The atmosphere of the restaurant with the friendliness and stories from the chef makes this a must go for any fan of korean cooking or cooking in general. Chef encourages questions between meals and each meal has a speech before it. Really wonderful time
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dennis Jang
Meju was an excellent dining experience, both in food and ambiance. Chef Hooni is obviously extremely dedicated to the craft of fermentation, as evidenced by the careful preparation of each dish and the details he shared along the way. Everything was delicious and well-worth the trip to LIC to have a fantastic meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rishi Watts
Meju is an absolute treasure in Long Island City. Chef Hooni’s passion for homeopathic cuisine resonates deeply within his food and makes it not only a delicious experience but also a very knowledgeable one. Also, you should definitely buy some banchan before you head home! The trip to Long Island City is well worth it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nate G
Stunning. No other way to put it. Tasted flavors that were entirely new to me in dishes that were composed beautifully. Sitting in the kitchen with the chef is such a fun twist on the fine dining format too, and it helps that he's extremely personable. Felt like a dinner party with friends by the end of it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bianca Nguyen
Incredible space, attentive staff and service, delicious all around using locally sourced ingredients, and learned so much from Chef about fermentation!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Anna Morrione
Incredible special experience at Meju <3 delicious and educational all in one. Service was impeccable and the restaurant only seated 8 people so it was a very intimate experience
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joy Zhu
One of our most unique dining experiences with such a personal curation. It was elevated yet casual. Perfectly done and loved every bite.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jea-Hyoun Feng
Meju was a memorable and amazing dining experience. When my husband told me about a Korean fermentation tasting menu, I was already sold - being Korean American and loving all the fermented things.
It was such an adventure! You walk into the little banchan shop (and buy cute things and kimchi), then get invited into a hidden door, down a beautiful hallway into Chef Hooni's sleek kitchen space with 8 counter seats. The space has the look of modern yet Korean touches - like the rice cooker in the corner and a giant celadon vase holding flowers.
Chef Hooni comes in and starts roasting seaweed over the fire. It evoked memories of my own mother doing this when I was a kid (before roasted seaweed was packaged and sold in stores everywhere, even Costco). He presents his journey in studying and learning fermentation and each step of the tasting menu showcases different jang (sauces) - doenjang, gochujang, and ganjang. He pairs the sauces with food and talks about how the more time something ferments, the flavors change. Each course was perfectly paired.
The ingredients are all so fresh and high quality. The presentation is sleek and modern, yet the food is true to traditional Korean style. It evokes memories of my own mom and grandma's cooking.
The dessert was brilliant - frozen shikhye with red bean and a touch of cinnamon. It combined shikhye, pat bingsoo, and sujeongwa into one delightful dessert.
The beverage pairing of wine and Korean spirits was lovely as well.
Set aside 3 hours - dinner is an involved, engaged experience. Honestly, I was so sad it was over and I didn't even realize so much time had passed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fred Gibbons
Fantastic culinary and cultural experience. Chef’s explanations turned it into food theatre.
Honestly, it was one of the most unique and best restaurants we have ever been to. The food was unbelievably good and Chef Hooni Kim thoughtfully described each course and the fermentation process that went into it. It was very interactive and we learned so much from the chef. An incomparable experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Luke Y (Yickity)
It gave me an appreciation for Korean culture and Korean cuisine that I did not have before.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Adrian S
Exquisite, unpretentious, and educational fine dining. Bravo Hooni!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Richard W
Chef Hooni Kim succeeded in his vision: dinner at Meju should feel like getting invited as a guest to enjoy a home-cooked meal. Many dishes allude to home cooking yet the flavors clearly tasted professional. This was one of my best meals in the past year. The hwe was perfect. In NYC’s glut of modern Korean tasting menus, Meju has set itself apart by firmly rooting itself in tradition and fermentation.A 3.5-hour dinner here educates not only the palate but the mind as we learn about the history and context of fermentation in Korean cuisine. The experience is much more preferable than waitstaff plopping plates at a table while quickly reciting an ingredients list. The chef encourages friendly conversation in this intimate eight-seat speakeasy. In no time, strangers started talking with each other, though there was no pressure for anyone to do so.A highlight of the meal is getting to taste a few drops of 129-year old soy sauce. It tasted just like how I imagined it to be, mellow and a tad yeasty, though surprisingly devoid of vanilla-like compounds.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Javier Kohen
I had a great evening at Meju. The chef and his stories about the development of the food were entertaining, and the ambiance is amazing. It's a really lovely place.The food is very good, but on the surface it's very similar to KTown fare. The difference is that the natural fermentation process for which the chef has spent years training allegedly is great for your health.And there lies the sticking point with Meju, in a way we pay a premium to sponsor the chef's journeys in the exploration of techniques with the hope that it will bring something greater. And it's great to go into Meju knowing that, because then we can make an informed decision.
