Samwoojung
Korean restaurant · Chelsea ·
Korean barbecue specializing in flavorful bulgogi and soy-marinated crab
Korean barbecue specializing in flavorful bulgogi and soy-marinated crab
"If you’re overwhelmed by the options on this list, let us make things easier. Head to Samwoojung and eat beef. There’s other things on the menu at this Korean spot on 32nd St., but it’s a bulgogi house run by bulgogi specialists, so your choice is pretty much made. The bulgogi is different here than it is at other Korean BBQ spots in the area—it’s piled on a copper vessel, and cooked in a sweet and peppery soy broth at your table. It’s as good for a casual pre-Amtrak meal as it is for a dinner that’ll result in a slew of empty soju bottles, and a spur-of-the-moment ticket purchase to Madison Square Garden." - bryan kim, will hartman, willa moore, neha talreja, molly fitzpatrick
"This South Korean import now run by Hand Hospitality has a small menu curating some of the best iterations of each dish. Its specialty bulgogi (since its opening in 1963) is an old-school version with savory broth and vegetables. And the kimchi noodles in cold dongchimi (tangy kimchi brine) and beef broth are a perfect complement. The soy sauce crab is one of the best in the city: fresh, well seasoned, and served with seaweed bibimbap." - Caroline Shin
"This Korean-import restaurant in Chelsea specializes in bulgogi, and while they do indeed do beef very well, it’s the Icy Persimmon off the dessert menu that continues to make regular cameo appearances in our dreams. The frozen, half-dried fruit is served on a bed of soft, creamy ricotta and drizzled with honey. It’s simple yet stunning, and—the three magic words—not too sweet." - carina finn koeppicus, molly fitzpatrick, bryan kim, willa moore, will hartman, sonal shah
"From the minimal signage at Samwoojung, you wouldn’t likely guess that pounds and pounds of marinated meat are getting a makeover right inside. But step into this Korean restaurant in Chelsea, and you’ll find every table equipped with a burner, and every burner piled with thinly sliced beef. Samwoojung has been a bulgogi specialist in Seoul since 1963, and when you go their outpost near Penn Station, that’s what you should focus your attention on too. Brought to the US by Hand Hospitality (the group behind hits like Atomix and Ariari), Samwoojung makes a slightly different style of bulgogi than what you might find at Korean BBQ spots around the city. Instead of being grilled hot and fast, the meat is piled on a copper vessel, topped with cabbage, mushrooms, noodles, and scallions, and then cooked in a sweet and peppery soy broth at your table. The result is as perfect for a casual weeknight meal as it is for a get-together that might result in a slew of empty bottles and a spur-of-the-moment ticket purchase to Madison Square Garden. photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte Pause Unmute The warmly lit, split-level space is alive with small groups of soju drinkers, who laugh louder and louder as the evening progresses, and servers constantly trying to figure out how fast you will eat your bulgogi, and how much they should tend to it accordingly. This is not a foolproof experience. Sometimes a server visits every other minute, to the point where you begin thinking your beef might just need a moment alone. Other times it feels like they've forgotten all about you, and your meats must fend for themselves. If the menu at Samwoojung were the cast of a third grade talent show, the bulgogi would be the teacher’s pet. Other dishes are good—some are even excellent—but the paper-thin beef steals the show from the moment your server turns the grill on. Even if things like red shrimp pancake or galbi catch your eye, we’d recommend committing to copious amounts of marinated meat above all else. photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte Pause Unmute The only non-beef thing you shouldn’t skip? The creamy, just-sweet-enough, frozen persimmon for dessert. Turns out these bulgogi specialists have some hidden expertise with the gooey orange fruit too. Food Rundown Banchan There will always be kimchi and ssamjang on your table, but the rest of the banchan varies—on different occasions we’ve had mackerel, braised tofu, and garlic cucumber kimchi. If a bowl of braised tofu vanishes before your bulgogi even arrives, don’t worry, someone will soon replenish it from the refrigerated banchan case. photo credit: Kate Previte Bulgogi Samwoojung’s bulgogi is priced by weight (from $39 for 400g, to $79 for 850g). This pile of raw meat, seasoned with soy and bamboo salt, cooks right before your eyes, along with cabbage, mushrooms, noodles, scallions, and rice cakes. Most bites are brothy, but some get just a little crispy, which keeps your giant meat mound very interesting. Towards the end, eggs are cracked into the broth. Save room for your egg. photo credit: Kate Previte Abalone If you order one thing besides the bulgogi, make it the abalone. It’s sweet and chewy, topped with pine nuts, and served alongside a small portion of bibimbap made from mixing rice with the abalone intestines. You will find yourself eating up every speck of pine nut you leave behind. Make it fast, though. Your bulgogi is probably just about ready. photo credit: Kate Previte Crab Eating raw marinated crab takes time. So when a bowl of soy-marinated crab and a pair of plastic gloves land on your table at the same time as your bulgogi, you’re bound to feel a little overwhelmed. Eat crab another time, or maybe on your second visit. photo credit: Kate Previte Red Shrimp Little red shrimp in a pancake. A lovely bite along with some soju. Not necessary, but lovely. photo credit: Kate Previte Kkakdugi Fried Rice This is a perfectly pleasant kimchi fried rice, but when you’re gearing up to eat banchan, rice, and bulgogi, extra rice just isn’t necessary. photo credit: Kate Previte Persimmon Full of beef, you might be inclined to skip dessert. Don’t. This persimmon is skinned and frozen, bathed in honey, and served on top of a little bed of creamy ricotta. It is absolutely and unassumingly magnificent, and you should not share. Order one per person at your table. photo credit: Kate Previte" - Willa Moore
"A bulgogi-focused spot by Hand Hospitality replicating a classic Seoul institution that first opened in 1963, bringing those flavors to Koreatown." - Emma Orlow