Hangawi — Restaurant in New York

Man, I thought Kun was a ripoff but that was before I had the unfortunate displeasure of going to Hangawi.

TLDR: Ridiculous price, very underwhelming food, all (cheap style) and no substance. Save your money, they are charging you triple what the food is actually worth.

돈을 아껴 주세요. 음식이 너무 별로입니다…

My partner sent me an old Table for Two article on Hangawi. As a Korean American who is vegetarian, I love to support other Korean restaurants and especially love vegan ones. This is what makes this review doubly difficult to write because the food was so underwhelming.

We started with a bowl of Makoli (막걸리) priced for $25 (!!!!). They just pour the cheap green bottle into a nice stone bowl to pretend it’s quality that it isn’t. I’ve drank plenty of this 막걸리 in my life so they can’t fool me. I know that bottle is $5 so pricing it at 5X is pretty sus.

Okay okay, import tax, supply shortage, rent in NYC is expensive. I know. So you keep giving them a chance, only to get an appetizer of a “Mongolian steamboat soup” which is really bean sprout soup (콩국수) in a VERY inconvenient bowl. I wish I had taken a picture of it. The spoon they give you is METAL and the bowl is hot and metal, so if you’re not careful you can burn your tongue. Let’s not forget there’s an awkward hollow cone through the middle of the bowl where the flames can go through the top. You can’t fit your spoon in the bowl to drink your soup. You just awkwardly have to work around the bowl. Meant to be a showpiece, it is so poorly thought out and executed. The soup is so simple, ultimately it isn’t even worth it. As my partner succinctly put it, “I could make this soup.” Like most of Hangawi it is “style” with no substance and poorly thought out and executed.

Next is the saddest looking salad I have ever eaten. (Picture below.) At a place charging $70 per person for a prix fixe, one would assume the salad would be fresh, and not something you would typically get at Cracker Barrel. It comes with avocado fritters which are negligible, basically half a slice of avocado… about the size of my pinky. A note to the owners/cooks, just because you put a persimmon dressing on top does not mean the salad is “Korean” in any way.

There are other appetizers but Google has a character limit and I exceeded it so I’ll trim these out and skip to the mains.

We split the two options, the avocado stone bowl and the tofu steak. The stone bowl is miniature and I can’t believe they regularly charge $23 for it… while it is decent, and the tofu steak is also decent, it’s the price points that kills me. They are just unabashedly ripping their customers off. Just because veganism is a trend, does not mean you should just charge whatever you want for mediocre vegan Korean food.

Additionally, if you’re making that much money, and your whole schtick is style… please make your style a little more authentic or refined. On the walls are obviously home made paintings that don’t add to the “authentic” ambience. The hanboks (한복) the servers wear are not hanboks at all but “hanbok style” and no server was even Korean. (Which is fine, but hard when you’re asking detailed questions about the menu if you have clueless staff.)

I did like the fact they demand shoes to be taken off and their service is genial. But the ambience screams “tourist trap” over real home style Korean tavern cooking.

Most of the clientele are NOT Korean. I would say 90% were NOT East Asian and it shows in the food. You know that saying, get pho/Mexican/Italian/etc. where the Vietnamese/Mexican/Italian/etc. people go? Same applies to Korean food. It definitely shows in the cooking, and if I ever took my family here I think I would get disowned because it’s so overpriced and so mediocre.

At least dessert was good (chefs special of ice cream and soy cheesecake) but it did not save the meal. I will NEVER recommend this place to anyone in NYC and I hope you...

Upon entering Hangawi, my husband and I were immediately enveloped in a warm and inviting atmosphere. The elegant and understated décor set the stage for an unforgettable meal.

Allow me to elaborate. Hangawi is unlike any other Korean restaurant found in K-town. It is an establishment that is entirely vegan, featuring a contemporary ambiance that seamlessly blends with touches of Korean culture. This harmonious ambiance significantly enhanced our dining experience.

Having made advance reservations through Open Space, my husband and I were seated at a beautiful table. I must acknowledge that the attention to detail in the presentation of the silverware and table setting contributed to the overall elegance of the experience.

Moving on to the culinary aspect, we commenced our meal by ordering two appetizers: beet noodles with buckwheat pancakes and a winter appetizer platter consisting of dumplings and stuffed shiitake mushrooms, among other delectable offerings. I must honestly assert that the standout appetizer was the beet noodles with buckwheat pancakes. For our main entrees, we selected spicy tofu cutlets in chili and soybean sauce for my husband and bibimbap in a stone bowl with crispy lotus for myself. The diverse flavors truly tantalized my taste buds. In my opinion, the stone bowl with crispy lotus stood out as the superior choice between the two. My disappointment for the stone bowl was the scarcity of the crispy lotus. My husband's disappointment for the tofu cutlet in chili sauce was the lack of spice. On a scale of 1 being mild and 10 being the hottest, it fell to a three.

We concluded our meal with black sesame cake and matcha cheesecake, both of which were accompanied by two distinct types of vegan ice cream. My husband and I collectively favored the matcha cheesecake over the black sesame cake, which we found to be rather dense.

It is important to note that Hangawi's menu is seasonal, meaning that the offerings change from month to month. However, they do maintain a selection of signature dishes that remain available throughout the year. Additionally, they often offer specials, such as the upcoming Valentine's Special. I strongly recommend making advance reservations to ensure a delightful and memorable experience with...

A quaint, no-frills spot, tucked away in K-Town. Found it quite hard to rummage through the block to find the place because there’s no clear sign until you get up close (please put up a board). One thing I love about the place is the variety of vegan options they offer. If not for anything else, I’d give it up to them for that! Coming to the food, I honestly wanted to love everything in the menu (or at least most), but was quite disappointed. Now that in no way means the food wasn’t good - quality is top notch, but just didn’t really find the flavor profiles and depth I was looking for.

Here is what we ordered:

Stuffed Shiitake Mushroms: EXTREMELY EXTREMELY bland, stuffed w tofu. This one I really did not enjoy and ended up wasting. Felt like I was eating boiled eggs, but deep fried.

Korean Kochi Skewers: Flavorful and unique, with peanuts dominating the dressing.

Maitake Mushroom Fritters: Well they sure were crispy and nice but had absolutely no flavor without the dip.

Spicy Baby Dumplings: Yes they were spicy (I’m Indian), but nothing I couldn’t tolerate. I felt this weird hint of butter in every bite, which I did not enjoy.

Black Truffle Dumplings: Stuffing was bland but flavorful. Didn’t love the tofu wrapper (felt like sausage casing). Would be amazing if they used a regular crystal dumpling wrap.

Mongolian Hot Pot: Really lacked vibrancy and was disappointingly dull. We ordered “extremely spicy” but all I could taste was salt and garlic, though the dish itself was well curated and presented. I’d love for it to have more potency and spice.

Items are pricey but there is value for what you pay because we felt very overloaded post 4 starters and the hotpot. Expect to spend about $70 - $80 per person. The ambience is super cosy and traditional, like you are transported to South East Asia in the middle of Manhattan. Staff were super nice and exceptionally hospitable. Don’t think I’ll be going back for the...