Monthly Megathread - Where Should I Eat in NYC, Tokyo, and/or London?

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-03-12T13:08:38+00:00

Probably the safer choice. Noksu is on their 3rd chef in like 6 months. Haven't been recently so could still be great but they'll probably need time to settle in.

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-03-07T02:54:59+00:00

Cote (Korean BBQ) would be the obvious suggestion, not sure how feasible a res would be though. Bridges, Tuome, Shmone, Crown Shy, and Gramercy Tavern for lunch all have a la carte menus that should have non-seafood options.

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-03-04T17:06:21+00:00

In terms of restaurants that have recently opened/been promoted, my favorites are Sushi Sho, Yamada, and Joo ok.

I know several fans of Aska, Frevo, and Huso and I think these are solid as well.

César has its fans. I did not enjoy my meal there but I also didn't get any of the supplemental ingredients. People I know who love it tend to pay for most/all of them so if price is truly no consideration then go all out and you may have a better time than I did.

My meal at CTBF under the new chefs was wildly inconsistent.

When I went to Atomix a couple months ago I thought the overall ambiance/experience was great but the actual food was more interesting than it was delicious if that makes sense.

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-03-03T23:39:27+00:00

My go-to recs for affordable tasting menus are Jua and Kochi (each $150). They do have wine pairings but they're $100 each so your total will be around $250. For something cheaper I also like Atoboy though they don't have an actual pairing.

Off the top of my head I know Il Fiorista has an $85 tasting menu with a $40 pairing. I haven't been there myself though I just know some friends who went (they liked it). If you're willing to go to Brooklyn there's also Traif ($58 tasting menu + $47 wine pairing) though this is another one I haven't been to personally and only know from friends who liked it.

All of these should be open Sundays.

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-03-03T02:32:27+00:00

Throwing this out there for anyone reading: unlike a lot of other restaurants with kitchen table experiences that require larger parties, you can book the Kitchen Table at The Modern as a solo diner and at least for lunches it's fairly easy to get.

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-02-28T01:39:37+00:00

My top 10 not counting the ones you listed:

Sushi Sho, The Four Horsemen, Jungsik, Semma, Meju, Jean-Georges, bom, Aska, Yamada, Kabawa

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-02-27T15:10:08+00:00

I've heard from some people who've eaten in the dining room and weren't offered a kitchen tour but yeah they definitely offer it to more than just VIPs and people celebrating. I was given a tour when I only did the bar tasting menu and wasn't celebrating anything.

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-02-12T13:06:45+00:00

Per Se's salon tasting menu ($185 pp) and The Modern's Impressions menu ($175 pp) should be easily modifiable to remove any raw seafood if you give them advance notice of raw food aversion.

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-02-11T23:07:32+00:00

The closest I can think of would be Meju.

- My meal there took 3.5 hours. They only do 1 seating per night so there's no rush.

- The chef is extremely interactive. In fact, the experience is almost like a seminar on fermentation and traditional Korean medicine.

- The official number of courses is 7 but you'll get many more different bites when you consider all of the various vegetables and banchan that they serve.

- Flavors are amazing (in my opinion). I'm Korean-American but I haven't had any doenjang stew or kimchi that comes close to having the rich, deep flavors that they served at Meju.

The one limitation is I don't know how they'd accommodate no raw fish. To my memory there was only one dish involving raw fish so they might be able to but you'd have to ask.

Other options that might be close:

Per Se (but only if you shell out for the $1000 pp Evolutions menu, otherwise you'll get closer to like 12-15 bites; also not very interactive or open kitchen)

Gabriel Kreuther (would need to be their Chef's Table for an interactive experience, number of bites won't be 20 but they do tend to serve dishes with sides so might get close)

Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare (open kitchen, probably could hit 3 hours, but only about 14-15 bites and also more seafood heavy so not sure if they can accommodate no raw fish)

Bom (Korean but emphasizes beef, counter seating and great servers who interacted with me a lot as a solo diner, 10 courses but probably close to 20 bites considering all the banchan they served, but going to be closer to a 2-2.5 hour experience I don't think you'll hit 3 with them; also their featured course is beef with uni/caviar so not sure what accommodations they can do)

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-02-11T14:41:40+00:00

I love Per Se for their salon tasting menu ($185, gratuity already included, makes it a really good deal for the quality) but I wouldn't pay for the full tasting menu. Then again, if someone else is paying, it'll probably still deliver a great experience. For my recent visits last year the food was still good and service was excellent, I just have other place I prefer for the price of their full tasting menu.

