Yes, you can eat striking Korean food without breaking the bank
I wrote this week about the meteoric rise in Manhattan of Korean restaurants qualifying as fine dining, including Jungsik, Atomix, Cote, and Oiji Mi. The term fine dining implies a certain attention in the service and, on the plate, an attention to detail that can be quite extensive. However, the most convenient way to define it is as a price range. With few exceptions, fine dining is more expensive than other styles.
If you’re in a fine dining restaurant that knows what it’s doing, you should be rewarded for the money you spend with a memorable, enjoyable meal. And most of the dozens of upscale places I write about will do just that, rewiring your ideas about Korean flavors.
But what if you don’t fancy an expensive dinner? The good news is that New York City and nearby New Jersey, especially Fort Lee and Edgewater, are full of Korean restaurants for every budget. Here are a few that are a lot cheaper than some of the hushed tasting ones. And remember Haenyeo, in Brooklyn. I mention it in the article, but it’s worth mentioning it twice.
fur yoke
The menu at this low-key diner, with locations in Queens and Fort Lee, NJ, is a masterpiece of deception. In the photos, katsu chops and seafood bibimbap look particularly appealing, but you can also get those in other places. Meanwhile, the star of Bonjuk, a thick, creamy, restorative bowl of savory rice called yoke, appears under the ominous headline of “nutritious porridge.”
Daesung Korean noodle
The dining room is more inviting after a pandemic renovation with almost every surface covered in warm, pale wood, like a sauna. But Daesung has been setting the standard for noodle soups in the Queens region of Korea for years. There are two varieties: kalguksu, with long, slurpable strands cut with a knife; and sujebi, in which the broth is populated by hand-torn shards and rags of dough.
I am kimchi
At this compact and perpetually busy restaurant, half of the customers eat Korean ready-to-eat dishes, such as fermented soybean stew or bulgogi hotpot. The other half comes for the pork cutlet under melted cheese, or pasta carbonara in so much sauce it’s almost a soup. Only a few items cost more than $15, and some of them will feed two or three people.
Cho Dang Gol
Cho Dang Gol has allowed fried chicken and other dishes to infiltrate the menu, but it is still unmatched in its dedication to the Korean art of cooking with tofu. Tofu comes in many forms: in compressed tiles that remain intact on a hot griddle; into creamy slices that split apart with a spoon; in fluffy, ricotta-like curds that make casseroles and bibimbaps rise.
Jeju noodle bar
Douglas Kim, the chef here, has the skill, eye for ingredients, and penchant for refining his ideas, which allows him to charge tasting menu prices. The $150 rack of lamb may have to be paid by installment, but overall he keeps things pretty modest, focusing on noodle soups with elegant accessories.
Okdongsik
The specialty – and all you can eat, apart from the dumplings, which are also excellent – is pork gum tongs. It’s nothing but white rice in steaming, translucent broth topped with shaved pork, but the kitchen brings every element to the ideal state.
Woorijiip
Gone are the steam tables that hungry midtown office workers once stood in awe of. Now almost every Korean classic you might be craving – fried mackerel, octopus in chili sauce, and so on – is wrapped up and stacked on the shelves. If your meal needs reheating, make a detour to one of the waiting microwaves.
