A new Japanese restaurant on Astoria's 30th Avenue is betting that sushi, sake and live jazz make a winning combination. Jazkaya opened on July 7 at 37-11 30th Ave., the longtime home of Sugarfreak. Its menu spans cold sashimi, flame-grilled meats and black-garlic ramen, all set against a soundtrack of vinyl records and live weekend performances.
The restaurant comes from Dhanapol “Oak” Marprasert and Sahawat “Erk” Suwanacheep, the duo behind Kam Rai Thai, which built a following on 28th Avenue in Astoria before expanding to Hudson Yards and Time Out Market New York in Union Square, according to Time Out. As reported by QNS, the name Jazkaya combines “jazz” with “izakaya,” the Japanese-style pub concept, and the pair marked the debut with an intimate grand opening party.
From Bangkok Dishwasher to Astoria Restaurateur
Marprasert's path to Jazkaya's kitchen started far from Queens. Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Bangkok's Samsen neighborhood, he learned regional Thai cooking alongside his mother before immigrating to the United States in 2014 and teaching himself to cook while working as a dishwasher, according to Kam Rai Thai. He went on to open Makin Thai in Middle Village in 2020 and Kam Rai Thai in Astoria in 2023, building the foundation for the group's later expansion.
Marprasert has since collected serious hardware for his live-fire cooking, winning back-to-back Best in Show titles at Pig Island NYC in 2024 and 2025 for his Thai-style grilled pork, per Kam Rai Thai's Facebook page. At Jazkaya, he draws on his barbecue-grill expertise to create dishes.
A Room Built for Records and Neon
Step inside and the atmosphere does a lot of the talking. Jazkaya is dimly lit and intimate, decorated with chandeliers, paper lamps, a wall of gumball machines and vintage vinyl records, with bright pink floral wallpaper lining the space near the sushi counter, per QNS. The look draws inspiration from Tokyo's jazz spots and listening cafes, a nod to the jazz kissa tradition that began in 1920s Tokyo as gathering spots where music fans could hear imported American jazz records on high-fidelity systems that were too costly for most individual buyers, according to Wikipedia.
Suwanacheep, who co-owns both Jazkaya and Kam Rai Thai, put it simply to QNS: “Jazz is all over the world.”
Live Sets and a Rotating Cast of Musicians
Jazkaya schedules live jazz on Friday and Saturday evenings, from 7 to 10 p.m. QNS reports that Donny, a musician from Thailand, is the resident performer and shares the weekend sets with a different guest artist.
Sushi, Ramen and a $35 Signature Don
Sushi is a major part of the menu, with rolls ranging from the Spicy Crunchy Tuna Roll—with honey kimchi and sriracha among its ingredients—to the Do Re Mi Roll, which combines salmon, cream cheese, asparagus and deep-fried spicy crab, according to QNS. The kitchen also serves sashimi, tataki, or briefly seared fish that remains raw inside, and carpaccio, featuring thinly sliced raw fish or meat with Japanese seasonings and Italian-style oil and citrus dressings.
The menu also reaches well beyond raw fish. Marprasert brings his grilling experience to dishes such as shime saba, a marinated mackerel filet grilled over flame, and a pork belly bun. The $35 Jazkaya Don pairs garlic fried rice cooked in beef drippings with flame-grilled picanha, according to Seamless. Ramen options include Jazkaya Ramen and Miso Ramen Classic; black-garlic ramen bowls are listed at $17.55 on Seamless. The kitchen makes its sauces in-house.
Izakaya Beyond Sushi
Izakaya is a pub-style dining concept, not a fixed menu template. The Japan National Tourism Organization notes that some izakaya specialize in fish or meat, while others feature regional favorites. Jazkaya reflects that range by serving sushi alongside grilled dishes and ramen, rather than focusing on sushi alone.
Vegan diners aren't left out of future plans — Jazkaya intends to add more plant-based options, including a vegan spicy mayo and a deep-fried roll built specifically for vegan eaters, per QNS. Lunch specials, including a build-your-own sushi or lunch box option, start at $16. To drink, the bar pours classic cocktails, Japanese whisky, sake, beer and non-alcoholic options.
A New Restaurant on 30th Avenue
The storefront itself carries some neighborhood history. It previously housed Sugarfreak, a popular Creole and Cajun restaurant. Local discussion in June suggested the former Sugarfreak space would become Jazkaya.
The restaurant is open seven days a week, running noon to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, until 10:30 p.m. on Fridays and until 11:30 p.m. on Saturdays — hours built to accommodate those weekend jazz crowds lingering over ramen and records.
