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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 (adventurous types go for the specialty: Yan qui, a spicy marinated tripe), but just as important is what the food is washed down with: soju, and plenty of it. Among the five available 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