I was at this popular Korean restaurant with a bunch of others and as per many of my recent reviews several months ago as I have a backlog. The food here is based on Busan which is unique to most Korean spots in the city and it has a nice atmosphere though it's a bit loud as the place is tiny. As it is Busan related, there's a whole lot of fish on this menu but we got a mix. I found the eel very disappointing but mostly other dishes were pretty good even if they were a bit pricey. To drink I had the Maesil ($14) which is with Seoul Night (or rather The Han Seoul Night Plum Soju) Green Plum (said maesil,) Suze (a French bitter apertif,) Peach, and Lemon. The drink came humorously topped with a piece of gummy peach candy. I found it pretty sweet and I couldn't taste the alcohol and it was alright though I would likely get a different cocktail next time. We first got the Scallop DIY Gimbap ($26) with scallops, squid jeotgal, scallion mayo, apple kimchi, and gim. I couldn't have the squid of course but the scallops alone with the mixture and gim/seaweed was tasty. The jeotgal I presume would have added a spicy salty flavor. It was pretty good though I guess my only complaint would be that the scallop a bit too thinly sliced so it lacked texture which is surprising as usually hwe is cut into thicker pieces for chewiness in Korean spots. The Lamb Stuffed Fried Pepper ($14) with Korean green pepper and cumin perilla yogurt was pretty tasty. The texture of the batter was unique and I'm curious if it was some type of rice flour. This was a bit oily but well flavored and the yogurt definitely helped reduce the oiliness. Also fried with the same unique batter was the Fried Soft-Shell Crab ($18) with scallion yuja aioli, and lime zest. As per before, it was a tad oily though less so than the pepper and again the aioli helped with that. Very tasty albeit a small bite. My favorite bite of the night was the Dolsot Al-Bap ($19 or more with uni) consisting of a hot stone bibimbap with medley of fish roe, poached egg, and sea urchin cream which is also mixed at the table. The fish roe which definitely included flying fish and tobiko among others popped in the mouth and the rich cream worked well with it even if it didn't taste much of uni/sea urchin. It was a tad salty but delicious and I would order that alone as a very filling main again. As this was several months ago, their Bulgogi (unknown price but presumably $26-$28) back then was more traditional with char-broiled thinly sliced ribeye, king oyster mushroom, and sesame oil. You can find this dish in many other Korean spots and outside of it being a bit less sweet and the beef being very tender, it was pretty standard. It's more uniquely made with duck now and I would try that. Unfortunately our main dish was the Glazed Jang-eo ($25) with fried sea eel and eggplant tossed with Korean raspberry sauce. I love eel in basically all of it's varieties and I know that Busan is pretty famous for eel. The sauce was cloyingly sweet and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it contained bokbunja/Korean raspberry liqueur from how sweet it was. It reminded me of General Tso's which isn't a good thing and I couldn't taste the eel. I honestly don't get how anyone likes this unless it's usually not that sweet. The sauce should honestly be on the side as they're good enough at frying but I guess it's prepared this way because it looks nicer. I think a Gochujang based (something similar to Ojingeo bokkeum) would be better. It's hard for me to rate this place. Our main dish was well terrible but the rest of food was decent. There's just perhaps too many faults at this price point. Low 3. read more

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AriAri is an authentic Korean restaurant from Busan. Here's what you should order: * Scallop DIY (incredibly fresh!) * Seafood pancake (packed with squid, shrimp, and mussels--absolutely amazing) * Fried soft shell crab (lightly fried, with tender, meaty texture) * Fried chicken (crispy with a delicate crunch--still trying to figure out how they do it!) * Beef su yuk (a comforting, flavorful soup) * Dolsot al-bap hot stone rice (add the sea urchin--it's so creamy and delicious) * Corn creme brulee (sweet, custardy perfection) I'd skip the fried sea eel. Though I usually enjoy freshwater eel, I wasn't a fan of the sauce here. Overall, you won't go wrong with anything on the menu. Highly recommended! read more

Wow I had high expectations for this place and it still didn't disappoint! Pretty much every dish we got was really good. Here are the most popular: - Dolsot Al Bap - a must try!! It's creamy, umami, filling. I would come back just for this dish. - Fried Sea Eel & Eggplant - it's sweet and savory with a nice crunch from the pecans. Our table really liked this. - Duck Bulgogi - Mak Hwe - sashimi with lettuce wraps. Really fresh - Seafood pancake - Fried chicken Service was fast. The ambiance was a little dark but it wasn't overwhelming to the point that it affected our experience. Highly recommend coming here!! read more

