Came here for a week night dinner with a reservation with some friends. They get pretty busy so I highly recommend making a res. We were seated right away. Our waiter was extremely knowledgeable about the menu which I really appreciated. He let us know how the menu works, the amount of dishes we should order for the group to have enough food, and what alcohol wasn't available anymore. We appreciated this a lot as it made it much easier for us to order. They have a QR code you can scan to see pictures on their website as well. (Written physical menu is text only.) For 3 people, we got the raw scallop gimbap, seafood pancake, dolsot bap, fried eel and eggplant with salad, and yook hwe (steak tartare). This was the perfect amount of food for us, maybe even a little more because we had a little bit of leftovers to take home. Scallop gimbap was fresh and really good. Probably best to share between 2-3 people and if you have more people, order another. Yook hwe was very well seasoned and came with seaweed to eat it with. Portion wise, same as the scallop gimbap. Best for 2-3 maybe 4 people if you have more food. Seafood pancake was on the smaller side compared to other restaurants I've been to but the texture was super crispy and tasted great. Portion wise, same as the former 2. It also has Thai basil which adds a unique subtle taste which I liked a lot. Dolsot bap is what I see people most commonly get. It's rice in a hot stone pot with fish roe and uni cream. It's a very rich dish so this is definitely meant to be shared. Again, probably best for 2-4 people. While this was really good, I didn't personally find this worth it and I probably wouldn't order again but it's worth a try maybe once. The fried eel and eggplant portion was very large, which makes sense as it's meant to be shared. This would be enough for 4-6 people probably. I've never had eel this way and it was really great. Came with a refreshing cabbage salad. We all agreed this was a stand out item and very worth the price. I enjoyed this meal a lot with great service and great food. While the portions can be considered small, price wise it actually felt pretty worth it. For all the food we got, after tip and tax, it was $48 per person (3 people) and that surprised all of us considering we were really fully and for dinners like this, I've paid $60+. Definitely give this place a try if you're looking to try some Korean tapas in a comforting setting but with somewhat of a modern twist! read more

The food here is PHENOMENAL!! My taste buds were more than satisfied--they were in heaven. We got the Scallop DIY Gimbap and everything went so well together especially with the uni add-on. I will say though, the scallops were thinner than I thought. Next, the Dolsot Al-Bap came and it was mixed well for us. Another must get dish. It was creamy and all around very delicious. The next two dishes that arrived were the Hap-Cheon Pork Soup and the Duck Bulgogi. The soup was a little on the spicy side, but was tolerable (this is coming from someone who doesn't have a great spice tolerance) and the Duck Bulgogi was flavorful. This is definitely a restaurant I will be bringing more friends to, so I can try new dishes AND reorder some of these dishes. With these four dishes being shared between 3 people, it did not fill us all the way so I'd recommend getting another dish to share. We had made a reservation the day before for 8pm, but it seemed to not be busy on a Sunday night so you might not need any reservations! read more

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I love Ariari! Such a nice interior that is just above casual, and the comfort food selection is fantastic and unique. My favorite was the fried eel, a dish I had not had before but was pleasantly surprised! read more

I've already been here a couple times before I started writing for Yelp and I want to say this is a top 5 restaurant in NYC for me. I always get the yook-hwe as it's got so much different fresh flavors and sauces in a DIY sheets of nori. It's light but filling and a perfect way to start your night. I also want to shoutout their fried chicken as the outer skin is both soft but crunchy, and the mayo that comes with it blends together incredibly well. The newer dishes we had were the beef su-yook and the hap-cheon pork soup and I was blown away with how soft the meat was in both stews. I will say the pork broth with some spicy greens gave such a warm kick to the back of my throat, I imagined this being the perfect hangover dish. I have nothing bad to say about this place - I would keep coming back here as long as I'm in NYC. read more

