Right at the top, we’ll acknowledge that most of the best Korean food around New York City takes a little legwork to reach, whether you’re going to Yedon in Queens or Myung Dong Noodle House in Fort Lee, NJ. However, Korean food in Manhattan is not to be underestimated, burgeoning significantly in the last few years as the cuisine has gained popularity.
The Manhattan Korean restaurant boom has given diners access to deeper cuts and a greater variety of dishes. Soondubus and bulgogi dishes will always be accessible, but now you’ll also
Here are the best Korean places in Manhattan, from the innovative modern restaurants to the traditional spots that feed the soul.
KJUN
KJUN is a Korean Cajun restaurant inspired by chef and owner Jae Jung’s experience working in New Orleans kitchens for five years. Refined through years of pop-ups around New York, KJUN’s menu really lives up to the concept, from dishes like Crawfish Bibimbap and Kimchi Jambalaya to banchan like the okra kimchi.
If any of this sounds good to you, you have two dining options. KJUN’s original location in Murray Hill offers lunch and dinner in a casual setting, serving po’ boys and fried chicken galore.
Its newest location, which opened at the beginning of 2026–just a two-minute walk from the first–and offers an upscale setting with a customizable prix fixe menu with menu items like a seafood jajangmyeon with bouncy noodles and pitch-black sauce. We recommend gathering a group of people to eat at KJUN, so you get to try a greater assortment of dishes. 154 E. 39th St., Murray Hill; and 334 Lexington Ave., Murray Hill kjun-nyc.com
Ariari
Ariari brings you Korean food from the city of Busan, a coastal city primarily driven by seafood, reflected in Ariari’s highly curated menu. Some highlights include the raw menu options, which consist of a DIY scallop gimbap and mak-hwe, a sliced raw fish dish. The restaurant’s specialty is its dolsot al-bap, a creamy bibimbap made with flying fish roe and sea urchin. 229 1st Ave., East Village, ariarinyc.com
Cho Dang Gol
A list of the best Korean restaurants in Manhattan wouldn’t be complete without Cho Dang Gol, but the acclaimed tofu house hardly needs the additional press. There’s a good chance you’ll have to put your name down since the restaurant doesn’t take reservations. But we promise, it will be worth your time to join the small crowd gathered in front.
Everything at Cho Dang Gol is excellent. However, considering how long it can take to secure a table, you’ll want to be a little more discerning with what you order. Table your everlasting craving for bulgogi and seek out the menu items you can’t find at other restaurants, like the cod roe omelet and buckwheat pancakes. Also make sure you order something on the menu that includes the housemade tofu, like the grilled tofu ssam platter or one of the many tofu stews. 55 W. 35th St., Koreatown, chodanggolnyc.com
Woorjiip
A cuisine dominated by fermented foods, much of Korean food culture is about slowing down, whether you’re waiting months for a pot of kimchi to ferment or an hour for a table at Cho Dang Gol. Unfortunately, the city lifestyle doesn’t always comport with a slow meal. But in those moments, Woorjiip has you covered.
Since 2000, the takeout restaurant has supplied short-on-time pedestrians with grab-and-go boxes full of Korean food like braised beef shank, kimchi fried rice, and various gimbaps. The takeout meals keep well on commutes and reheat beautifully. 12 W. 32nd St., Koreatown, woorijip.com
Hangawi
Offering an entirely plant-based menu, Hangawi is a haven for the vegans and vegetarians who often get stuck with vegetable bibimbap. Hangawi’s menu primarily features dolsot bibimbap, like its plant-based bulgogi bowl or mushroom bowl with truffle paste. However, the restaurant also serves a variety of mushroom and tofu dishes such as ssam bab featuring a spread of mushrooms, vegetables, and three different types of rice, which you wrap in sesame leaves and lettuce, complete with a savory bean paste. 12 E. 32nd St., Koreatown, hangawirestaurant.com
Tada
A sister restaurant to nearby Chinatown Korean restaurants Lululala and Tofu Tofu, Tada holds its own against Korean fried chicken chains like bb.q Chicken and Pelicana. You’ll also find fried pork ribs and a selection of classic Korean dishes like tteok-bokki, pancakes, and bibimbap. 70 Bayard St., Chinatown, tadachicken.nyc
Olle
Naengmyeon is a cold dish of thin chewy noodles, typically made from buckwheat, nestled in an ice-cold, often slush-like beef broth, and served with a boiled egg and a slice of Asian pear. It’s the perfect antidote to a muggy summer day in Manhattan. Heck, even when it’s cold outside, naengmyeon is still pretty good. Yes, naengmyeon is astonishingly, criminally scarce in Manhattan.
