Raon

Having dined at many of New York's acclaimed Korean tasting menus—including Joo Ok, Noksu, Jungsik, Jua, and Oiji Mi—I can confidently say RAON was the first that felt wholly complete: deeply rooted in Korean culinary traditions, executed with exceptional hospitality, and guided by a chef whose passion for his heritage was evident in every course. We opted for the 10-course tasting menu, which I highly recommend. Nearly every course is paired with a house-made kimchi, creating a dialogue between the food and one of Korea's most foundational culinary traditions. The kimchi program alone is worth the visit. Prior to our meal, the restaurant also graciously accommodated pescatarian requests for my mother and me. One of the evening's most memorable dishes arrived with the New York Bo Kimchi. Inspired by the traditional preparation of bo kimchi—where ingredients are carefully wrapped inside cabbage leaves before fermentation—Chef Lim reimagined the dish as a mosaic of seafood and vegetables suspended within a translucent gelatin. A final pour of pickling liquid tied everything together. It was inventive without feeling forced, modern while remaining unmistakably Korean. Note: I forgot to take a photo since I was so absorbed in the dish's backstory. The sea urchin gimbap demonstrated a similar balance. Fine dining tasting menus often include some variation of a luxury gunkan-style roll (e.g., Jua's "Caviar Kim"), but RAON's version felt entirely its own. Beneath the sea urchin was a layer of silky egg custard that had its own marine richness and umami depth, creating a bite that felt both indulgent and remarkably nuanced. The accompanying jang (soy sauce) kimchi was arguably the standout kimchi of the evening for me—complex, savory, and deeply satisfying, unlike any version I had encountered before. The halibut course reflected the classical French discipline Chef Lim cultivated during his years at Daniel. Perfectly cooked fish, caramelized tableside, buttery leeks, and mustard leaf kimchi came together in a dish that seamlessly bridged French technique and Korean flavors. Perhaps the most memorable moment arrived with the kitchen's pescatarian substitution for the foie gras mandu: a lobster Wellington wrapped in shiso leaf. Too often, dietary accommodations feel like afterthoughts. This was the opposite. The lobster remained perfectly tender while the pastry emerged golden, flaky, and crisp—an impressive technical feat. Most importantly, it never felt like a substitute. My mother and I left feeling not merely accommodated, but genuinely cared for. Special thanks to Chef Lim for going above and beyond to create a dish that matched the creativity and precision of every other course. For the main course, my father enjoyed the traditional galbi and sotbap while my mother and I received Chilean sea bass with ramp pesto and grilled white asparagus. The accompanying kimchis, including one wrapped around pineapple, provided a wonderful interplay of brightness, sweetness, and spice. Dessert began with Korean pear and makgeolli sorbet. The tangy creaminess of the rice wine paired beautifully with the pear's crisp sweetness, creating a refreshing palate cleanser after a meal centered around fermentation. A final platter of sweets, including gaeseong juak, provided a fitting conclusion. Equally impressive was the service. A special shoutout to the sommelier, who crafted custom cocktails for my father and me, guided us through a personalized soju tasting, and introduced us to grappa. Throughout the evening, the staff demonstrated remarkable knowledge and, more importantly, impeccable timing. They were attentive without hovering, engaging without interrupting, and genuinely enthusiastic about sharing RAON's story. Many restaurants present Korean cuisine through the lens of fine dining. RAON succeeds because it never appears interested in becoming something else. The result is a restaurant confident in its identity—and all the more memorable because of it.

TLDR: really loved our experience at Raon. In a city filled with Korean fine dining, Raon stands apart with its focus and passion for educating people on traditional Korean food, cooking and most importantly kimchi! SETTING: we made a res for 8pm on a Saturday night. The restaurant is beautiful, minimal, with a nice long counter that can fit about 12 seats per tasting. It was our anniversary and they left very sweet little "Happy Anniversary" cards for us!! Great for a nice quiet date night or dinner with friends for a special occasion! FOOD: attaching a pic of the menu here. My favorite part about this tasting menu is that it just got better and better with every single course (and started off already amazing so that's a pretty high bar to reach)! I loved the different types of kimchi they pare with every course and the passion with which you can tell the chef creates his food. Being korean myself I learned a lot with the explanations of the different types of kimchi, and the food evoked some deep memories and fondness of my childhood and grandmother's cooking. The standouts for me were the dishes with broth - the depth of flavor achieved in each one had me actually licking the bowl (of course when no one was looking :)). I also have to give a special shoutout to their gin tomato basil oil cocktail which was amazing. SERVICE: They run a lean team here and it works very well. The servers you can tell know a lot about the menu, the cooking technique, etc and everyone was just fantastic / very kind. I especially appreciated when the executive chef himself came out to serve and explain a few of the courses. Again, his knowledge and passion for Korean fine dining and cooking really stood out to me. What I loved about Raon is that I had some dishes / types of Korean food that I have never had before or that I hadn't had in 20+ years. For example the naengmyun broth the Bo Kimbap was in, was unlike any dish I've ever had at any Korean fine dining place. I loved the uniqueness of the courses. VERDICT: Though I do think the price is steep, in NYC and in this economy, you're not going to get much better attention, knowledge, and Korean fine dining food than at Raon. I would highly recommend to anyone looking to celebrate a special day with some delicious Korean food!!

This is hands down the best restaurant we have been to in New York. Every single dish was incredible, to the point where it was impossible to choose a favorite one. We loved how refreshing, unique, and balanced each bite was. I was amazed by how each course was able to integrate a different Korean flavor so perfectly. Not only were the dishes delicious (like out of this world) they also kept a distinct Korean profile. For example, the uni, egg, and gamtae bite tasted like a kimbap despite the unique combination. The foi gras dumpling tasted like a tteokmandu we would have for New Years and the scallop ceviche reminded me of dongchimi. I loved getting to experience these childhood flavors being expressed in fine dining. Truly a heavenly experience. Service and vibes were also top notch, very attentive care and thoughtful explanation of each dish and pairing throughout the whole night with immaculate pacing. 100/10 on every level. I truly have no complaints and will be recommending this place to everyone. In our opinion the food here is more creative and delicious than at Jungsik, our now previous favorite Korean restaurant.

The tasting menu was thoughtful, and the chef’s background and personal touch really came through. Love that they had a kimchi pairing with each dish. The experience felt intimate in contrast to some of tasting experiences I’ve had which were more generic and bland. Also, great selection of interesting non-alcoholic drinks.