Seh Ja Meh Korea Restaurant

Is it bad that I’m fine with this place closing? After all, it was the only Korean restaurant of its kind in the Financial District and certainly the only one I could find that was willing to deliver. But one crucial problem — the food was terrible. Not even subpar, it was just bad.
At least the prices were solid. A personal sized Haemool Pajun (Seafood Pancake) was only $ 6.95 and Duk Mandoo Gook was about $ 9.95. The pancake had little to no seafood in it and the Mandoo Gook was short about 4 – 5 Mandoo (3 total) with lots of veggies and broth. I gave them another shot when I was jonseying for some Kimchi Chiggae, but that failed miserably as my soup was cold and the kimchi tasted far from fresh. Normally I’d just ditch delivery and go straight to the restaurant, but I wasn’t going to step foot in this place unless someone else is footing the bill.
It was nice knowing you Seh Ja Meh. The Financial District deserves good Korean food, so please reincarnate into something that would make KTown proud.

Some Korean staff replaced with Hispanics. Inconsistent is the best word to describe it. They moved to a new location which is far from where I used to work so no more star for location. 2 stars.

I had lunch here with a good friend of mine last week. This is my first time eating here since they apparently moved. So while my friend is a long time fan I am a newbie and pleasantly impressed. They provide an assortment of condiments that include some kind of spicy pickled cabbage, a yummy eggplant and some other stuff I couldn’t identify but enjoyed it anyway (and I lived). For my main course I had the Galbi Tang a soup with large beef ribs and noodles. Soooooooo good. I love a good soup. It is a large generous portion. I wanted to pick up the bowl and drink the broth but didn’t know the appropriate etiquette. I did ok with the chop sticks too considering it’s soup and I only associate they’re use with sushi. Anyway we received a free sushi assortment after mentioning the web site (whatever that means). Nice addition but not necessary. One thing I’ll mention for folks that are really tall or have a bad back. They have very low tables and you must sit on these stool like chairs with no back. I got over the initial shock of that because the service was attentive. I will have to hit up a few more Korean spots before I can say for sure I know this is a really good place. So if anyone can recommend a spot please feel free to hit me up on Unilocal.Happy Holidays!

I really liked this place, but can’t lie, they did have a sign on the old place saying there were closed. Here’s my picture of it to prove it:
But, I found their new location today, just a few blocks away! The new place is at 114 Greenwich Street, just south of the World Trade Center site. They also added a sushi bar, and the new ambiance is much nicer. Haven’t tried it yet, but I will.

For the longest time they had a sign up saying they moved but they were strategic in placing their sign because it covered up the Health Notice of failure to pass inspection.
I only know this because I walk by every day on my way to the ⁴⁄₅ train.
I say if the restaurant can’t pass health inspections you probably wouldn’t want to eat there anyways.
Good riddance Seh Ja Meh.

I had a craving for Korean a couple of days ago. So I walked down to Seh Ja Meh and there was a sign in the window saying they had been closed by the health inspector and the interior was completely torn out.
I hope they reopen. They are one of the few places downtown that has good and interesting lunch food.

Phone number doesn’t work and it is no longer at 26 John st.

I recently moved into the hood and have had really bad luck with asian food but this place was really good. The beef mandoo was kind of tasteless but the Dolsot Bibimbop was good (its standard fried rice but in a hot stone bowl. not something i’d order out and not particularly outstanding but I love fried rice so it gets an A in my book) and the Jayook Bokum (pork stir fry) was really tasty and had a good amount of fire to it. Anyway, good find, i’ll certainly be back.

I would get this for lunch all the time if I could somehow convince myself I wouldn’t eat the entire portion. I always get the bibimbop — rice and toppings cooked in a stone bowl; I get it delivered but for an extra $ 2 they’ll cook it properly, scrape it out, and mix it up for you, just like it’s meant to be served. The food always arrives warm. The sides they serve keep changing, too, which is a nice touch.
Definitely one of my favorite delivery places in the financial district.