However, Olle still cooks the dish like the competition is fierce. Olle has two cold noodle dishes: the savory mool naengmyeon or the spicier bibim naengmyeon. You can order either as a combo with a side of galbi. Of course naengmyeon is far from the only thing on the menu. Taking its name from small paths in Jeju Island that connect houses to the main road, Olle offers a variety of Korean comfort foods like galbi jim and gul gook as well. 11 E. 30th St., Koreatown, ollenyc.com
Tosokchon NYC
Located on 33rd St., slightly off-center from the heart of K-Town, Tosokchon is in the business of nourishing. The traditional Korean spot serves a menu full of generously portioned stews spooned over rice, including the famous haejang-guk (hangover stew), or kalguksus (noodle soups). Closing as late as 4 a.m. on weekdays and 6 a.m. on weekends, Tosokchon is an excellent place to sober up. 14 E. 33rd St., Koreatown, tosokchonnyc.com
Kisa
Located in the Lower East Side, Kisa draws inspiration from kisa sikdang (also spelled gisa sikdang), restaurants in Korea geared toward taxi drivers. These restaurants are characterized by their large serving size, affordability, and swift service. At $36 per person, Kisa isn’t necessarily affordable, but it’s certainly generous with its serving size. Each diner gets a metal tray with a central entree and eight surrounding banchan, which rotate seasonally. 205 Allen St., Lower East Side, kisaus.com
Hojokban
Originally opening in the Gangnam District in Seoul before coming to New York in 2023, Hojokban serves comfort food in a modern dining setting, best exhibited in its ramyun fried rice. Cooked with Shin Ramyun, the dome of fiery red fried rice with flecks of instant noodles comes out of the kitchen adorned with an empty Shin cup placed atop the dish like a hat.
While the ramyun fried rice is the obvious “I’ll have what they’re having” item at Hojokban, so many of the dishes at Hojokban are showstoppers. For example, the Hojok galbi, a plate of soy-glazed galbi thinly sliced and neatly organized around a massive rib bone. 128 Madison Ave., Koreatown, hojokban.com
Her Name is Han
Serving the Nomad area since 2015, Her Name is Han is one of the foundational restaurants that built Hand Hospitality, the restaurant group affiliated with many of New York City’s trendiest Korean restaurants. Some are even listed in this article, including Ariari, Cho Dang Gol, and Hojokban.
Choosing what to eat on the menu will be one of the hardest decisions you make all day, with options like the galbi hot pot and spicy sancho baby octopus. One dish to note is the spicy raw marinated crab, which was very trendy, rightfully so, a year or two ago. Eating this dish requires a no-judgement social contract with your fellow diners, as you extract the soft, savory crab meat from its shell by any means necessary. 17 E. 31st St., Koreatown, hernameishan.com
OKDONGSIK
OKDONGSIK is a Seoul-based restaurant that opened a location in New York in 2022 after a successful pop-up. Named after its owner, chef Ok Dongsik, the restaurant offers just two dishes. The first is a pretty stellar kimchi mandu, and each order comes with four fist-sized dumplings.
However, the main event at OKDONGSIK is the dweji gomtang, a pork broth dish over rice. The description of the dish, which earned the restaurant’s Seoul location a Michelin Bib Gourmand, belies its sophistication. The trademark hearty fattiness typically associated with pork-based broth is nonexistent in this light, clear broth, which soaks through perfectly cooked rice and thinly sliced pork. 13 E. 30th St., Koreatown, okdongsik.net
