Joo Ok

All 110 rated mentions, most helpful first

postA week of dining out in NYC174 pts
“10/10 It might be my new favorite Korean fine dining experiences in NYC. A perfect balance of pungent & subtle flavors through a tasting menu that doesn’t shy one bit from being Korean. Exceptional meal throughout without a single miss.”
H2
postBest bite you had in 2025?71 pts
“The way the jelly melts in your mouth coating the bite with a perfect balance of savoriness & sweetness. Divine!”
H2
postbirthday dinner @ joo ok ⭐️32 pts
“i celebrated my birthday at joo ok last week and it’s by far one of my favorite korean tasting menus! can see how it got its 1 star - super fresh and seasonal ingredients, and a really interesting take on traditional korean cuisine.”
H2
postJoo-ok24 pts
“The food was really good. The value for the meal is great at $180 this is a good choice for a upscale dinner night out.”
H2
in:Bōm or Joo Ok?14 pts
“I was plenty satisfied with the quantity of food at Joo ok, but I thought bom gave a bit more food overall.”
H2
in:Visiting from SF Bay Area, looking for food unique to NYC10 pts
“I think you should give Joo Ok a try for fine dining. I know the Bay has 2 Korean Michelin restaurants, but neither of them are able to fuse fine dining and Korean and still be so unapologetically Korean.”
H2
in:First time in NYC. Are we missing something on our 7 day trip?6 pts
“I personally prefer Joo Ok because it's more korean oriented”
H2
in:What's a restaurant you've eaten at recently that truly blew you away?5 pts
replying to u/DinerEnBlanc: Joo ok. Never have I had a tasting menu that was so unapologetically Korea. I do Korean fine dining pretty frequently, and often times they’re more western fine dining with a Korean twist than anything else. Joo ok didn’t shy away from its roots one bit. I seldom eat at the same place when it some to elevated restaurants, but I went to Joo ok 4 times last year.
“It is also the cleanest restaurant I’ve ever encountered. If they sat me and asked me to eat off the floor, I wouldn’t blink. Fantastic staff too”
H2
in:Recommendations3 pts
“Within said price point could be Jua or the excellent Joo-Ok.”
H2
in:Question about Joo Ok's Smart Casual Dress code policy3 pts
“Enjoy your meal, it’s wonderful there and the service is great”
H2
in:Oiji Ma vs. Joo Ok2 pts
“we didn't care for it. possibly the flavor profiles were just very subtle and we didn't appreciate it as much as others.”
H2
in:Xmas Eve and 3 nights in NYC2 pts
replying to u/Extcy_2014: Joo-ok worth a visit? How does it compare to Atomix pure enjoyment
“I thought Joo Ok started off stronger than atomix but some of their main dishes were average and their last Wagyu dish didn’t make too much sense to me.”
H2
in:jua, oiji mi, or huso for 40th bday?2 pts
“My preference of the bunch is Joo-Ok but I prefer fun takes on traditional food there”
H2
postA week of dining out in NYC1 pts
“10/10 It might be my new favorite Korean fine dining experience in NYC. An excellent tasting menu that doesn’t shy from being Korean. A perfect balance both pungent and subtle flavors. Not a single course missed.”
H2
in:Foxface natural, Aquavit, 63 clinton, Musket room or other?1 pts
replying to u/Filipesfattire: Musket Room isn’t worth it IMO, there were some nice highlights but in the end my wife and I didn’t think it was worth the price tag.
“did not think it was close to worth it or even that good.”
H2
in:birthday dinner @ joo ok ⭐️1 pts
replying to u/immortal_and_free: We went late last year, anticipating a price hike after Michelin announcements (looks like they haven't increased prices yet, but will after May 15th). This was a solid 1 star for us. Though I was expecting more seasonal menu change (every picture you have here, we also had something very similar). Do they still come out with a dessert cart? That was the weakest part for us, but only because those snacks were similar to stuff we ate growing up in Asia.
“we had the dessert cart too (all handmade by the chef’s wife?), i enjoyed it but was also super full by that point🤣”
H2
in:Noksu vs Traif & Corima, or third option?1 pts
“I'd do Joo Ok over Noksu. Similar price point, but Joo Ok leans so hard into Korean cuisine, beyond your typical Korean fine dining.”
H2
in:Have $1000 for 2- where do I go?1 pts
“The food and service are excellent.”
H2
in:If you could have just one dish, from one restaurant...1 pts
“Perilla oil dish at Joo Ok. Classic, beautiful korean flavor.”
H2
in:New spots for an old NYCer?0 pts
“Check out Joo Ok. The chef literally moved his 2 Michelin star restaurant from Seoul to Manhattan. Not just opened a branch. Moved! Lost the stars as a result. But earned them in NYC again in a couple of years!”
H2
in:A week of dining out in NYC-5 pts
“my most disappointing meal maybe ever for higher end restaurants . ..but maybe it'd because a.lot.og.flavors are very subtle... Everyone in our party felt the same ..it was just, eh”
H2
postEating out a lot in NYC (A not-not review)191 pts
“I’m please to say it’s still as enjoyable as I remembered. Still one of my favorite fine dining experiences in NYC, freight elevator and all.”
H1
in:Have $1000 for 2- where do I go?45 pts
“Joo ok or Atomix”
H1
in:Asian folx: are you dining at Cesar?43 pts
“if you’re still interested in Fine Dining, the newly reward 2* Joo Ok hasn’t released their tables for the second half of December yet.”
H1
in:Joo-Ok. 2 Star Michelin from Seoul now here in NYC41 pts
“They just opened 2 months ago and the food was ridiculously good.”