The atmosphere of the restaurant with the friendliness and stories from the chef makes this a must go for any fan of korean cooking or cooking in general. Chef encourages questions between meals and each meal has a speech before it. Really wonderful time
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Meju was an excellent dining experience, both in food and ambiance. Chef Hooni is obviously extremely dedicated to the craft of fermentation, as evidenced by the careful preparation of each dish and the details he shared along the way. Everything was delicious and well-worth the trip to LIC to have a fantastic meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Meju is an absolute treasure in Long Island City. Chef Hooni’s passion for homeopathic cuisine resonates deeply within his food and makes it not only a delicious experience but also a very knowledgeable one. Also, you should definitely buy some banchan before you head home! The trip to Long Island City is well worth it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stunning. No other way to put it. Tasted flavors that were entirely new to me in dishes that were composed beautifully. Sitting in the kitchen with the chef is such a fun twist on the fine dining format too, and it helps that he's extremely personable. Felt like a dinner party with friends by the end of it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Incredible space, attentive staff and service, delicious all around using locally sourced ingredients, and learned so much from Chef about fermentation!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Incredible special experience at Meju <3 delicious and educational all in one. Service was impeccable and the restaurant only seated 8 people so it was a very intimate experience
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
One of our most unique dining experiences with such a personal curation. It was elevated yet casual. Perfectly done and loved every bite.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Meju was a memorable and amazing dining experience. When my husband told me about a Korean fermentation tasting menu, I was already sold - being Korean American and loving all the fermented things.
It was such an adventure! You walk into the little banchan shop (and buy cute things and kimchi), then get invited into a hidden door, down a beautiful hallway into Chef Hooni's sleek kitchen space with 8 counter seats. The space has the look of modern yet Korean touches - like the rice cooker in the corner and a giant celadon vase holding flowers.
Chef Hooni comes in and starts roasting seaweed over the fire. It evoked memories of my own mother doing this when I was a kid (before roasted seaweed was packaged and sold in stores everywhere, even Costco). He presents his journey in studying and learning fermentation and each step of the tasting menu showcases different jang (sauces) - doenjang, gochujang, and ganjang. He pairs the sauces with food and talks about how the more time something ferments, the flavors change. Each course was perfectly paired.
The ingredients are all so fresh and high quality. The presentation is sleek and modern, yet the food is true to traditional Korean style. It evokes memories of my own mom and grandma's cooking.
The dessert was brilliant - frozen shikhye with red bean and a touch of cinnamon. It combined shikhye, pat bingsoo, and sujeongwa into one delightful dessert.
The beverage pairing of wine and Korean spirits was lovely as well.
Set aside 3 hours - dinner is an involved, engaged experience. Honestly, I was so sad it was over and I didn't even realize so much time had passed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fantastic culinary and cultural experience. Chef’s explanations turned it into food theatre.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Terrific!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Honestly, it was one of the most unique and best restaurants we have ever been to. The food was unbelievably good and Chef Hooni Kim thoughtfully described each course and the fermentation process that went into it. It was very interactive and we learned so much from the chef. An incomparable experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It gave me an appreciation for Korean culture and Korean cuisine that I did not have before.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Exquisite, unpretentious, and educational fine dining. Bravo Hooni!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chef Hooni Kim succeeded in his vision: dinner at Meju should feel like getting invited as a guest to enjoy a home-cooked meal. Many dishes allude to home cooking yet the flavors clearly tasted professional. This was one of my best meals in the past year. The hwe was perfect. In NYC’s glut of modern Korean tasting menus, Meju has set itself apart by firmly rooting itself in tradition and fermentation.A 3.5-hour dinner here educates not only the palate but the mind as we learn about the history and context of fermentation in Korean cuisine. The experience is much more preferable than waitstaff plopping plates at a table while quickly reciting an ingredients list. The chef encourages friendly conversation in this intimate eight-seat speakeasy. In no time, strangers started talking with each other, though there was no pressure for anyone to do so.A highlight of the meal is getting to taste a few drops of 129-year old soy sauce. It tasted just like how I imagined it to be, mellow and a tad yeasty, though surprisingly devoid of vanilla-like compounds.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I had a great evening at Meju. The chef and his stories about the development of the food were entertaining, and the ambiance is amazing. It's a really lovely place.The food is very good, but on the surface it's very similar to KTown fare. The difference is that the natural fermentation process for which the chef has spent years training allegedly is great for your health.And there lies the sticking point with Meju, in a way we pay a premium to sponsor the chef's journeys in the exploration of techniques with the hope that it will bring something greater. And it's great to go into Meju knowing that, because then we can make an informed decision.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
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