Sik Gaek
“Lobster, crabs, razor clams, clams, shrimp, mussels, squids, octopus, oysters, abalone and so so much more!”
“[soju is also a must]
The servers bust ass and and crack open lobsters and mussels for you and cut them into bite size pieces.”
“All the sea animals were still alive when the hotpot started boiling so you know it's fresh!”
Sik Gaek
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Seafood paradise! Came here after a late shift at work and it was still packed!
I went a tad over board with ordering per usual and had the seafood stew, seafood stir fry, seafood pancake and creamy udon with seafood. I tried not to get full off the freebies which were water soup rice, assorted greens and dukbokki. We also ordered the watermelon soju which was fab but I only allowed myself to taste it because of my unfortunate tolerance.
The seafood stew is the same as the seafood stir fry. Save yourself money and don't order both. The creamy udon is cheesy gooyness. The seafood pancake was crisp and packed with assorted seafood. All the dishes were full of seafood – you won't feel cheated for what you paid. Mild is spicy!
FYI – the big bowl is for the shells and such. I figured it out at the end. I was making a pile on my bowl and eventually his bowl. We pigged out and had so much left over for lunch that lasted a couple of days.
I was so excited to try this place with my family after my dad couldn't stop talking about it. We came around 445 on a Sunday and of course, it was empty. Our waiter was really nice, and the rest of the staff that waited on us were quiet, but also polite.
We ordered the seafood hotpot, kimchi pancake, japchae, and watermelon soju. The soju tasted watered down, and here was only a hint of watermelon. I didn't particularly care for it and didn't think it was worth the $20. The pancake was tasty, but not the best that I've tasted. The japchae lacked in noodles! It felt like we were all fighting to get some. I guess most people would like having more meat and veggies, but I love my carbs. The hotpot itself was the disappointment. While it was abundant in seafood, the broth was somewhat salty. They added a lot of shrimp and squid, and definitely not enough crab or lobster. It wasn't as flavorful as I had hoped.
The neat thing about getting the hotpot is that when you are done, the waitress can take your leftovers and make either fried rice or noodles with it. We opted for the rice, which I thought tasted better than the hotpot itself.
Needless to say, our expectations weren't met but at least we can say we've been!
Finally! Bucket list item 68B, check! Live octopus has been consumed (really it's dead but still thoroughly squirming and suction-cups-a-sucking!). Listen, it doesn't taste like much and you have chew it forever before you can swallow than vulcanized rubber-like cephalopod mollusc. But it's so cute when the cups attach to your lips! Fun!
This place is heavy on experience (like the octopus). Looks a little shabby but it's clean. Seems a bit loud but not annoying. It's popular but no so much that you have to line up for an hour. All around cool and fun and interactive.
The food is solid and pretty authentic Korean. Great place for fresh seafood, grilled or hot pot style at your table, to your liking. You can't complain that someone overcooked your meat! A bit pricey but certainly worth the experience. We tried so many things because they had so many tempting items for the adventurous of palate. All good!
Note: they don't kill you with spice but if you challenge them, they will make you sweat. You have been warned. Now go and enjoy this, mofo!
Live octopus was the number one reason that attracted me to this place, giving me one of the most unforgettable foodie experience ever.
My boyfriend and I went to this restaurant last Sunday afternoon around 5pm. Without any waiting time, we were seated at a table that allowed us to enjoy some K pop music videos on this huge screen in the restaurant. We ordered the huge seafood hotpot, which was meant to cater to four people. The seafood platter served all sorts of seafood you can think of: shrimp, clams, lobster (my favorite). Along with the seafood, you can also find some frequently used Korean materials such as kimchee, udon, spam and etc. I highly recommend the seafood pot because it is the epitome of Korean food, which mixes different flavors in one big fat pot.
We also ordered live octopus, a dish that had been calling my name for the longest time. For those people who have not tried live octopus and are attempting to try, be prepared to chew your month off because these persistent bastards will suck your lips and move around until their last dying breath! They taste yummy too.
See it for your self!
Yes, 3-stars. Don't shoot me.
Honestly, I love the Sik Gaek chain but the Woodside one is definitely of lesser quality when compared with Chun Ha in Flushing (yelp.com/biz/sik-gaek-ch…).
The food, the service, the speed, the size, and the cleanliness are good but are all lacking when compared with its bigger brother. A lot of times, Woodside is out of things on the menu which is no fun. (Last time they had no watermelon for their watermelon soju.)
For me, SIk Gaek is an event – not something casual. With that being said, a drive out to Flushing is acceptable – especially if it yields happier times.
We came here for the spicy seafood hot pot, which we had high expectations with the high price tag ($99). The pot is huge and stuffed with an assortment of seafood. They had lobster, crab legs, blue crab, shrimp, abalone, clams, and mussels along with udon, mushrooms, and some veggies. The lobster came to our table still alive and moving in the pot. The flavor profile of the broth was on point and all the seafood tasted good. We ended up getting the fried rice with roe at the end which they cook inside your pot to let the rice soak up the flavor of the broth, and this was definitely worth the extra $5. Was it worth $99? Probably not, but I still really enjoyed everything and for the food alone, I'd rate this 4 stars.
But my god, the service was just awful. We were sitting in the corner by the entrance and the only time anybody came to our table was to grab a lobster out of the water tank next to us. We literally had to wave across the room at several waiters before one would respond. This happened all night, even when we were trying to order extra food and pay our bill!
Craving for that seafood hot pot here.
You start off with the on the house Eggs, Rice Cakes, Kimchi, Cucumber & Carrots.
Assorted Seafood Hot Pot was our to go.
Huge.
Gigantic.
O M G.
FOOD COMA.
$99 gets you a lot and I mean a lot of food. Here is a list.
A Whole Lobster.
Abalone.
Clams.
Mussels.
Squid.
Crab.
Shrimp.
Mushrooms.
Udon.
Rice Cakes.
Bean Sprouts.
Vegetables.
Everything is packed into one pot. Man is that a delicious hot pot. Everything fresh. The soup stock is that good. Really good.
Between the two of us. We were able to finish all of it. MAJOR FOOD COMA!!!!!
Think we were done..NOPE!!!
We ordered rice to soak up and cook in that delicious extra soup stock. Oh boy that rice was amazing, delicious, and fragrant.
Unbuckle my belt now. My stomach is going to explode.
If you work for PETA, Sea Shepherd, or basically any animal treatment organization, DON'T walk inside. But if you are a culinary bad soul with a sin of desiring exotic food, like chef Anthony Bourdain, welcome to the Woodside inferno and try a half-alive hot pot at Sik Gaek.
I started with a freshly cut octopus. Eating a wiggling octopus muscle was thought to be a challenge, but once the chopped muscle was inside the mouth, its suction was barely significant.
Then, a lobster was broken into halves and dropped in a boiling kimchi broth, and when its claw waggled and grabbed my watermelon soju, I questioned why on Earth I ordered a pot of alive sea creatures. But that was the account before the lobster turned heated in front of my eyes. Minutes later, the cooked lobster became lost inside my digestive system, with the clams, the prawns, and the squid. They are called seaFOOD afterall.
Overall, I had a nice dinner. The only "ew" factor was the clingy hot pot smell that follows me to the subway.