Jungsik *** (New York, 2026)

Jungsik *** (New York, Mar 2026)

TLDR: Solid Korean fine dining, where every dish is presented perfectly, some dishes play it a bit safe, an overall great experience I would return to.  The desserts were great and the service team was wonderful.  

Comparison to other Korean Fine dining.  I’m a big fan of Korean cuisine and fine dining.  It begs the question on how it compares to come others.  Granted some of the comparisons are apples to oranges, but for my specific tastes, and when I had these respective menus, here is how I would group them: 

(1, Top): Mingles (most creative flavors), Eatanic Garden (best balance of flavor, technique, most informative for me on Korean cuisine); (2, Second) Benu (epitome of technique), Jungsik – NYC (overall best balance likely for a Western palate); (3, Tertiary) Atomix (some very great dishes, even some of the highest-highs, but some that just didn’t hit for me on this particular menu).  

Favorites/Standouts: 

• Banchan Intro bites:  holy wow, all hit perfectly. One of the best opening display of amazingness.  Wagyu tartare amazing, spot prawn absolute perfection in it’s little shell, squid ink rice with shrimp and spices, was a great warm bite, and the foie gras and Asian pear was a perfect last taste.  
• Striped Jack with Caviar.  Very well balanced with acidity and freshness of the cold fish, salty/brine of the caviar, and richness of the sauce.  Chef’s kiss. 
• Arctic char was perfectly done.  The fish was tender, the sauce had kicks of acidity, pops of brine from the roe, crispy skin.  This kitchen can cook fish.  
• Desserts were also incredible.  The Dolhareubang with black bean, rice, and sesame was delicious. And the grand finale of garden bites was to die for.  I would pay a premium to take a second set of these home (only other places I said that to waiters were at the French Laundry for their incredible chocolate bonbons and DiverXo for their mochi-based creations).  

Least Favorites (least of all good):

• Nothing was disappointing.  I would probably have skipped the uni bibimbap as it was fine, but nothing special (my friend and I split one).  Also, the beef maybe I was a bit full to fully enjoy it, but the banchan served with it were great sharp counterbalances to the deep umami. Kudos for this kitchen actually serving beef (as opposed to so many upcharging for wagyu or serving quail).

Service/Atmosphere:

• Interior and atmosphere is great.  Staff were all very kind. They coordinated well.  We had the right level of engagement from our primary server and the service captain.  Kudos team. The team also knew I was here to celebrate my friend’s engagement, gave him a special menu and note on his dessert. 

Revisit: I would come back.  I don’t think they change the menu often, so I would probably wait until noticing some change first.