Kunjip
9 W. 32nd St., Midtown, NY
map & more
Neighborhood
Midtown
Cuisine
Korean
Nearby
Empire State Building
Hammerstein Ballroom
Madison Square Garden
Penn Station
212-216-9487
We’re not gonna lie and say we know what’s what about Korean food. As with most ethnic cuisines not indigenous to Westchester or Denver, we need some guidance. That’s where you come in. Enter citizen of Infatuation Nation, Jenny, who recently pointed out that we have approximately zero (she doesn’t count Momofuku Ssam) Korean restaurants reviewed on our website and offered to properly school us on the cuisine she grew up on. Hey, we love Bon Chon and Yunjin Kim (Sun from LOST), so let’s do this.
We were promptly dispatched to K-Town to hit up Jenny’s favorite Korean restaurant in Manhattan, Kunjip. Excellent stews, soups and pancakes is what we were told to expect, and she was spot on. Everything we had at Kunjip was delicious, and you can eat like a king for a very reasonable price. One thing you should know – you don’t come to Kunjip for the wonderful service, you come to get down and dirty and some real Korean eats, and fast. Kunjip is a well oiled machine, and it’s no secret that they’re rushing you through your meal to get the next table of panting onlookers seated. Your first round of food will hit the table within a few seconds of ordering, and the check will be delivered upon first hint of slowing down on your entrees. Our meal went by so fast; I forgot to drink my beer and had to pound my OB walking out the door. That kind of efficiency is actually great for those in search of a quick meal before a game or show at Madison Square Garden. Arrive at 6:15 before the rush, grab a table without a wait, and be out by 7:00 with plenty of time to spare.
Food Rundown:
Seafood Pancake (Hae-Mool Pajun)
A fan favorite, and an excellent item to start with and share. They cut up this extra large pancake of egg, “seafood” and vegetables with a pair of scissors at the table. Not sure exactly what kind of “seafood” it is, but it tastes good so we don’t care.
Fried Dumplings (Man Doo Gui)
Once again, do we have any idea what kind of meat is in these? Hell no. And once again, it don’t matter. They’re damn good. These are some of the crispiest dumplings you will ever eat.
Rice Cakes (Mae Woon Dduk Boki)
Momofuku Ssam set the bar pretty high in the rice cake game, but these more traditional Korean rice cakes seem to be bigger, softer and even spicier. With a table of people who dig spicy stuff? Get after it. It’s going to take an army to take this whole dish of pan-fried cakes down.
Spicy Pork Bone & Potato Casserole (Kam Ja Tang)
Deep, meaty flavors make this casserole soup/stew one of the most popular orders at Kunjip. We were a little confused about how to eat it, as it comes in a big ass crock-pot and you’re sitting there, trying to share it with tiny spoons and chop sticks. We dumped a bunch over incredibly tasty purple rice and went to town. That’s probably not the way it’s meant to be eaten but whatever, it tasted good.
Gobdol Bibimbob
Best name ever? Maybe. This is rice on a heated stone pot with assorted veggies, ground beef and egg. Mix it all up with some red chili paste and it’s quite the treat. Definitely order one of these if you like to get your spice on.
BBQ
We elected not to go this route, but regretted it after the table next to us got a mixed grill for the ages. If you do decide to go grill, here’s what Jenny has to say about ordering and execution: Get the Heuk Sam Gyup Sahl (black pork belly/bacon) or Galbi (marinated short rib). After you grill the meat, make sure you get the kimchi fried rice. If you’re not Korean, they might try to jip you so make sure to ask for it. Order two different things and they’ll grill it up for you at the table; Put the meat in the red leaf lettuce, top it off with the scallion salad and top that off with the soy bean paste. If you’re daring, put slice of garlic on top. Roll it up and stuff it in your mouth! This is called Ssahm, inspiration for the name of Chang’s joint.