ARIARI - Hap-Cheon Pork Soup - Korean Near Me - New York, New York

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My visit to ARIARI is part of my ongoing exploration of Hand Hospitality's restaurant portfolio. I visited when they first opened last year, and they've since opened many more restaurants. I came in specifically wanting the egg souffle with uni. The presentation was promising, with the uni perched atop the egg souffle, but I was disappointed by their tableside mixing. The delicate flavor of the uni was lost in the process, leaving behind a somewhat bland amalgamation that did not justify its price point. The scallop roll, on the other hand, was divine. I'm a big fan of raw scallop and considered this to be a highlight of the meal. The freshness and texture and even the fun of building my own hand roll made it a dish I'd gladly return for. The fried eel was a mixed bag. Maybe other people would like the meatiness but I found it overwhelming. The deep fried soft shell crab was fine, but didn't leave a lasting impression. Lastly, I loved the seafood udon-- such a basic dish but it totally hit the spot. I'd like to give a nod to their cocktail program-- the drink I had with gochugaru was smooth and well balanced. Maybe not every dish at ARIARI hit the mark, it occupies a popular niche of trendy Korean restaurants that I quite enjoy, so I think it warrants a visit. read more

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Such a nice surprise. An unassuming interior ended up delivering some amazing dishes. We tried scallop hand roll (tasty but safe)x soft shell crab (generous portion of 2 very fresh crabs), beef tartar (so unique and tasty, one of better ones), uni bibimbap (very solid and tasty). I think next time I would skip the scallops and soft shell crab and try more of their cooked dishes. Service was amazing as well. Bonus: the value was quite amazing give the quality of food. read more

More like 3.5 stars. Made reservations for 6:15pm on a Sunday and they were accomodating when I said we were running a bit late, but they do give your table away after 15 mins and you are only allowed to be seated for a max of 2 hours. Restaurant was fully seated when we arrived. The menu itself is not that extensive. When you are seated they recommend to order 2 dishes from the smaller plates and 2 of the more shareable dishes. They encourage people to share dishes and to not order 1/person. Everything is smaller portioned. They give out "kimchi salad". Essentially was like gutjeori. This had good flavor and had a nice kick. Ordered the seafood pancake and soft shelled crab. These were VERY OILY. Each bite dripping with oil. Overpowered the flavors and made it very unpleasant to eat. The sweet cold noodles were decent and I enjoyed it. Many pieces of salmon. The spicy fish soup had a nice kick to it as well. It came with sujaebi, radish, bean sprouts and fish. More liquid than the contents of the soup, but overall pretty good. It came with a bowl of rice. To finish it off we ordered the corn creme brulee and I really liked it. This is a cold dessert. I liked the flavor of corn and the corn pieces. Also it was creamy and ended the meal on a good note. Also ordered the maesil cocktail. This was refreshing and good. I like the taste of maesil so this was nice drink to pair with the meal. The service was really good. Various servers checking in on us and very nice when bringing food to us. Updating us when food would be coming and apologizing for wait even though there wasn't that long of a wait. Overall a decent experience. Wouldn't be dying to come back, but I was glad I came to check this place out during my NY trip. read more

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This place is 100% worth the hype. Definitely make a reservation, they are SUPER popular! We started with cocktails; I loved both the Daraji and Kket-nip, $16 each. They were both delicious and strong with the former being ginger forward and the latter tasting just like a juicy peach. As for food, the famous Dolsot al-bap ($19) is a MUST GET. The uni cream is heavenly and the rice gets so creamy, yet crispy from the hot stone. The fried soft shell crab ($21) was good, but not as mindblowing as the Dolsot al-bap. The beef su-yook ($34) was the perfect way to round out the meal, with super tender beef and a light, refreshing broth. Even the house kimchi was amazing! Service was attentive and patient and I would absolutely be back. read more

