Hortus NYC

4.5 terrific brunch with a couple friends here a couple weeks ago. This spot has been on my list a while and finally glad to try it! Delicious food and attentive service. Not sure if they are regularly as busy though we happened to be there during restaurant week and at some point almost all the tables in the main seating areas were booked. So definitely recommend making reservations in advance. Walking in on a chilly February morning, the building exterior is undergoing renovation so it may be hard to spot the restaurant sign. The restaurant is larger than it looks from the front since the space extends deeply backward--an entry/waiting area greets you as you walk in, then a long bar and open kitchen. Proceeding right there is a set of stairs taking you up a half level to seating area with several tables, which also opens out to a greenhouse section--airy and bright. Heading up another half level, there's a formal dining room with plush seats and half-circle banquets. Ash blue geometric wallpaper offsets the deep teal opposite wall creating a rich, color-saturated atmosphere. The light from the front windows and the white tablecloths were bright enough so the room didn't seem too dark. Loved the design details here! Food--we went with the restaurant week prix fixe lunch sotbap $30 for two courses with supplements for the steak (+$5) and steak and truffle (+$15): - Steak Sotbap - grilled short rib, sautéed mushroom, scallion, cured egg yolk- Truffle Steak Sotbap - truffle, grilled short rib, sautéed mushroom, scallion, cured egg yolk- Soft Shell Crab Sotbap - deep-fried soft shell crab, steamed daikon, Asian chive, sweet chili mayoThese came with an assortment of banchan and a choice of Miso Soup or Janchi Guksu - Korean somyeon, seaweed oil. We all chose the latter.The sotbap is rice cooked in a stone pot, on which they've layered daikon and then the proteins above. I tried a bit of each and have to say the steak was cooked very well - meaning medium rare - and the black truffle shavings added a fancy touch and a next level of umami. The soft shell crab was prepared well, though not as crisp perhaps as when in it came out of the fryer since there was mayo drizzled over it. Roe on top was a nice addition. The noodles had a delicate light flavor, and the banchan were decent though perhaps not especially stand out, appreciated the thoughtful presentation overall! The prix-fixe also came with dessert, either sweet potato cheesecake - you could really taste the sweet potato in every bite, or mango bread pudding - this was pretty standard in terms of texture, could be a bit more moist, though the mango flavor from the sauce was bright and citrusy. Both items were a light to medium level of sweetness. Service was lovely and very patient considering we were there from 11:15-2pm, they never rushed us or asked us to leave. It did feel like there were enough seats overall so we weren't consciously overstaying our welcome (I hope?) Time flew by as we chitchatted and it was a relaxing afternoon well spent. Last note: It was interesting that the door to bathrooms on the second floor are behind very thick curtains, there's a bit of fumbling around trying to find the door and also trying to make your way out of the bathroom.

Food: Appetizers were amazing. The Brussels sprouts were heavenly. The main courses were good but not as good as the appetizers. The steak frites was the most disappointing dish because while it was a medium rare, the steak was so chewy. Like it was disappointing because the other beef dish was so tender.Services: Servers were so accommodating and so friendly. They were so helpful and made us feel welcomed. Ambiance: Immaculate. Very chic and a cute atmosphere. A bit dim for my taste. Also the bathrooms sometimes aren't the cleanest with paper towels laying on the floor because they use a basket for a trash can?!? Like it was a regular cloth covered basket that you would put your socks or other items into. A choice was made and that's all I can say.

This was our first time here. Everything was great. First - THE FOOD. Everything was good. We did the tasting menu and wine pairing. 3 glasses of wine. Yum. The food: we loved everything we got but I would recommend these 3 dishes:Salmon crudo Wagyu Gui (picture / video below)Truffle donnabe with steak. The waitress was so nice, professional and made great recommendations. The vibe is like a fancy yet relaxed / low key place. It's quiet and is great for a date night. I will definitely be going back.

Came here for restaurant week and the food did not disappoint! I had the tempura, Wagyu and duck. The service and ambiance was great. Food was delicious, but the duck was slightly chewy and it was difficult to cut into the meat with the knives. Other than that, the experience was great and I would definitely return to try some of their other dishes.

Had an amazing experience here and would highly recommend. I made a reservation for 2 the night before. Once we got to the restaurant, we were promptly seated at the heated indoor terrace. We both opted for the 3-course for restaurant week. For the first course, we got the Seafood Jewelry Box and the Salmon Crudo. The second course we both ordered the Wagyu Gui and the third course we got Steak Frites and Ribeye. I really enjoyed my Steak Frites since it was galbi marinated, it really brings in the korean flavor. For dessert, we wanted Matcha Tiramisu but they didn't have it so we got the Mango Bread Pudding. It was a little dry to me so I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would've. The ambiance was very romantic, with dim lights and live jazz music playing in the background. Service was very well and food was overall tasty.

