Joo Ok Restaurant

Delicious Korean food. The welcome vinegar drink was a new experience, didn’t expect it to taste that good. Their signature dish was amazing, the perilla seed oil was so good. The service was also fantastic, and I enjoyed the small snacks they gave to take home. Would love to visit again for dinner service next time.

I had the dinner course meal at Joo Ok, which cost 280,000 KRW per person. This is my first time here and also my first time eating such an expensive meal, and I am overall highly impressed and satisfied with the taste, quality and experience. The food somehow brought out a whole range of positive emotions within me. I will come back again! There were many courses, and I was close to full even before the main dish was served. So come with an empty stomach. The lobster dish was the best out of all the dishes, in my opinion. The pairing sauce fully brought out the wonderful taste of a lobster, and I really felt happy chewing on the springy lobster meat coated with the savoury and slightly spicy sauce. The conch and fish soup also deserved praise. It was rich in flavour, nicely salted and served at a heartwarming temperature.

I heard this restaurant is pretty impressive, so I decided to make a reservation for it. I didn't have so much expectation as compared to Mingles because I was influenced by the ranking in the Asia's top 50 restaurants. Joo OK was also in the list but lower in ranking than Mingles. I can only say there is nothing to fault in the meal, it surpassed my expectations and in my opinion it fared better than Mingles. There were a lot of surprises in every dish, and you can see how clever the chef is trying to bind the ingredients together. Everything felt so natural and down to earth and yet there is so much creativity and innovation. Am blown away by this meal and this would be the most satisfying and enjoyable meal I had in South Korea. Definitely worth a 2 thumbs up! The only negative was the view, not sure why the restaurant was so well located with such a good view of the City Hall but there were no lights at all on that night and looking out of the glass was just pitch darkness except for the lights from the cars in the streets. I felt very well taken care by the staff and they spoke English very well and were also very friendly. Kudos to the entire crew of Joo OK!

What a lovely restaurant! Interesting take on Korean flavours that I never tasted before, accentuated by the homemade vinegars, mother-in-law pressed perilla seed oil and other sauces. Highly recommended!

Korean contemporary dish. The restaurant pays attention to details from arriving to finishing the course. The seating was spacious while the atmosphere was elegant and relaxed. Lunch was delicious and well decorated on plate therefore we had a great experience. Comparing to other Michelin one star, I would say Mume, Taipei offers similar culinary style and quality.

Food: 5/5 For what it is, I can’t really fault anything. It’s a gastronomic experience and a clever amalgamation and mix of ingredients. Such harmony in every dish. Atmosphere: 4/5 Great atmosphere as expected from a Michelin restaurant. A great view of the City Hall. Comfortability: 5/5 Seats and table are very comfortable. Gets you through the dinner course with much comfort and feeling relaxed. The temperature and lighting in the restaurant was perfect. Service: 5/5 Great service from all staffs. Speaks good English and are very attentive to minor details. Very professional. Price: 5/5 Shut up and take my money.

It was a sublime experience. From the start to the end. They've got an extensive wine collection, but one can also opt for a wine pairing with a glass of Krug. The views overlooked the busy streets at city hall, with floor to ceiling windows. Every course was well thought out and the flavours were a mish mash of contempory and traditional. We appreciated the Korean spices used especially's chef's home pressed perilla oil that was elegant and very fragrant. I wasn't expecting much but this degustation menu was a good surprise. There was attention to detail. From the food, menu and cutlery. Strongly recommended and deserving of two stars.

I have high expectation coming to Joo ok with its 2 Michelin stars, and it indeed surpass my expectation. Food wise everything was on point, every bites, every dish was delicious. The way it was prepared, cooked, and plate was perfect. Our server was fluent in English and has nicely explain every dish, unlike some place which feel like they are reciting what they chef said. Our server was friendly, considerate and helpful. Our party were seating at the window looking over the ground at city hall which is a nice view. We got tipped about the view here so we came for lunch. It was a great decision. My personal favourite course are summer in Korea especially the prawn dish, flavour of Joo Ok which is perilla seed oil with conch and caviar and lastly the blueberry bingsu, the best bingsu I've ever had. And when the bills came, we were surprise as it is way more affordable that we though. If you can score a reservation, definitely come here, it's will be one of your best meal in Seoul.