Barn Joo

Fantastic. Beautiful. The seafood noodles tasted like Heaven. I’ve been living in New York for a year now, and this restaurant by far has made the most lasting impression. Food was so flavorful. The staff understood that we were in a rush and were incredibly kind about making our meals faster. What a wonderful experience!

The food was incredible. The drinks were delicious. The service was a little slow, despite eating at the bar, but it was ok because they made up of it with the quality of the drinks. The music was THE BEST!!! Can’t wait to get back soon. PS: we had the rib eye bibimbap and a cold-​served fish bowl (don’t remember the name and can’t find it on the menu online)

The oyster $ 1 special, along with happy hour drinks makes this an awesome spot for after work!

This is a great place for Korean fusion food in the area. They have happy hour from 4−7pm with many drinks and appetizers at a discounted price (~$ 6 – 8). Plus they have $ 1 oysters!
My friends and I came here on a Thursday night. We had made a reservation for 8 people at 6pm but even though we were a little late for our reservation, they were very accommodating and brought us to our table. They separate the dinner section (upstairs) from the happy hour section (downstairs). The only difference is that the dinner section doesn’t have access to the same happy hour specials as downstairs. But if you’re seated up there, you can spin the wheel when you walk in and win a free something (usually fries or kimchi or some other appetizer).
Food wise, I really like their fusion items. They have spicy pork tacos, truffle bulgogi, uni bibimbap, and more. I had $ 1 oysters, soy garlic wings, and a Persephone’s Choice drink from the happy hour menu and a spicy seafood japchae from the dinner menu. Everything was really delicious and filling.
I also just really like the atmosphere here — it’s casual and great for big groups. Plus there’s a speakeasy downstairs if you’re down for more drinks after your meal! I’d definitely come back again if I’m in the area.

This place just isn’t good compared to the other Korean spots in that area. The kimchi fried rice was served with mozzarella? WTF is that about. The pork belly tasted like paint, mushy and poorly cooked.
The chicken wings were very good. And the duck bun was good but that could be masted by a short bus window licker.
Go to HanJan on 26^th instead.

Since this place got rave reviews from friends, I decided to give it a try upon passing by. «I heard the uni bimbimbap was to die for,» I told my date, giving her the impression I knew what I was talking about. It was a gamble, and lucky for me, it paid off, because their cocktail menu was dope. Try the Serrano Pepper Margarita if you like some spice in your drink, ya won’t regret it. She got the Elder-​Fashioned, a bourbon with orange bitters. Love that they give you the option to be classy, here.
I tend to dislike straight up Asian cuisine (except for Thai, mmm), so bless their hearts, this place’s fusion and chill– a gastropub with a delectable, delightful menu. Farm fresh kimchi bacon pancakes? Yes, plz, kthx. The Uni Bimbimbap I tantalized her with earlier was great, luckily, not too dry and had a combination of ingredients I would call experimental– who puts quinoa in bimbimbap– but it was still tasty. Mouthfeel was interesting.
There’s mozzarella cheese in the Kimchi fried rice. Now THAT was dope. Don’t even gotta get rabokki for that cheesy fix. Korean food purists, this might offend, but you have options in K-​town or whatever.
Unfortunately, since I was on a date, I didn’t get to try the tacos– You can never look cool eating ‘em. But next time I drop by solo, I’m going to the bulgogi tacos and see how they stack up against Oaxaca’s in Park Slope. And Oaxaca’s in Mexico.
Service was great and attentive, despite the crowd.

This place is da bomb diggity. I loved the chill vibe and everything we ordered was mighty delicious.
— Scallion pancakes: I usually go for kimchi but this was a good twist on the traditional Korean pancake. Spinach, zucchini, mushrooms make for a good mix. Get your veggies in here.
— Drunken mussels: I have sky high standards for clams and these babies hit the mark. They were soooo fresh (think Gigi Hadid’s booday, in edible form). The bacon gave it a great smokey flavor. Coming back just for this dish.
— Uni bibimbap: uni and salmon roe over rice. You can’t fuck it up.
— Shaved ice: looks like a bap, but tastes like shaved ice. Those little fried mochi balls are my new favorite things. Stellar presentation, creative use of ingredients. Ten points for Gryffindor.

Walked in but evidently the host forgot to register my name in their system when we walked in so was seated after calling that out (by this point even the people who arrived after were all seated)
Food isn’t traditional Korean as they have a bit of odd mix of cuisine’s –taco’s? Not so Korean. But I guess the whole concept is restaurant that’s more happy hour/​drink crowd driven. The chicken wings were really good but then again nothing out of the ordinary if you’re already a fan of Korean style chicken wings.
The bar was loud with very small number of seats but I thought the staff was very friendly. A friend and I went in so we ended up splitting our bill — we thankfully realized that the cards were both charged the full amount vs. half– which reminds me I should check my bank account to make sure I wasnt over charged.
May come back if they had more Korean food selection, I was hoping for a good Korean dishes so that’s most likely the reason why I won’t be returning for that but maybe for drinks.

