheese - We were all but full, but decided to add this dish. After thoroughly mixing the cheese with the spicy pepper paste that the seafood (mostly cooked squid) is drowning in, you get a gooey and delicious dish that really fills you up if you are still hungry. It was just a bit too spicy for me.
They gave us a shot of cucumber juice at the end. It tasted almost sweet, but I'm sure its not for every body's taste buds.
3 stars overall + 1 for live squid (you don't see that "on your table" everyday).
came out to $24/pp, b-day boy ate for free
This is a good place for Korean streetfood (and seafood). Several "family style" options for various pots of stews and seafood like kalguksoo.The clams are very good here. All meals start with the waiter frying eggs in front of you and a serving of ddakbogi. The kalbi is ok, very tender but not the best. The samgyupsal filled with enoki mushrooms is pretty good although it gets tiring after 4-5 pieces.
The atmosphere is authentic, mostly stepstools for seats but also plastic buckets and other random items. The jostling, fast-paced enviroment gives a cheerful vibe (if this place was empty it would be quite sad looking). Music was upbeat and mostly old school (think DJ Doc).
The waiters I had were young and very attentive and they do have separate menus in English. I'd suggest this joint to any hardcore K- fan.
Wow,
this place is the disappointment of the year for me so far.
It looks great.. It's always crowded.. and it's open late.
All good signs.. But they all deceived me.
The food here is deplorable. Quite possibly the worst in the area. What a joke.
And they've got the gaul to open up a "sik gaek to go" ?! I don't get it!
I understand that the sik gaek style of Sik Gaek is a draw for penny pinchers, boozers and nostaligic Koreans..but the authenticity it serves up is in the fact that the food is just about as bad as you could expect from a place that focuses on serving alcohol.
I even gave it a second try.. came in with a few friends to drink and order different dishes..
I was pissed.. and if I was'nt drunk and in good company.. I probably would have turned the food back.
A great reminder of the fact that
"popularity is not always a sign of quality"
Last night was the second time I went to Sik Gaek with friends. We ordered one seafood combo ($29.99) and one bbq pork tenderloin ($15.99).
The service was really bad, since only the owner and one of the waiters can communicate with us in English. We ate there for about two hours, and 95% of the time we got ignored by the waiters. Sik Gaek is a Korean restaurant, and we only got two small plate of appetizers (The first time I went there, they did serve us five plates of small plates). Terrible service, and low portion of cold dishes!
Sorry for saying this, but I am definetly not going there anymore, since all of the materials we ordered last night can be bought in the local supermarket with only half of the price. Besides, I don't need to pay 15% tips to the waiter/waitress who didn't even serve us at all!
5 of us went to Sik Gaek last night (Saturday). Two of the people in our group had already visited previously and noted that it gets super crowded on the weekends so we thought we'd meet up earlier. We got there around 5:30 (which in my opinion is waaaaay early) and the place had about 3-4 tables already occupied.
None of us are Korean and we've also never visited Korea before, but it gave us an old Japanese feel, so this is what we think old Korea may have looked like. There are dollar bills all over the wall (those of you that used to visit 69 in Chinatown will know exactly what I mean) and there is a great ventilation system (although you will still smell like Korean food once you exit). The tables are more picnic table style, with plastic stools that actually rotate (which is really cool).
They also bring little plates of celery/carrots, dukbokki, kimchi and steamed egg (it's called chawanmushi in Japanese but I'm not sure what it's called in Korean/English?) Additionally, they start off by giving you 3 fried eggs (a little strange, but a nice touch!)
There is a grill in the middle of the table and you can order seafood casseroles, which is what we did. Along with that we had a seafood pancake (delicious), calimari (only so-so) and another pot of seafood that came in a spicy sauce. There was tofu, rice cake, ramen and some other stuff in the spicy pot.
They bring garbage pails so that you can throw out all the shells and such, which was a nice touch. We all know how messy it can get when you eat seafood!