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Solid Korean spot in East Village. We tried the beef tartare, duck bulgogi, dolsot al bap and fried chicken. - Beef tartare is eaten in a seaweed wrap, kind of like a gimbap. I thought the octopus paired well with the dish and liked the fact that this had a hint of sweetness to it (I'm not a huge fan of beef tartare that has a strong taste of the raw beef lol) - Dolsot al bap was very tasty! Of course the sea urchin cream is great for pics. The taste of the cream isn't super strong after it is mixed but overall still delicious. And it goes well with any mains you order - Duck Bulgogi - this caught my eye since I had never seen duck bulgogi before. The duck was tender and tasty - Fried chicken - the chicken was lightly fried with a thin outer shell, which is a bit different from your typical korean fried chicken. Flavor wise, I thought dish was the least unique We came on a Thursday evening and the restaurant was generally busy throughout the night. I would recommend making a reservation just in case! read more

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Went to Ariari in East Village--a Korean spot inspired by Busan. They start you off with complimentary kimchi that's pretty spicy and flavorful. The beef tartare was super fresh, and the dolsot al-bap with uni cream and roe was rich, creamy, and full of umami. The menu has some unique dishes you don't usually see. At the end, they gave us a scratch card and Korean latte powder as a little gift. Solid spot--make a reservation, it gets busy. read more

ARIARI - Korean Near Me - New York, New York

So so happy to have finally tried this spot!! I've never had Korean food from Busan style this did not disappoint. Most dishes were unique to me and incorporated seafood of some sort. Everything looked sooo tasty and I'd come back to try more dishes. We walked in at 5pm on a Thursday and was a bit surprised how empty it was - but I was glad to sit down immediately. Service was really good and everyone was so kind. As it approached 6PM, the restaurant quickly became crowded and I was glad we beat the crowd. We had two people and got the DIY gimbap, dolsat al bap, spicy fish stew, and soft shell crab. The scallops tasted so fresh. We recently are warming up to uni but we loved the Dolsat al bap - it didn't taste briney which is what we don't like usually. The presentation was beautiful and we loved this dish. The fish stew was so so comforting, the fish tasted fresh and the tteok inside was so chewy and flavorful. We last minute added the soft shell crab and omg I've never had it like this before. It was so crunchy - like a chip - but the meaty part was so meaty. It was a standout for sure. The complimentary kimchi was unique but so tasty and fresh, we ate it so fast. We also got a bottle of the cheapest soju which was from Busan, and it was the smoothest soju I've had. Everything was amazing and I loved the experience here. read more

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OMG. To give a brief background, as a Korean and as someone who doesn't really like fusion-type foods, I'm usually super picky when it comes to Korean-fusion-esque places. ARIARI, however, was simply amazing. I LOVED the dolsot albap (perfect balance of creamy), the hwe was fresh and fantastic, and the maeuntang was soo refreshing. Even the side dish kimchi was some of the best kimchi I've had a restaurant in a long time. Service was fast and good, and the ambiance was perfect to have some soju and catchup with friends. Definitely will be coming back!!! read more