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So excited to finally try Ariari! While there's a lot of Korean food in NYC, Ariari is unique because of it's Busan style food. We ordered the Scallop DIY Gimbap, Salmon Hoe Gooksu, Dolsot Al-Bap (added uni), Steamed Monkfish, and Hap-Cheon Pork Soup. Everything was pretty tasty! My favorite was definitely the Salmon Hoe Gooksu - the flavor of the sauce was delicious and there were a lot of long pieces of salmon. Like some reviews said, the scallop was pretty thin on the DIY gimbap dish, but I think it was still good and a nice lil experience to make the gimbap. For the dolsot al-bap, I would recommend not adding on the uni - I think it already has good sea urchin flavor and they just give it to you on the side rather than being on top of or part of the dish, so I don't think it was worth it in my opinion! For dessert we got both the Omija Bingsoo and the Corn Creme Brûlée. I think it was great to get both and split because they had pretty different flavor profiles. The Bingsoo was super nice, refreshing, and tart, while the Creme brûlée was sweeter and had a nice mild corn flavor. Definitely recommend coming by if you get a chance! It is on the expensive side so I probably won't be coming frequently but a good place to take friends or family visiting or if you want to treat yourself! read more

ARIARI - Salmon Hoe Gooksu - Korean Near Me - New York, New York

TLDR: A fun experience for korean cuisine with an emphasis on seafood. We started with a few drinks and definitely had higher expectations for them based on the description. They felt unblended and too strong. The uni rice is the popular dish and though the presentation was good, the dish itself lacked the umami flavor I was looking for and it got dry fairly quickly. The seafood pancake was my favorite savory item and paired with the sauce was very good. The beef tartare is definitely to be shared as its a super rich flavor. My highlight of the meal was the corn creme brulee that had the perfect sweetness and texture to it. read more

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Such unique dishes and efficient dining experience! I'm a huge lover of Korean food but these dishes are unlike any found in my typical home style or kbbq joints. My boyfriend and I had a reservation for prime time Friday night and the place was packed, so I highly recommend having a reservation to dine here. Everything we got was absolutely delicious; however, the must gets are the scallops DIY and Dolsot Al-Bap - I will literally come back just for these two any day. The eel was perfectly crispy and sweet and paired really well with the dolsot. They mix it at the table for you and recommend you enjoy it immediately, we basically inhaled it. We got both the desserts but the corn crème brûlée was far superior in my opinion. Highly recommend this spot and cannot wait to come back for more! read more

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Nut allergy friendly: Nothing we had had any concerns. I don't think anything they use has nuts. Wow. This probably ranks into my top 3 Korean restaurants in the US. It's a quaint shop from the outside that I almost walked by despite following directions, but it's packed with flavor. We made a reservation two weeks ahead when they opened up and were promptly seated. Order-to-Dishes: Roughly 13-19 mins for appetizers, 23 mins for sharable entrees. For three people, we ordered: -Kimchi (complimentary): Excellent. Great balance, not too acidic. -Seafood Butter-Gui (5/5): An interesting Mediterranean feeling dish with the pita, but it blends the butter with delicious seafood and the perfect accompaniments to balance out each bite. -Seafood Pancake (5/5): They manage to get squid or shrimp or mussels into each bite of the pancake. Stellar texture. Delicious balance with the chive and basil. -Fried Soft Shell Crab (6/5): Holy smokes. Must order. Not sure how they fry this but it is excellently crispy and still fresh tasting at the same time. -Fried Chicken (4.5/5): I give this a good rating for excellent portions. It's fried in a similar way as the soft shell crab. I think it was a bit weaker in texture but overall, still very good. -Duck Bulgogi (4/5): While this was the weakest dish in my opinion, the duck was still very tender and flavorful. I think it should have been served with some rice or something other than beansprouts. -Spicy Fish Stew (4/5): Went very well with rice, very tender fish and clams but not enough to share with 3 people. -Seafood Japchae (5/5): The heck did they do to make this Japchae so good? The octopus perfectly balanced the Japchae texture and it's a great level of spice. The quality of seafood was overall excellent. With two drinks it came out to roughly $75/pp. I'd definitely come back if only for the soft shell crab, and highly recommend. read more

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Ariari takes inspiration from Busan, a city in Korea close to the sea and thus has great seafood! My friend and I were so excited to get a reservation here; the restaurant is cozy yet comfortable. We were immediately served a side dish of their homemade coleslaw-style kimchi, which ended up being my FAVORITE food item (lol). Serving sizes of their menu items are definitely a little small for how much you're paying, but the food was so good that I thought it was worth the splurge-- we ordered 3 items between the two of us but could've eaten more. My favorite was the glazed eel! read more

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Highly suggest setting a resy notification if you're not a fan of late night dinners. The whole space isn't too big, but it looks like they're mostly saved for reservations because there were quite a few empty tables when we arrived at 7:45p on a Friday. I'd also recommend going with a group of ~4 to maximize the sharing. We got all the recommendations from our friend plus a few others and while some dishes were smaller than others, 5 dishes + dessert was a good amount. Faves: - pork & fried squid stir fry: super crispy squid and thinly sliced pork in a spicy sauce. YUM! - uni al bap: interesting souffle presentation and mixed table side. I was expecting more uni flavor, but it was def lacking. But didn't take away from the overall dish because it was still delicious! - CORN CREME BRULEE: my absolute favorite of the night. I love all things corn, and this creamyyy dessert 100% delivered. Skip on the other dessert.. wasn't worth it. But you must try this! Other dishes we got that weren't as great: steamed monk fish and seafood stew. I wouldn't get these again next time. If you scan the code, you can also see pictures of the menu items! Loved that addition read more

