Gahm Mi Oak Restaurant

Came here for diner on a sunday around 8:30 PM and it was packed — we had to wait about 5 minutes for a table. I guess that’s a good sign.
We got the sullung tang since everyone’s table had at least one order of that and also got a bibimbap. This was my first time having sullung tang, so I didn’t know what to really expect. I’m not going to lie — the broth was really bland, but I guess you’re supposed to add your own salt/​green onions/​flavoring. Definitely a healthy meal and great for a cold day. I really liked the bibimbap — fresh, light, and a perfect portion.
Really nice atmosphere and quick service. My biggest issue is that the food is quite pricey, though it is NYC.

Came here after a few drinks for the kimchi. My friend feels it is one of the best kimchis in the area. We ordered the sullong tang and it was quite good. We also had the bibimbap. It was just ok. What really got us was how expensive our meal was. We didn’t even have soju. But $ 20 for bibimbap?!?
This was just an alright meal. We were hungry and it was cold out. Too expensive for that we had.

This review is for the sullung tang, which I have been seeking out at the recommendation of my acupuncturist. I’ve sampled my way up and down 33^rd St, and can honestly say this is the BEST sullung tang in KTown.
The difference: this is the only sullung tang with broth that will thicken and congeal if it gets cold. That may sound gross, but it’s proof that they actually made the real deal broth by boiling oxtail and bones ALL day, and it’s the collagen from the bones that makes it do that. So you’re getting all the rich nutrients that you should be getting from a bowl of this stuff. I can’t even finish an entire serving in one sitting, it’s so rich.
I haven’t found this kind of thick broth at any other restaurants so far. I’m convinced the others just use canned beef broth and toss some milk in to make it white. There is no way you can make the real broth and NOT have it thicken when it cools. Also explains why other places might be okay selling it $ 5 cheaper.
If you want the real deal, best to just pay the extra and get your money’s worth!

The oxtail soup here is super creamy. Yes, it is a little bit expensive. But, it is a big pot of soup. I saw two guys sharing one, although I always finished it by myself. Open ²⁴⁄₇ which is good.

3.5 stars? WOW, you Unilocalers are harsh!
Everything from the kimchi to the sullungtang is PERFECT! Just when I thought I was over all ktown restaurants, my cousins brought me here and the food totally won my heart. For those who are not Korean, sullungtang is made to be bland. It’s just beef bone broth that’s boiled ALL DAY — the salt, pepper and green onions are to be added according to your own taste. I, personally, like to put a little bit of salt and green onions and then when I’m done with about half of it, I pour kimchi juice into the broth. SO. DELICIOUS. Also, regarding the price… $ 15.95 for something that requires 24 hours of boiling is not «overpriced» to me. If you’ve ever tried to make sullungtang, you know it’s A LOT of work… it requires a ridiculous amount of time to make it taste the way Gahm Mi Oak makes it. For that, I think they deserve to charge the prices that they charge.
We ordered the bossam and bindaedduk = two thumbs up, two hands up, wootwoot, i don’t know what other exclamations can explain how amazing this meal was. I love this place and nothing in ktown is better than this in terms of food. That is a fact. If you feel otherwise, please message me and notify me of your recommendations because I have yet to be impressed!

I come to Gahm Mi Oak for the seolleong tang (oxtail bone soup) only because everything else is so unbelievably expensive.
To be honest, even the oxtail bone soup is rather expensive, but because this is the only place I can think of in Manhattan Koreatown that provides that delicious milky white broth with scallions and salt to taste, I make my wallet swallow its righteous indignation and come here.
No complaints on service! Though I haven’t personally had to return anything to the kitchen, I saw it done once and am happy to comment that the server was courteous and patient.
A huge bonus in my book is that they gave me and my dinner companion three additional servings of their BOMB kimchi when we asked for it without even batting an eyelid or throwing shade. Thank you, Gahm Mi Oak, thank you.

Sick person in tow, we dropped in to feed the mule «I swear I’m fine even though I’m really not» some soup. I couldn’t remember the last time I had a meal here, but I was reminded of how good something simple can really be. It’s one of the places that have been around longer than many on this stretch of what is K-​town I think and for good reason. It’s great for those colder days, unsettled tummies and flu season to pop in for a hot bowl of Sullung Tang to warm you up.

The is the place to go to sullang tang, which is what they’re known for. It’s a milky beef bone broth with thin noodles and rice inside. You can add green onions and the amount of salt you want to it. It’s nourishing and healthy for a cold winter day!
The side plate of kimchi and kaktugi that Gahm Mi Oak gives is pretty tasty too.