ARIARI - Makhwe - Korean Near Me - New York, New York

The restaurant had a great atmosphere, and the hosts were warm and welcoming. The food was amazing -- and for the price, I'd say this was one of the best Korean restaurants I've been to. I shared a variety of dishes with friends, so here's a breakdown of what I'd definitely get again and what I wouldn't, along with my thoughts on each. Must Get: Yook Hwe (Beef Tartare) I've never had beef tartare with seaweed before, but the combination worked beautifully. The freshness of the beef paired with the umami and saltiness of the seaweed was a perfect match. Seafood Butter-Gui The shrimp and squid tasted incredibly fresh and were cooked just right -- tender with that ideal bounce when you bite in. The dish also was cooked with mushrooms (not sure which type) which were cooked perfectly, which added great umami. The pita bread had a nice lemony tartness. Jang-Eo Gangjeong (Fried Eel Dish) My favorite dish of the night. The eel was fried perfectly with a lightly crispy texture, topped with a sweet and slightly tangy sauce that didn't make it soggy. Every bite of the eel had a satisfying crunch, followed by melt-in-your-mouth richness. The yuzu salad on the side was refreshing, with a sweet citrusy dressing. Hapcheon Pork Soup A rich and flavorful pork soup with no gaminess. The chives added a nice grassy finish that rounded out the broth beautifully. Beef Su Yook Another excellent soup, although if I had to choose just one, I'd go with the Hapcheon Pork Soup. This one had a light, herbal broth (with Chrysanthemum leaves, I believe) that was still full of depth. The beef was tender and comforting. Get this soup only if you like herbal flavored broths. Good, But not a top contendor: Duck Bulgogi The gochujang and sweet flavors were nice, but I was hoping for a stronger duck flavor, which was missing. Compared to the other standout dishes, this one didn't leave a lasting impression. It was still good -- just not memorable. Pork Shoulder Steak (Bossam-style) Well-cooked and flavorful, especially with the accompanying sauces. However, you can get similar-quality Bossam at other restaurants, so I'd probably try something different next time. Fried Soft Shell Crab A bit overrated in my opinion. It was very crispy, but the soft shell crab flavor wasn't as pronounced as I had hoped. read more

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I've visited Ariari a few times and the food is always a hit. This time, we got the seafood pancake, pork steak, and the hap-cheon pork soup. The seafood pancake wasn't as good as another time I've had it and I can't exactly put my finger on why, but the pork steak had good sauces and ssamjang to pair with the meat. The hap-cheon pork soup really hit the spot - it was warm, homey, and the sauce with veggies paired with it was so good. Would recommend the pork soup the most. read more

ARIARI - Pork Ssam-Jang Deopbap - Korean Near Me - New York, New York

Glad to try Ariari. Loved the space and overall ambiance albeit a bit cozy. The kimchi banchan has a great mix of spiciness, sweetness and seafood umami. I would get the raw fish and Yookhwe dishes again. Fried eel dish was nice. The soy glaze was nicely sweet and reminded me of the Bonchon soy flavor. I do want to caveat that the eggplant-fried eel ratio might be more like 60 fried eel / 40 eggplant. read more

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Every dish was incredibly flavorful. Incredibly attentive and kind staff. Ambiance of the place is very cozy! read more

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Pretty solid Korean place with some interesting dishes. The soft shell crab and the pork stew were my favorites. read more

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ARIARI has been on my radar for a while now, so I was happy to go when my partner and I found a table available over the weekend. My favorite dishes included the scallop gimbap (Scallop was very fresh and the pairings were delectable) and the Yook-Hwe (very unique with the baby Octopus mixed in). A couple dishes that left me wanting more were the Dolsot Al-Bap (while I liked it, I didn't really get the hype on this one) and the seafood butter-gui (I think it may have been more satisfying if it came out piping hot, it came out warm and was just meh). Service was friendly with decent pacing. Would come back to try the pork cheek, which was sold out that evening. read more

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I came here with a party of 3 for an early dinner . Be sure to make a reservation because the place got packed very quickly! There are generally tables of 2 and 4 so I'm not sure how a large party will fit in. I loved the decor inside as well. We started off with a few drinks which were all great. I love the Korean influence on the cocktails. The food was also amazing! As a Korean, I approve :) - the complimentary kimchi was amazing!!! I love the fresh crunchy style of kimchi (겉절이) - dolsot al-bap- we love a table side mini show. The taste was great too. I wish the portion were a bit larger - seafood pancake - awesome crunch and super tasty - duck bulgogi - I wish they gave some lettuce with this so I could eat it as a ssam! I thought it was a bit salty but great flavor - spicy fish stew - I don't see many restaurants serving this and so I was very excited to order. It did not disappoint! It was such a satisfying flavor. The broth was so savory and spicy and delicious Overall I would come here again! I would love to bring my dad who is from Busan read more

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Food was so yummy and well-portioned. Drinks, service and vibe were also great! Would def come back! read more