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I came to Ariari with my family for a belated birthday dinner - my choice. I made reservations a few weeks in advance and we were seated upon arrival. The place was pretty busy already at 7pm on a Friday, and stayed busy the entire time we were there. We opted to split a few dishes between the four of us: - Mak-Hwe: Thinly Sliced Fish(Seasonal) Served with Lettuce Wrap, Ssam-Jang, Cho-Jang - Seafood Butter Gui: Shrimp, Baby Scallop, Dashima Butter, Onion, Garlic, Parsley, Sliced Baguette - Soy Braised Lotus Root Salad: Potato, Mushroom, Radicchio, Fried Ssuk-kat, Chili-Kombu Dressing - Dolsat Al-Bap: Hot Stone Bibimbap with Flying Fish Roe, Shellfish Paste, Sea Urchin Cream - Duck Bulgogi: Gochujang Marinated Sliced Duck Breast, Chive, Onion - Beef Su-yuk Soup: Simmered Beef Short Ribs and Shank in Beef Broth; Served with Onion Chive Salad & a Bowl of Rice My favorites were the Mak-Hwe, the Soy Braised Lotus Root Salad, and the Dolsat Al-Bap. They were all very distinctive flavors that I really haven't had anywhere else and I really enjoyed them. The duck bulgogi was very flavorful and I would recommend it as well. Service was really attentive and we were very well taken care of. read more

Such an amazing Korean spot of bringing Busan delicacies to the States, ofc with the adaptation that helps make the dishes more palatable to the American taste. Interior and Service was great. The waiters were kind and the interior was great to look at. we had to sit outside which was a bit disappointing at first, but with that Pocha vibe, it was just as cool. The AlBap is definitely one of my favorites. The tartare was also great, but they mixed in squid with, so it felt a little like they copped on providing that authentic YukHoe(Korean tartare) experience. Overall great place read more

ARIARI - YukHoe - Korean Near Me - New York, New York

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I've been hearing so much hype about this spot and honestly, it didn't blow me away. Some of the dishes I tried were very good and others were much less enjoyable. My favorite dishes were the eel and eggplant and the lotus root salad. The scallop wraps were also very good- light, refreshing, and nice. I didn't care for the octopus or the lamb stuffed peppers at all. My biggest complaint was that the staff rushed us through the whole meal. We ordered five dishes and they were all on our table at basically the same time. There was no coursing out the meal. Then, waiters stopped by every 3 minutes to ask if we were done with any of the plates, all of which still had food on them. And it's not like we were taking a long time; we were in and out of the restaurant in an hour. The fact that they brought our plates out so fast and then kept trying to take them became a running joke at the table. Overall, not the wonderful dinner I hoped for. read more

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Has to make a reservation a few weeks out for prime dinner time. We came here and the staff were nice enough to let us be seated without our full party. The ambiance is very home feeling. Like a vintage home in Korea. We sat and got to ordering! We got the bulgogi, fried chicken, and pork soup first while we waited for the rest of our party. These came out rather quickly. One thing to note is these are tapa style food, so the portions reflect so. The fried chicken was deliciously juicy and the curry powder on them paired perfectly well. The bulgogi was nicely marinated without being overly saucy. The pork soup had different cuts and soup. The broth was rich but the meats was ok. This came with one bowl of rice. After our party came, we ordered the raw stuff! Seasonal fish, DIY scallops, seafood udon and the uni paste bap followed. To me, these were all pretty mediocre. The seasonal fish didn't have much flavor, though the texture was nice. The uni paste bap didn't have a strong uni flavor with all the copious amounts of paste mixed in. The seafood udon was a bit mushy. Overall, the experience was all right. We read other reviews that rave about it and had high expectations that sadly, weren't met. The staff and service was excellent though, making sure all our waters never fell below half full. read more

