Uraniumfish

The charms of Koreatown

While showing my out of town guest the area around Macy's at 34th Street, I remembered that Koreatown was just a couple of blocks away at 32nd Street and we headed over there for lunch. You can get amazing Korean food over there ( I had shrimp dumplings), and pick up excellent Korean desserts at the bakeries they have. I had forgotten about this street and its charms. So so so much better than the MacDonalds-type lunchtime options in the surrounding area!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koreatown,_Manhattan

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hhusted Mar 27, 2010

@Uraniumfish: Anything is better than McDonald's. All they do is serve junk food that kills.

ajadedidealist Mar 27, 2010

Koreatown is a fun place to head midtown - the food is much cheaper than comparable restaurants in the area.

JenMac Mar 27, 2010

And, Ktown has the best thing of all: Karaoke bars that serve liquor until 6am! Ya know, for all you party animals out there.

Uraniumfish Mar 27, 2010

Hah! And who doesn't love drunken karaoke at 6 am!

ajadedidealist Mar 28, 2010

Karaoke is really fun; I enjoy it extremely! Never been to K-town, though; my favorite Karaoke bar is on the Upper East Side.

Uraniumfish Mar 28, 2010

It seems that K Town is one of the few concentrated areas in the city that is bustling all night long. I wonder why that is? Anyway, it's a nice destination for insomniacs and kim-chi lovers alike.

BroadwayBK Mar 28, 2010

Why have I never been to Koreatown? Does anyone have a specific restaurant in the area to recommend?

DBlack Mar 28, 2010

@BroadwayBK It's an area well suited to just walking around and stopping in at whatever place looks good. Most of the restaurants are great. Some do more upper end cuisine, and others are just modest diner-style establishments, but they all seem to serve up authentic dishes and at decent value.

BroadwayBK Mar 28, 2010

Is it crowded over there? Do you have to walk really slow behind hoards of tourists?

NeverSleeps Mar 29, 2010

The fact that it is bustling all night long kind of puts me off... reminds me of a hipster neighborhood or something. Although I am guessing the nightlife doesn't really compare to something like that.

ajadedidealist Mar 29, 2010

I think K-town tends to be concentrated on the streets, rather than the avenues, meaning that although it's in midtown it gets less pedestrian traffic than, say, Fifth Avenue at Christmastime. Also, kimchi is delicious; I heartily recommend it to anyone. Am curious - is bubble tea Korean in origin? I used to love the bubble tea place down by Astor Square which has, I think, just closed

uptowngirl Mar 30, 2010

@BroadwayBK even I havent been to Koreatown - no I should correct that I walked through it but havent eaten at any Koreatown restaurant ..

uptowngirl Mar 30, 2010

@ajadedidealist Bubble tea was invented in Taiwan in the mid-1980s http://www.bubbleteasupply.com/index.php?page=what.html

ajadedidealist Mar 31, 2010

Thanks for the information, @uptowngirl! I didn't realize it was quite such a modern invention. Doesn't make it any less delicious, though

hhusted Mar 31, 2010

@Everybody: I love karaoke. And I did attend a Korean bar/restaurant that had a karaoke machine. What fun I had that night.

DBlack Apr 03, 2010

@BroadwayBK Nearby Herald Square is packed and you do have to maneuver around the hordes of tourists, but I've never felt packed in right in K-Town itself. Since it's a side street, the tourist hordes don't know to go there.

ajadedidealist Apr 03, 2010

Same way with most of the midtown streets! I love the midtown side-street restaurants on 57th, etc., st (places like Cafe Un Deux Trois, Giovanni's, even the campy fun of Sardi's) - and plenty of space to move around.

BroadwayBK Apr 05, 2010

@DBlack Thanks for the info. @everyone I'm still a little weirded out that I've either forgotten the existence of this neighborhood, or I just never knew it was there in the first place...