If you're looking for a chill spot with romantic vibes and incredible Asian-inspired food, you've got to check out Hortus NYC in Midtown!They've got live music every Wednesday and Thursday from 7-10 PM, which makes the whole experience even better. We tried the 3-course tasting menu, and wow: The Oyster & Shrimp Cocktail was so fresh. The A5 Wagyu literally melts in your mouth. The Short Rib was packed with flavor and cooked to perfection.It's the perfect place for a date night or just treating yourself to something special. Highly recommend!Featuring Oyster and shrimp cocktail Salmon crudoA5 Miyazaki Wagyu Gui Korean smoked pasta Short ribCod

I was here earlier in the evening with a group of 5 others for the $60 three course Restaurant Week menu where we were set not upstairs but surprisingly in a tucked away room next to the kitchen which almost felt like private dining. It was a bit less loud downstairs but I think we missed some of the live music or something but it was nice and easy to talk to people downstairs so both have their benefits. The staff was friendly giving recommendations to people based on spice preference or dish recommendations (such as not recommending the Short Rib surprisingly.) To drink I had the '5th ave' with Jinro 24, Hwayo 23, tonic, mint, and lime for $10 which was a surprising color when it came out being more orange than expected. The soju flavor was heavily masked by the tonic and it tasted alright but it's pretty hard to complain about a $10 highball. If it was $15 or something I wouldn't recommend it but it was fine for the price but I think they should tone down the amount of tonic. They gave us an amuse-bouche consisting of a little tartlet filled with I believe a bit of crab with some ikura on top along with some crème fraîche which was a tasty bite.First course for me and two others was the Salmon Crudo with umeboshi crème fraiche, pickled mushroom, and yuzu kosho vinaigrette which you can add uni for $15 but we all chose not to. The salmon was excellent quality and paired nicely with the rest of the mix which had a mix of sour and creamy flavors. This was very tasty and I think it went particularly well with the tiny pickled mushrooms. The other three people had the Tempura Trio listed as sweet & chilly, calamari, softshell crab, and cod croquette which was a pretty big portion and they all seemed to enjoy it.The second course consisted of a choice between two pastas and wagyu. The majority of us including me got the Wagyu Gui with A5 Miyazaki wagyu, fried shallot, and chili oil which consisted of three very thin pieces of high quality wagyu carpaccio and a few other accoutrements including some pickled radish I believe. The server comes around with a torch to cook it slightly and I got mine rare because it's high quality wagyu which they then topped with the chili oil and soy sauce mix. The meat of course melted in my mouth though the chili oil as noted by the server was not exactly that strong of a flavor. Less premium but with a much bigger portion were the pasta options. One of the people got the Black Garlic Cacio e Pepe with black garlic, black pepper, shrimp, abalone, and oyster sauce which they absolutely loved though they slightly sweet (presumably from the black garlic) and another person enjoyed the Korean Smoked Pasta with n'duja pork sausage, grana padano cheese, gochujang butter, and gemelli pasta which they said had a good kick to it. I would probably get the pasta instead next time.For my main dish, I went with the Abalone Sotbap with Korean abalone, soy butter, steamed radish, and spicy soy sauce which was a $10 supplement. The portion was a decent size and there was plenty of abalone in there which had a slightly crunchy texture with a bit of sweetness. There was otherwise some richness presumably from the soy butter and some good texture from the radish while the soy sauce definitely had a slight kick. The rice was plentiful and there was some tasty crispy bits/nurungji eventually. This was tasty though I'm not sure if it was worth the supplement even with the amount of abalone and I probably would get the Cod next time. Several of the other people had the Duck with sautéed duck breast, sweet potato puree, and an arugula and fennel salad which they liked noting the duck crust though one person said it was a little bit tough (it was cooked medium for everyone.) The last person enjoyed their Truffle Donabe with wild mushrooms, cured egg yolk, and black truffle which they didn't add any supplements. The food here was pretty tasty. It's not the best Korean spot in terms of unique flavors (for less I prefer Odre for instance among others) but there were some excellent dishes. I would primarily say to stick with the seafood as that is probably what they are best with here. Low 4/upper 3.

RW 2025Shout out to restaurant week for giving me the motivation to go out and try this place on my own! I had one of the sea urchin sotbaps that came with noodles and dessert. The sotbap was good and came with seaweed on the side to eat with. The banchan that accompanied it was all really tasty and the noodles were honestly what stood out to me the most. The broth for them was so flavorful and really warmed me up. I also got the mango bread pudding, which was only okay. I felt the sauce on the side was just yogurt and there was not much mango flavor or mangos in the bread. The food took almost an hour to come out but the servers were really attentive. It was a busy lunch time, so it's understandable. I was seated in the lounge, so it was pretty quiet and I wasn't surrounded by other people which was nice.

Came back again and was able to sit in the patio area with sufficient fire heater, was so cozy! Really enjoyed the new menu, especially the cod and truffle & abalone donabe. Crispy calamari/fish/ soft shell crab and Short ribs were delicious as well!!

Enjoying dinner with family here. The atmosphere is great with live Jazz on Wed-Fri. Food is delicious and many choices to choose from the tasting menu. Cocktails are delicious and creative. Service is good and friendly. They explain every dishes to us. Love this place.