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Wow - just wow. If you're looking for a place with fresh and delicious seafood, definitely check this place out. Reservations are a little difficult to get at a normal time, so either plan in advance or plan for a late dinner. I got a reservation for 2 people at 9:30 PM on Wednesday - if you set an alert on Resy, you'll be able to get a late table pretty easily. Note that their kitchen does close at 10 PM though, so make sure to order all the apps and entrees you want before closing if you have a late reservation. They do let you order desserts after 10 PM though (not sure about drinks). ARIARI is more of a tapas place, so the portions are small. The waiter recommended that we each order at least 2 items off the menu, and we thought it was a solid recommendation because we were both stuffed after the meal. Drinks are also solid - if you prefer a sweet drink, the Maesil was great. You can't taste the alcohol at all (tasted like sprite) and it comes with a gummy candy on top. We ordered: 1. Mak-Hwe: my friend ordered this and liked this a lot! The fish was really fresh and the sauces it comes with are delicious. 2. DIY Scallop Gimbap: you can make your own hand rolls - the rice is nicely seasoned and the scallops were thinly sliced so the hand rolls were balanced. The apple kimchi was delicious - I would get this again. 3. Yookhwe: delicious! The octopus added a nice texture to the raw beef. The crispy onion added a nice texture, but I wish there were seaweed crisps or something to eat the yookhwe with. 4. Hap-Cheon Pork Soup: easily the best dish of the night. The broth was very light and the pork was so tender. This is a little spicy, but the side salad and the rice helps cut through the heat. I would HIGHLY recommend trying this at least once - the portions were pretty generous and can easily serve 2 people. We liked everything that we ordered and would definitely come back again for the pork soup and to try other things off the menu! I wanted to try the corn dessert after seeing so many great reviews on Yelp, but we were so stuffed after our meal, so I'll definitely have to try it next time! read more

ARIARI - Korean Near Me - New York, New York

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Wow hands down this is the best Korean tapas place I've had. All the plates are shareable for each person to have a piece in a group of 6. The scallop hand roll was phenomenal, and the creamy rice. Personally I thought the soup with tendon was the best dish, only because I've yet to have Korean soup here better then my moms cooking but this was it. read more

ARIARI - Scallop hand roll - Korean Near Me - New York, New York

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One of the few restaurants that I've visited more than once! Everything is delicious - I especially recommend the DIY scallop and the fried eel. Service is excellent. I sat indoors and outdoors and both are great. read more

ARIARI - Scallops - Korean Near Me - New York, New York

Tried a bunch of dishes here and it was super yummy. I would say that the portions are on the smaller end so I suggest getting some dishes to share for the table. The food was very flavorful. Service was friendly and attentive. The restaurant is on the smaller end so be prepared to sit pretty intimately with other customers. read more

ARIARI - Korean Near Me - New York, New York

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Everything we got here was so good! A very welcome addition of modern but authentic Korean food to the city. Vibe is like a casual gastropub and you are a given a loud, enthusiastic welcome when you first enter! The service was on point and very accommodating. BEEF SOUP - robust, flavorful, fresh vegetables and flavorful beef. LOTUS ROOT SALAD* - one of the highlights with a savory, salty flavor with soft but a delicate crunch at the same time (think asian salads with marinated potato slices sort of texture, flavor) UNI AL BAP ** - so so good, love the bits of crunch that the roe offers and the creaminess of the sauce with the perfect cooked texture of the rice. PORK AND FRIED SQUID ** - classic Korean heat marinates the pork that underlies a frittery, satisfyingly chewy squid on top. Such a good savory option to drive the meal home CORN CREME BRULEE ** - not warm, but still so so good, with a nice sweet corn flavor throughout and a satisfying, crunchy, flambeed exterior. read more

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My friends and I came here for dinner and were so impressed!! We didn't have a reservation, but I stopped by at 6 to put our name down for 3 and we actually had an availability only 15 min after. They usually just have a shorter time frame that you can stay because they need the table for a reservation later. We did family style and got the Beef Tartare, Soft Shell Crab, Hap Cheon Pork Soup, Spicy Pork, Salmon Hwe-Muchim and Grilled Chicken Skewers. Everything was so unique, fancy and delicious! The portions are small and it's definitely on the pricier side. My favorite were the Beef Tartare and Spicy Pork. The pork soup was also very delicious and soothing. The salmon was probably my least favorite as it was good, but you have to eat it very fast as the ice kind of waters down the flavor. Service was great, though they say some super loud greeting every time someone walks in which I didn't love. Overall, definitely worth the try! read more

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We sat in the outdoor dining area which was air conditioned. Nothing special vibe wise but they played a nice playlist of K-music. Note: If you sit in the outdoor dining area, note, you need to cross carefully since it's right off the bike lane and bikes/ scooters are all zooming by in NYC style! The staff was very nice and attentive. As soon as my water cup was 1/2 full, someone zoomed over to re-fill it! Complimentary Salad: Light w/ a nice taste of seasame. I hate when places add the mayo and apple in these type of salads so it was very welcomed in my belly :) Appetizer: Octopus Sook-Hoe: Soft poached octopus w/ white kimchi, lime and perilla seaweed vinaigrette: The octopus was very fresh. Think ceviche Korean style but with the octopus not being raw. It was a bit well done so a little rubbery but I enjoyed the flavor. Lots of nori flavor so you best like nori! Dinner: Fried soft-Shell Crab w/ scallion yuja aioli and lime zest: It was the crispiest fried soft shell crab I've ever eaten. Not oily, perfect. I wished there were more meat on the crab. Good nonetheless. The dipping sauce had a kick and was too spicy for me but dipping it very lightly worked for me. My husband got the Spicy Seafood Udon which had stir-fried udon, shrimp, calamari, minced mussel and thai basil. This was very spicy! It tasted like Tteokbokki aka spicy rice cake sauce. I would have rather had that than the udon here. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture but if you like spicy, udon, seafood and tteokbokki, you will like this dish. He took it home to mix it w/ white rice we have in of course, our rice cooker, lol! I come back here w/ a friend who's palette would make sense for these dishes. read more