The burger is kind of not that good, but I like the tacos? Also that fries dip makes up for the lackluster entrees. Patty is dry despite having a wet sauce on it. I guess the juxtaposition of the wet sauce and the dry patty makes it even more of a stark contrast. My friend does enjoy the japchae here however.

Great fusion Korean food, okay service. Read some reviews where you got to spin the wheel? They offered nothing of that.
A friend and I went during lunch time. He got the japchae and said it was bomb. I got the uni bibimbap and it was great-can’t really go wrong with an uni dish, unless you don’t like uni of course. Didn’t care much for the seaweed purée though, it was too gritty and didn’t offer anything extra taste wise for me. Lunch comes with soup or salad according to the menu, but the food didn’t come served with it until I asked about it.
The ambience is upgraded chill casual and the price matches these vibes. However the service was subpar.

One of my favorite Korean spots to eat at. The venue is very decretive, a lot of lights but a dim setting sorta thing. As for the food, this place has one of the best Bibimbap dishes. The other places I’ve been to, usually serves their Bibimbap a little overcooked and dry but this one was very tasteful. We also had the the fried soy garlic dumplings and they were amazing. Wish they served more than a quantity of 4.
I do recommend this place, if I lived closer I would definitely hit the spot up on the daily. Just keep in mind this place can get busy, I would call ahead of time. Other than that check out this spot if you are looking for some delicious Korean food!

I’ve only tried the uni bibimbap here so that’s the sole basis of this review. I went with 2 friends and we’re all ridiculously basic so we ordered the exact same dish. That being said… YUM. I never particularly liked uni until I tried it here and the seaweed purée goes so well with it.
There’s also this wheel you spin upon being seated where you can win complimentary appetizers, drinks, and whatnot. We didn’t actually get anything, but our server gave us fries anyway!
However, it’s a more Asian/​Korean fusion restaurant (the uni bibimbap bore little resemblance to actual bibimbap) and I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re looking for authentic Korean food.

The 411: this is a popular Korean restaurant about a half mile south of the Empire State Building. The food is good, the service is attentive and the place is trendy. I’m not sure if it’s the best Korean food near koreatown, but they will give you a good meal here.
Lemme start off by saying I don’t know much about Korean food. I have an eager pallet for it, but I’m not knowledgable of what certain authentic dishes should taste like.
Having said that, I enjoyed the food that I ate here, but it left me wanting more intense and pungent Korean food. The stuff I had was rather muted in flavor.
I had a farmers meal with short rib, crispy spicy chicken wings, and garlic and ginger dumplings.
The farmers meal came with fresh greens for lettuce wraps, brown rice, assorted little bits of kimchi, some type of soup and a dark red sauce.
The short rib came with some mushrooms and was in a soy sauce liquid. Mild and pleasantly salty, but nothing complex. I enjoyed eating it over my rice and in lettuce wraps. It was tender and cooked well.
The soup was served hot and had potatoes and a few other veggies. It was very mild in flavor but tasted homemade. It was a good pallet cleanser for the salty short rib meat!
The rice was cooked well too. The kimchi was rather mild for my taste. Would have liked something much more pungent but that’s okay. The lettuce wraps were also clean, fresh and dry.
The wings were really good! Mild in spice but were cooked great. They also came with hand wipes which I appreciated.
The dumplings were also very tasty! They came with pork inside (there’s also a veggie option). They were slightly crispy but also tender in that they were glazed with a sauce. Very great appetizers!
Bottom line: good service, very decent looking menu options, seafood happy hour and now atmosphere for lunch are what made me like this place. However, I found my food to be a bit muted and mild for what I expected/​wanted in a Korean meal. I will likely return someday once I have some Korean food knowledge. Give this place a try if you want cheap oysters and decent Korean food!

