Best Korean Restaurants in NYC

Koreatown 32nd Street, Flushing Queens -- KBBQ, sundubu, fried chicken, and where Korea fans watch every match

Best Korean Restaurants in NYC: World Cup 2026 Guide

Koreatown -- 32nd Street, Midtown Manhattan

West 32nd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues is NYC's Korea Way -- the densest stretch of Korean restaurants, karaoke bars, and shops in Manhattan. The restaurants stay open until 3-4am (some are 24 hours). For World Cup watching, several restaurants have screens showing Korean national team matches, and the street energy on Korea match days -- red jerseys, groups arriving together, the noise from multiple restaurants simultaneously -- is one of the great urban soccer watching experiences in New York.

Top Restaurants on 32nd Street

BCD Tofu House (5 W 32nd St) -- the sundubu jjigae (soft tofu stew) specialist. Their Original BCD is the standard: bubbling, spicy, with egg broken in at the table. The restaurant stays open 24 hours and shows Korea matches. Woorijip (12 W 32nd St) -- the best quick-service Korean option in Koreatown, with a hot food counter serving banchan, grilled meats, and rice bowls. Baekjeong (1 W 32nd St) -- one of the most popular Korean BBQ spots in the city, with good ventilation and a lively atmosphere for groups.

Essential Korean Dishes

• Korean BBQ (Samgyeopsal) -- Pork belly grilled at the table, eaten with lettuce wraps, garlic, and gochujang. The communal format -- everyone cooking together -- is perfect for World Cup groups. Order samgyeopsal and bulgogi (marinated beef) together.
• Sundubu Jjigae -- Soft tofu stew, spicy and bubbling, with egg broken in. The most warming and satisfying Korean soup. BCD Tofu House is the standard.
• Korean Fried Chicken -- Double-fried, thin and impossibly crispy. Served with pickled daikon. Either glazed in sweet soy or spicy, both excellent.
• Tteokbokki -- Chewy rice cakes in spicy gochujang sauce. The definitive Korean street food, available at most Koreatown spots.
• Bibimbap -- Rice with mixed vegetables, gochujang, and a fried egg, served in a hot stone bowl that crisps the rice on the bottom (dolsot bibimbap). A complete meal in a bowl.
• Soju -- Korea's clear spirit. Always refill someone else's glass with two hands; never pour your own. Shots are drunk bottoms-up. Flavored soju (watermelon, grapefruit) is approachable for non-spirits drinkers.