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The cocktails are wonderful and the service is super friendly and helpful. While essentially Korean, the food is not entirely traditional Korean. It is Asian fusion with Korean flavors, ingredients and techniques. The restaurant is very modern in style, although a bit small. Ariari is a good value for the money proposition as well. Go with a group so you can taste a wide variety of different dishes. read more

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Since we have visited Busan before, one of the fondest memory we had was the pork soup. It was the best soup we had in Korea and we have visited Seoul & Jeju. We have tried many different spots in NYC and NJ to find one that resembled what we ate at busan. There was one we found that was kind of similar but it was far in NJ. I am so happy because after so many years, we found the missing link! The pork soup tasted like the one we had in Busan but it definitely was more flavorful. The one we had in busan, we had to season thr soup ourselves with the salt and the other condiments. This soup was so damn amaaazinggggg! The pork meat and stomach was so tender & the onion chives made it even more flavorful! Soup broth was to die for! This came with a bowl of rice & pickled onion chive salad. Eating the rice with the pork soup was so nostalgic. I felt like I was in busan for a moment. The pickled onion chive salad was so delicious too! Staff was so attentive and super friendly. There is indoor and outdoor seating. Indoor seating was nice but the outdoor atmosphere was more fun and laid back with the christmas lights. We enjoyed the outdoor seating atmosphere. Highly recommend you to make reservations in advance. We didn't know you had to make reservations in advance, but was lucky and had to wait 45 minutes to get a table. Highly highly recommend this place! We will come back to try their other foods! But definitely will.be back for that heavenly pork soup! read more

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Charming Korean restaurant tucked away in the bustling EV neighborhood. This restaurant differentiates itself from other notable Korean players in the city, with its focus on Busan cuisine. The restaurant itself is small, and the crowd it attracts is bustling. I was very lucky to snag a coveted resy here on a Thursday. All in all, I thought the food was good but not fantastic (don't blast me here). My sister and I came here on a Thursday evening and started off with their berry lemonade. Refreshing, crisp and straightforward. We then moved onto shareable apps. We got the Mak Hwe (fantastic 5/5), Salmon Hwe Muchim (3.5/5, a little gimmicky and a little sweet for me) and Fried Soft Shell Crab (5/5, cooked perfectly). We then moved onto our one main/soup, the Seafood Stew (4.5/5, very flavorful and full of seafood). We ended our food journey with a Corn Brulee (3.5/5, tasty but sister makes a killer creme brulee so a little biased here). Given all the hype of this restaurant, I think I was expecting a little more. Unlike other restaurants, there weren't offerings of banchan outside of a cabbage salad (no kimchi!), and something about the food didn't feel as homey as I was expecting. Overall, it was still a good meal and would recommend this restaurant, but I wouldn't bend over backwards to get a reservation here. Cheers! (4/5) read more

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YUMMS: *Seafood Pancake : very good, flavorful, fresh shrimp. *Yook-Hwe Beef Tartare : soo good, great texture, fresh, perfect temperature. *Fried Chicken : very good, hot and juicy, tender. *Spicy Seafood Udon : tasty. SOSO: *Salmon Hwe-Muchim : more like eating the sauce than any salmon. *Fried Soft-shell Crab : not much crab. *Spicy Pork with Fried Squid : so so *Dolsot Al-Bap : expected so so like everyone else that's disappointed. There's not really fish roe and uni flavor. *Glazed Jang-eo EEL : saucy. Cocktails were good. Price were reasonable but portion is small. The space gets too loud to have conversation. read more

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ARIARI is an incredible Korean restaurant serving up some of the best Korean food I've ever had! Booked a last minute reservation for a group of 6 people at 8:45 pm on a Saturday. Since the restaurant is pretty small, and was super packed, we weren't seated until ~9; however, the food was definitely worth the wait! The menu is formatted as a "tapas style", so the waiter recommended that we order ~2 dishes per person. Here's what we ordered: Scallop DIY Gimbap: (5/5) If there's anything that you can take away from this review, is to order the Scallop DIY Gimbap!! The scallops were so sweet and fresh, and paired perfectly with all of the accompaniments. I could eat 10 of these!! Beef Su-Yuk: (5/5) Originally felt indifferent towards this when we were ordering; however, the broth is truly out of this world. Would definitely recommend! Dosot-Al Bap: (5/5) By far my favorite thing that I ate at ARIARI. The uni cream is addicting, and pairs perfectly with the warm rice without being too fishy or overpowering. Definitely make sure you eat this hot to preserve the uni flavor! And add on fresh uni!!! Duck Bulgogi: (5/5) Such a unique pairing that ended up being sooo delicious. The fatty duck paired with the salty umami sauce was a match made in heaven! Seafood Pancake: (4/5) I love seafood pancake and this one definitely lived up to all my expectations. The pieces of seafood were nice and big, and the pancake itself was perfectly crispy! Seafood Butter Gui: (4/5) As a seafood lover this was my absolute dream! Every single seafood was perfectly cooked and seasoned to buttery perfection. I loved how it came with pita because it created this perfect little vessel for all of the delicious seafood! Fried Soft Shell Crab: (3/5) While the rest of the table loved this one, I was pretty indifferent towards it. While it was still delicious, after a while it felt too oily compared to the other dishes. Seafood Japchae read more

