Joo Ok serves a refined, inventive Korean 11-course tasting menu with farm-fresh ingredients and stunning 16th-floor city views in a minimalist hanok-inspired space.
"This 16th-floor Koreatown restaurant, from the team behind Jua, Moono and Ariari, gives you just about everything you want from pricey, special tasting—with a killer view of the Empire State Building to sweeten the deal. Eleven courses feature a range of unexpected little vegetable and seafood-forward dishes. A tiny bowl of poached lobster is a highlight, but not because of the lobster. That’s just a vehicle for a frothy, sweet, and intensely nutty sauce made from pine nuts grown upstate. The colorful dessert cart is a nice little touch." - bryan kim, willa moore, neha talreja, molly fitzpatrick
"In 2024, Chef-owner Chang-ho Shin hauled Joo Ok, his entire Michelin-starred operation — from staff to ferments — to Koreatown. That includes his farm-to-table philosophy, and he’s partnered with an upstate New York farm to grow Korean staples like perilla that’ll make their way into the $180 11-course tasting menu. Shin has a laser focus on the Korean palate, and his doenjang, ganjang, gochujang, pine nut cream and perilla oil are spectacular. The hand-cranked elevator that takes you to an airy and zen foyer is an added plus." - Caroline Shin
"This one-starred Seoul import from Chang-ho Shin resides on the 16th floor of a Koreatown building; the minimalist spot starts at $180 for an 11-course menu." - Eater Staff
"A Korean restaurant accessible via freight elevator, known for its modern take on traditional dishes like jat jeup chae and makgeolli bread with eel." - MICHELIN Guide
"A Korean tasting menu restaurant that is a newcomer with one Michelin star." - Melissa McCart