ARIARI - Pork Steak - Korean Near Me - New York, New York

Food - 4/5 Went here for dinner and we got the Scallop DIY gimbap, Yook Hwe, Dolsot Al Bap and the Pork Steak. The scallop DIY gimbap was cool in concept but came with thinly sliced scallops which left you craving for me. Flavor profile was excellent though. The Yook Hwe was really good and different than what I'm typically used to. It was mixed with baby octopus and a wasabi mayo, it was fresh and really flavorful. The octopus added a good crunchy texture. The Dolsot Al Bap was unique. The uni cream mixed with the fish eggs gave it a very seafood forward taste which I was a fan of. You have to eat it when it's hot otherwise it loses some of its flavor. And the pork steak was well cooked and tender. It wasn't too fatty and paired really well with the sauces. Service - 5/5 Servers were friendly and knowledgeable when recommending dishes. Our needs were attended to and water was filled frequently Ambiance - 4/5 The restaurant's decor is trendy and not too dimly lit. It has a nice aesthetic vibe when you enter. It does get a little loud but overall good place for dinner. read more

This was my second time at ariari, and it still is one of my favorite korean restaurant. We tried some of the new menu and some classics and they were all very tasty. The server was also extremely friendly and explained everything in detail and gave good recommendations. The food was reminiscent of Busan as they mentioned in a very approachable way. read more

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Came here with two friends and we enjoyed our time. Service is great and food is delicious, although the portions are on the smaller side. Appetizers: yook hwe (beef tartare) and fried soft shell crab. Both were delicious! Mains: dolsot al-bap with uni - was super excited to try this and it was good. It was exactly what we expected and we just wish there was more! Duck bulgogi - was very tender and good but nothing super special. Beef su-yuk - we were most surprised by this! The clear broth was so flavorful and there was a good amount of beef too. read more

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ARIARI is an intimate Busan inspired restaurant located in East Village. I came by with my boyfriend and we ordered the eel, duck bulgogi, and pork mains. Portions at NYC restaurants often err on the smaller side but oh boy the portions here were HUGE. Everything was so yummy. My favorite was definitely the eel, followed by the duck and then the pork. We were so full afterwards. Highly recommend this spot though and my boyfriend also said he would come back :) read more

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Make sure you reserve a few days in advance or else you won't be able to get a spot here. I ordered the fried soft shell crab, beef su yuk, and dolsot al bap and THEY WERE ALL SO GOOD. Honestly there's not much else to say because each dish was very delicious. The broth especially had a deep flavor and I highly recommend it on a cold day. I can't wait to go back and try the other dishes! read more

ARIARI - Korean Near Me - New York, New York

Surprisingly delicious food, especially for the seafood lovers. The restaurant has a casual vibe and transports you to Busan with cute scenic pictures all over the walls. The cocktails were good, but the highlight is of course the food. The scallop gimbap melts in your mouth and I'm still dreaming about the dolsot al-bap (a sort of seafood rice mixed with uni cream). The spicy fish stew was also perfect to warm you up! I'll definitely be going back and highly recommend this spot. read more

ARIARI - Scallop gimbap - Korean Near Me - New York, New York

Been wanting to try this place for a while, so I decided to try it. There was indoor and outdoor seating. Make a reservation so that you wouldn't have to wait. The service was good, waitress and waiters were very nice. They also recommend the amount of food you should order depending on your party size. We ordered 2 shareables, 1 main course, and one soup. It's on the pricier side since it's in Manhattan. But honestly, it's worth the price. We got a beef su yuk which was a soup. The beef was tender and the soup was hot and flavorful. It would be a great comfort food. Then we ordered duck bulgogi (I don't have a pic of it) so flavorful as well. It kinda taste like pork. The chef did very well with the marinating. The shareables include butter Gui and soft shell crabs. I particularly don't like soft shell crabs. But this place made it so good that I would probably only come back for their soft shell crabs. It was not extremely oily, crunchy, crispy, pair so well with their sauce. If you're a seafood lover like me, you must order their soft shell crabs. I will come back just to eat their crabs read more