ARIARI - Dosot-Al Bap - Korean Near Me - New York, New York

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Me and my friends reserved for dinner at 10:30 as it's super hard to get reservations and always busy. Within entering, the restaurant is on the smaller side but the decorations are homey and reminiscent of older Korea. We ordered so many dishes and every single was delicious! The must order if you come here are the beef tartare (Yukhoe)! It was so delicious and pact with flavor. All the raw fish dishes also tasted fresh and smooth. The deep fried soft shell crab was also very good and I wish more places sold it like this so I dont have to open them up for the meat. The dishes that were good but not as difficult to get at other restaurants are the spicy fish stew and glazed Jang-eo. You must definitely come eat at this restaurant at least once if you live in NYC! read more

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A slightly belated review, but I'm sure most of my praise will still hold for one of the best Korean restaurants in the city!! I had the chance to visit just 2 weeks after Ariari opened back in November, and the food, ambiance, and service blew me away. With the menu being Busan-inspired, we had to order some of their specialty items. Mak-hwe (thinly sliced raw fish) - 9.5/10: So refreshing and fun to eat! I've never had raw fish with lettuce wraps, but everything was super fresh and made for the perfect bite. Glazed Jang-eo (eel) - 9.5/10: Fried eel and eggplant in a korean raspberry sauce - a combo I never thought I needed more in my life. The eel was super meaty and tender (they definitely did not skimp on the meat) and had a delightful sweet & savory flavor. Hap-Cheon Pork Soup - 9/10: Pork soup is one of the dishes that Busan is known for, and Ariari does it super well! A simple and light yet flavorful pork soup will always hit home for me, and I love that it's served with a side of onion chive salad. Maesil - 9/10: I had heard good things about their drinks, so I had to try a fruity one. I could barely taste the alcohol, yet the drink was overall really good - I definitely felt the alcohol towards the end and it was such a refreshing pairing with the food items we ordered. Special shoutout to the complimentary tofu they served at the beginning of the meal, though I don't think they have this anymore :(. It was topped with a thin layer of soft tofu with some sesame cold foam, and was the perfect light start to the meal. I'll be back soon to try more of the updated menu! read more

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Overall overrated: 3.5/5 This is a Korean tapa type of restaurant. The best thing was the SOFT SHELL CRAB Seafood pancake 3/5: very mushy, fishy taste, do not recommend Pork knuckle soup 3/5: no pork broth flavor, soup was not brewed long enough Loved the corn creme brule 4.5/5! Omija bingsoo 4/5: refreshing and tart but it's not as fluffy as many bingsoo places read more

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The first time time I dropped by this place they had no seating available even though there so many empty tables so we walked away. The place is nearly impossible to get a reservation unless you refresh the page consistently to see cancellations. Now that there's outdoor seating space, they have a set of tables avail for walk in. I managed to get a reservation for 2 the day before. For food, they said about 5 dishes for 2. We got the soft shell crab and fried chicken, dolsat, fish stew, pancake. The crab and the chicken had the same breading so it felt like I was eating the same thing. My favorite was the dolsat. The pancake and strew felt pretty standard. We tried the corn cream brûlée, which had a great strong corn flavor. It was on the sweeter side in my opinion. Overall, the place was a bit overrated given how hard this place is to get into and rave reviews. read more

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This place became viral because of TikTok and I managed to snatch a last minute reservation for a 7:15pm slot. Upon arriving at the restaurant, there was a cute menu display outside the door and the vibe inside was very homey. We got there 20 minutes prior to our reservation but to our surprise although there were a few empty tables, we were told to come back during our time slot. We had no choice but to wait outside the restaurant and waited till 7:10pm to be seated. Granted the restaurant was on the smaller side. We ordered a good amount of dishes to try. 1. Uni special: our waitress advertised this to us and claimed that it was super fresh. Unfortunately this was a big miss! I've never had uni this bitter. It had a foul taste to it and was definitely not fresh. Would not recommend getting this! (We notified a staff and they did take this off our bill) 2. Seafood pancake: this was one of the two things that I enjoyed from our meal. The seafood was fresh and the pancake's texture was chewy and crispy. No complaints here! 3. Dolsot Al Bap: cool concept but the taste was underwhelming. More like a fancy bibimbap with a hint of uni flavor 4. Fish stew: This was hands down my favorite dish of the night! The broth was so comforting! It came with a variety of shellfish and veggies. LOVED THIS! 5. Spicy pork with fried squid: personally not a fan of this combo. Would've liked this better if they were not in the same dish 6. Soft shell crab: one word to describe this one "GREASY" We were really looking forward to eating at Ariari but left disappointed that the food did not taste as good as we had hoped. Not worth the hype in my opinion. read more

