Rice Thief transforms from a viral ghost kitchen into a vibrant Long Island City hotspot, serving up exquisite soy-marinated crab alongside fresh seafood delights.
"Gangjang gejang, raw crab marinated in soy sauce, has become a favorite of TikTokers and a staple of mukbang videos in the last few years—and Rice Thief has blown up right alongside it. Formerly a ghost-kitchen delivery service, this family business now has a small but lively brick-and-mortar Korean restaurant in Long Island City. Round up some pals (the dishes here are family-sized), crack a bottle of makgeolli, and order up platters of both soy and spicy mixed seafood. The sweet red shrimp and the creamy crab roe in particular are bites we won’t be forgetting anytime soon." - molly fitzpatrick, bryan kim, neha talreja, willa moore, will hartman
"The viral Korean crab delivery service now has an elegant new home in Long Island City, complete with a beer and wine license. The star of the show — ganjang gejang (soy sauce marinated crab) — still shines. And it can come in platters alongside white shrimp, red shrimp and abalone. The new menu is a mix of old hits, like the abalone jook (porridge), and additions: kimchi army stew and spicy seafood tteokbokki with shrimp, mussels, and squid. You can enjoy all of it with a beverage menu of Korean rice wines, soju, and beer." - Caroline Shin, Eater Staff
"Once an extremely popular Korean marinated crab pop-up that operated out of a ghost kitchen, Rice Thief now has a permanent home. You can get their gejang at the Long Island City location, just know that they’re in a soft-opening phase right now, so check their Instagram for details." - will hartman
"Ganjang gejang, raw soy-marinated crab, is a classic Korean dish that’s become a favorite of TikTokers and staple of mukbang videos. It’s rarely a primary focus for restaurants, but at Rice Thief, it’s the main event. Originally a popular ghost-kitchen delivery service, Rice Thief makes some of the prettiest food we’ve eaten in recent memory. Every platter looks like the glittering, glistening crown jewels of a deep-sea kingdom. Then there’s the fact that it’s incredibly delicious. The blue crabs on offer here are good, but taking that first bite of sweet, jelly-like Gunsan crab—a coveted variety flown in from Korea—is like the moment in The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy steps into Technicolor. photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte The soy marinade—one of two marinade options at Rice Thief, and the one we prefer—isn’t overpoweringly salty, but instead underscores the almost nutty creaminess of the crab. (The spicy marinade could lean harder into heat.) The wild red Argentine shrimp are also outstanding, with a sweetness and texture like ocean candy. Eating here is a pleasurably hands-on, choose-your-own-adventure experience: don a pair of plastic gloves, squeeze crab onto rice and assemble a seaweed wrap, spoon rice directly into crab shell to mix with the impossibly creamy roe, or suck the meat right out of the carapace. Attentive servers distribute new gloves and napkins whenever necessary, though the highlight of your personal protective equipment is a paper bib emblazoned with the Rice Thief logo and crabs clutching beer and soju in their claws. photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte Make a reservation before going: the casual, chatty dining room fills up early, even on weeknights. The platters here serve a crowd, so assemble a heist team of bold eaters and get to work. Smaller parties can also order by the piece, but the spectacle, and the indulgence, is part of the fun. For variety's sake get one of the cooked entrées—we like the abalone congee and the pork trotter noodles—but focus both your stomach capacity and your budget on the raw marinated seafood. That’s why you came, and it’s why you’ll come back. Food Rundown Gunsan Platter Order this $129 platter without hesitation. It’s worth paying a premium for the Gunsan crab. Besides a pair of its namesake crustacean beauties, which have us out here Googling “direct flights JFK to Gunsan Airport,” the combo comes with six white shrimp, four red shrimp, and two tender abalone, paired with thinly sliced onions that bite right through their sweetness, plus rice and seaweed. Slurping the plump, salty liquid contents of the red shrimp’s heads is a food memory we’ll be replaying on our deathbed highlight reel. Jokbal + Memil Noodles These gelatinous slices of pork trotter have a great chew. The cold buckwheat noodles and spicy dipping sauce make for our favorite bites at Rice Thief that aren’t raw seafood. photo credit: Kate Previte Abalone Congee A silky, comforting porridge with lightly charred abalone. Seafood Dukbokki Nothing but respect for the sheer variety of goodies hiding inside this stew—hard-boiled eggs, shrimp, squid, mussels, perfectly pliable rice cakes of different sizes—but the broth is a little muted. photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick Pumpkin Rice Punch Rice Thief's sikhye is a malty and refreshing beverage-as-dessert. We especially like the sweetness of the version infused with pumpkin." - Molly Fitzpatrick
"Rice Thief, a secret Korean crab delivery service, opens as a full-blown restaurant with sit-down service and alcoholic beverages." - Emma Orlow