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I highly, definitely recommend this place ! The Scallop DIY KIMBAB was amazing & the spicy fish stew reminded me of my childhood favorite that my mom used to make while growing up in Korea. The seafood pancake was little dry to my liking but everything else was delicious . Around 7:00 PM on a cold Thursday night, the restaurant was packed with very happy diners . The service, ambience, & oh, those uniquely named refreshing cocktails. I will go back over & over until I taste everything on the menu. Try it! read more

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This is probably one of my favorite restaurants in nyc! Tapas style so you can choose between raw fish, hot soups, fried apps.. basically any craving you have will be satisfied~ My fav is the uni bibimbap and the beef suyuk (looks like clear soup but actually super beefy flavored but not too heavy!) the interior is super cute too read more

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Small restaurant in east village serving busan style korean food! All the food was delicious and the service was fast as well. Thought the ambiance and decor of the restaurant was so cute. Only complaint is that the food portions were quite small for the price. read more

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I loved everything!!!! The scallop DIY was so fun and fresh, the dolsot al-bap was so creamy and delicious, and the beef soup was comforting and deep in flavor. Only negative is your reservation is only like 1.5 hours and they're very strict on the time. They'll start telling you how much time you have left starting at 20 min left or so. So don't be late! read more

ARIARI - Korean Near Me - New York, New York

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Unbelievably delicious, perhaps one of my favorite restaurants in NYC so far. The dolsot albap was a whirlwind of different flavors that meld together perfectly. The cod roe has the right amount of fishiness and the rice, egg, plus other toppings really made the whole dish a textural and flavorful experience. The presentation was great as well. Beef sukiyaki was nice and light with tender beef slices. There was mushroom, cabbage, and other vegetables too! Very light, less flavorful. Service was good and the food came out fast. Atmosphere was nice and casual. Busy with people. Good for hangouts. read more

There's a million Korean fusion place in Manhattan that's overhyped but Ariari lives up to its hype. I've been here twice and they were both good. Food was reasonably priced for what you get, you leave full and wholesome. Service was also good. My fav dishes: scallop, deep fried crab, monkfish, and the soups. Cant wait to come back to try more dishes. read more

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My friend and I came here for an early evening dinner with a reservation. Definitely recommend making one!! They have set times so once your time is up, they have a new group of people coming. It was both our first times here and they recommended we each ordered two dishes. We got yuk-hwe, braised pork cheek, dolsot Al-bap, and hap-cheon pork soup. This was one of my first meals with braces so I ordered the pork soup which was fine but not amazing. I did try the braised pork cheek and the meat was super tender for someone who could barely chew. My friend liked this dish too. The appetizers we got were good and unique. We probably would get the dolsot Al-bap again but not the yuk-hwe. It was interesting to try but honestly wasn't something we loved. We both agreed that the appetizers were okay but probably would have been okay with one main course. Also this place has two bathrooms which is somewhat surprising given the size and amount of tables they have! read more

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Totally understand why reservations here fill up so quickly - the food is delicious! I made a reservation for Ariari right when the date opened up on Resy, and within the first few minutes, some of the time slots were taken already! But it is well worth the effort to make the resy. 2-3 plates are recommended per person, and the portions are decently sized for tapas. My friend and I split the DIY scallop gimbab with uni, yookhoe, fried soft shell crab, and the dolsot al-bab. There isn't really any banchan per se, but their kimchi is really well seasoned and tasty. DIY scallop gimbab was easily a favorite for me. The scallops & uni were both fresh, and I really enjoyed the DIY aspect. Yookhoe is well seasoned, fried soft shell crab is super crispy and tasty, and the dolsot al-bab just rounds it out perfectly with some carbs. Service here is A++. The staff allowed me sit inside first while waiting for my friend even though I've read that they try to stick to the 2-hr dining limit. Ambiance is cozy; the restaurant is actually smaller than I expected, which makes getting a resy a must. They do have an outside dining shed, but I much prefer being indoors! read more