ARIARI - Outside menu display - Korean Near Me - New York, New York

Food 8/10 There were some hits and some misses. Definitely order the beef and octopus tartare and the fried crab. Those two were clear winners of the night. The bibimbap was overhyped, I didn't love the flavors, while the seafood stew was smaller than I had expected. The pork was really good though. The cocktails were not really creative, I ordered the Dae-Chu, which was literally an old fashioned and the jujube I genuinely could not taste unfortunately. Atmosphere 10/10 Loved the decor and the vibes, great music too. Service 9/10 Friendly and accommodating, especially since we were seated at around 945PM and their kitchen closes at 10PM. read more

A new height of Korean flavor, ARIARI is a perfect combination of modern and traditional ARIARI is the kind of restaurant that will attract you as soon as you walk in. The decoration is minimalist and textured, the lighting is soft, and the environment has a "Korean exquisite" beauty, which is very suitable for friends to dine or romantic dates. We ordered: Uni Bibimbap, Galbi Jjim, Kimchi Jeon and Corn Cheese, each of which is amazing. Uni bibimbap is really amazing! The freshness of the sea urchin and the fragrance of the sauce are perfectly combined, and the mouth is full of happiness when eating; Galbi Jjim (stewed beef ribs) melts in the mouth, the sauce is rich and a little sweet and spicy, just right with rice. Even the seemingly simple kimchi pancake is super layered, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the taste is great. For drinks, we tried: Lychee Soju Cocktail or House Makgeolli], the cocktails are refreshing and creative, and they are not inferior to the bar level at all. The service is also very considerate. The waiter is very polite and patient when introducing the menu. The atmosphere is very relaxing and comfortable. read more

This place is excellent. I was a walk in party of one and they were able to squeeze me in. They put a creamy spin on the two plates I ordered Yukhwae and the dolsot bap. The service was excellent quick and attentive. The restaurant is small and intimate and decor is cozy. This place is perfect for an intimate date or casual dinner. If you love Korean food, give this place a try! read more

Tasty and a fun experience! They explained all our dishes and the mackerel torching was super cool. Everything tasted great.

Came here because a friend saw some clips of this place on TikTok. Right off the bat, you can tell this place takes its presentation seriously with waiters mixing and torching things for tables all around us, and always first asking whether anyone wants to take a picture first. Thankfully, it's not all about presentation here as the food is also very delicious! I loved the dolsot albap with sea urchin cream, the sweet and spicy chicken, and the mackerel the most, but everything else slapped as well. The drink was quite unique too, mixing rye whiskey and jujube. Service was fast and I loved that they signaled when to take pictures . Camera always eats first. Great spot overall! read more

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I've been anticipating going to ARIARI for a few weeks now and the overall experience did not disappoint. I made a reservation for 2 originally but when my friend couldn't make it they were kind enough to switch my reservation to 1 with less than a day's notice. The ambiance is very nice; loud but inviting, and the walls are lined with pictures leading back to the bar and kitchen area. The staff were super attentive and friendly as well; they made sure my water was refilled even though water is kept on the table. I showed up a little early but they had my table ready and I was able to order within a couple of minutes. Within 10 minutes, my entree arrived alongside the complimentary salad. I ordered the Seafood Udon and the Lamb Stuff Peppers, the latter of which came out a couple of minutes after the entree. The complimentary salad, which I tried first, was excellent. The dressing was light, mellow, and did not take away from the crisp freshness of the salad. The udon was very good as well, though the Thai Basil flavor was not very apparent. The shrimp and other seafood was very well cooked, and the dish came out super hot. The spice level was not very intense but was definitely noticeable, making this dish very enjoyable. The Lamb Stuffed Peppers were very tasty as well. The fried coating was unique and made for an excellent contrast between the lamb, the soft pepper, and the aioli. All the dishes were very good and deserving of a 5/5. I'll definitely be recommending this place to others! read more

