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At this 24-hour barbecue joint that’s widely considered the best on the block, it’s good to snag a table near the front: Smoke from everyone else’s tabletop grill tends to get sucked towards exhaust vents in the back of the restaurant, and besides, it’s nice to look out of the floor-to-ceiling windows onto the neon-flashing view of 32nd Street’s Korean strip. Crispy scallion pancakes, surprisingly good sushi and DIY barbequed meat are the order of the day here, but just as important is what the food is washed down with: soju, and plenty of it. Among the varieties of this vodka-like spirit, you’ll find the most popular Korean brand Jinro which is as potent as it is sweet. A twelve-ounce bottle, delivered to the table accompanied by etched shot glasses, goes far in soothing the burn of kimchi. — Emily Gould