Kori

Every time I go out for Korean food, I try not to wear something that I mind soaking up the smell of grilled meat. Kori is no exception. The atmosphere, however, is nicer than most Korean restaurants, as is the service. With that being said, they keep this place pretty dark. We came here for lunch and the dining area was low lit, maybe for an intimate appearance. The foyer and bar area towards the front of the restaurant had natural lighting coming in through the windows with a few decorative candles. It would make more sense if they put some candles in the dark windowless dining area of the restaurant. The steaming hot food is especially delicious for the winter days.
While we waited for our food, we received miso soup and a tiny bowl of tasty edamame. I always appreciate complimentary edamame as it is usually too overpriced to order.
Dolsot Bibimbap with Bulgoki ($ 13.99) — rice with sauteed spinach, soybean sprouts, shitake mushrooms, carrots, onions, zucchini, radish, bellflowers, dried seaweed roots:
I’m already a sucker for sizzling platters and food in stone pots. When I heard the crackle of other’s bowls of sizzling bibimbap, that made up my mind. My stone bowl was steaming throughout the entire meal. After our server brought the dish and cooked up the beef a little, she told me to be careful with the hot bowl. I almost burned my hand accidentally touching the bowl, but I’m clumsy, and burning myself is not unusual.
This is a pretty large portion with a ton of vegetables. The sweet marinated beef gave everything a nice, sweet flavor too.
Ramen with pork and egg ($ 10.99) — spicy with chopped kimchi and vegetables, kelp & shiitake mushroom broth:
Most bowls of Korean ramen taste the same to me, spicy and savory. The strips of pork and sweet onions made the dish. The egg was cooked through, which is no surprise given the temperature of the food.
The prices are rather high, but compared to most restaurants in this neighborhood, it’s not so bad. Considering the relaxing atmosphere and great service, it somewhat justifies the price. I give it a 7.5÷10.

Went here cause of its good reviews and I was craving Korean food.
chicken janchi noodle soup — 2 stars
I don’t know if it was just today, but the soup was really salty. I asked for hot water to pour in and I poured a cup of water myself and it was still salty. Didn’t get to finish the dish.
Customer Service — 4.5 stars
good service with nice atmosphere.

Loved this place. The restaurant is small but has high ceilings and large windows to let a lot of natural light in. Lunch prices were decent, esp given the quantity of food that one is given.
I had the salmon lunch box which came with more than enough food. The lunch box had several large pieces of salmon in a soy sauce reduction, noodles, white rice, dumplings, and a salad. Not to mention that they also serve you edamame and a delicious soup right when you get in. Needless to say, I cleared all my plates. Oh yeah– Coke products are served in the glass bottles which scored some major points with me.
Waitstaff seemed a little overwhelmed but were friendly. I’d go back!

I eat at the bar. Service was exceptional. The food was really good and tasteful. Traditional with just the right twist. Cocktails are a must.

It has Good food portion so you wouldn’t overstuffed yourself. The waitresses were nice and attentive. However it’s too dark to take a good picture of the food.

Our client was running late so my two colleagues and I nibbled on dumplings and jumbo shrimp while he was arriving. The dumplings were relatively small and steamed, a generic dumpling rather than the hearty and often glorious mandoo actually served on the Korean peninsula.
Kori benefits from being one of the only Korean restaurants in lower western Manhattan. When my client suggested Korean, this was the highest rated option. Certainly there would be no reason to come here in Koreatown, where there are more specialized or refined options. Allegedly the focus here is on more healthful options. This seems to mean a constant offer of brown rice (no thanks) and a chicken noodle soup with wheat noodles that no one at the table was particularly interested in trying.
Once my client arrived we moved on to a main course. Three people got a version of the bibimbap while I got a kalbi lunch box. While the japchae had an appealing texture, the kalbi wasn’t of the highest quality.
This seems a like place more suited for dinner, where a drink might dull the sameness of the food and the dark lacquer and chandelier dominated-​interior can shine. In the daylight, however, it just seemed rather ordinary.

