Best-of Guides New York
8 Restaurants
Over the last few years Korean cooking has become modern, refined and wildly inventive, and outside Seoul, there is probably no better city to sample the rich range of dishes than New York. Whether it’s high-end tasting menus at hushed temples of gastronomy or casual spots serving homestyle cooking to a younger Korean generation, Korean food (like the country’s culture) is indeed having a moment in the West. Koreatown is home to plenty of hot spots, but this Midtown neighborhood isn't the only place to find delicious Korean cuisine. Check out all the Korean hot spots below.
New York City by The MICHELIN Guide
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Updated on 19 June 2024
Atoboy
43 E. 28th St., 10016 New York
$$$$ · Korean
Together with his wife, Ellia, Chef Junghyun Park wows diners from start to finish at this Gramercy hot spot with their unapologetic passion for Korean food. The menu woos locals, visitors, and foodies alike with its adventurous—yet approachable—take on Korean cooking.
Inspector notes: "Here you may find the likes of braised eggplant with snow crab and tomato; or crispy fried chicken brined in pineapple juice, coated with tempura batter, and served with a ginger-peanut butter sauce."
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Cho Dang Gol
55 W. 35th St., 10001 New York
$$ · Korean
For a change of pace in bustling Koreatown, Cho Dang Gol offers the barbecue-weary an opportunity to explore some of this nation’s more rustic cooking. Soft tofu is the specialty of the house and for fitting reason (it’s downright delicious). But, bubbling casseroles and spicy stews are equally heartwarming. The menu also offers favorites like flaky pajeon, satisfying bibimbap and marinated meats.
Inspector notes: "A sautéed tofu trio with pork belly is stir-fried with glassy sweet potato noodles and kimchi, in an excellent sweet and spicy red pepper sauce."
Genesis House Restaurant
40A Tenth Ave., 10014 New York
$$$ · Korean
Housed in a glass and steel structure adjacent to the High Line and across from Little Island park, Genesis House is a cool and modern respite from the surrounding cacophony. The ground floor is a gallery of the brand's luxury cars, while the second floor is a chic dining room boasting grand views and serving enticing Korean fare. A tasting menu curated by chef supplements the concise a la carte of small and large plates, rice and noodles.
Inspector notes: "Chamchi doenjang muchim is a cooling yet spiced composition of diced raw tuna dressed with fermented soybean paste; while the gamja dububap dates back centuries and features a bowl of rice cooked with seaweed and potato, accompanied by pine nut tofu, seaweed broth and seasonal kimchi."
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HanGawi
12 E. 32nd St., 10016 New York
$$ · Korean
HanGawi is a soft-spoken, vegetarian-only restaurant that cares about what you eat and how you feel.
Inspector notes: "The ssam bap offers a fun DIY experience with a long platter of fillings. Dark leafy lettuce and thin, herbaceous sesame leaves are topped with creamy slices of avocado, crunchy bean sprouts, pickled daikon, carrot, cucumber, radish and three rice options—white, brown and a nutty, purple-tinged multigrain. Topped with miso ssam sauce, each bite is a fresh burst of uplifting textures."
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Hyun
10 E. 33rd St., 10016 New York
$$$$ · Korean
Hyun is a luxurious take on Korean barbecue, focusing squarely on top-notch Japanese A5 Wagyu, butchered in-house and grilled tableside. Enter this temple of indulgent tranquility to discover sleek dark wood, cool slate surfaces, private rooms, and a few tables en plain air.
Inspector notes: "The omakase is a veritable feast that includes silken chawanmushi and hand-chopped tartare. It is however merely a precursor to the Wagyu slices, each of which arrives more beautifully marbled and deliciously grilled than the next."
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Jua
36 E. 22nd St., 10010 New York
$$$$ · Korean
Several years in, and Chef Hoyoung Kim and his team continue to deliver their promise of a nicely poised, modern Korean prix-fix that is both familiar and substantial.
Inspector notes: "Jook with smoked eel and sesame is as comforting as it is refined, while crispy seaweed cradling tuna tartare and rice capped with caviar is as luxurious of a start as one could hope for."
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Kochi
652 Tenth Ave., 10036 New York
$$$$ · Korean
The open kitchen is the obvious centerpiece. From here, a young team blitzes out an array of impressive grilled bites meant to be eaten with your hands—Kochi is Korean for skewer, after all. Chef Sungchul Shim taps into his Korean roots and fine-dining pedigree to create a solid but playful menu.
Insp[ector notes: "Start with sweet potato and sunchoke gratin paired with a clever doenjang béchamel, then salmon bibimbap, mingling pollock roe, candied anchovy and toasted nori with brown soy-butter rice, is a harmonious high point."
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Oiji Mi
17 W. 19th St., 10011 New York
$$$$ · Korean
Chef Brian Kim and his team serve up very impressive modern Korean cuisine in a sleek space attended to by a fleet of staff. There is a refinement and a more subtle approach to flavors on this five-course prix fixe menu.
Inspector notes: "Standouts include striped jack hwe, finished with a luscious seaweed scallion vinaigrette. Chili lobster ramyun plates tender lobster meat tossed in a vibrant gochujang over springy noodles."
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Copyright from top to bottom: thatpastrylife/Instagram, akoreangirleats/Instagram, Moonhee Kim/Cho Dang Gol, Moonhee Kim/Cho Dang Gol, Genesis House, Genesis House, Seiichi/HanGawi, Seiichi/HanGawi, JAE KIM/Hyun, Greg Rhein/Hyun, Dan Ahn/Jua, Dan Ahn/Jua, Melissa Hom/Kochi, Melissa Hom/Kochi, Christian Harder/Oiji Mi, Christian Harder/Oiji Mi
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