The Wait:
Check-​in: Friday evening 6:44 p.m. table for 3.
We were informed that the wait is about 20 minutes.
Seated: Friday evening (thank goodness) 7:27 p.m.
They do have the Texting Services to inform you when your table is ready. But be sure to have your phone ready if you gave them your number, because even if you’re sitting there, they will still text you. If you don’t respond, you don’t get a table.
After 30 minute wait, they gave us bar seats. I said no. Because there were other tables available. I didn’t even ask if they were for reservations, because the reserved tables were already marked.
The Plates:
Yuk Hwe (16)
My all time favorite! The ultimate combo of Korean-​inspired dish. The raw beef, Korean pear, and the nuroongji rice. The nuroongji rice is the portion of the rice that gets sort of burnt (?) while cooking. It is a traditional rice cracker snack that is enjoyed by many. To have infused these ingredients… the chef must be a genius.
½ Dozen Oysters (15)
I gotta say, now I know why they call it happy hour. You’ll be happier if you get oysters during happy hour. SOOO worth it. They keep their oysters fresh.
Fried Tiger (17)
«Tuna, salmon, avocado, kani, chili mayo, eel sauce.» Literally, as described. Deep fried for crispy! Filling and satisfying.
BJ Wings — Soy & Garlic (13)
I just wish they were a little bigger and tastier. Amazing though. Not too much flour, crisp. finger licking flavor!
Uni Bibimbap (21)
I ordered this because of the waiter’s suggestion. The plate serves 1. It’s like all sorts of ‘eggs’ served over rice with seaweed purée, some sort of crispy pepper seeds and yolk.
Chef’s Seasonal Salad +Chicken (18)
Mmm. I gotta say,. not a big fan of 18 dollar greens. But tasty!
The Drinks:
Blue Point Toasted Lager — Pitcher (29)
Hoegaarden White Ale — Pitcher (29)
$ 29. I know. But it’s not bad for Flatiron district/​Union Square.
Asahi Super Dry (8)
Sad because… it’s the smaller bottles. It’s like a dollar per sip, and they’re gone.
Chum Churum Soju (17)
Ye…a… 7 shots per bottle, $ 2.50 a shot! whoo!

Love the décor and their dollar oysters! Service was fab but let’s get to the food. I won free truffle fries and ordered the short ribs and uni bi bim bap. The short ribs didn’t blow me away, it was mediocre to me. Now the Uni bi bim bap was amazing but there was just way too much caviar in it. (I know I’m crazy– how can one have too much caviar) I would definitely come back to try out the other things on the menu. Nice Korean cuisine with a modern American feel to it. Not your typical Korean spots you would find at Ktown.

Went for a late weekend lunch. Ordered some items to share because we were too early for happy hour. FYI, HH oysters are $ 1 and some appetizers including the Korean friend chicken wings are half off.
Chicken wings $ 13/​5pcs — pricing is absurd, but the taste and texture was amazing. Just as good as the Korean fried chicken restaurants in Queens. Loved the soy and garlic flavor. Each piece was very crispy. The salt and pepper wings were good too. FYI, you actually get 5 individual pieces of the wing I. e the mini drumstick and the middle section are separated. Don’t expect Dallas BBQ Texas size wings.
Fried dumplings $ 12/​4pcs — the soy garlic flavor was delicious. The dumplings were huge and had a lot of mince beef filling. The dumpling was very crispy. Again, the price was absurd.
Truffle fries $ 7 — omg amazing! Super crispy, but not oily. You can actually get sate the truffle flavor. The dipping sauce really complimented the fries!
Yuzu homemade soda $ 5 — this came in a mason jar. I love the tart lemony taste of yuzu. Soda wasn’t too sweet.
We ordered half a dozen of the HH oysters to finish off the meal. They were very clean and a decent size. The oysters of the day were from Virginia. More of a bland natural oyster taste, not sweet, and not too brimy.
I would go back just for happy hour.

The service and décor here were great. This restaurant is very trendy, and fusion sure comes into play here with wood tables and plank walls, dim lighting, German-​style brauhaus inspiration, with random touches of Korean flair. The staff are top notch — refills water quickly, without really being noticed, service is prompt, friendly, informative, helpful.
The food though left me wanting. Maybe we should’ve ordered more traditional Korean dishes but we wanted to see what kind of fusion flair they could bring to the Korean bites. We ordered salt and pepper wings, bulgogi tacos with fries, and uni bibimbap.
Salt & pepper wings — Not as flavorful, savory, or peppery as the traditional Asian version, but much better fried. The texture and doneness of the wings are perfect, so crisp, so light, so delicious. But it could’ve used more flavorful — more salt! ($ 15)
Bulgogi tacos + fries — The bulgogi meat in the tacos were very flavorful, the flour tortilla was fresh, but it tasted less fresh than I thought it would taste. The fries were freshly fried, beautiful color but wasn’t fantastic. ($ 17) But you get the option to get a salad instead of fries, but if it’s the small house salad, I wouldn’t recommend it.
Uni Bibimbap (comes with soup or salad) — I got the salad, which was a strange start. Peppery, bitter arugula topped with some creamy green/​black dressing that reminded me of melted ice cream? The bibimbap was very complicated in terms of textures, ingredients, and flavors, but I didn’t think that it all came together enough to be worth the $ 19 price tag. There was also very little uni (unlike the pictures on Unilocal) and overall I was pretty unimpressed with this dish.
Only thing I’d really recommend would be the wings. Even then, try another flavor other than salt and pepper!