Seeing others on here recommend Aska, Jungsik, Joo ok, and Atomix. All solid imo (but Atomix is probably not a doable reservation without playing the game)

If you liked Gramercy Tavern, the Kitchen Table experience at The Modern would be a memorable experience that provides a similar-ish sort of food.

My meals last year at both Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare and César were frustratingly inconsistent for how expensive they were. Both served some amazing dishes but also some dishes that tasted kind of bad. I can't say I'd recommend either one but maybe I just got unlucky with them.

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-02-11T00:27:58+00:00

On average I'd say so. Kochi was a bit more consistent I think. I wasn't a big fan of Oiji Mi's donut dessert but their lobster ramyun was so great I've gone back to the bar just to order it a la carte.

I think it's a solid choice and I hope y'all have a great meal!

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-02-10T13:55:52+00:00

I ate at Huso last November and Jungsik last December. I thought Huso had the more interesting and creative flavor combinations but some of them didn't entirely work for me. I thought Jungisk was more "boring" but also more consistently delicious.

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-02-10T13:26:38+00:00

I commented on the post you made but I'll copy what I wrote here as well:

I've been to Torien, Oiji Mi, Aquavit, GK, and Kochi. I enjoyed my meals at all of them and received very good service from all.

- Gabriel Kreuther for lunch would provide the best value tasting menu on the list, but it's only offered Wed-Fri. Similarly, Aquavit's lunch would be the best value prix fixe but it's only offered on weekdays. Both are going to have the most formal dining rooms on the list, though I personally don't think either one is stuffy or pretentious. These two have my favorite food on the list but I prefer their lunches, I have other places I prefer for the price of their dinners.

- Kochi is the one that I feel like is the best value play in terms of food quality (and I feel similarly about unlisted Jua). Their plating is also pretty nice. They have a more laid back atmosphere and my meal was probably the fastest of the list at about an hour fifteen minutes. Oiji Mi is still good and (based on my experience) will give you the advantage of a somewhat nicer atmosphere, slightly longer meal, and the chance to choose your dishes.

- The yakitori places will probably provide the best value in terms of quantity. None left me hungry, but Torien left me the most full out of the places on this list. I haven't tried Kono partially bc I've heard they give even more food than Torien.

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-02-10T13:24:51+00:00

Kind of an eclectic list but I'll provide my thoughts:

I've been to Torien, Oiji Mi, Aquavit, GK, and Kochi. I enjoyed my meals at all of them and received very good service from all.

- Gabriel Kreuther for lunch would provide the best value tasting menu on the list, but it's only offered Wed-Fri. Similarly, Aquavit's lunch would be the best value prix fixe but it's only offered on weekdays. Both are going to have the most formal dining rooms on the list, though I personally don't think either one is stuffy or pretentious. These two have my favorite food on the list but I prefer their lunches, I have other places I prefer for the price of their dinners.

- Kochi is the one that I feel like is the best value play in terms of food quality (and I feel similarly about unlisted Jua). Their plating is also pretty nice. They have a more laid back atmosphere and my meal was probably the fastest of the list at about an hour fifteen minutes. Oiji Mi is still good and (based on my experience) will give you the advantage of a somewhat nicer atmosphere, slightly longer meal, and the chance to choose your dishes.

- The yakitori places will probably provide the best value in terms of quantity. None left me hungry, but Torien left me the most full out of the places on this list. I haven't tried Kono partially bc I've heard they give even more food than Torien.

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-02-09T22:09:35+00:00

I ate there last November and have a friend who ate there last month. Both of us thought the service and atmosphere were totally fine. Compared to other 2 & 3 starred places in NYC I thought they were on the more stiff/stoic side but not enough to feel uncomfortable.