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Love the food here at Ariari. During my first visit, I had the scallop DIY, fried chicken, glazed jang-eo and the beef soo yook. Everything was delicious and staff was super friendly and attentive. My favorite was the scallop DIY. You can taste the freshness of the scallops and it's always fun doing your own gimbap. My most recent visit included unlimited kimchi , fried chicken (again!), seafood butter gui, spicy duck bulgogi, spicy fish stew and the dolsot al-bap. My favorite among the dishes was the dolsot al-bap. The rice was savory with a bit of crunch from the claypot. The fried chicken was fried perfectly, light and crispy, but lacking a bit of flavor this time around. The fish in the fish stew was soft and tender, it was a nice addition to NYC's cold winter. I loved my first visit more; I felt the food during my second visit was just slightly above average. Despite that, service both times have been amazing. read more

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I am so glad I got to finally try Ariari! It was really hard to get reservations when they first opened but now it's no longer difficult. The inside is really small and they have an outdoor space as well. The food here is very authentic. I would definitely not take someone here if they didn't like seafood. A lot of dishes contain seafood. My favorite dish was the pork jowl soup! It was so refreshing. The food is tapas style so we got around 5 dishes for three people and we had leftovers. My only complaint is that they don't have side dishes except kimchi. Not necessarily a deal breaker- more of a nice to have. read more

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Such an amazingggggg Korean restaurant! Great selection of tapas style plates and everything was absolutely phenomenal. Everything was very flavorful and seasoned well. Honorable mentions for the following: dolsot al bap - easily one of the best things i have ever ate. crispy, burnt, flavorful rice, paired with the creaminess of the sea urchin cream. I'm not the biggest fan of sea urchin, but the flavors of this dish paired beautifully together. seafood pancake - they really perfected the crunchy exterior while retaining the soft/mochi-like interior of this dish. service was great and food was so delicious I can't wait to go back! read more

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They only open for dinner which kinda requires you to make reservation for groups. We made reservations for 5pm their opening time on Friday. It was full, but there were tables for 2 available. So definitely make a reservation if you would like to visit with 3 or more guests or you might have a wait as the restaurant is small. The service was amazing. But the food was not up to my expectations. It was good but not what I expected for the small share size dishes that you get for the price. Nothing stood out to me as amazing and I don't think I'd visit again or say this is a must come food spot. All in all, a mid food spot with great service. read more

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Had dinner here this week with a good friend who loves a good Korean joint as much as I do. I was a bit biased against this one, given the cautionary language that popped up into my ressie confirmation text message. It notifies you that you are given an allotment of an hour and 45 mins for dining, and a 15 minute grace period for checking in (something that many trendy restaurants have started embracing recently, and which, I find annoying). So as luck would have it, my friend's train decided not to run, and she ended up arriving super late. I was already seated with a cocktail in hand (the gin and Korean pear one, which somehow reminded me of a Manhattan type of cocktail for some reason). The restaurant did not stress me out about her lateness, which I appreciated. We were advised to order 2 dishes per person, so we ordered the Japchae (with lots of crunchy wood ear mushrooms, such a treat), The lotus root salad, the fish stew, and fried squid and monkfish. It was ample food, and we had enough leftovers to take home. The complimentary Kimchi "salad" was phenomenal and so addictive that we got 3 plates worth. We really enjoyed all of the dishes, even the lotus root salad, which some critics have complained about for its heavy dressing. The flavors in all plates were complex, the textures and seasoning, perfect. I especially loved the lightness of the fish stew, with the herbal notes of what I believe were baby chrysanthemum greens, its broth so full of shellfish flavor. We were not rushed, and service was perfectly attentive. Sometimes, you brace yourself for a super- hyped up restaurant that ends up being mediocre. But I have to say, this one was definitely worthwhile. Hope to visit again soon to try some of the other dishes. read more

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