This place is awful. For so many reasons.
I’ve been here 3x.
1^st time: On a date for post-​dinner drinks. It was a week day so the place was quiet. We got some wine and enjoyed the dark, romantic atmosphere.
2^nd time: With a party of 4 because we didn’t want to wait for Lobster & Burger. Was told by hostess that the wait is 15 minutes. Ended up waiting over an hour. WTF. The food is overpriced, SUPER GREASY, very small-​portioned, and really mediocre at best. People honestly come here for the convenient location, ambience and stupid gimmicky stuff like the Ted on a swing and spin the wheel for free fries. The place is loud and seems like a popular place for birthdays.
Apparently it’s farm to table, organic, grass-​fed, etc. ORLY, ’cause I can’t tell what the core ingredients tastes like when it’s smothered in sesame oil and sauces.
BJ wings (mixed): Small. Over-​seasoned (read: salty as hell).
Fried tiger roll: Greasy. Okay-​tasting. Overpriced.
LA Galbi: Rice and beef all smothered in sesame oil. It’s like just eating fat.
Kimchi fried rice: Just whatevers.
Seafood pancake: I… honestly don’t remember what it was like exactly; just your generic seafood pancake but costs $ 5 more than usual.
Bulgogi bibimbap: Again, generic Korean fare with an inflated price tag.
3^rd time: On a blind date.
Uni Bibimbap: Actually pretty good, I think it’s the one dish I actually enjoy here.
Truffle mushrooms: I love mushrooms, so it was good, but really greasy.
Chef’s seasonal salad: yuzu dressing was a nice touch, but just a salad.
Drinks: we just had some beers, decent selection.
I actually didn’t want to go back after my second experience, but my date chose the place. After all this… I’d really try not to go back, unless it’s to check out the Grain.

Cool spot. Dope happy hour deals.
It’s definitely more spacious than it looks from the outside.
Good service.
Hosts were welcoming and happy to be there and politely asked us if we would mind sitting at the oyster bar. I didn’t even know they had one. I though it was pretty cool. I like the décor here.
They probably serve the most alcoholic sangria that I’ve ever had. That really caught me by surprise. We also had the cucumber dill martini, by accident, but I ended up really liking it to a point that we sent back the drink that we actually had ordered. The lavender cocktail tastes disgusting… you should avoid it, unless you enjoy drinking cleaning products.
$ 1 oysters during happy hour. Yesssss!
The small plates are about $ 8 each. The wings were delicious and crispy. We also had the truffle fries — and the portion is generous. The tacos look good, still need to try them!
It gets packed and loud, but it is an excellent place for happy hour and food.

I randomly selected this place since my awesome date Erin M and I are in the area. I need places to have good drinks and food.
**Make a reservation or **check in on Unilocal to receive a free spinning of wheel. We got FREE TRUFFLE FRIES. Way to undo our workout right after!!!
Looking over at the menu. The truffle bulgogi looks amazing to both of us and we decided to order that with the fries and a side of bacon and vege.
The portion is really decent and huge. Is perfect for 2 girls to share and 2 sides. There is clear noodle with the bulgogi underneath.
The bacon and vege (Brussels sprouts & cauliflower) is slightly spicy but amazing. Perfect meal with some carbs, protein and veges. The truffle fries is just DELICIOUS especially when you are hungry. Crispy and thin slice fries. Mmmm.
You have to order their COCKTAILS. We both had seasonal cocktail. Erin had the peachy lychee and I had the Holly Molly (similar to strawberry margarita). The drinks are simply amazing, not as strong but good enough. I also ordered Persephone’s Choice, it also tasted like a margarita with pomegranate juice. I am just trying to stick with the same alcohol throughout the night.
We completed our meal with the banana bread pudding dessert. Is huge enough to share and not too heavy.
Service was a little slow throughout the night for us. We didn’t receive our drinks for a while because they ran out of strawberries and they went out to get it. We both received a free shot of soju. **Thank you!
Good place to have a date night. not too loud and casual.

Korean + American fusion dishes and drinks. Great ambience, design + décor, place. Recommend the BJ Wings and L.A. Kalbi Udon and the Fresh Apple Makgeoli.

Came here for dinner and have been for happy hour. It’s a good spot for the area but not somewhere I was dying to go back. They have good small plates and it’s fun to go with people who want to share. The drinks were reasonable at happy hour.

