Nowon East Village

“What a wonderful experience. Went with three friends and enjoyed the pre-fixe. Each course was delicious. Full of flavor, crispy, and very well paced. The lamb dish and chopped-cheese ricecakes were especially delicious. Cool decor, music, and lighting makes for a great vibe. Special thanks to our server, Aura, who had great drink recommendations and was super attentive. And to the host, Raena, for getting us seated quickly and was so polite. The whole staff was constantly clearing our plates, our table was always clean. My friends and I traveled from central Jersey, walked an hour from Penn Station, and would do it again. I cannot possibly describe how good the food is, you simply must try it yourself. Thank you Nowon!”

“very lowkey very chill very cool kinda hidden restaurant with REALLY YUMMY FOOD ! my highlights were the ricotta toast the truffle burger, and the honey tots ! the ricotta toast had fresh, cold, sweet lemon-y and zesty, creamy whipped ricotta on top of soft bread that was toasted with a slightly oily, buttery taste. even though the legendary cheeseburger is the famous one, i actually preferred the truffle steak burger. the patty was just SO thick, juicy, and tender, and the mushroom-y truffle sauce gave it an elevated flavour. the bun was also super soft and the caramelized onions were perfectly rich and sweet and delicious. the legendary cheeseburger was also scrumptious , but not as indulgent as the truffle burger. it had a nice unique spicy kimchi sauce that gave it a bit of a kick, super crispy smash patties, and tangy pickles. the tater tots were super crispy, hot, and had a faint light sweet honey flavour (wish there was just a bit more sauce though). we also tried the rice cakes, which were perfectly chewy and warm, with ground beef and crunchy nuts mixed in.”

“Damn this place was gas as hell. Loved the vibe inside and the music. Did The Classic tasting menu and everything hit the spot mmm. Started with the Black Sesame Caesar Salad which was great like the sesame really did it for me here. Next was the Lamb Skewer which was super tender and that gochujang was just pure heat like I could eat it with a spoon. After that, the General Lee’s Fried Chicken which like damn General Tso keep one eye open at night cuz mmmmm. Okay the meat was a bit fatty but the sauce was so so so good. Chopped Cheese Rice Cakes were so interesting. Very cheesy like much more cheese than beef but the rice cakes were extra chewy and fun. Finally The Legendary Cheeseburger which was absolutely terrific in every way imaginable. Like I have not had a cheeseburger that good in a LONG time. Might even be one of my fav burgers ive ever had. Excellent char on the patties that the edges were even a bit crunchy like yes thats exactly how I want my burger. And the added kimchi was just perfect. Had the Garlic Honey Butter Tots on the side with that and these were perfect too. So sweet and crunchy I loved those little things. This tasting menu thing going on here really is such a great value like I’ll absolutely be bringing people here.”

“Loved their fried chicken years ago so came back for their “tasting menu” for $49. Certainly a good deal but damn it’s heavy. Ricotta toast was amazing but dripping butter. Shrimp tacos were decent - smokiness was what made it good. Tater tots were good but a smaller portion kind of a vibe. Burger was decent but for me a bit too lacking in texture variety(?). Chopped cheese rice cake also decent - a bit salty.”

“If you never had real Korean food but wanna try sth., this is the spot. If you are a serious eater, this place will disappoint you. Nothing on the menu is actually ‘Korean’. The cucumber salad is the most basic. The toast doesn’t taste good - the flavors don’t belong together and way too oily. The fried chicken was extremely dry. The only decent dishes are burger and tater tots… believe that says a lot. We also found an insect inside of our food. But that happens in the summer. They tried to say it flew in after it’s served and comp-ed our drink (~$20) so nice gesture. Good atmosphere for a group of friends to hang and drink with light bites. Service was okay and most seem very new. Overall would not come back again.”