New Wonjo

“Great dinner experience at New Monjo. We ordered the Korean prime rib BBQ for two, which was flavorful, tender, and fun to cook at the table. We also had the bibimbap, which was fresh and delicious. The set menu was a great experience overall, the service was attentive, and the location was perfect — an easy walking distance from our hotel in the Koreatown area. Definitely a solid spot for Korean BBQ while visiting NYC.”

“Had a good experience at New Wonjo. The atmosphere was lively, and the staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming from start to finish. ​The Galbi-tang (갈비탕) was the star of the show—the broth was rich and full of flavor, and the meat was perfectly tender. While the LA Galbi had great flavor, a few pieces were a bit underdone for my liking.”

“Our experience at this restaurant was decent --- the service could definitely be improved, but other than that, the food tasted great and the atmosphere was cozy and inviting. We had stumbled upon this restaurant while walking around Koreatown in search of a place for lunch. When we walked in, we weren't greeted by the friendliest person at the desk, but rather someone who seemed as confused as we were since we thought we were walking into a different restaurant. When we eventually decided to stay, we were seated and looked at the menu. When my friend had an inquiry about the different fish dishes on the menu, the waitress was extremely unhelpful. She basically reiterated exactly what was written on the menu, as if we didn't care to read it all before asking for help. The useless dialogue between them lasted about 2 minutes, to which my friend came to a decision practically on her own. Other than this interaction, another aspect of the service that I felt was lacking was the speed to give us the check. At the end, we were left hanging and we felt confused as to whether they would be back with a card reader or not. When I decided to pay cash, I was standing around for 5 minutes trying to find someone who was available to take my money. I understand that they were probably busy at that time, however, they should prioritize getting people out of the restaurant if they want a steady flow of customers. Onto the food, we chose not to do the BBQ, but rather to order our own dishes. I ordered the minced meat bibimbap, which was tasty - no complaints. I also enjoyed the variety of side dishes presented to us, I believe this is the best selection of sides out of any Korean place I've dined at. Moreover, my friend ordered the grilled fish combo, which was hefty! I really enjoyed the flavour and tenderness of the fish. Ultimately, the food at this restaurant was delicious but the service was lacking. I can see why some people would really enjoy dining here, as the portions are decent and the prices aren't too steep.”

“Overall this place was pretty good for kbbq. however, some of their meats are quite under seasoned. i would say the service was great. the guy that served us cooked for us and was very considerate to split our big dishes into multiple bowls so our gathering could all try. he even stood on a stool to help us take a picture with a good angle. gave us complementary japchae and orange slices which was all tasty and flavorful. overall would maybe come back if i have another gathering as food and service was better than some of the other places here.”

“This review is for the 1st floor, since the 2nd floor with bbq tables had an hour wait. Just ate here at prime time 6:30 PM last night, a Sunday, for a special celebration and ordered a large seafood pancake, a steak combo and a yellow croaker combo. In hindsight, the short wait was a bad sign. To be fair, service was quick and efficient, starting with a wide variety of side dishes, which included japchae and small fish and typical vegetarian banchan staples like kimchi, daikon and bean sprouts. That was nice. We even had steamed eggs although I'm not sure if that was part of one of the combos. Next came our appetizer. We had initially ordered the small seafood pancake - just to test it out - but were upsold the large pancake. While seemingly 'freshly' pan-fried, it was extremely mediocre at best. The seafood was really just squid and scallions. I didn't see or taste any shrimp or other seafood. The dough was very thick and wet and not light and airy. It's very possible the pancake was partially pre-cooked - a no-no - in advance and refried to order. I've had worse but definitely much better too, including at Korean delis for near half the price. Next, came the yellow croaker , which was my wife's treat since she doesn't eat beef. It was beautiful and smoking hot. However, it ends there. The fish's insides weren't cleaned properly and you can totally taste it. I'm the trash collector in my family so helped out my wife, who barely touched the fish. Unfortunately, I had an upset stomach after that. I knew the bbq prime steak would be cooked in the kitchen but at $125, it was one of the most expensive Korean BBQ I've had for their small portions for 2. Many Ktown places serve better portions and were cooked right, red and bloody medium rare on the inside, which i specifially asked for. Wonjo's did not even taste or look like prime cut! The unimpressively small plate came sizzling hot, with the steak (marinated ribs, ribeye, boneless ribs) on top of a bed of sizzling onions, which I loved. To avoid the steak overcooking, I quickly served it to my kids while making sure to reposition the steak on top of the onions to avoid drying out. Most of the meat was cooked medium to medium well. And only a couple ribeye pieces were at most half medium, other half well done. It was so bland, I ate it with the traditional lettuce wrap and sauces. I'm very disappointed since I just had a superb experience last November at Love on the next block's corner. It was a school night so thankfully service was quick and we were in-out in just over an hour. However, I wouldn't go back to Wonjo, at least not for dinner on the 1st floor and likely not the 2nd floor either although with the 2nd floor, since they take out the meat raw, there's likely more quality control. In hindsight, we should've just skipped the combos and stuck with the tofu casseroles and basic galbi ribs at half the price. Hard to mess that up. To be fair, the lunch specials are priced right - as with other Ktown joints - but there are SO many other options and newer places to try now, including on the next block or less prime 33rd St Ktown expansion. We should've went with BYCD Tofu, our original choice. Their small yellow croaker side dish per person is amazing! There's a short line outside but it moves fast. If anything, I'd love to return to Love for some real steak with my kids or try out some other K BBQ place. I'm being generous with the 2 star rating. Food poisoning should warrant a 1 star. I suspect New Wonjo either was taken over by new management and cutting costs or is simply resting on its laurels of old. They used to be among the best in ktown and I'm hugely disappointed. Perhaps they will go the way of old staples like Kum Gang San or Kang Suh. I feel we should've taken a chance at any new joint and still have a better experience. The ktown scene is really competitive now, a good thing for us dining consumers.”