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Thought ARIARI was just ok. They're more Busan-inspired Korean food so it's def something new in the city! We snagged a reservation for 7:45 for 4 a month ago and we were pretty excited to try. The waiters recommend 2 dishes pp so it's more tapas style, smaller portions. We ordered: the DIY scallop gimbap, seafood pancake, yook-hwe, soft shell crab, 2 dolsat al-bap's, spicy pork, spicy seafood udon. I was looking forward to the scallop gimbap but they ended up forgetting about our scallop gimbap and we ordered another yook-hwe because that ended up being all of our favorites. Other standouts were dolsat al-bap which was super creamy and flavorful, and the seafood pancake. The soft shell crab was good but lost points for being too greasy. DEF skip the spicy pork and spicy seafood udon, they were pretty typical (& usually cheap) Korean dishes. To be fair they were also our last add-ons to get to 8 dishes. Although they recommended 2 dishes pp, we were a bit too stuffed, we probably could've went with one or two less dishes tbh. The restaurant is a bit small and cramped but old-school vibes. The service was ok- they forgot about our drinks for a while and sad they forgot about the DIY scallop gimbap. Overall, wouldn't return but not bad, another one-and-done. read more

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TLDR: ARIARI is a new concept from Hand Hospitality (Her Name is Han, Take 31, Jua, etc.) specializing in Busan-inspired cuisine. Think more seafood-focused Korean fare. Mak-Hwe, Dolsot Al Bap, Seafood Stew. Don't forget to try one of the fried dishes. ARIARI is in the old Oiji space in the East Village. I had heard that this was a new concept focused on Busan style food. I wasn't sure what to expect other than the obvious raw seafood or "hwe". Wow - what a pleasant surprise. I've been to probably every Hand restaurant and this was definitely one of the more unique and enjoyable experiences. The Mak-Hwe is probably the most signature dish here. It's a raw sashimi dish with thinly-sliced fluke and yellowtail. You get lettuce wraps with chopped jalapenos, pickled garlic and either a fermented bean sauce or a red pepper sauce. The former is the one i prefer to use. The fish is fresh, it's bouncy and pairs perfectly with the onion slices wrapped in a wonderful crunch from the lettuce. The portion size was generous - the only thing I maybe wished for was more lettuce. Fried Lamb-Stuffed Peppers. So unique. The batter was very light, I think it was tapioca flour. It's crispy but very airy and breaks apart quite easily as you bite into it. The ground lamb was rich and hearty stuffed into the pepper. The dip is a perilla yogurt with cumin, giving it a refreshing yet fragrant note of spice. It almost tastes like a love child of Mexican and Xi'an cuisine. Probably one of the better dishes. Dolsot Al Bap. A hot stone rice bowl, we've all had this before but not like this. The rice is seasoned with a mixture of different fish roes. Tobiko, masago, etc. and topped with this sea urchin cream concoction. There's chopped broccoli in the rice and it's all mixed table side. This might have been my favorite dish, once it arrived - I kept spooning this into my mouth until it was gone. It's piping hot but each bite is rich, creamy, briny, salty. It tastes like a hot stone rice with the mouth feel of almost a broccoli cheese soup. The creaminess from the sea urchin and the slight bitterness of the broccoli accompanied the salty roe perfectly. The rice at the bottom was delightfully crunchy. A savory dish with lots of texture that I couldn't get enough of. Yook-Hwe. A slightly different take on the Korean beef tartare. Not the heavy notes of sesame oil and refreshing crunch from the typical pear. Here you have blanched octopus that gives a bouncy chew mixed with the raw beef cubes. The seaweed mayo and the crispy shallots/garlic gave it a more French feel than Korean. While enjoyable, the sweetness and the amount of mayo was a bit rich for me. Personal preference though. Glazed Jang-eo. Eel, I don't like sweet/savory but this was good. The eel was tasty, a hint of spice and the sweetness/acidity of the Korean raspberry sauce was not overpowering. The eggplant was cooked down to the point where the sweetness actually reminded me of maduros that you'd get with a latin meal. Seafood Stew. Probably the least unique but one of the better dishes we had. Think of a bean sprout soup but spicier, lots of white pepper and fresh seafood to bring it all together. The shrimp was cooked well, it comes with half a lobster and some squid/clams. The seafood was good but the broth was what made this special. I don't think it was as rich as the menu described but it was spicy/peppery. We finished the entire pot basically. We were quite full but had to try the desserts. We got both. The Omija Bing-Soo was tart, refreshing and very cold. It was the perfect counterpart to the Corn Creme Brulee. The latter was not quite as pudding-like as I'd expect from a creme brulee. Once you cracked through the crystallized top, creamy spoonfuls of custard with kernels of corn throughout. The corn provided a nice sweetness but the texture reminded me of a Basque cheesecake. Rich, creamy, sweet with that lovely nuttiness that comes from caramelized sugar. This was very tasty. The drinks were great too. All in all, ARIARI checked every box for me. The servers were knowledgable and friendly. The food portions were in line with the pricing, the dishes were very unique and most important of all - it was damn tasty. We'll definitely be back here again. read more

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Food was delicious and staff members were friendly and attentive. Would definitely come here again read more

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The food here was soo good, everything was so flavorful and really well made. I just wish the portion sizes were a little bigger, but otherwise 0 complaints. Servers were attentive, and the vibe of the restaurant was good with nice decor and a lively atmosphere! read more

ARIARI - Dolsot Al-bap - Korean Near Me - New York, New York