Cho Dang Gol

"This walk-in-only Koreatown restaurant is going to wow you, but not with caviar, wagyu, or crisp white tablecloths. There’s none of that here. Only Korean classics piled unpretentiously onto plates that are ferried from an open kitchen by servers in matching polos. Open since 1997, Cho Dang Gol is the best at what it does: homestyle food you reminisce about the moment you hit the outside world. You’ll particularly remember the thick and gooey seafood pancakes, stir-fried pork bathing in gochujang, and eggplant rice under a blanket of coarsely chopped chives. In the cafeteria-like room where families eat under string lights like they’re at a neighborhood cookout, everything is a highlight." - bryan kim, neha talreja, willa moore, will hartman, sonal shah

"Cho Dang Gol is, in many ways, a very normal place. The beige and orange walls are decorated with pictures of sunflowers and dried bulbs of garlic, and the menu offers little beyond Korean homestyle classics. But sometimes, normal is just what you need. Cho Dang Gol does it better than anyone else. photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte Open since 1997, this Koreatown restaurant is walk-in-only and packed every night, with a full waitlist by 5:30pm. That’s not because of fleeting internet hype. It’s just what happens when you serve treacherously hot fried chicken that steams when you break it open, seafood pancakes that fall apart like custard, and the city’s finest tofu stew, stuffed with famous housemade bean curd. The restaurant is now owned by the group behind Jua, Atomix, Arari, and other modern Korean spots that experiment heavily with their source material. But Cho Dang Gol still plays it straight. Point to anything on the menu, and chances are you can find it elsewhere, usually within walking distance. Whatever it is, though, it tastes better here. Food Rundown photo credit: Kate Previte Cod Roe Omelet Is this a must order? Tough call, because most things at Cho Dang Gol fall into that category. Get this steamy, salty omelet at least once. It might make it into your regular rotation. photo credit: Kate Previte Boneless Korean Fried Chicken The diabolical thing about this chicken is that it arrives hot enough to scar your mouth, but it tastes so good that delayed gratification isn’t an option. photo credit: Kate Previte Bossam Nothing too wild happening here. Just some tender pork belly with fat that melts in your mouth, alongside a few accompaniments like salted shrimp sauce. A great way to kick things off. photo credit: Kate Previte Spicy Kimchi Tofu Stew The housemade tofu is wonderful, and the kimchi is nice and juicy. But the star of this stew is the tangy, reddish orange broth. It’s thin, but ultra-concentrated, with a sweet and sour flavor." - Bryan Kim

"The Dish: Spicy Kimchi Tofu Stew For decades, Cho Dang Gol has held the unofficial crown for Best Homestyle Korean Restaurant in Manhattan. People will say you need to try their homemade tofu—and they aren’t wrong—but the true highlight of their tofu stew isn’t the crumbly bean curd. It’s the opaque, brick red broth that invades every crevice of your mouth with its sweet and tangy flavor. Get the spicy kimchi version. It's a meal on its own, and reason enough to visit this casual, Koreatown staple." - bryan kim, sonal shah, willa moore, will hartman, molly fitzpatrick, neha talreja

"Nowadays, there are a lot of places (like Atoboy and Ariari) doing innovative things with Korean food. Cho Dang Gol is not one of them. This is a homestyle spot in Koreatown, and it’s where you should go when you need an excellent, unpretentious meal. The sweet, heavily marinated bulgogi is always a good option, but this restaurant makes its own tofu, so that’s where you should start. Their soondubu jjigae isn’t just one of the best versions in NYC—it’s one of the city’s best dishes, period. Scalding hot with a spicy, ultra-concentrated broth, it’s a mandatory order. Despite the fact that the space offers very little in terms of ambience—aside from a few tchotchkes and string lights—there’s usually a wait. Take that as a good sign." - bryan kim, kenny yang

"Cho Dang Gol has been around for a few decades now, and they still give you a little bowl of their famous housemade tofu along with the rest of their banchan to start your meal. This is one of the city's top destinations for homestyle Korean food, so expect a wait, and bring a group so you can try a bunch of things, starting with the sundubu jjigae. The casual space is minimally decorated and filled with plain wooden tables, and it's not as hectic as most of the other spots in the neighborhood." - bryan kim, kenny yang, hannah albertine, matt tervooren