Where is the Best Korean Food in New York, New York?
My husband and I went to NYC for my first time this past weekend. A reservation was made for us ahead of time at Tao. We arrived a little before our 7:30 p.m. reservation and waited in the bar area for about 15 minutes before we were seated upstairs. The drinks were outrageously expensive; I realize it’s NYC, but $7.50 for a beer…c’mon!Our food (chicken dumplings and shrimp pad thai) was excellent. Again, overpriced, but it was a special occasion so in hindsight, it was worth it. The two other complaints I have: The close proximity of the tables for two. We were stared at by the guy next to us for almost our entire meal. Pretty uncomfortable and makes it difficult to carry on a conversation, unless you want your neighbors, who are less than a foot away, to hear everything. And the bathrooms need to have “Men” and “Women” labeled underneath the “Ying” and “Yang”. It would be my guess that the majority of people don’t know which is which, and I walked into the men’s bathroom
I live next door to Temple; I’ve eaten there several times and I walk by it daily. I agree with the reviewer who stated that the people who have given overly positive reviews are probably friends of the owner (a smart move — these reviews, along with the ones printed on the door and the high Zagat rating bring in a lot of people). The food is decent, not great or 100% authentic, but that’s not what you go for — it’s the location and the ambience (cute, trendy) that make this place unique and a nice change from K-town. It is always crowded, which is not surprising considering it only seats about 15 people (the restaurant is like one long hallway with some sidewalk seating). Service can get slow during busy hours, but is usually gracious. The side dishes change regularly, but are tasty (although portions are very small).Pros + Decent food, Nice alternative, Moderately-pricedCons – Exagerrated reviews, Limited seating, Small portions
Im giving this place a 3 star rating because they have pretty bad service. Haha. Foods acceptable not fantastic. If youre looking for a tasty good deal on a lot of meat Id definitely stick around the Flushing Queens area to explore Northern Blvd. Otherwise Kumgangsan cant be beat for late night munchies and cravings for kalbi and Korean BBQ. They have a good spicy beef and mushroom noodle soup thing too but thats for those who like it hawt.
The location of the restaurant is great because the neighborhood is notorious for its Korean BBQ restaurants and bars. Shilla is top on my list. I think they can improve on the service a little. The waitstaff is helpful and attentive, but the hosts/hostesses tend to be snooty sometimes. It’s very busy on weekends, but you get seated promptly! If you order the pork, make sure it’s cooked thoroughly, otherwise you’ll end up with a stomach ache.Pros + Good Food!Cons – Crowded during the weekends.
