Top Korean restaurants in United States

Atomix ★ 4.9 · New York City

flatiron · 104 East 30th Street, New York, NY 10016

Chef Junghyun Park's 14-seat counter in NoMad runs the most ambitious Korean tasting menu in New York City. Two Michelin stars, ten courses, $385 set price.

Tip: Reservations open 60 days in advance on Tock at midnight; set an alarm. Wine pairing or non-alcoholic both excellent.

Atomix ★ 4.8 · New York City

flatiron · 104 East 30th Street, New York, NY 10016

Chef Junghyun Park's two-Michelin-star 14-seat NoMad counter runs the most ambitious Korean tasting menu in New York City. Ten courses, $385, set price only.

Han Oak ★ 4.8 · Portland

east-burnside-kerns · 511 NE 24th Ave, Portland, OR 97232

Peter Cho and Sun Young Park's family-table Korean room in the Kerns neighbourhood of Portland, The Oregonian's 2017 Restaurant of the Year.

Tip: Open Thursday to Sunday for the family-style prix fixe. Saturday brunch is a la carte and easier to book.

Han Oak ★ 4.8 · Portland

east-burnside-kerns · 511 NE 24th Ave, Portland, OR 97232

Peter Cho and Sun Young Park's prix-fixe Korean dinner in the Kerns neighbourhood of Portland, served at communal tables in a converted live/work space.

Tip: Dinner Thursday to Saturday is prix-fixe. Sunday brunch and Friday lunch open the door for a la carte and easier bookings.

Benu ★ 4.8 · San Francisco

22 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105

Benu in San Francisco is Corey Lee's three-Michelin-star modern Korean American tasting in SoMa, with a 14-seat counter and a 30-course pace through three.

Tip: The bar at sister Monsieur Benjamin takes walk-ins and runs the same culture on a bistro budget.

Kogi BBQ Truck ★ 4.6 · Los Angeles

boyle-heights · Mobile, schedule on kogibbq.com

Roy Choi's Kogi BBQ truck has rolled around Los Angeles since 2008, inventing the Korean-Mexican taco and the modern American food-truck movement.

Tip: Follow the truck's daily schedule on the website or Twitter; usually four stops a day across LA.

Broken Mouth - Lee's Homestyle ★ 4.5 · Los Angeles

downtown-la · 718 S Los Angeles St, Los Angeles, CA 90014

Broken Mouth - Lee's Homestyle in Downtown Los Angeles serves Korean-Hawaiian rice bowls and spam musubi at lunch from a single counter on Hill Street.

Tip: Lunch counter, downtown business district; closed Sundays. Cash and card both.

Sun Nong Dan ★ 4.5 · Los Angeles

koreatown · 710 S Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90005

Sun Nong Dan in Koreatown, Los Angeles serves seolleongtang ox-bone soup 24 hours a day and a cheese-topped galbi jjim that built a TikTok following.

Tip: 24-hour, two-hour wait at 22:00 Friday; come at 23:30 instead, lines clear.

Shin Jung Korean ★ 4.4 · Orlando

mills-50 · 1638 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL 32803

Shin Jung Korean on East Colonial Drive in Mills 50 is the long-standing Korean room with bibimbap, bulgogi and the area's standby tabletop barbecue grills.

So Kong Dong Tofu House ★ 4.3 · Atlanta

buford-highway · 5280 Buford Hwy NE Suite A, Doraville, GA 30340

So Kong Dong in Doraville, Atlanta's Buford Highway corridor, runs Korean comfort food: soondubu (silken tofu stew) at clay-pot temperature.

Tip: Lunch is busy with H Mart shoppers; dinner is quieter. Cash and card; family-friendly with high chairs.

Jungsik ★ 4.3 · New York City

tribeca · 2 Harrison Street, New York, NY 10013

Jungsik Yim's two-Michelin-star Tribeca room runs modern Korean tasting menus in New York City: bibimbap with sea urchin, dry-aged duck, abalone with kimchi.

Den Den Korean Fried Chicken ★ 4.3 · Providence

east-side · 182 Angell Street, Providence, RI 02906

The Den Den group's Korean fried chicken counter on Angell Street. Double-fried wings and drumsticks in plain or gochujang glazes; small dining room.

Tip: Sister cafe Den Den Cafe Asiana on Benefit Street handles bibimbap and katsu in the daytime.

Den Den Korean Fried Chicken ★ 4.3 · Providence

east-side · 182 Angell Street, Providence, RI 02906

Den Den's Korean fried chicken counter on Angell Street: double-fried wings and drumsticks in plain or gochujang glazes; small dining room, takeaway.

Tip: Half-and-half a tray of plain and spicy; orders ship in 12 to 15 minutes once you order.

Dooby's ★ 4.2 · Baltimore

mount-vernon · 802 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

Dooby's in Mount Vernon is an all-day Korean-leaning cafe, plating breakfast sandwiches by day and a ramen and Korean dinner menu after dark.

Tip: It is part cafe, part bistro; the daytime counter and evening dinner service feel like two places.

M Kokko ★ 4.2 · Durham

downtown · 311 Holland St Suite B, Durham, NC 27701

Michael Lee's Korean parlour in the same building as M Sushi is the group's most casual concept, with fried chicken, army base stew and cold noodles.

Soju ★ 4.2 · Pittsburgh

bloomfield · 4923 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15224

Soju in Garfield serves Korean-American cooking and soju cocktails in Pittsburgh. A small family-run room plating fried chicken, bibimbap and banchan.

Tip: The soju and craft cocktail list is half the fun. Reserve for weekends; the room is compact.

Majordomo ★ 4.1 · Los Angeles

downtown-la · 1725 Naud St, Los Angeles, CA 90012

David Chang's Majordomo in Chinatown, Los Angeles, runs Korean-leaning family-style sharing plates and a whole duck that requires a 48-hour pre-order.

Tip: Reserve duck 48 hours ahead by phone; otherwise sold out by 18:00. Bar seats walk-in serve the full menu.

Seoul Taco ★ 4.0 · St. Louis

the-grove · 4099 Chouteau Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110

David Choi's 2011 food truck grew into a small Korean-Mexican chain built on bulgogi tacos and kimchi-fried-rice bowls. The Chouteau kitchen is the original.

Tip: The gogi bowl feeds two if you are light eaters; add the chips and queso. Counter service, fast turnaround.

Berkeley Social Club ★ 3.9 · Berkeley

downtown · 2050 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704

Korean-American all-day cafe with 40 craft beers on tap. Mascarpone French Toast and Crab Eggs Benedict. Open daily from breakfast through late dinner.