Jungsik
“The octopus in ssamjang aioli was tender perfection, and with the slightest hint of salinity.”
“Jungsik is absolutely on par and it shouldn't be a surprise given it's 2 Michelin stars.”
“I didn't do the tasting menu when I went and opted to order a la carte, but I definitely want to go back and try it!”
Jungsik
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$$ Price range Above $61
8 reviews
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So good and filling too. A great balance across all plates and dishes. Jungsik is an amazing artist and his restaurant is def worth the experience. The price was more than worth it as well !
Came to Jungsik last summer for dinner. Not every day you get to try a 2-Michelin starred Korean restaurant, but this is more of a Modern American restaurant with a nod to Korean cuisine.
1. The set of amuse-bouches to start the meal was one of my favorites in recent memory. There were little nods to Korean street food like fish balls, kimchi rice spoons, and Korean fried chicken pops, as well as more unique bites like smoked eel creme "cigars" and wagyu wrapped in gruyere cheese. Since amuse-bouches are meant to be an introduction to the chef's style, this was a good sign that a special meal was on the way.
2. Langoustine meat set in a sort of custard topped with osetra caviar was excellent. These sorts of ingredients are perfectly fine on their own, and you wonder if a combination is really necessary… but then you taste it and everything mixes together perfectly. It's dishes like these that are making me love langoustine more and more.
3. Breaded scallop, uni sauce, uni, yuzu jelly, and assorted vegetables. We didn't know coming in that this would be a seafood-forward menu, but at this point we weren't complaining. The breading on one side of the scallop was a nice touch in place of a normal sear, and the uni.. well I just can't say no when you throw some uni on my plate.
4. Fried oysters with squid ink, with seaweed sauce and pickled vegetables. The squid ink crust was so thick and dark that I couldn't get a good picture of this dish… they just looked like black blobs. BUT, as for the taste: if you've ever had that moment when you taste a dish for the first time, and you and your partner immediately give each other "that look"… this was one of those dishes. Possibly the best oyster dish I've ever had and one of my favorite dishes of all time. They could have put this dish on the tasting menu 3 times in a row and I wouldn't have complained at all.
5. Crispy octopus with assorted veggies. A single leg of octopus – perfect crisp on the outside and tender meat within. No chewiness to be found.
6. Crispy red snapper – the scales are left on and crisped along with the skin. Interesting take on a fairly common dish.
7. Wagyu-mushroom congee/broth. Umami overload? The wagyu flavor doesn't come out too much in the broth, but very good nonetheless.
8. Miyeukgook – this was a little bonus just for my girlfriend since it was her birthday. I snuck a bite in though!
9. Wagyu tenderloin with potatoes and mushrooms – at this point I have to applaud Jungsik for giving us wagyu in three separate dishes along with caviar and langoustine, with zero up-charge. In NY it's all too common for these to be options that carry up to a $100 price tag.
10. Lemon olive sorbet with kalamata olives. These days we have all sorts of flavors in our desserts, including olive oil.. actual olives were a new one for me, though.
11. Desserts – mont blanc and corn creme brulee. Corn flavor definitely came through on the creme brulee – will have to try replicating this one at home.
12. Petit fours – these come out in a three-layered dumpling basket with a potted tree on the top level. Very unique presentation that ties the meal together in a really memorable way. There were 6 different types in our basket, including green tea mochi, macarons, moon cakes, and a rice bowl made of chocolate.
In terms of fine dining, Jungsik deserves to be up there alongside the 3-Michelin starred restaurants in NY, and I wouldn't be too surprised to see it get there in the next few years.
We visited this restaurant on Valentine's day and LOVED it. Jungsik has unique korean influenced dishes that you will not be able to find anywhere else in the city. The tasting menu for Valentine's day had a diverse mix of dishes and I left satisfied and impressed.
The ambiance of the restaurant is comfortable and romantic. I loved the light fixtures in restaurant. The staff is friendly and helpful. I did not feel much pretentiousness you feel in some high-end restaurants. Our waitress was super helpful and awesome as well.
The food is amazing. The galbi, the truffle fried rice, the fatty tuna appetizer, the Cod, and the dessert chocolates were among the most memorable. A bunch of other dishes were included in the Valentine's day tasting menu that we got to try. I will try some of the other dishes the next time we go there.
I liked that at the end of the meal they gave us a copy of the menu in case you forgot what you ate. I also thought it was great and unique that we went on the fiance's birthday (which happens to also be on valentine's day so yay for 1 gift for 2 special occasions) that they brought out a seaweed dish that is traditional for Korean birthdays.
An amazing culinary experience is the best way to describe it. The food, the atmosphere, the service all plays together to make a fantastic dinner.
My friend took me here for dinner ( reservations are very much recommended) and ushered into the lovely dining room. How nice! It's very light and airy inside and has a wonderful ambiance to it.
