Mostly Korean Cuisine & More

pastor joseph pang, food critique

Food & Restaurant Update

Enjoy a 10% discount at 26 restaurants

Oct 28 to Nov 7, 2024

Korean Restaurant Week: Dive into Korean Cuisine

Discover the diversity of Korean culinary delights and enjoy a 10% discount at 26 participating restaurants with your K-Culture Passport. (Discounts are applied before tax, and tips are separate.) Passports are available for pickup at the 2nd floor gallery of the Korean Cultural Center New York, SHIN RAMYUN Food Truck, or any participating restaurant (limited quantities available).

  • Dates: October 28 – November 7, 2024

  • Participating restaurants: Bangia, BarBam, Barn Jo Nomad, Barn Joo 35, Barn Joo Union Square, Dons Bogam Wine Bar & BBQ, Sopo Korean Eats*, Han Bat, Handsome Rice, Hojokban*, Hyo Dong Gak, KOBA Korean BBQ, New Wonjo, NUBIANI, Octo Restaurant, Pocha 32, Rib No.7, Samwoojung, Seoul Salon**, Sojuhaus**, Take 31, The Maze 32, The Kunjip, TOUS les JOURS, Turntable LP Bar & Karaoke, Yoon Haeundae Galbi**


    * Sopo Korean Eats and Hojokban will introduce items inspired by SHIN RAMYUN.
    ** Seoul Salon (11/3-11/7 only), Sojuhaus (Cash and Amex only), Yoon Haeundae Galbi (11/4-11/7 only, Reservations are required, and a cancellation fee applies. Discounts apply only to BBQ menu items.)

Review

“There are several reasons I haven’t reviewed many of the restaurants I’ve visited. I definitely don’t want to undermine their efforts.”

Nearby church in soho

Rice Kitchen
The nearest Korean restaurant to the church

Kimbap
Bibimbap

Little Banchan Shop at Pier 57
Owned by Hooni Kim

Read Joseph P.‘s review of Little Banchan Shop on Yelp

Best Bibimbap in the Tri-State Area—possibly even in the entire U.S.!

Upcoming Reviews of Korean Restaurants

Olle
Nangmyun
Kalbi Tang (추어탕 스타일)
Loach Soup (추어탕) -not tried yet

Jongro BBQ
BBQ

Miss Korea
Naengmyun

Rib No. 7
32 W 33rd St, New York, NY 10001

*Kimchi jjigae (stew)
Best Kimchi stew so far in the city.

The Kunjip
북어 콩나물국 Bean sprouts soup with dried pollack
Ssambap (only in summer)

Cho Dang Gol
Tofu
배추겉절이Quick, fresh kimchi (many years ago, not sure now, high-quality 고춧가루 hot pepper powder used)

Gammeeok
Kimchi

Her Name is Han
Gejang

* U Chon Noodle at LIttle Ferry Hmart (food court)

The best Kalbi Tang and Seolleongtang can be found in the Tri-State Area–possibly even in the entire U.S.

Gimga Meon Ok (self-service)
322 Commercial Ave Unit C, Palisades Park, NJ 07650

Kalbi Tang (second best, maybe)

BCD Tofu House

LA Kalbi Combo
Tofu stew

Gammeeok
Kimchi

Homung Nangmyun Fort Lee
Nangmyun (50% off winter time)
Best filtered tap water in NJ…so far

filtered water/tap water

I’m not sure if it’s the old pipes or something else, but the taste of tap water really varies across NYC. Some restaurants stand out because they have great water filters, while others can taste quite different—especially when it comes to straight tap water. While we all get our water from the Catskill/Delaware watershed system upstate, which includes several reservoirs, the taste can still differ. It’s interesting how the same source can lead to such varied experiences throughout the city.

SIMÒ PIZZA – MEATPACKING
90-92 Gansevoort St, New York, NY 10014 (right in front of Whitney)

Best-filtered tap water
(pre-covid)
Pizza is good, too. They claim all dishes are made with authentic Italian ingredients, particularly highlighting their premium flour.

Homung Nangmyun Fort Lee
As mentioned in NJ section.

D’avant Bakery

The best Korean bakery in the Tri-State Area is a must-visit! Try the 흑임자 빵 (black sesame bread)–it’s fantastic. The Americano is great as well. I come here solely for the bread, so there’s no need to review any other Korean bakeries in the area!

https://www.davantbakery.com/

Read Joseph P.‘s review of D’avant Bakery on Yelp

 

Snowflake shaved ice . 눈꽃빙수

Cafe Mocha
125 Broad Ave, Palisades Park, NJ 07650에 

The Blossom
320 Broad Ave, Palisades Park, NJ 07650

Cafe Mocha and The Bloom are both under the same ownership. However, Cafe Mocha offers more competitive pricing than the other.

Manhattan has Grace Street Coffee & Desserts, but the quality of snowflakes in the above two places is better and also pricing.

Jongro BBQ
155-14 Roosevelt Ave, Flushing, NY 11354
BBQ

DONGWON SUSHI & TUNA
41-19 162nd St, Flushing, NY 11358

Sushi & Sashimi

CHILSUNG KOREAN BBQ,
221-28 Horace Harding Expy, Oakland Gardens, NY 11364

Naengmyun
Sundubu-jjigae (순두부찌개)

SUNG BOOK DONG,
248-25 Northern Blvd, Little Neck, NY 11362

Upcoming Reviews of Korean Restaurants

Upcoming Reviews of Korean Restaurants

TOUS les JOURS
19 Park Pl, Bronxville, NY 10708

Cranberry scone
Pineapple scone
Americano

* Hong Kong Banjum
1520 Kiely Blvd Santa Clara, CA 95051

I wish we had this Korean-Chinese restaurant in the NYC area! The first thing I’d do when I go to Silicon Valley is enjoy their black bean sauce noodles (짜장면)–the best I’ve had so far. It isn’t easy to find a good 짜장면 place in the U.S. We used to have 동천홍 in Manhattan, but it closed down a while ago.

Read Joseph P.‘s review of Paik’s Noodle on Yelp
Upcoming Reviews of Korean Restaurants

*Daeho Kalbijim & Beef Soup
1620 Post St, San Francisco, CA 94115 (Japan Town)

Kalbijjim (braised short ribs) is the signature dish here, and while it’s on the sweeter side, I really enjoy it!

Upcoming Reviews of Korean Restaurants

Korean food prices are better in Garden Grove than in Buena Park.

* Mo Ran Gak Restaurant
9651 Garden Grove Blvd, Garden Grove, CA 92844

Naengmyun & Kalbi

BCD Tofu House – Buerna Park
LA Kalbi Combo
Tofu stew

Kyung Bok Kung Korean BBQ

* La Huasteca at the Souce OC
(Mexican)
6960 Beach Blvd J-301, Buena Park, CA 90621

I ended up at this Mexican restaurant because the Korean spot we wanted to visit wasn’t open yet. I’m glad I did, though—this place turned out to be the best restaurant I’ve tried at that mall. The food was excellent!

Upcoming Reviews of Korean Restaurants