Very mediocre sullungtang. The broth needs more flavor. And I recommend asking for rice being served on the side rather than in the soup when brought to the table!
But I guess it’s open ²⁴⁄₇ so. at 3am it’s not a bad choice.

Gahm Mi Oak has a small menu in comparison to other ktown restaurants and I have been a loyal customer in previous years for really only 2 things: their homemade kimchi and seolleongtang!
For those who are not familiar seolleongtang is ox tail soup with rice, meat, and noodles. The soup is milky and light in flavor, so for those who have a preference for a stronger taste — a little salt, pepper, and spring onions would do the trick.
I came back recently and their once amazingly delicious kimchi is no longer how it was like before. In the past I could attest that they had the best kimchi on the block, but now their kimchi is equivalent to the others and tastes like store-​bought kimchi (kinda like cup noodle ramen vs. restaurant ramen) the authenticity isn’t there anymore.
So in short, this restaurant still has seolleongtang that may be worth the trip but their kimchi really shouldn’t be the reason for your visit anymore.

The food is quite good but also more expensive than most other places around. I ordered a stone bowl bibimbap. For the initial dishes they brought kimchi and some green peppers. The kimchi was excellent, better than most of the other places around, but they could use some work in the variety aspect, since that was the entire banchan. The bibimbap was tasty and of above-​average quality.
3.5 stars

My Korean friend raved about a place with great oxtail soup that we had to try. This happens to be the place. I don’t know what to say about the soup other than after you add some sea salt to it, it’s damn good soup. I will point out that you should add the salt to it, but be careful as it’s pretty powerful salt. I started eating the soup without putting salt in it and my friend had to tell me that adding the salt is a must. Without it, there’s not much flavor and it’s kind of bland. The difference is night and day really. Just a little bit of salt and it’s so much better.
Anyway, the soup is almost to the point of being addictive. The beef in it is very tender, as are the noodles and seemingly melt in your mouth. The kimchi provided is also very good. I’d recommend this in a heartbeat to anybody who loves soup, especially oxtail soup.

Met up with a few friends for dinner. Originally we were going to Arirang but it turns out they were either evicted or renovated.
We settled on this place. They were able to accommodate a group of 8, and we were taken to a traditional sitting area where we dined on the floor. The ambience was nice with minimal décor.
Not really knowing Korean cuisine, we ordered the Bulgogi ($ 20.95) and Bibimbap ($ 20.95– both the regular version, and a vegetarian version) on the waitress’ recommendation. We also had the pancakes with pork in it. The selection of meals are limited and the pricing– whoa. Pretty much all their dishes were in the $ 20+ range. Not sure if it’s a typical dish price or if it was typical Manhattan prices.
The food came surprisingly quick. With the bibimbap and bulgogi, it came with soup which is good with salt and the scallions from the table. The portions were really small though, especially the bulgogi. The bibimbap didn’t seem to have much meat in it, and if they didn’t tell me it was the regular dish I wouldn’t have even noticed the difference. All in all it was ok. When you look at the portions and the pricing it doesn’t feel like much. To their credit, the food was good (that or I was just real hungry) but it wasn’t really worth it for the price.

This place is several levels of crap. I avoided in the past and will continue to avoid if at all possible.
I didn’t always think so, but a recent visit here for dinner at 10pm on a Saturday night confirmed previous sinking suspicions.
The sul lung tang — a milky, oxtail-​based broth with white rice and noodles — can absolutely hit the spot, especially if your stomach has been unsettled and chicken noodle soup won’t cut it.
I am unsure as to why a broth dish without real substance or protein would cost nearly $ 16. Ramen is about this expensive, but sul lung tang does not include thick chunks of cha siu, or really much of anything besides a few thin slices of beef.
A bowl of bibimpbap will cost your $ 20, and an additional $ 3 or $ 4 for the dish served in a hot stone bowl, which is really the best part, but you’ll get a smaller bowl for a higher price here. Ridiculous.
The real kicker of the night was the service charge that was added when we received our check. For three people. They only added 15%, which is a shame for them because we would have tipped 18−20% had they not applied the service charge. It’s not about the charge, it’s the fact that they felt the need to add it for just three people. Perhaps it was a late-​night charge. Who knows. I’m not coming back to find out.
Patronize Seoul Garden or BCD Tofu House instead where you’ll also get ban chan as appetizers for your meal.