It’s a cost spot good for dinner dates. The service is fast and friendly. Good ambience with soft music.
Food is fairly decent, the spicy squid was a bit disappointing — not spicy and a bit over cooked.
The other dishes were above average. All meals come with complementary salad and side dishes — seaweed salad, kimchi and spinach.
Probably will not return to this fine establishment again.

Probably my favorite lunch spot in the area. The meals are reasonable and the Bibimbap Dolsot bowls are awesome. The are served in a hot stone bowl so you get all the crunchy rice at the bottom which is awesome.

For the financial district this is pretty ok and understandably priced. But if you’re going to compare this to Korean food offerings in general offered in NYC, definitely head to Queens or maybe even K-​town. There’s nothing really special about the food itself, but for the area, establishes itself as a good food option because of the a-​okay food, décor, and pretty good bathroom.
Went during lunch with a friend, and ordered a korean ramen with egg and dolsot pork and kimchi. Got free miso soup and steamed edamame with it.
The korean ramen was pretty ok, nothing amazing, just a great dish to have on a cold day. Stayed pretty warm for a while. The egg was not as runny as I hoped it would be, but a good protein decision.Yay.
The dolsot was a bit disappointing. Even though (obvi) the pork was uncooked, it didn’t cook in the bowl after my cousin waited and tossed it to the bottom of the bowl, hoping it would cook a bit more thoroughly. It was pretty unappetizing because of this, and she was only able to eat half the bowl. The rice and all the other add ins were delicious, but the fact that most of hte pork never ended up cooking through was disappointing. It wasn’t as spicy as she thought it would have been either.
FYI: the 50% off drink order is for dinner only. Sowee.

It’s not K-​Town, but it may be the closest you get without going north a few miles.
Don’t expect Banchan. Kori is strictly Bibimbap & your typical Korean starters. Portion sizes on the starters are a bit small and there’s no banchan, so order a little extra if you’re hoping to share with your group.
Great vibe in Tribeca and nice cocktails. Kori gets surprisingly busy after 6:30, but they take reservations!

This is a pretty spot that took reservations for our party of 6 on Halloween night! We booked this place so we could walk over to the Village Parade after, hehe.
Anyways-it’s a pretty cute spot. I loved their lychee martinis (yum). The kimchi and pork belly fried noodles were a bit too greasy, but the bibimbap was pretty solid.

Lunch Bulgogi Bento Box ($ 15.50)
It didn’t convince recent $ 2 up from $ 13.50. I liked fried glass noodle, chapchae, the clear and light on garlic soup and lightly seasoned Edamame that came first as amuse-​bouche. My issue was the marinated mushy beef that only happens when crowding a pan. The temperature of pan goes down quickly after, especially beef. The box also comes with tasty potato salad that is very closer to Japanese one, sweeter, and shrimp dumplings (2) with few pieces of fried egg were nice touch. The salad… needs more help. The outer layer of this particular green salad is tough and so as this one. But I find all the staff members were attractive, cute. Understandably, there were more guys and the restaurant was packed for lunch hours.

Food: 4
Ambiance: 4
Service: 4
I liked the décor of this place! Yes, it’s pricier than what you might find in Koreatown, but the ambiance and space are way better here. (Plus, there aren’t any other Korean restaurants in the area.) They had no problem accommodating our large group on Halloween night. The service was solid.
I ordered the Kimchi Stew with Pork, which was very warm and satisfying. Everyone enjoyed their dishes and dined comfortably here. Two clean, spacious single-​stall BRs are located in the back, fully stocked with amenities like mouthwash and, was that free sake, I spied?

I got the pork and kimchi dolsot bibimbap, and it was pretty good. I ate it all and I was fairly full. I did have to drink 3 glasses of water though.
It’s expensive for bibimbap in my opinion ($ 19! — see updated prices on their website), but I checked in and got a large glass of Sapporo draft (they were out of OB) for $ 3 ($ 6 regular price, 50% off after checking in on Unilocal), so the cheap beer helped me feel a bit better. Checking in on Unilocal gives you 50% off your first drink, so you can also get a cocktail for $ 6.
Service was pretty good though.
On a Tuesday evening there were a lot of party of 1s in the house.

