Jungsik

Food: 5/5Service: 5/5Ambiance: 5/5Chef/owner Jungsik Yim's "Jungsik" is a three-Michelin star Korean-influenced fine dining restaurant located on Harrison street in Tribeca between Hudson and Greenwich streets. This is a couple blocks north of where the late David Bouley's venerated restaurant once stood, where Chef Yim coincidentally worked once upon a time. The NYC version of Jungsik opened in 2011, two years after the launch of the Seoul location. It quickly reached two-star status a couple of years later. Some time passed, then it was disclosed in December 2024 that the restaurant was awarded its third star. This was well-deserved, and perhaps a fair bit overdue. It is NYC's first three-star since Eleven Madison Park in 2012, and the first three-star Korean restaurant in the U.S.It's dark inside, but it is a very elegant atmosphere. When they check your coat, they don't give you a ticket. They just remember who you are and what you brought. The bar has five seats. From my vantage at seat number five, I noticed the large Rolex clock on the wall of the kitchen inside. It reminded me of the one at Camphor in Los Angeles, a one-star restaurant in the Arts District. The service staff is dressed well and moves in harmony despite how busy they are. They also make you feel at ease. They accommodated my request to experience the tasting menu from the bar. When I booked on Tock, it gave me two options - main dining room or bar - but it did not disclose that the bar is generally only for a la carte ordering. They explained to me that I could sit at a table, but I declined, preferring my seat at the bar. They still were able to provide the tasting menu experience that I sought regardless. Thanks to them for that. The gender neutral bathrooms are very nice. Enough space to move around. The liquid soap was nice and pays a nod to Korea - it is the Joy hand wash from ELOREA, featuring the Jeju mandarin ingredient.Since I have cut down on alcohol consumption for a few years now, I like to order mocktails, or as they list it "temperance cocktails." The Yuja spritzer (Korean lemonade like drink but sparkling) was refreshing. I had two of these. The third piece of banchan was the egg. It was set on a bed of uncooked brown rice in order to hold it upright. Like "The Office" manager Michael Scott driving into a lake, I idiotically ate some of this rice, suspecting beforehand that I should do so, but I did anyway. It was crunchy and I was embarrassed. Very confusing. The foie tras tartlette as the fifth and last piece of banchan was delicious. Savory, but with Asian pear sweetness.The first course - striped jack - was excellent. It was liberally adorned with osetra caviar and featured white kimchi and a green citrus sauce. Fish bone broth.The fried octopus, which many rave about, has a crispy texture and is quite rich. It is a heavy tasting dish. Salty. The texture of the octopus was soft and not at all rubbery. Not sure how they achieved this. The Gochujang aioli was dense and rich. Not spicy at all, really.There were scallops with rice in small cast iron dish. The rice was very dark. I thought it was burnt, but it wasn't. The citrus emulsion pour was very nice.There was a high amount of spiciness on the tomato emulsion kimchi curry on the Arctic char. When I tasted it, I thought to myself "Now we're talking." Until now I felt the spice level was dialed back. Not here. The flavor of the coconut foam was subtle. Not overpowering. The wagyu Galbi was so soft and tender, as one of the staff named Leo mentioned to me that it had been marinated for a while. The radishes were nicely sweet, pickled in Korean pear juice.The yellowtail kimbap dish was innovative. The cigar-like structure reminded me of something that I would eat in a place like Alinea. The hallabong (what we know as Sumo Citrus) sorbet/granita palate cleanser was sweet and really refreshingThe ice cream dessert was quite good. The Jeju island statue appearance was playful, and the dish had density and richness.A very impressive meal from start to finish. It was well-thought out and considered. I said it was probably better than Daniel, which to this point was one of the nicest meals I've ever had.

I'm all for spending large sums on fine dining, if that wasn't clear, but my impression of Jungsik was that the two star to three star jump was for reasons that aren't applicable to the dining experience.Although the food was excellent--refined while pushing boundaries--at times it was hard to separate Jungsik (***) from "a really nice restaurant in Tribeca." Waitstaff was passionate but one of the waiters we were interacting with most struck us as unpolished (same as Lina's February review).The decor gets rave reviews. I want to be very clear in saying this: the decor is that of "a really nice restaurant in Tribeca." I don't think it's appropriate to award three stars to a restaurant that lines its walls with booth seating and the tight table layouts that typify downtown restaurants. I question if there's any precedent for this at any of the other three star restaurants.When it comes down to it, the atmosphere or engagement of the experience didn't compare to any two star establishments that I've visited. Is this really on the same plane as Chicago's Oriole/Ever/Smyth? I would love to read more comparisons like this from other reviewers.

Third time is a charm I guess. This place felt like a different restaurant since my last visit. The vibe is a bit darker and warmer. More importantly, the food is much more focused on Korean flavors. Every time I went before it leaned French more so than Korean. This time around much of the menu had distinct Korean flavors. The service is also on point. If I have a minor quip it's their beverage selection. The cocktails are mediocre at best and the wine list is drastically overpriced even by NY standards. There are 3oz to 5oz pour options for some of the wines and they start at $100+ to 220+. Considering that an average bottle of wine is little over 25ozs that's an incredible markup. Basically one glass = whole bottle retail. The wine list is impressive but nothing much to actually pick out to drink.

Incredible food and extra special service for my birthday! We sat at the bar and really loved everything we ordered. Our cocktails were excellent. Highly recommend yellowtail bimbap, banchan, and scallop dishes. The chef sent us an extra octopus dish, a birthday dish of seaweed risotto (a take on the seaweed soup that is traditionally had in Korea on birthdays), and a signed menu with everything we ordered. We were also given some complimentary tequila to celebrate. We felt many of the dishes were a great value and loved our dinner here.

