Sinsa
Wine bar · East Village ·
Korean American wine bar with fusion small plates & craft cocktails
Korean American wine bar with fusion small plates & craft cocktails
"At Sinsa, rice cakes bulk up a galbi bourguignon alongside potatoes, using tteok to add a chewy starch element to a meat-and-potato braise." - Bettina Makalintal
"An East Village Korean spot participating in a trend of sourcing locally made makgeolli as part of a broader move to diversify beverage programs." - Bettina Makalintal
"Dry-aged and salt-cured fluke is set in a striking chogochujang sauce is perhaps the first clue that something is afoot at this East Village wine bar. The credit belongs to a talented team that puts considerably more oomph and thought into a short, playful, Korean-inspired menu. Truffle gim risotto with mushrooms, donkatsu au poivre with lemon herb rice, and galbi bourguignon with crispy rice cakes deliver flavor and flair in spades. Everything is designed to be shared, except maybe dessert. Granita with candied Asian pear and date crème fraiche is an elegantly refreshing send-off you’ll want all to yourself. The room itself is a simple one with wine bottles lining the sides, and friendly servers keeping pace." - MICHELIN Guide
"Sinsa is sister to Rice Thief, one of our Best New Restaurants of 2024. And like its Astoria sibling, this East Village wine bar is a good choice for a night out with friends, with shareable plates and soju and rice-wine-based cocktails. It’s also a pleasant place to linger, especially if you’re seated within sight of the long brick gallery wall, decorated with sweeping landscapes and at least one portrait of a horse. The food here is less traditional than at Rice Thief, but it’s still exciting, and for the most part works quite nicely. Instead of raw marinated seafood, there’s an emphasis on fusion-y dishes like a donkatsu au poivre, or a play on caesar salad with funky-sweet candied anchovies. Food Rundown The Boat This romaine salad incorporates ground, charred shishito peppers into its creamy dressing for a subtle smoke and sweetness. They should bag and sell the candied anchovies because they’d make an excellent afternoon snack. photo credit: Sinsa Rice Thief A nod to Sinsa’s sister restaurant, this luxe starter features uni, marinated red shrimp that’s sweet and tender, a quail egg, and tiny bursts of tobiko. It’s very nice, though the portion feels a bit small for $37. photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick Southern KFC Outstanding. The breading on the buttermilk-brined fried chicken fractures into crunchy, cornflake-like shards with every bite, and pairs perfectly with a side of smoky gochugaru ranch. photo credit: Sinsa Donkatsu Au Poivre Though it took a few bites for our brain to adjust to the almost-familiar, not-quite au poivre, this juicy pork cutlet submerged in a doenjang soy pepper sauce—and topped with a refreshing cucumber salad—is quite good, and a successful handshake between unexpected flavors. photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick Duk-Galbi Bourgignon The short rib is a little on the tough side, and you may find yourself longing for the typical sweetness of galbi, rather than this slightly uncanny in-between. Sinsa Granita This complex shaved ice with candied pear, green apple, and pink peppercorns is tart, floral, and refreshing, though we wish there were even more dollops of date crème fraîche. photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick" - Molly Fitzpatrick
"A Korean American wine bar in the East Village positioned as a night-out spot rather than a home-style restaurant: owner Richard Jang says it’s “mixed in with contemporary foods from growing up and eating in New York City.” Compared with his Long Island City restaurant, this location is dark and loungy, with nooks well-suited for dates or lingering with friends over a bottle of wine. The kitchen riffs on bistro classics with clear references to Korean flavors and New York sensibilities: a short rib bourguignon prepared with a soy marinade and crispy rice cakes; donkatsu given an au poivre treatment; and a Caesar salad that riffs with creamy shishito dressing and candied anchovies. The menu also nods to Rice Thief’s origins — the ghost-kitchen beginnings are acknowledged — though here raw seafood is topped with caviar, signaling a more elevated, late-night wine-bar approach." - Bettina Makalintal