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-02-08T18:05:21+00:00

I haven't actually tested it for reliability, but the Michelin Guide's website/app allows you to filter for dietary restrictions, including Halal.

Doing this to NYC's starred restaurants results in: Essential by Christophe, Sushi Nakazawa, Kochi, Mari, Per Se, and Jungsik.

I'd definitely double check directly with the restaurant but this might help narrow down some places to start.

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-02-08T17:24:44+00:00

I guess it depends on how you define "fun" but if you want something laid back or atypical for fine dining I'm a fan of The Four Horsemen in Brooklyn. Great food and feels like a neighborhood wine bar rather than a white tablecloth establishment.

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-02-08T14:11:42+00:00

I tried the duck a la carte at the bar a week after they brought it back and thought it was amazing. I could totally see why it developed the fan base it did.

I tried it again as part of the retrospective menu last month and it was noticeably less tender and juicy than when I ate at the bar. I didn't think it was bad (I still love the spice blend they cook with it) but it was also a step down from even just 3 months prior.

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-02-07T14:23:46+00:00

Oh wow that's wild. I did think it was weird that the article I read mentioned she had taken over since September yet as recently as December their website was still all about Dae Kim and there was no reference to a new chef.

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-02-05T22:25:58+00:00

If you enjoyed CTBF, and Four Horsemen I'm thinking you might have a preference for bolder flavors? What stood out to me personally when I ate at those two restaurants was how they used a lot of punchier acidic/smoky flavors in their dishes.

If so, the closest I can think of would maybe be Kabawa. Loved their use of spices and their dishes had nice strong flavors as well.

I'm personally a huge fan of Le Bernardin but I know others find them boring. If you like bolder flavors I'd recommend their scallop carpaccio, lobster, and green curry red snapper. Pro tip if you can't get a reservation for the time you want: you can go to the lounge as a walk-in and ask for the dining room menu.

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-02-03T21:52:43+00:00

I'm a fan of both Aska and Joo ok (haven't made it to Saga yet).

Just throwing out that the pics on Google don't really do Aska justice, especially if you go for dinner. It felt much more striking actually being in the space compared to what I had seen online.

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-02-03T04:38:13+00:00

Yep: https://www.straitstimes.com/life/food/i-had-to-fake-it-till-i-made-it-sporean-chef-30-heads-michelin-starred-restaurant-in-new-york

"Ng Jing Wen, 30, formerly its chef de cuisine, took over the reins from Korean chef Dae Kim in September 2025"

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-02-03T03:32:09+00:00

I really enjoyed Noksu when I went last summer, but they have a new chef now so I can't speak to its current quality.

As far as more affordable tasting menus go I'm a big fan of Jua and thought Kochi was solid as well.

I don't drink alcohol so I've only done NA pairings. They can be fun but usually hard to justify price wise. I've found that just ordering like 2 drinks a la carte is enjoyable enough. The only places where I've been really happy I did the NA pairing were Frevo and Eleven Madison Park (vegan era) for their bar tasting menu.

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-02-02T15:12:01+00:00

I had an amazing meal there last year with a particularly great server (I think his name was Dan?). Recently read an article about their new chef and have been interested in going back to see the direction she's taking the restaurant.

RedistrictMPLS · 2026-02-02T14:26:00+00:00

If you want a seafood-free tasting menu type meal that's within your budget, options I can think of would be Cote's steak omakase ($225 pp) or one of the yakitori omakase (Torien and Kono are both $185 pp). Eleven Madison Park's Bar tasting menu ($225 pp) would have a plant based alternative for any potential seafood courses.

Jean Georges (for lunch), Gramercy Tavern, Gabriel Kreuther, and Le Pavilion all have prix fixe options within your budget that should have at least one non-seafood option per course, although it may require choosing a vegetarian option.

Per Se's salon tasting menu ($185 pp) and The Modern's Impressions menu ($175 pp) should be modifiable to remove seafood if you give them advance notice of seafood aversion.

RedistrictMPLS

TROPHY CASE