This was my first ever 3-Michelin star dining experience. I sat at the bar on a Saturday night. Service was great and on point throughout the meal. You can tell they focus a lot on your dining experience and making sure they're on top of everything. I got a bunch of the dishes off the a la carte menu, and everything was very tasty. Standouts to me were the galbi and the yellowtail kimbap. While the food was delicious, I don't know if I feel like I just ate at a 3-Michelin star establishment. I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting -- maybe I got my hopes up too high before coming in. Nothing was mind-blowing in terms of taste, creativity, or presentation. I feel like I should've at least felt something was above and beyond for this being a 3 MS restaurant. This felt like nothing more than just a good restaurant that you can experience in so many neighborhoods in NYC.

Came here for my bday and it was a phenomenal experience to say the least. They also make you super special with the cod piece on the house and seaweed like congee thing. Many pieces here do remind me of JUA in a way.Big big s/o to all the banchans!! Idk if I'd call them banchans but they were kinda like their own piece in a way and compliments one another. Here goes the tasting menu: Striped Jack 5/5: this is a perfect summer dish and reminds me of something I had at JUASquid 4.5/5: perfectly crispy on the outside and soft tender on the inside. Squid went rly well with the gochujang Scallop 5/5: big fat and juicy scallop with the squid ink rice was very delicious!! Artic char 5/5: the kimchi was the perfect balance to the cured dry aged fish - one of my faves for sure Yellowtail kimbap 5/5: this was where I got so full and it was so delicious still. Every bite of the kimbap you eat with the yellowtail piece was amazing Galbi 5/5: chefs kiss!! The Galbi was so tender and juicy and the perf pairing with the veggie After that we move into desserts: Omija 5/5: this was super refreshing and perf summer dessert Dolhareubang 4/5: this wasn't too impressive tbh Hoduwaga 4/5: this was more of an expected taste so nothing surprising? All in all was very impressed with each dish and you will leave here feeling stuffed after the many courses. I was least impressed with the dessert here but always rm for improvement right?

We went to Jungsik for the first time last week for dinner and were pleasantly surprised. The restaurant mastered the creation of classic Korean flavors with modern techniques. The ambience is sleek, simple but inviting and the service was excellent, very attentive. They definitely deserve their two Michelin stars. The meal started with a take on Banchan with several unique amuse bouches including wagyu beef tartare with truffle, gochujang amberjack, softball egg with seaweed, rice ball with squid and shrimp, and foie gras on top of Asian pear compote. Every item was excellent.Among the courses our favorite were the octopus and the galbi. The octopus was the best I have had anywhere, cooked to perfection, crispy on the outside and almost melting in your mouth on the inside. It paired very well with the gochujang sauce.This was a very enjoyable experience and we recommend giving Jungsik a try if you ever consider it!

It was my first time dining at a 2 star Korean Michelin restaurant and it was good. The service was great and the dishes were fine, but not exceptional. The ambiance is nice and cozy. I love the booths. If you've been to other Korean Michelin restaurants (specifically 1 Michelin star), you are not missing out on much. You get similar tasting menu such as the octopus, scallop, artic char, gimbap, banchan and galbi. I did enjoy their take on seaweed soup they brought out to recognize my birthday. They also lit a candle and wrote happy birthday on their main dessert plate.

I know, I know- it's a 2-star Michelin restaurant. But hear me out- we had a pretty rocky experience.Made reservations and traveled to NYC to celebrate our anniversary; at the recommendation of a colleague, we tried Jungsik. We were seated at the bar (that's on me- should have double checked I guess on the reservation). I didn't expect it to be so dark- like I could barely read my menu. When I asked if we could be moved to the dining room by chance, they said there weren't any spots available. I remarked on the darkness, and credit to the bartender for moving the light dimmer switch up (thank you!); but things got slightly awkward for a moment when another staff member stepped back and dimmed the lights- only for our bartended to gesture no. We were the only couple seated at the bar... so guess it was alright, since it was just us?We got out menus and I was a little confused... there wasn't any mention of the pre-fixe options. My friend had said that was the only option(?) When I asked- they provided a separate menu with the 15-course dinner. We ended up going with that option for the evening, and adding an extra with the bibimbap at our bartender's recommendation. (Skipping ahead- would not recommend bibimbap for extra $75; it was okay, but not worth the hike) When I visited the restroom, there are two neutral gender restrooms. My first walk-in was a bit unsavory; which felt like someone should've been servicing and checking them? I dunno... I mean, it's literally a Michelin star restaurant, but I'd honestly expect that at any decent restaurant. :-\Food was good- my favorite was the 5-course banchan at the beginning. It's plated beautifully and the flavors are phenomenal. We did experience a few more bumps in the evening, including when desert was brought out, while I was taking photos, they hastily took it back to the kitchen. Apparently a server wasn't sure if we should've received 3 items, instead of 2... but instead of asking a colleague first, she awkwardly removed and brought the same plate back.Overall- the night was still good- but not sure I would return on a following NYC trip. The city is full of high-quality restaurants and other Michelin star chefs.

What an amazing experience! We had such a pleasant time here, everything was great- food, service and attention to detail. My brother and friend were in town and wanted to experience Michelin dining in NYC, as well as celebrate my brother's birthday. All of the courses were well paced and every single item was great. There was nothing that we didn't like. Everything had a creative spin to it and the marriage of all of the flavors truly was a unique experience- never had korean food like this before. I also highly recommend getting the Dirty Shirley cocktail. It was sooooo good. Lastly, service was amazing. They were not pretentious at all, took great care of us, and had great banter.