This is only place around my work area where I can get a korean fix. I wish they can renovate the place, it would do them more good I think. It get packed during normal lunch hours but I usually go around 1:30pm so I get seated & food comes fast. Typical & usual, can’t use outstanding, perfect when you just crave for simple dup bop or bimbibap.

Okay, so I’ve never actually eaten here, but I have been in the restaurant before. Mostly I order for delivery or to pick up on my way home.
Small Korean place. One of only two Korean places I know of in the extended area. The food’s decent although sometimes I wish they had more of a selection.
You can get your standard bulgogi, bimbimbap, jap chae and such. But what if you want more? Sorry, no dice. Sometimes I just want to ask if maybe they’re eating some duk bok kee and if they mind making me some. hahhahahah
Anyhoo, so even though they’re just average, I’ll give them the extra star for the panchan in my delivery order. Score!

Aaah, that’s right! Do not forget about this little joint! Da Tres Sistaz in Ze Kitchen!
When I was working in Downtown, I ran into this place in my minor tour around the neighborhood, in search of good lunch spots.
Needless to say, I was quite thrilled. And as for my first experience?. .. Satisfying.
I’ve been there quite a few times and have even done some take-​out work.
Their Lunch Specials are well portioned and very good. The food overall is close to what you might get at your Korean friend’s house. I’m not sure where else you can find a legit sit-​down Korean restaurant in the area, so thanks be to Da Tres Sistaz.
Lisa C. is right: The place is more of a lunch establishment rather than a dinner joint. I’ve also been there at around 7pm and the placed looked like it was closed (but I think they are officially open until 9pm). And yes, it does get rather hot in there. One time I was having a Jookoomi Dup Bop and I think I sweated about a half gallon.
If you want something faster and don’t have time to wait for a seat at Da Tres Sistaz during lunch, you can try Ichi Ni San down John St and around corner to the left on William St. More of a fast-​food/​take-​out Korean/​Japanese place fun by Koreans (I think). Obviously, a cheaper/​quicker version of the Sistaz. I’ve tried the Lunch Bowls and some Sushi there. Both were pretty decent. Again, stuff you’d get from Korean mothers of the world.

Great downtown lunch spot. It’s not Koreatown but it’s also not Koreatown prices. The lunch boxes are great value, it’s nicer than a greasy spoon to sit, the service is very good considering they are slammed between 12:30 — 1:45, and the food is consistently delicious.

Person taking phone orders is very helpful; delivery guy is a total sweetheart. Portions are not the astonishing heaps of K-​town, but given the location, the food’s surprisingly okay. Seh Ja Meh will even sub a seafood broth in lieu of the traditional meat broth if you so desire. All orders come with a smattering of panchan. E.g., pickled daikon (Kak Tu Gi), pickled mushrooms (Buh Sut Jo Rim), and pickled mustard greens (my favorite!). A laughable disc of pajun is also included.
* Kimchi Soondooboo (Silken Beancurd Casserole with Kimchi in Spicy Broth)(with Meat or Seafood Broth)
Tofu here is melty! Oh, exquisiteness! Though the tofu is scrambled up into itty bits of broken, soondooboo’s the food equivalent of fuzzy slippers — soft, warm, comforting. The only thing to cheer me up on the gloomiest, sleetiest, shit-​sloshiest day of winter. More kimchi would be heavenly.
* Tofu Bibimbop (Lightly Pickled Vegetables with Rice, Egg, & Spicy Bean Paste)
The dish being evaluated is the take-​out version of bibimbop. This is more like a Korean salad with an egg over easy. Rice is just plain ol’ steamed rice, not bibimbop toasty rice goodness. It’s a light dish, probably excellent in summer. Next to the soondooboo, though, this one seems a little dull.
* Steamed Vegetable Mandoo
You may order the mandoo dumplings as meat or vegetable, steamed or fried. The skins are super-​thin, just the way I like ‘em. The vegetable variety are stuffed with cabbage, tofu, bean thread, egg, and sesame oil. But with only 4 to an order, they’re a tad pricey.
Seh Ja Meh takes online orders!
food: As Angry D. wrote, food would be a 3, but for the Financial District, it’s a 4.
value: 3
service: 5
craveability: 4