My friend and I sat at the bar for a weekday lunch.
I ordered the eel lunch box and my friend ordered the beef bibimbap. The eel was different from the usual Japanese eel and cut into smaller pieces. It was medicore. The lunchbox came with dumplings, salad, seaweed, and white or brown rice; so you really can’t argue with the variability.
Overall, it’s a good fix for Korean food in the Tribeca neighborhood, especially for lunch.

Came with my partner… Amazing service and ambience. Soothing jazz but not pretentious.
Tried the shrimp bombs. So many flavors! Must try!
We both ordered the bulgoki because neither of us wanted to share. I got brown rice but don’t do it. It’s not worth the sacrifice. Go white. It’s amazing and I was fighting for my partners to share. Very reasonably priced. Will be back!

The service has gone down. I had a busy day at work so I needed a quick place to eat by myself. I walked into Kori and asked for a table or seat for one. The person seating people, a rude young girl, must have been new because she claimed that there were no more seats when there were about three tables for four that were not taken. They usually seat one person at a table for two by just pushing the tables apart. Anyway, she said there were no tables for one available when there were many tables available. This was at around 1:10 pm, past most lunchtimes, so I don’t know why she was expecting a rush of groups of four at her fine establishment. I used to be a frequent patron of Kori and have brought many friends here and have tipped very well, but I will have to go elsewhere due to this not so business savvy person. My suggestion to the owners of Kori is to hire a better hostess.

I think Kori is more Korean fusion than straight up Korean. With that being said, it’s fine for the area it’s located in, but it most likely would not be making money in K-​town.
Service was great though. The ladies helped answer questions and always made sure water glasses were filled. The place was clean.
We had the kalbi ssam (bbq wrap), which was ok. There was so much glaze on it that you couldn’t taste the real flavor of the meat and I think also made the meat slightly overcooked with the added cooking time.
The chamchi moochim (tuna tartare) was interesting. I rather enjoyed the cubes of tuna paired with Korean pear and wasabi sauce; the sauce wasn’t overwhelming and brought out the freshness of the tuna. I wasn’t a fan of the seaweed salad in it, but eaten separately, I was a-​ok!
We also had the spicy bibim soba salad with pork. It’s basically a salad with soba noodles, pork slices, and kimchi in the sweet and spicy gochujang sauce. This was different, not good, not bad, just different. A lot of people around us had the dolsot bibim bap in the stone bowl and it smelled really good. Sadly we weren’t feeling carby that day so we didn’t go for that option.
An additional note — you get a starter salad for the table before your food comes, and each entrée comes with 3 tiny sides of pickled veggies. Prices are higher than other Korean restaurants I’ve been to.
While I don’t think I would order any of the above again, I would probably come back to try other things on the menu. And since I work nearby, it’ll be a good choice when I’ve craving some type of Korean food.

I came here for a business lunch last week and I was not disappointed, well, minus the fact that they did not have any banchan to share to us besides some sad looking edamame.
OK, I know. In NYC, everything costs money. I get it. I’d gladly pay a little more for some side banchan, like kimchi or burdock root. Come on! What’s Korean food without the banchan?
We were a party of four and we got in right around 12:15pm and seated quickly. Get here early because by the the time we sat down and had some water brought to the table, the place filled up quickly.
They did bring us some cider vinegar soup to sip on, but honestly, it was way too salty and sour for me. I know it is all the rage right now in Asian communities, but I don’t really like it.
I ordered the tofu dolsot bibimpap ($ 11.99). It was pretty on par with other places I’ve had bibimpap, so no complaints there. Good portion size and it will fill you up.
Two of my colleagues had the chicken lunch special, which was very large portions and both ladies liked their dishes very much. Another colleague ordered the ramen soup and stated it was good also.
A very decent place for lunch and reasonable prices ($ 47 for 4 people) in this neck of the woods. Great ambiance if you trying to get away from no-​frills Chinatown.
I definitely will be back to impress work folks again!

