This comfortable corner spot coaxes Greek skewer meats and patties to a consistency noticeably softer than what most of the souvlaki carts that dot Astoria dole out. From the chunks of beef to the chicken bifteki patties ($4 to $5 per stick or as a platter), skewers here are all drizzled with lemon and served with pita bread, tzatziki and mustard-based Niko’s sauce. The outdoor wrap-around dining area is comfortable but for guests who want the breeze, it’s a cinch to pack up the skewers for a picnic at Astoria Park one block away.

Here, Sungchul Shim pairs his mother’s cooking in South Korea’s verdant coastal region of Jeollanamdo with his culinary training in top-tier NYC restaurants (Le Bernardin, Neta, Bouley). A $135 nine-course tasting menu at Michelin-starred Kochi includes agu twigim, a crunchy golden cloud of breaded and fried monkfish slathered with tomato gochujang, then layered on a bed of Korean remoulade for dipping, and the bo ssam, a slow-cooked pork tenderloin topped with cashew nut ssamjang, and served with perilla leaf kimchi.

Old and new collide on the corner of 39th Avenue and Prince Street in a gentrifying downtown Flushing. At a diagonal from the shiny and spacious 1392, the Juewei BBQ cart (originally Fat Ni BBQ) has been tempting scores of pedestrians to line up for their grilled skewers since 2012. Most of the skewers here are $2 and include lamb, chicken gizzard, enoki mushroom, and stinky tofu. The two partners run a no-nonsense assembly line moving the skewers to the right as they’re cooked.  

Izakaya Toribar offers a range of traditionally grilled yakitori and golden fried skewers. Its kushikatsu menu includes lotus root, shrimp, and quail eggs, each with crispy breading. Toribar also does wondrous things with  pork belly, using it to wrap asparagus, enoki, and cubes of mochi, delivering a medley of textures in each respective skewer. Catch the action through the window that peers out onto the grill.

From pork belly to jumbo shrimp, the skewers here are dusted with red chile pepper and cumin then barbecued  at the table on a portable grill. This 2020 newcomer is part of the high-end One Fulton Square complex in downtown Flushing, and offers convivial vibes for late nights with large groups, particularly those who want to sing their hearts out in between bites of grilled Angus beef in their own private karaoke room. 

Laser Wolf is the stunning Brooklyn rooftop transplant of the critically acclaimed Israeli grill house from famed Philadelphia chef and serial restaurateur, Michael Solomonov. The menu here is a streamlined prix-fixe based on the traditional Israeli shipudiya. A choice of grilled protein (including ground beef kababs, chunky chicken shishlik and lamb sausages) comes with an array of unlimited salatim (11 seasonal vegetable sides like mushroom with sour cherry), puffy pita, and a pistachio soft-serve ice cream. Word to the wise: There’s a $25 sharing fee if a guest at the table skips out on the grill menu. 

The very cool Gugu Room specializes in the rare Filipino Japanese food and that duality hits the skewers, too. The sweet longanisa — snappy on the outside, chunky on the inside — gets a sprinkle of togarashi, and the beef ribeye is seasoned with a teriyaki sauce.

Grand Street Skewer Cart has become a crucial fixture of Chinatown’s late-night landscape particularly for the crowds who’ve danced and drunk themselves hungry for munchies. The lamb — fatty, tender and cartilaginous — fish ball, chicken gizzard, and heart are hits but regulars have a soft spot for the Mandarin-speaking couple who can flip the skewers to a cumin-spiced, charcoal-grilled crust in a matter of minutes. This establishment is cash only.

If the vast grill at Shashlik House is a piano and the 30 simultaneously smoking skewers are keys, then chef-owner Suhrob Mullojonov is the maestro, in charge of knowing exactly when to play each note. The popular beef roll, for instance, is a whirl of thinly sliced red T-bone steak and white lamb fat that almost resembles a peppermint candy. It has to be grilled so that the beef achieves a soft uniform doneness as the fat drizzles over it and crisps up just so. The beef lula –an amalgam of ground beef, onion, and lamb fat – and lamb ribs are also hits. In traditional Uzbek style, the skewers,  simply seasoned with salt and pepper, are served with raw onions and a garlicky tomato sauce for dipping. The original Kensington-based Shashlik House has a Midwood outpost.

Since 1986, the family-owned Taci’s Beyti has been churning out an assortment of Turkish-style minced and skewered meats. The namesake beyti kabab comprises garlicky chopped lamb grilled on skewers, and served with roasted green peppers and tomatoes. The various kababs that come with a side of hot yogurt and toasted pide are a go-to move.