Sul Long Tang snowy white ox-​bone soup with white rice and white noodle. add scallion, salt and pepper to taste. — I think this place is known for this dish.
You only get the english menu if you request it (or maybe it is because my friend and I both looked Korean even though we were both Chinese).
The Sul Long Tang is super bland — they provide the salt/​pepper and scallions on the side to add to taste. The quantity of salt I dropped in would probably shock anyone. Given my taste buds are spoiled and love super flavorful dishes, this is not really my favorite place. (ALSO, I love meat… so I need some of that in my dish)

What is this sul long tang everyone keeps talking about? Aside from bibimbap and soon tofu, I rarely try other items off any Korean restaurants. But after coming to Gahn Mi and seeing that in fact has a very limited menu, I decided to give their signature oxtail soup a try.
Honestly, it tasted like it was made to be eaten by sick people. Maybe it’s the white rice soaked within the broth — it just reminded me so much of Chinese congee. The broth was creamy and rich — but really plain to me. Even with copious amount of salt and scallion, the flavor profile was very one dimension.
My group also shared the seafood pancake, the shell fish stirred fry — pancake was bland and soggy, the shell fish was doused and overwhelmed by sesame oil. Both dishes were barely edible and nowhere justify the $ 20+ cost.
Overall — with so many options on this street alone, why bother coming to Gahn Mi. Save your wallet and your belly — go next door, across, or down the street! U will be much happier anywhere but here.

I always make a stop here whenever I visit NY. The sul lung tang is pretty good but the kim chi and kkak doo gi is out of this world. I get a nice fill of this craving every time I come here. I’ve been eating here every trip to NY for 20 years.
Yes, it’s best when you stumble in at 3 or 4 am after a long night of fun but these days, I just come here for lunch or dinner.
Anyone who writes about the service (or lack thereof) is an idiot. This is a Korean restaurant, not Peter Luger. It’s not about the service… never has been, never will be. Just get your soup, eat it, pay your tip, and move on.

This place is great for comfort food for the ill, and I say that in the best way possible. We came here when one had a queasy tummy and the other feeling under the weather, and left feeling a lot better.
The order was 1 sul lang tang and 1 bim bim bap. This was my first time having sul lang tang, and I had no idea what to expect. Truth be told, I was initially turned off by the unseasoned broth and thought it was extremely «cow» tasting — after all, it was supposedly made by simmering ox bone for hours. However, after a few generous spoonfuls of chopped spring onions & sea salt, I can see how this can be a very comforting food item for Koreans, equivalent to chicken noodle soup in other cultures. The broth is milky, yet has a somewhat watery consistency and clean finish so that it does not weigh down the palate or stomach, If they can take the rice and rice noodles out from the soup (or serve it on the side so I can add accordingly), I think I would’ve enjoyed it more.
The bim bim bap was vegetarian and tasted like it’s suppose to taste. Nothing spectacular or outstanding, just good old rice with ample veggies and bean paste for flavor. The kimchi was indeed the best «fresh» kimchi I’ve had in Manhattan (as you go across the street for aged kimchi), and wished they gave out more radish chunks than cabbage.
All in all, I don’t think I would crave this place on any given day, especially with the hefty price tag on each item (but I guess there aren’t many sul lang tang competition in this Ktown). Maybe I will come will come back to try the other items on their limited menu. But when I’m feeling under the weather, I will definitely think of their healing sul lang tang.

For some people, the ideal breakfast is a large plate of fried eggs, meat, and potatoes.
For me, I prefer a hot steaming bowl of rich beef bone broth. At Gahm Mi Oak, the broth is velvety thick, which coats your tongue and your belly. Salt and green onions are on the table for you to add in to your taste. If someone complains that the soup is bland, then they are not adding enough salt and onion. Keep adding and tasting, and stop whining like a baby.
The creamy soup pairs perfectly with the perfectly balanced house-​made kimchi that is cut and served at the tableside. Personally, I like to put the cabbage kimchi into the soup until the broth becomes a pink color and eat it that way. Also, eating more kimchi and radish on the side. It is cold and refreshing.
Since Gahm Mi Oak is open 24 hours, it is my favorite breakfast spot in midtown.

I like this restaurant for what it’s known for (the sul lung tang) and I loved their bibimbap (because they put different seasonings than other places). But I was really disappointed by their lack of side dishes! Or is it not supposed to have any?
We ordered 1 bibimbap and 3 Sul Lung Tang. They brought out 2 side dishes: kimchi and 4 raw green peppers (which did not taste good) and that was it. The kimchi is really tasteful and the bibambap was one of the best I’ve ever had. The Sul Lung Tang was really good too so you add your own salt to determine the right seasoning for it.
I’d recommend this place for winter when you want some nice soup.