Restaurant of the Week · No. 03

NYC Eats: Gyu-Kaku, the Japanese BBQ Where You're the Chef

Long Island City, Queens · Japanese BBQ · Yakiniku
Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ in Long Island City Save your photo as gyu-kaku.jpg in your website folder

At most restaurants, dinner shows up cooked. At Gyu-Kaku, there's a flaming grill sunk into your table and a plate of premium raw beef in front of you — and the rest is on you. That's the fun.

Gyu-Kaku (it means "Horn of the Bull") is Japanese yakiniku — tabletop barbecue — and its brand-new Long Island City location has quickly become one of the neighborhood's most reliably good times. You grill, you share, you order another round. It's dinner as an activity.

What to order

Start with the two cuts Gyu-Kaku is famous for: the Harami skirt steak in miso marinade and the Certified Angus kalbi short rib in the sweet-soy tare marinade. Between those two, you've got the heart of the meal. Round it out with a few vegetables for the grill, an order of garlic noodles or bibimbap from the kitchen, and a frosty beer, sake, or shochu.

The smart play for a hungry group is the Premium All-You-Can-Eat menu — it's the best value in the house and the closest thing to a full yakiniku tour in one sitting. Just watch the timing: AYCE runs all day Monday through Thursday, but on Friday through Sunday the last seating for it is 5:00 PM.

The insider move

Two tips. First, make a reservation, especially for weekends and bigger groups — this is a popular spot and tables fill up. Second, come early and hit the daily happy hour, or grab the AYCE before that Friday–Sunday 5 PM cutoff. Bonus: the LIC location has a rooftop bar if you want a drink before or after.

The Details

Where
44-45 21st St, Long Island City, Queens
Subway
7 to Vernon Blvd–Jackson Ave, then a short walk
Best for
Groups, date night, and anyone who likes dinner with a little hands-on fun
Heads up
Reserve ahead. All-You-Can-Eat last seating is 5 PM on Fri–Sun.

New to the neighborhood?

Half the fun of moving to Long Island City is eating your way through it, and a grill-your-own feast at Gyu-Kaku is a perfect group kickoff. If you're thinking about making this corner of Queens home, that's our specialty.

Moving to Long Island City?

365 Move has helped plenty of New Yorkers land in the neighborhood without the moving-day headache. Professional, reliable, and available 365 days a year.

Know a spot we should feature next? Drop it in the comments — we're always eating.