I went to Barn Joo with two of my best friends this past Saturday night around 8pm. We sat at a table in the bar area and stayed until 11:30pm.
Service — GREAT. The hosts were wonderful, our waitress was attentive. We did lose her for a bit later in the night when it got really busy, but it didn’t ruin our meal or our time there, though we were itching to leave by the time we did get our checks since we had spent so much time (and money!) there.
Food — Though it’s pricey, everything we had was delicious! I had the chili shrimp and scallion pancakes, one friend ordered 12 oysters and beef brisket wrap and the other ordered tofu bibimbap and truffle fries. The truffle fries were different than others I’ve had before (looove truffle fries!) — not sure how or why, but they were amazing.
Dessert — We got a dessert with matcha ice cream and one with banana bread pudding & vanilla ice cream. The matcha dessert — holy shit. Amazing. The bread pudding was not the best I’ve had, but the vanilla ice cream that came with it was honestly the best vanilla ice cream I’ve eaten, ever, period. They should just serve a bowl of that!
Drinks: We all ordered cocktails — Lavender honey, cucumber dill martini, elder fashioned — all were strong and tasted great.
I’m already thinking of when I can go back and try more from the menu.

Came in a group of three and ordered happy hour oysters and three entrees: uni bibimbap, kimchi fried rice, and and truffle bulgogi. Oysters were delicious and cheap! We shared the entrees and we all thought the truffle bulgogi was the best one. You could smell and taste the truffle. If you’re unsure what to get and acceptable of truffle, that is the dish to order. The uni in the uni bibimbap wasn’t satisfying. The kimchi fried rice was nothing special but a good filler.
For dessert, we ordered a patbingsu, yuzu bread pudding, and ice cream/​gelato. The patbingsu had toppings but mostly ice underneath and the ice wasn’t flavored so we were just eating ice after the toppings. Yuzu bread pudding was okay. My friends enjoyed it but I don’t think I like the yuzu flavor in bread pudding. It’s a weird combination for me. The ice cream/​gelato was okay too. Nothing special.
Service was great. We didn’t need to wave down the waiters/​waitresses and they were always attentive with our food and drinks. Especially on a busy night, I appreciated their courteous service.
I wouldn’t order dessert here but would come back for oysters and that truffle bulgogi.

Went there for lunch! It was so good! Got chicken wings — hot& spicy. Not too spicy. Got fried dumplings– garlic. It was so good! Had noodles with the beef — amazing so great. And Then a sizzling plate — tofu and mushrooms. I’m usually not a fan of mushroom but man was it amazing. I think I like mushrooms now. Also I had a side of salad and green tea. Overall it was a great meal. I want to go again for dinner!!!

There will be seconds! First time eating and drinking at Barn Joo 5pm Saturday evening. They start seating ppl at 5 pm. Early dinner so plenty of empty tables. Standing room in the bar area. Nice size bar area too. Bathrooms are located past the bar. Dim lighting and pop music playing thru a nice sound system. Very pleasant waiter and hostess.
Time to tawk/​write about food and drinks. I ordered a Cucumber Dill Martini. I was worried about dill being the predominant flavor, BUT not. The muddled cucumber really carries a light dill flavor thru every sip. It’s a refreshing cocktails, as many cucumber drinks are. It’s not sweet and not bland.
To eat, I was craving sushi rolls and kept eyeing the Fried Tiger. I must say, I was afraid it would be a fried & greasy mess. It was NOT. It is bathed in a thin batter and (deep?) fried. You hardly see the batter on the seaweed. Frying it in the batter kept the seaweed crunchy. The chunks of tuna and salmon rolled inside is meaty and substantial. Eel sauce, soy sauce, and chili mayo each on the side. You can dip and create your own dips. Sliced into 8 pcs. 17 bucks.
I have to come back for more of the same. Seconds pls.

This Korean Gastopub definitely speaks for itself. UNI BIBIMBAP is a must. It’s kimchi, roasted seaweed purée, crispy quinoa, salmon roe, capelin roe, micro greens, and a raw egg yolk. I really loved that dish and next time I’m in NY I will stop by there and get the bibibap. ENJOY!

This isn’t really a «restaurant,» per se. Yes, they have drinks, and yes, they have food, and some of it is not bad, but it is without a doubt a «show off to your midtown date» or a «bachelorette party» place. Think «Tao for middle management.»
First off, be frighteningly aware of the cocktail program. Unless you’re there during happy hour, be EXTREMELY wary. A martini with Hendrick’s gin, which is like, a fairly standard post-​work drink, was $ 17. Woof. And to boot, this is a SMALL martini. I was $ 71 in the hole just waiting for a table.
Weirdly, once you’re seated, everything else is moderately priced. The food especially. Which makes sense, because it is the Korean equivalent of pub grub. The scallion pancake with bulgogi had no discernible bulgogi in it, but was a HUGE portion and completely inoffensive in taste. If I wasn’t already pub-​grumpy, I’d have enjoyed it. Ditto the seafood rice cake, which were crispy and chewy, ideal rice cake texture, but saddened by sweetness — a Korean General Tso for the masses.
The seafood noodles were actually fairly good, and the mussels adorning it were plump and juicy. Another world, another place, another time, I’d be grummaging down on these noodles with a $ 3 beer and would be in heaven.
Pulled duck sliders? Here for frightened dates and midtown diner pacification. Avoid.
Those four dishes plus 2 more drinks were $ 68…less than 4 martinis at the bar!
If you are one of those bachelorettes, or midtown birthday revellers, attempt to snag a bar seat and catch one of those happy hour oyster specials. If you want a reasonable and inoffensive «Korean» dinner, leave your number and get drinks elsewhere while you wait for a table. If you are just looking for dinner and drinks, or beers and oysters, there are other options in the Flatiron that will serve you much better.

This place is for people who want Korean food, but don’t want to go to k-​town… aka it’s not authentic. You can tell by the crowd here.
The restaurant is quite big, but it still feels cramped for some reason. There’s a dining area, and in the back there’s a bar. If you know what you’re looking for, there’s also another bar.
I got the drunken mussels — they were really good, the broth it was cooked in was delicious. My friend got the jap chae — it was kinda bland. We both also got cocktails which were good overall.
Service was okay, but slow at times.
*Drink specials don’t count unless you’re sitting at the bar

We came at 5pm last night, a Sunday. The restaurant is quite spacious and there were a lot of seats available in the dining area. The food was excellent and our waitress was wonderful. Unfortunately things took a downward turn a few hours later. We were finishing up our dinner and had just ordered more cocktails.
The hostess comes over and tells us that there is a group reservation coming in and they would like to give that group our table and move us to the bar. As paying customers, who were continuing to order drinks after dinner, we were surprised and confused that we were being asked not to move to another table in the dining room (there were many available) but to the bar area. A demotion. We said we would like to stay put and would prefer to not move to the bar.
Within 5 minutes, someone from management comes over and also asks us to move. I have never experienced this before. There are plenty of seats available in the dining area, we had racked up a food and drink bill of at least $ 120, and are being asked to move to high top tables at the bar. We tell the manager that if this is that important to them, it would be nice to incentivize us to move, maybe offer us free drinks. She leaves, and then our waitress comes over.
Our waitress tells us the same story as the hostess and manager and asks us if we could please move. This is the THIRD time someone has asked us to move to the bar area. No offer of a free drink or anything to make it worth our while. We tell her the same reasons for why this unfair treatment. She tells us she agrees and seems to feel terrible. She leaves and comes back and tells us to not worry about anything, to enjoy ourselves and take our time.
I do not blame our waitress for any of this, but I do place blame on management for treating paying customers with such disrespect.
This experience ruined this place for me and my friend. We will not be going back there.

Barn Joo: fun, sexy, trendy, Korean tapas restaurant.
Perfect for ladies night out!
(And hot dates!)
Be prepared to look good and be looked at.
(Lots of wandering eyeballs).
My girlfriends organized a ladies night here.
Admission requirements (for our group) was:
–4 inch heels
–cash
–Don’t be Late B**ches
Dressed to kill, we arrived in fur and boots and took a lot of selfies.
The food was good too.
Soy garlic chicken wings were crunchy and well flavored.
Uni bibimbap was filled with delicious roe.
Scallion pancake was acceptable. Lots of scallions and crispy. Little too thick.
Seafood pancake was good. Squid and scallions, it tasted great with the sauce.
Do NOT get the:
–sashimi bibimbap. Not enough sashimi.
–fried dumplings. Tastes like 5 dollar take out
–spicy seafood rice noodle– mozzarella ddukbokki but the cheese is on the bottom. Not great.
The sangria was acceptable.
(But it tasted like wine and rum mixed with fruit. Definitely not soaking in for days).
I had a blast!
I would just want to order other items off the menu.

Maybe more of 3.5 stars (I seem to give a lot of those), but I liked it overall.
A chic, modern atmosphere, with nice décor. Overall a good feel to it.
The free-​stuff spin is pretty fun and a nifty gimmick. We won a beer, and some of the other prizes looked decent.
The service was friendly and quick. The food itself was pretty good — we had the soy-​garlic korean fried chicken wings (great wings — better than bon chon), and the spicy pork bibimbap (not bad — but k-​town does it better). An OK price for it all.
We’ll be back to try more.

The hostess was so nice! After I checked-​in to get my free spin, I had my friend spin the wheel. He actually got the high-​five, which I was totally disappointed by because I wanted free food. But the hostess just spun the wheel to the slot before it and got us the free fries (so thank you for that!!!) It made my night and this review probably deserves a +0.5 stars for that.
The fries itself were Cajun and it came with ketchup and chipotle mayo. The portion was pretty decent considering it was free. It was enough to share between 2 people. They were ok, but I personally don’t like Cajun fries. If I had known, I would have asked if I could have substituted it for regular fries.
I ordered the spicy pork bibimbap and it was really good. The pork had flavor but it wasn’t overly spicy. My spice tolerance isn’t the best but if I can handle it, then about 99% of other people can too. I thought portions were good for the price.
Fresh apple soju ($ 12): The only problem I have is the size and the amount of alcohol in it. I don’t think I can complain too much about the price because the restaurant is the city and this is (unfortunately) considered standard pricing. But the drink itself was really refreshing. It tasted like fresh green apple juice without the overly sweetness that you get from normal apple juice. I couldn’t stop drinking it throughout my meal. You can’t taste the soju and the drink itself is pretty weak, but the presentation was super cute. It came with 3 apple slices and one of those toothpicks on top as decorations.

FYI Spinning the wheel is only for dinner! (You either check in on social media or you make a reservation through a reservation website.) You can get some good prizes, like free soju or food, so definitely give it a shot!
Came here for lunch with two others — it was pretty empty. I tried the Spicy Pork Farmer’s Meal, which is served with lettuce, cucumbers, some banchan, soybean soup, rice and your protein of choice, while the others tried a bibimbap and the sushi burrito (which comes with a choice of a homemade soda — we tried the raspberry soda and it was VERY sour — I don’t recommend it).
The sushi burrito wasn’t very fresh or tasty — I’d recommend away from it. The bibimbap was average. The spicy pork was definitely the highlight of all the dishes I tried, and it was pretty flavorful with onions and mushrooms. However, the food was extremely mediocre and was standard to any other modern Korean restaurant fare I’ve tried.

Barn Joo
NY Manhattan Flat Iron
7pm Saturday 12^th December 2015
Four Stars
Continuing on the Grant Birthday train, we came to this Korean fusion restaurant. We sat at the oyster bar. Unfortunately our waiter never came by. After 10 minutes of waiting, I flagged down the manager and she took out order. No official waiter ever came by. We enjoyed some HH drinks ($ 7 each) and Apps. (No wheel spin with HH deals). The Elderflower Old Fashion and the Smoked Manhattan were a nice takes on these classic drinks. They had $ 1 oysters (minimum 6). They didn’t even identify them. They were most likely east coast since they were on the bigger side, plump with lightly briny liquor. The half breaded and fried asparagus made the stem more palatable. The kimchi mayo was creamy, spicy, with a slight vinegar kick. The almond sauce were uniquely sweet and creamy.
We had the Jap Chae which was a stir-​fry dish of translucent sweet potato noodles and beef Ribeye. It was quite flavorful and well done. We had Bulgogi Bibimbap. This stone pot fried rice had a beautiful sunny side up egg, tender rice, marinated beef, and nicely prepared veggies. I love Korean chili paste, kimchi, and partially burnt rice at the bottom of the bowl.
The meal was quite filling. I can’t wait to try their not so speakeasy basement bar «Grain» it has a secret entrance and live jazz.

Stopped here for a friend’s birthday. Well I came early ahead of everyone else. I had ordered 2 dozen oysters and shared with my girlfriend during happy hour for $ 1 per oyster.
At the entrance there’s a spin wheel to win prizes for birthdays, it offers free kimchi, fries, wings or a drink. Wherever the pin lands on is what you get.
The seatings for happy hour is on the other side of the bar which is different from dinner services. The happy hour area is very packed, shoulder to shoulder seatings and 2 seater high top tables with 6 people around it sharing a small plate of oysters. I believe they only serve blue point oysters.
For dinner we got sat upstairs with cool mask decors hung on the wall. The food was good but not OMG good. The uni and caviar over rice was an interesting dish. I would definitely order that again if I were to go back.
Service was prompt and quick.

I was totally digging the vibe. Thinking this was going to be a quaint Korean restaurant, I was shocked to walk into a large modern restaurant with back-​illuminated Asian paintings and a giant wheel to spin for a free appetizer (make sure you check in on Unilocal to get this freebie).
In any case, there is a large seating area and also a second floor, which is where we were led. The décor is pleasant, but not tacky.
1. Brussel sprouts: This is the free appetizer from the wheel spin. When it came out, I had no idea it was the brussel sprouts because it was covered in sweet corn. Delicious. A very interesting combination but worked nonetheless.
2. Jap chae: Very glad I got this dish. It’s glass noodles with mushroom, and it definitely hit the spot. It’s very flavorful and aromatic. I just wished it were a larger plate. Must get!
3. Spicy pork bibimbap: With a fried egg on top, you can never go wrong with the stone pot. This is standard, but in a good way. It’s a safe bet.
4. Sashimi bibimbap: This is a very interesting take on the traditional bibimbap. It’s chunks of raw tuna and an assortment of other items on rice, but on a plate and not a stone pot. I enjoyed this dish very much too.

