Update: This restaurant has now closed.
When it comes to Korean barbecue, Manhattan‘s got nothing on Queens. Most Koreans live in Queens, specifically Flushing, where they go to church, sing Karaoke, and most importantly, eat. It’s only logical that the best Korean BBQ in town is here.
Although most of us love an urban adventure, especially one ending in an eatable reward, Nam-O-Jong, located at the corner of 161st Street and Northern Boulevard, is one of those places you really wish delivered closer to home. For about $30, the BBQ ribs are cooked on your table with a combination of natural gas and coal, which adds a slightly smoky flavor to the sweetly marinated beef.
The proper way to feast on Korean barbecue is to wrap meat, red paste, grilled garlic, and the scallion side dish on a lettuce leaf. Consume this all in one bite. These ingredients are generally included, along with several refillable side dishes that cover the table. The restaurant also serves complimentary egg soufflé and kimchi soup for those who have barbecue.
The drink selection is appropriate but limited. For liquor drinkers, soju and baekseju are available for about $10 a bottle, and are the traditional drink-of-choice in Korea. Korean beers are available, but unlike Western beers, they have body, flavor, and are less carbonated. (Budweiser and Bud Light are also available.)
The lunch menu is cheaper but mediocre. For $15.99 you will get about half a serving of kitchen-cooked meat and a bowl of ice-cold noodles. In Korean restaurants, kitchen-cooked barbecue can mean it is pre-cooked, less fresh and most likely a lesser quality meat cut. That tastes true at this restaurant. There is nothing wrong with the ice-cold noodle soup, cucumber and radish pieces floating in the beef broth, but it somehow seems wrong not following large amounts of freshly-cooked barbecue.
Nam-O-Jong is well lit, familial, and sure to leave coal and cooked meat smells on your clothes and in your hair for days—the price you pay for the full Korean experience. Head next door for drinks and Hollywood Karaoke for $35/hour. That’s the way Koreans do it and that’s how it’s done in Flushing.
How to get there: Take the 7 to Flushing–Main Street, then transfer to the Q13 towards Ft. Totten at 39th Avenue between 138th Street and Union Street. By LIRR: take the Long Island Railroad to Port Washington and get off at Broadway, then walk a couple blocks east to 161st Street and Northern Boulevard. (Nam-O-Jong, 160-13 Northern Blvd, Queens, 718.539.5674)
Photo: Courtesy of MintyFreshFlavor
Related Posts
Expert Advice: The Best Summer Date Ideas in New York City
Westchester County This Summer (11.04.2020)" style="font-size:12pt;color:#353535">
The Best Things To Do In Westchester County This Summer
The Best Things To Do In Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C.
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next 
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft