Best Korean Restaurants in Lower East Side

Good meals Good atmosphere Good price MY FAVORITE

So by day, this spot is a normal cafe. But by night, it apparently turns into a Korean street food stand. You go through the cafe and to the backyard, where there's a beautiful hut hiding a chef grilling up giant shrimp and mackerel. The seating is outdoor so dress warmly. There's some heating elements but not enough. The table seats are also a bit low so if you're not ok with that, make sure you snag a seat by the bar. We were a bit disappointed when we got there and they told us there was no pork belly or galbi. That was literally half the menu! Halfway through our dinner, galbi became available so we ordered a grilled one. The noodle soup and Oden were the best. Both was Seoul (get it?) warming. The giant shrimp was fresh and grilled nicely. The chicken fried rice tasted mostly like butter unfortunately. And the grilled galbi was 90% bone and no meat. All their cocktails are soju based. The cold brew cocktail taste like watered down coffee. But the soju mule was tasty. Overall I'll give these guys a 3.5. I'll come back for the vibes and good service. The chef offered us more broth as we were finishing the noodles. Maybe we'll try the other dishes next time assuming they're available.

Best spot in the East village. Lovely staff, drinks and overall quality.