This place is probably the closest satisfaction to any Korean cravings you can fulfill around the area.
I worked around there and went to Kori probably once every 2 weeks.
I tried a few items on the menu and would have to say the bibbimmyun is the best item I had there.
It can’t really compare to Ktown but it’s probably the best alternative… they also do try to provide good service with the free edamame whiel you wait.
The service can be slow depending on your party (sometimes it can be painfully slow) so I took a star off for that. Have not been here for dinner so can’t comment on the other options there… Would probably not be back if not for pure convenience.

their dinner menu is limited compared to other authentic Korean restaurants. I would classify this place as an Asian Fusion. I ordered the chicken Dolsot bibimap. You have the option of choosing between their spicy sauce (most Korean restaurants use this sauce) or their miso based sauce to go with the bibimap. I chose the spicy sauce. The chicken is shredded to my liking =) the waiter will mix the bowl with the sauce for you so that will save you a workout! The Japchae noodle dish is a good choice too! They gave me a complimentary side salad which was delicious! You don’t get a lot of side dishes. You get three: kimchi, shredded seaweed salad, and pickled radish. They have specials throughout the week days. You might have to call and ask for the specifics.

Pricey, but it’s Tribeca. Clean and fresh ingredients, with a cool laid back environment.
Dolsot bibimbap — I don’t know how you would mess this up. Delicious. They mixed it for me, which is cool too.
Tuna tartare– pretty good, tuna was very fresh, sauce was a good pair.
Dukkobi — I don’t eat that much duk but my mom loved it. Chewy vs crisp balance was spot on.
I’d still go to Ktown if I had to choose, but I can’t say I didn’t have a happy meal here.

This was a pleasant surprise — found it via Unilocal search. Both of us enjoyed our dishes and experiences, which landed us right on 4 solid stars. I ordered the Dolsot Bibim Bap with Chicken — its comes out steaming hot and the waiter mixes the dish up for you — nice touch, as I can be lazy :)
Tastes a bit crispy on the bottom and just right on top — good combo. They provide some really good hot sauce on the side and you can incorporate into the dish as to your liking. Overall, very nice meal and presentation.
We ended with some green tea ice cream dessert. The actual ice cream was quite good but didn’t find the rice sticks that great, even with the sweet sauce– but OK.
I would come back if in the area — reasonable prices, nice selection, good looking bar, and pleasant service. Could be a good place to grab a cocktail and bite — was not busy at all when I came here, which was a monday.

Avoid this place at all costs if you’re coming in with a group.
This place pretty much robbed us in «automatic gratuity». We came with a group of 9 people. It was late at night, there wasn’t that much people yet the servers barely attended to us. Our waters were hardly ever filled. I shared a kimchi and calamari pancake and I can tell you it was a complete rip off. There was no calamari what so ever and the kimchi was just cabbage, there was no spice to it at all. The pancake was soggy and tasteless. I would’ve complained more to the servers or the chef but since it was my friend’s birthday I didn’t want to cause any disruptions. While I sucked it up and ate my horrible meal, the real nightmare began when the check came.
The server told us he automatically added 20% gratuity to our check and they only take a MAXIMUM of FOUR CREDIT CARDS.
First of all, who the hell takes only 4 credit cards at a time?
Second of all, would it kill you to do separate checks? Oh let me guess, you’re too lazy and you won’t be able to apply your automatic 20% tip since the checks will say one order for 1 person instead of the entire group of 9.
Third, you have a lot of freakin’ nerve to charge 20% tip for crappy service.
Clearly Kori has no idea how to handle large groups thanks to this tormented experience I will never stop foot in here nor will I ever recommend this place to anyone else.

Autentico restaurante coreano! Gosto mto do dorsot bibimpap e os lunch boxes são bem servidos! Minha salvação quando quero comer uma comidinha coreana no frio!