H1
postHoliday Dining not-not reviews26 pts
“it’s currently my favorite fine dining experience in NYC. The menu is unapologetically Korean.”
H1
in:Anyone else feel like K-Town isn't quite the same as it used to be?20 pts
“cdg, nonono, lysee, okdongsik (kind of), seoul salon, hojokban, moono, jua and joo ok are all good to great.”
H1
in:Kochi NYC: in what universe is this Korean?18 pts
“I do think there are better elevated Korean spots at around this price point now though (Joo-Ok and Oiji Mi come to mind)”
H1
in:What's a restaurant you've eaten at recently that truly blew you away?15 pts
“Joo ok. Never have I had a tasting menu that was so unapologetically Korea.”
H1
in:NYC has a new 3 star restaraunt13 pts
“Their food was wonderful.”
H1
in:Best Japanese or Korean one star Michelin restaurant?10 pts
“Jua, Joo Ok and Bom!”
H1
in:Joo-Ok. 2 Star Michelin from Seoul now here in NYC9 pts
replying to u/moogleiii: And? Worth it?
“extremely worth it as it was one of my favorite meals of the year if not my favorite.”
H1
in:What disappointed you recently?7 pts
“Joo-Ok, Kochi, Mari, and Oiji Mi do a pretty great job with high end Korean at fairly reasonable price points for the caliber of food you're getting.”
H1
in:Where to eat a $500 dinner?7 pts
replying to u/permateal: Atomix is possibly the best meal in the US, but is very difficult to get a res at and might have some foods your husband isn't a huge fan of. Per Se is fantastic though, not necessarily the best dollar-to-food ratio, but the overall experience is unbeatable imo.
“If korean, I’d rather go for Jungsik or Joo Ok”
H1
in:Other restaurants like Family Meal at Blue Hill6 pts
“recently tried Joo ok which also fits the bill”
H1
in:New-ish dinner that has blown you away ($$-$$$ range)5 pts
“Foxface, Joo Ok, Noksu (not so new anymore but only like 1.5 years old), Cervos, Penny, Smithereens”
H1
in:Best Japanese or Korean one star Michelin restaurant?5 pts
replying to u/Ok-Sundae8506: Jua, Joo Ok and Bom!
“Joo Ok was amazing!”
H1
in:First time in NYC in over a decade, looking for Michelin recs5 pts
“Joo-ok and ask for a window seat. You'll have a pretty good look at the empire state.”
H1
in:Prettiest/most impressive looking high end restaurants in Manhattan or Brooklyn?5 pts
“Joo ok has awesome views.”
H1
in:NYT Top Restaurants 2026 - Full List (#10-1 added)5 pts
replying to u/TheFlyingBoat: I am stunned by Sushi Sho not being rated in the top 10 and Jungsik being rated all the way back at 41. My top 2 in the city easily. I get the list is more of a measure for places that exceed expectations, but when expectations are sky high and somehow met, surely you should reward that as well. But at the end of the day, taking this list for what it is, I think they generally highlight places that deserve highlight well and am grateful to them for doing so. I will say it is harder to find general throughlines in the ranking order of the list than it was in the lists of like 2024 or 2023, but hey, so long as places that deserve hype get it and stay open, I am a happy duck
“The real travesty for me is leaving out Joo ok, my preferred Korean fine dining resto.”
H1
in:Question about Joo Ok's Smart Casual Dress code policy5 pts
“Was just there last night. It is excellent.”
H1
in:Holiday Dining not-not reviews4 pts
“Joo Ok is fantastic. It’s only gotten better too.”
H1
in:Ha’s Snack Bar is my favorite new restaurant of 20243 pts
replying to u/CabassoG: Made a long post about it a while back. Joo-ok. Partially depends on how much they'll raise their prix fixe.
“Loved it!”
H1
in:Oiji Ma vs. Joo Ok3 pts
“I also loved Joo Ok.”
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in:Oiji Ma vs. Joo Ok3 pts
“Go to Joo Ok over Oiji Mi.”
H1
in:New-ish dinner that has blown you away ($$-$$$ range)3 pts
replying to u/nippyhedren: Foxface, Joo Ok, Noksu (not so new anymore but only like 1.5 years old), Cervos, Penny, Smithereens
“We had a fantastic meal at Joo Ok right after they opened, highly recommended.”
H1
in:ia jua nyc work it?3 pts
replying to u/DinerEnBlanc: Yes. Oiji Mi and Joo ok are good alternatives if you’re looking for similar options. The former is a little cheaper and the latter is a little more expensive.
“Yes joo ok was good!”
H1
in:Thoughts on NYC Itinerary (Luthun / Atomix / Aquavit / Torrisi / Joo Ok / Four Horsemen / Bangkok Supper Club)?3 pts
“I don’t think it’s necessarily worth doing Joo Ok when you already have Atomix that just blows it out of the water.”
H1
in:Noksu vs Traif & Corima, or third option?3 pts
replying to u/carnimiriel: Noksu is fantastic and Chef Jing is great. I had a horrible meal at Corima, so I never recommend it. I enjoyed Traif but their food can be a mixed bag and it's definitely not the same level of experience as you would get at Noksu.
“Some other tasting menus that I've enjoyed are Jua, Joo Ok, Yingtao and Huso.”
H1
in:Prettiest/most impressive looking high end restaurants in Manhattan or Brooklyn?3 pts
replying to u/heywhatsuphello29: Aska is amazing and the restaurant vibes are really intimate and dark. Joo ok has awesome views. Saga has amazing views and feels lush.
“I'm a fan of both Aska and Joo ok (haven't made it to Saga yet).”
H1