I had dinner at Seh Ja Meh tonight around 7PM. Unlike reviewers who had lunch at the establishment, I had no problem getting a table. In fact, there were only two other parties present during our meal. The space has four booths for four + several other freestanding tables.
Although the restaurant lacked eat-​in diners in the evening, it seemed to have a decent amount of delivery orders. The open kitchen had three cooks in constant motion.
In general, I cannot say this enough: If you do not have a fully enclosed kitchen, please get a good ventilation system! Warm, oily kitchen fumes enveloped me during my entire meal. Rather unpleasant. & rather a shame because the food is very good.
For an appetizer, we had the Dak Tang Soo Yook — Fried, sweet & sour chicken. Crispy & crunchy chunks of meat enhanced by a light sauce. Surprisingly ungreasy. Super fresh cubes of orange are sprinkled throughout the hearty portion.
Our Daeyee Boolgogi — Marinated pork on a sizzling platter was also delicious. Our beef Dolsot BiBiBop left something to be desired… Specifically, we desired greater & more pieces of beef, instead of the miniscule amount of crumbly meat we received. I also didn’t like the communal (Travels from «table to table /​meal to meal until empty» kind of container — Who knows where that spoon has been?) jar of hot sauce.
Temperature-​wise, the stone bowl was super hot. The BiBiBop stayed well-​heated throughout the meal. Some of the rice even got a little burnt, but most ended up being deliciously toasty.
One of the reasons I love Korean food: The «free» little side dishes restaurants provide before a meal. Sometimes, they are soo good, I don’t even care about the entrée (The way I feel about good bread in Western eateries). The quality & quantity varies greatly from place to place. Here, diners receive six dishes. The kimchi was excellent — Fresh, crunchy & spicy. Yum-​O! I HATE old, soggy kimchi with a passion.
Our server was great. Funny, friendly & spoke English fluently. Water appeared at the table without request. Food was served quickly.
Overall, a good place to get an unpretentious sit-​down Korean dinner if you happen to be in the area & you don’t want to trek up to KoreaTown.

The only Korean eatery downtown that I know of, SJM helps with the cravings for bulgogi, bibimbop, or galbi tang. But like everyone else has said, it doesn’t compare to what you can get in Ktown or in Queens. I wish the wait for a seat wasn’t always so long during lunch hour or that you’re not sitting within inches of your neighbor, but the things I would do for a Korean fix!

Quick, inexpensive and delicious lunch in the Wall Street area. They have great Korean BBQ lunchbox specials plus a full menu of typical Korean fare.
The service isn’t great and they pack you in like sardines, but the food is good and you can easily get in and out in under an hour.
It’s a great lunch alternative to the plethora of downtown delis and fast food restaurants!

I live and work down the street from SJM and when I’m not in the mood for the typical financial district sandwich/​toss your own salad/​salad bar lunch I come to seh ja meh! it’s not as good as what you’ll find in ktown but if you need a korean food fix this will do it! they are super fast during lunchtime and they have some lunchbox great specials; also, the staff here is generally very friendly, even when it’s crazy and insane at 12:30 or so. my favorite thing here is the kimchi chigae, which is yummy in my belly on a cold winters day!

This has always been one of my top choices, both for lunch out and delivery. Be sure to try the silky tofu casserole with seafood – it may not be as good as the best ones in Fort Lee or Korean town, but pretty close.

As far as I know, Seh Ja Meh is one of the few, if only, Korean food places in the Financial District. Fortunately, it’s pretty good food at reasonable prices (my bulgogi lunch box was 9 plus tax/​tip) and quick service that caters to the mostly work crowd. My only small complaint is that you don’t necessarily get the biggest portions… but unless you’re a Bob’s Big Boy, you should get enough to satisfy a normal appetite.