The Best Korean Restaurants in New York City

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."

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."

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."

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."

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."

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."

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."

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."