There is no pressure to leave as soon as you finish, which is definitely a plus and a nice place to go and hang-out. This is also probably the reason for the crazy wait times on the weekends.
All the above food, as well as a few bottles of OB beer came out to around $175 after tax and tip, which seemed like a great deal.
I would definitely come back for group outings, but I do have to say that I didn't think there was anything particularly special about the food, which is why I gave this palce 3 stars.
From the outside of the restaurant, you would never imagine the inside of the restaurant is what is it. Possibly because it was previously another Korean restaurant and they didn't do much to change the outside. The minute you walk in, you feel like you are in a street-type food environment in Asia. All the wait staff have on a head-wrap and company logo tees.
I'm not Korea so I didn't do the ordering as we always rely on our Korean friend to order as I feel once you are Korean, service and food is better and plentiful. We got the steamed seafood casserole, which is like a HUGE clam bake with clams, mussels, crab, conch, and king crab legs. There was CLAMS galore. I've never had so much clams in one serving. I don't think I'll have any more clams in the next several months. After the pot of seafood is finish, they use the broth to make a noodle soup for you. It was yummy. My friend ordered the wonton wrapper like flat noodle and it was very good.
We also got the grilled version of the seafood casserole, which you grill on the table yourself. I've only had grilled shellfish one other time, which was in Thailand. To put fresh shellfish on a grill for it to become dry and char-coaled does not make sense and this is the last time I will do it again. Also, it took too long to cook. We wind up asking the waiter to steam the remainder.
These are HUGE portions so we only added another cooked dish, which is octopus (calamari) and pumpkin cooked in a spicy korean sauce where they bake it with mozzarella cheese on top. Sorta of like Korean fushion. The idea might not sound too appealing but it was very yummy. The sauce was not super spicy and the cheese balanced out the flavors. I wish I knew the name of it but since I didn't order it, I have no idea what it was called.
How do you go to a Korean place without having liquor. We had the Daepo (rice sake), it was very good.
With so much seafood, you would imagine the bill would be outrageous but for 6 people, it came out to $127 before tip. Not bad at all.
Great place for authentic Korean street-type food.
If you're looking to warp yourself over to the nighttime street scene in Seoul without the plane ride, then this is your place. Particularly if you're into the hip, faux-old school kinda thing (think old Korean-style wood houses).
The menu is all Korean, few of the staff speak English, and the clientele is straight outta the Land of the Morning Calm. There is much black clothing and Burberry in evidence.
Anyway, back to the food. It's pretty good. I like how it's served informally and simply. No frills. You order the seafood pot, you get a pot of mixed seafood. Then they take the leftover hot water and make a tasty noodle stew with it. OK, sounds weird, but it's really good.
There's lots of K-pop dance type music playing which lends itself to the younger, hipper crowd here. Some people are dressed up, others are truly casual. I see people on dates here (often in groups) or just the guys eating / drinking soju / having fun. Some families too, but not many (or any) kids, at least on Friday or Saturday nights.
The staff is truly friendly and helpful, 'cuz we didn't know much of what to get, and they showed the way.
I think they have another branch in Flushing, or they just moved to this address. It's worth checking out if you like Korean food.
N.B. They have street parking (hard around there) or valet service. They take credit cards. They do have a selection of soju (and other traditional K-liquors that get under the beer / wine license) and Korean beers. I plan to try more of those.
a good casual place to have a long lingering meal with friends.
it is loud so it's not an ideal place to have a family meal. this is more for getting together with friends when you need a some drinks and dinner.
don't bother with other dishes besides the seafood casserole. they take the leftover broth back to the kitchen and cook it with you choice of noodles. my choice is the soo-jae-bee which is like a ... flat, flour based dough pieces? i don't know how else to explain it.
we also had kalbi and was pleasantly surprised by the tenderness and the delicious marinade so even though they're famous for their seafood, you won't go wrong with ordering kalbi. but the food here won't come with the side dishes that all of us are familiar with when eating at korean restaurants.
i can't wait for the summer when they start making the watermelon punch.
