NYCReview
Included In
Moono could have been pretentious. It wouldn’t have been hard. The Koreatown restaurant is from a chef who also runs a tasting menu spot down the street, and it occupies a landmarked three-story building that makes its neighbors look uncultured. But instead of going the uptight route, Moono serves substantial portions of polished Korean classics in a bi-level room that, despite its terracotta tiling and cathedralesque ceilings, feels kind of casual.
With its $30 truffle jjajangmyeon, this isn’t exactly a homestyle spot, but it’s a lot more traditional than sister restaurants Atoboy and LittleMad. Broken into sections like “hwe/muchim” and “seafood/meat,” the menu features a few overachieving takes on things like mandoo, blood sausage ssam, and Korean fried chicken. Larger options, like the beef jeongol and crispy dry-aged branzino, are big enough to share, and impressive enough to make you wonder why a somm isn’t trying to pitch a white Burgundy as if it's an exciting investment opportunity.
photo credit: Dan Ahn
Those stiff little moments won’t happen at Moono. We rarely say this, and we'll deny it if you tell anyone, but, if anything, this place is too laid-back. The soundtrack is Mykonos day club-adjacent (disorienting, but not bad), and dishes arrive at a rapid-fire pace, which means you can easily get in and out before you have the chance to fully soak in the ambiance. That's a shame, because not every restaurant has a tarnished brass fireplace and an illuminated mural parked on the ceiling.
photo credit: Dan Ahn
photo credit: Dan Ahn
photo credit: Dan Ahn
If you’re celebrating an anniversary or your grandmother’s birthday, you might want to find a spot that's a little more buttoned-up, with subtler lighting and a white tablecloth or two. But if you want to have a night out in K-Town that feels both grand and breezy and eat a meal that you won’t fully appreciate until you’re halfway down the block, this place is perfect. Split a stew, eat some wings, and be sure to pull, not push, on the heavy neo-Romanesque doors on your way out.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Dan Ahn
Hoe Muchim
photo credit: Dan Ahn
Soondae Ssam
photo credit: Dan Ahn
Spicy Fried Chicken
photo credit: Dan Ahn
Dry-Aged Branzino
photo credit: Dan Ahn
Pork Butt Ssam
photo credit: Dan Ahn
Beef Jeongol
photo credit: Dan Ahn
Pyongyang Cold Noodle
photo credit: Dan Ahn