To the actual food / drinks:
Cocktails: While I am always up for drinking a nice glass of wine with food, I highly recommend everyone coming here to try their delicate cocktails. A lot of work and effort goes into their cocktails and I would have happily tried any one of them. I did try the Rose cocktail with blackberry and it was wonderfully presented and tasted delicious. Highly recommend a cocktail here before going onto wine.
My friend and I tried the tasting menu. While my own personal budget may not always allow me to try tasting menus anywhere, I can see why people do it. You'll be quite delighted with all the food you'll be presented with, and sometimes it's such a tease to have something you love to eat come only in a small bite.
I do have to say some standouts:
-Amuse Bouche: Complimentary amuse bouche – it was delicious, delicate and I wanted more. My favorite was the uni in a little seaweed cup. Wonderful!
-Abalone – Very hearty – Abalone always has a very meat-like texture and this did not disappoint. I really wanted more of it.
-Crispy red snapper – The fish is very well seasoned, but the best was pairing it with the bread. It seemed odd at first that they offered bread in the middle of a course, but make no mistake, the bread with the fish is delicious.
Highly recommend to come here for a special occasion. My friend had recommended to me that this was not a jeans place, and I would like to repeat that same advice to everyone here.
I don't think any review could do justice to the amazing dining experience I had at Jungsik. I wish I can just give a 5/5 and write one word — "heavenly".
Well anyways, at Jungsik, you expect 2 Michelin star venue, decor, and service, and yes, that criteria was more than fulfilled.
What I was curious to find out was what a Korean-inspired fine dining experience would be like. And man… was I blown away. Every dish was otherworldly. Perfection. From the exquisite ban chan, to the seafood and land dishes, to the rice/noodle dishes, to the dessert. So… freaking… GOOD!
Amazing. A well deserved two Michelin star restaurant. The decor and presentation was perfect, the food was amazing and staff pleasant. Perhaps too pleasant without all of the pomp I had anticipated, but maybe a little casual is okay.
I think I would suggest ordering not the prix fixe, but instead two appetizers, must include sea urchin, one meat or fish, galbi was best I've ever had (small portion size) and a dessert, the rose is the best dessert.
I did have the octopus which was good but not amazing. The lobster was fine but would recommend to try something else.
Overall, I was very impressed.
2 Michelin Stars? 4.5 Yelp Stars.
I was reading an article about how non-European or non-American cuisine is rarely found in the form of fine dining outside of their respective countries. (Which is true.) But then you stumble onto a spot like Jungsik – one of the few 2 Michelin star spots in NYC and the counterpart to its Seoul sister. (lol, see what I did there?)
One clarifying thing: the service is absolutely five stars. The experience is five stars. Fine dining is real and its two Michelin stars are well deserved. Why is it 4.5? While the food is beautiful and good, there was just something missing that didn't take it over to my 5 star land.
The tasting menu is absolutely amazing but I do note that you don't have to order it. Ordering dishes a la carte are equally as effective and you get to save a little bit. The tasting menu provides an overwhelming amount of well-made small bites that.impress and fill. Each dish here is a piece of art and made with pain-staking attention to detail.
The sea urchin was probably my favorite dish. It had the right amount of creaminess and was well balanced by the scallion, microgreen onions, and rice. It changed the tone of the meal for me. As did the fried oyster in the early part of the sampler.
If you are into unique and comprehensive dining experiences, go to Jungsik. It's worth the price and time.
Jungsik is Korean inspired fine dining with very delicate flavors. The highlight of the meal was textures more than strong flavors, which was surprising from other Korean food I've had in the past. If you are looking for a something different than your typical French fine dining experience, Jungsik is a great option.
I was lucky enough to be taken here for my birthday. My husband and I did the tasting menu and I added the wine pairing. If you don't eat certain things, they can easily fix the dishes to meet your dietary needs. For instance, I don't eat beef and they were able to use soft-shelled crab in the rice dish instead.
Highlights from our meal included:
— Scallop with Korean Pepper Paste – This scallop was huge and insanely tender and flavorful. It had a nice crust on the outside.
–Octopus – Very crisp on the outside but smooth and tender inside. It was probably the best preparation of octopus I've ever had.
–Crispy Snapper – The fish scales were cooked by spooning hot oil back onto the fish. So much crunch! This sounds weird, but it was the star of the meal.
–Mon Blanc – A chestnut mousse cake that was super light and fluffy with not too much sweetness
–Corn Crème brûlée – This was weird, but really good. Nice caramelization on top with creamy vanilla and a hint of fresh corn.
The wine pairing was on point and even had some surprises like a Korean version of sake that was slightly sweet and delicious. The server was very knowledgeable and made suggestions for substitutions for things I didn't eat. He also explained some of the cooking methods when asked.
The only disappointment was despite my husband telling them it was my birthday, we didn't get an acknowledgement or anything. Usually at a fine dining restaurant they make you feel special and do a little something. I'd read in other reviews that they do here too, but I guess we got skipped over.
Everything was incredibility delicious and delicate. I hope to go back someday. This place isn't cheap. I'd better start saving now.