Joo Ok

Perched on the 16th floor of a Koreatown building, Joo Ok brings a slice of Seoul to Manhattan with an experience that’s as much about atmosphere as it is about the food. The space is designed to evoke a traditional Korean home, with stark white walls and deep-set windows framing the city skyline. Watching the Empire State Building glow against a darkening sky while you dine is the kind of moment that makes the splurge feel worthwhile.

The heart of the experience is an 11-course tasting menu that takes Korean flavors and applies them to premium ingredients in unexpectedly delightful ways. What stands out isn’t necessarily the luxury items like caviar or wagyu—it’s the supporting players that steal the show. A pine nut sauce accompanying the lobster course is so hauntingly good that you’ll find yourself wishing you could bottle it. The broths and sauces throughout demonstrate real mastery, whether it’s a smoked pumpkin-infused preparation for squid and uni or the delicate perilla seed oil that elevates geoduck.

Over the course of three hours, you’ll move through a parade of vegetable and seafood-focused dishes that feel both refined and surprising. The kitchen clearly knows how to work with high-end ingredients, but they’re at their best when showcasing simpler elements with Korean technique. There’s ambition here that rivals spots like Atomix, even if it doesn’t quite reach those heights of culinary transcendence.

Joo Ok is built for celebration—birthdays, anniversaries, or any occasion that calls for dropping serious cash in a beautiful room. Come for the views, stay for that pine nut sauce, and leave having experienced one of Koreatown’s most distinctive dining destinations.