At the eastern end of Queens lies a homey destination for NYC and Long Island locals drawn to its virtues: big portions, tender meats, warm service, and an all-around sublime Korean soul food. The barbecue menu has all the mainstream hits but also a cool array of cuts like prime rib-eye steaks, pork-shoulder steaks, thinly sliced beef brisket, and a spicy stir fry of squid, pork belly, and veggies. If the server asks if you want kimchi grilled alongside thin slices of marinated duck, say “yes, please.”

Despite its whopping ledger of a menu, Kum Sung BBQ is the no-frills destination for grilled duck. Delicate chunks of the meat, served simply or marinated in a savory seasoning, are grilled with garlic cloves and kimchi. Also popular is nengmyun, an order of chewy buckwheat noodles in a refreshing icy beef broth that counters the hot smokiness of barbecue.

GooGongTan specializes in seafood, and the barbecued clams are a true standout. Whole clams are positioned on the grill slats, where they slowly open up, frothing with seawater. At that point, the servers reach in with tongs, remove one of the shells, and return the shucked clam on the half shell over the flame. There’s so much more to the seafood grill menu: clams, scallops, shrimp, and mussels topped with gochujang.

Yuk Jun Gui is the rare Korean barbecue spot that not only barbecues fresh eel but does so over a wood-fired grill. Those who’ve only tasted eel slathered with the viscous nitsume sauce at sushi spots are in for a treat, with the crisp skin and a dipping sauce of sesame oil with coarse rock salt. The restaurant’s other meats — short rib, bulgogi, offal — are grilled superbly and served with the standard ssamjang (gochujang and doenjang blend) and a parade of banchan. The manager’s maternal hospitality — she urges customers to put on the hoods of their coats when venturing back out into the cold — is another reason to visit.

The distinguishing feature of Mapo BBQ is its hot charcoal grill. High-quality meats like a slab of galbi or black pork soak smoke into fatty marbling as they sizzle, eventually yielding tender, unctuous bites full of flavors. Mapo also offers lunch specials like a short rib and soondubu (tofu soup) combo.

Yoon Haeundae Galbi is the sleek, modernized offshoot of owner Bobby Yoon’s grandfather’s grill house that opened in Haeundae, Busan in 1964. It revives a secret tenderizing method invented by the elder Yoon to prepare its assorted cuts of premium beef, particularly the namesake galbi. Pick the popular prime package to sample many cuts. Other standouts include bulgogi that’s braised in a sweet broth; an extensive drink menu spanning soju flights to dry reds; and add-ons like uni mentaiko rice, galbi dumplings, and potato noodles that get cooked at the rim of the circular grill.

Chilsung Garden offers spacious digs for group celebrations and an abundance of banchan like seasoned soft tofu, cucumber kimchi, and pickled radish. A variety of grilled meats — like the short ribs and rib-eye, which you can see through glass doors in dry aging chambers embedded in the walls of the restaurant — can be ordered a la carte and as combo platters with doenjang chige (soybean paste stew).

Antoya is classy and chic with a touch of stuffiness that can be quickly forgotten and forgiven by the magnificence of its food. The galbi here is scored to maximize marination and Maillard browning. Go all in on beef or pork with the platter options that feature three cuts of each meat. But for dishes seldom found in Korean grill houses, go for the Miyazaki Wagyu A5, sliced beef tongue with miso and scallions, or lamb chops. The galbi jjim isn’t a grilled dish, but it’s one of the best in the city.

Jongro Gopchang is the promised land of offal, and like its main competitor, Gopchang Story, it shows the breadth of Korean barbecue. Located three floors above the popular Jongro BBQ in Koreatown, this sibling restaurant focuses on gopchang (intestines, typically beef). Whether you get them marinated then grilled or stir-fried in a spicy seasoning, the cylindrical wedges crisp up on the outside with an indulgent fattiness inside.

The highlight of the sophisticated Hyun is its all-you-can-eat wagyu omakase featuring eight to ten cuts of magnificently marbled Japanese Miyazaki A5 within a 90-minute time frame. It’s the rare spot to order wagyu offal like tongue and intestine. The tasting menu is rounded out by other high-end hits like black Kaluga caviar and deep-fried oyster.

Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong and Jongro BBQ vie for the late-night Koreatown vibe. A famous restaurant chain in Korea, Baekjeong brought its popular barbecue experience to NYC in 2014 and has been a Koreatown hotspot ever since. Expect high-quality meats on a special grill with grooves around the perimeter for cooking banchan like eggs and corn cheese simultaneously. Wait times can exceed an hour at prime dinner time.

Cote stepped into the scene in 2017, as a cool-kid pioneer of high-end yet still hip fusion fine dining. It’s zeroed in on the connection between American steakhouses and Korean American barbecue — it’s the love of primo grilled beef, obviously — and turns out cuts like NY strip and filet mignon with treatments like lettuce wraps and sides like banchan (egg souffle, kimchi) and stews. The Butcher’s Feast presents a good sampling of Cote’s high-end sourcing — only USDA prime, American wagyu, and Japanese wagyu.

Dokebi is arguably the first Korean barbecue joint in Brooklyn. Open since 2005, it brings solid KBBQ fare with 11 grilled meats like pork belly and black tiger shrimp along with the standard banchan, rice, and lettuce wraps. A less-traditional offering of Korean tacos and shabu-shabu rounds out the menu.