3.5−4 stars. I think my expectations for this place were set a tad bit high, but it was still a good experience overall. Really like the atmosphere here: It’s trendy, fun, and slightly dark but in a completely non-​creepy way. I also really like the big wheel you get to spin: we won a kimchi jar (literally kimchi in a jar), which was a great staple Korean appetizer to start with.
I ordered the uni bibimbap, which was definitely the most unique bibimbap I’ve ever had. I’m not sure how I felt about it though, to be honest. I really liked the individual ingredients (the roe, uni, etc.) but they didn’t really come together in a way that I found pleasing. I think I prefer the traditional stone bowl bibimbap, but I’m glad I was able to have this extremely different experience at Barn Joo.
Probably not going to replace my go-​to places in K-​town, but definitely worth a try!

Put off trying this place because the Unilocal photos make it seem like there’s only greasy bar food. On the contrary, there’s actually a large selection of food.
We had the uni bibimbap, which was amazing in taste and presentation. I had expected some thinly veiled version of Japanese unidon, but this dish was actually completely original. The place was so dark that I had no idea what I was eating — there was some kind of variety of chopped pickles, a generous dollop of uni, some fluffy rice, salmon roe, something that tasted like ground black sesame in sesame oil, and radish sprouts. It was like a work of art, and eating it — mixing a bit of each ingredient into each bite — honestly felt like a (very tasty) act of art. It was also a good amount, no skimping on uni.
Also had truffle fries — very good, I liked it even more than the famous one from Umami Burger. Unagi bibimbap was also good but nothing too spectacular.
A little unsure what to make of the ambiance — super loud and bar like, with a life size Ted, and a wheel of fortune you spin for free stuff. But also some corners of beauty and serenity like a moving screen painting (it was raining as I watched it), a giant wheel of a full moon on the ceiling.
Overall, interesting place. Food is good enough to keep me coming back.

Solid 4-​stars here. Best Korean food I’ve ever had! Okay okay, I had never actually been to a Korean restaurant before Barn Joo, so I have nothing to compare this experience to. But other than below-​average service, my time at Barn Joo was a lovely change of pace given my tendency to gravitate towards tapas, straight American and Mediterranean spots.
Came here on a Thursday night with a friend who made a reservation through OpenTable. The first thing you’ll notice upon walking in is that this place is downright beautiful. The décor is classy and creative with a few cute standouts (see: the bear from Ted sitting near the host/​ess desk). If you check in on Unilocal or use any sort of social media/​online method to connect with Barn Joo before sitting down, you get to spin your very own Price Is Right Wheel to win FREE THINGS. I said FREE! While not every sliver of the pie gets you an actual item, you’ve got a pretty decent chance at winning something (we landed on fries — sadly not the truffle fries though!).
We were seated on the second floor, which looks out over the rest of the venue. An embellished glass wall separates (and protects) diners from the happenings down below, which is a lovely little touch. Low lighting with lots of candles — my first thought upon walking upstairs was: «date spot». Definitely would recommend if you and your prospective date are into Korean food/​feel like going for something that isn’t plain old American food.
Despite some not-​so-​good service (we waited way too long to have our plates cleared — they seemed to be understaffed), our waiter was wonderful. He was able to put up with the Queen of Indecision (me) with grace, which is a feat in it of itself. I was vacillating between the octopus and one of the bibimbap dishes, which happen to be the most popular/​complimented dishes here. Didn’t make the decision any easier. Decided to go with the Hwe Sashimi Bibimbap, because 1) I order octopus all the time and 2) I wanted to get the full Korean food experience. While I’m sure the octopus would have been great, I’m fully satisfied with my choice.
The bibimbap includes: fresh salmon, tuna & fluke sashimi, caramelized kimchi,
salmon roe, roasted seaweed purée and is served with rice and some sort of traditional sauce. The waiter kindly told me that I was supposed to mix it up instead of eating each component separately (I’m not sure why I didn’t do this in the first place), which I bashfully did considering I was already feeling like a noob. Because this is sashimi, it’s a cold dish. They offer plenty of hot dishes as well, but keep that in mind when ordering. It was incredibly yummy and rife with textural variety, which is always a huge pro in my book. I’m always on a mission to find fresh, flavorful and healthy food, and I got it all here!
If you’re not quite ready to leave after your meal, check out The Grain downstairs for some jazz and whiskey (but don’t tell anyone I told you that).