HOWOO — Restaurant in New York

Walking into Howoo felt akin to the awe I experienced at the Getty Center in LA—an architectural masterpiece made possible by a visionary with the means to bring it to life. Here, a similar synergy between ambition and execution has given rise to one of the most stunning and refined dining spaces dedicated to Korean barbecue.

A culmination of years of dining at renowned establishments like Jungsik, my Korean barbecue journey found its apex at Howoo. This restaurant isn’t merely another contender in the crowded K-Town BBQ scene—it is its pinnacle. Howoo redefines what Korean barbecue can be, elevating it to a level of sophistication previously unseen.

The space is a seamless blend of tradition and modernity. Traditional Korean roof tiles form a rhythmic pattern reminiscent of Vienna’s iconic motifs, grounding the space while maintaining an airy openness. The partitions balance intimacy and openness, while warm, understated lighting enhances the sense of understated luxury.

Each table is equipped with a state-of-the-art ventilation system, ensuring that despite a packed house, not a wisp of smoke nor an overpowering scent lingers in the air. This is barbecue reimagined—where every detail is meticulously considered to create an experience of pure culinary indulgence.

Our party of six began the evening with a selection of craft cocktails, with the standouts being the Ginseng and Omija. The ginseng cocktail was an exquisite balance of bitterness and light herbal notes, while the omija drink—topped with a delicate egg white foam—was a masterful reinterpretation of traditional Korean flavors.

We indulged in the full range of appetizers, each designed to invigorate the palate and pave the way for the main event: the Prime Package Grand for Six. The first three cuts of meat were paired with a surprisingly playful Pinot Noir. It's lighter, more vibrant persona, beautifully complementing the smoky, umami-rich flavors of the grill. The aged ribeye—wet-aged to perfection—was a testament to both ingredient quality and the masterful techniques of the grill chefs, bursting with nutty, umami-laden depth. As the meal progressed, the Miyazaki A5 Wagyu Striploin arrived—a revelation. Infused with the delicate fragrance of yuzu, each bite melted effortlessly on the tongue. When paired with the house-made wasabi and pickled wild mountain garlic sauce, it achieved an almost ethereal harmony of flavors. At this stage, a deeper, more contemplative California Cabernet Sauvignon joined the table, mirroring the night’s progression into something richer and more indulgent.

At about 70% into our meal, curiosity led us on a brief tour of the restaurant. The restrooms—each uniquely inspired by elements of nature—reflected the same thoughtful craftsmanship seen throughout the establishment. A glance upward revealed six private dining rooms, reminiscent of the sky rooms at New York’s famed Daniel, offering an exclusive vantage point over the expansive first-floor dining area. A forthcoming tofu house, set to open in March 2025, is seamlessly connected to the main restaurant, promising an even more intricate exploration of Korean culinary traditions.

Even down to the glassware, Howoo spares no expense, opting for Reidel—the pinnacle of fine wine glass craftsmanship. It’s a clear statement that excellence here extends beyond the meat itself; it is an all-encompassing dedication to the art of dining. Refined yet unpretentious, Howoo is the definitive Korean barbecue experience in New York.

If there’s ever a gathering centered around premium meats, this is the destination. And next time, I’ll be taking my seat at the bar—a space exuding an intimate charm, perfect for a solo indulgence or a quiet conversation over beautifully...

This was perhaps the worst service I have ever had, and it has left a bad taste in my mouth.

To start off — the food was good, but it had to be overshadowed by the bad service, so I did not have a good time at all.

This was a birthday dinner and I was celebrating it with my significant other. We sat down. The waiter comes over and just asks, “Still or sparkling?” No introduction, no smile, no explanation, and he walks away after we ask politely for tap.

The second time he comes to our table he just stands there, does not ask what we want to order, and stares at us. Then, after exchanging awkward silences, we order the Elite package for two. He does not explain to us the choice for either rice or noodle — he just asks, “Spicy or regular?” We say spicy, and he walks away again.

I already have a bad feeling in my stomach about this dinner…

Then comes our banchan. Phenomenal. We finish it quickly and he just takes away each dish one by one and does not ask if we wanted it refilled or not. The second serving of banchan comes, which is more on the picklier side, and we didn’t want extras of that after we finished — but they brought out more without asking.

A waitress comes over and bring over our cuts of meat. She was extremely nice and had a positive demeanor. I asked her if the first round of banchan was refillable and she was like, “Of course!” She promptly orders it for us!

Then the guy comes back and starts grilling our meats as he rudely says to the waitress — and mumbles to her — “M6” (telling her to check on another table). He grills our first cut, doesn’t explain anything, rudely plops a piece of meat on each of our plates, puts the rest on another plate, and walks away.

We eat it — and it is overcooked and chewy — but I don’t say anything. We also had no explanation for the salt, ssamjang, or wasabi either.

The girl comes back over and thankfully grills our filet — which was fantastically cooked and grilled to perfection. She explained to us the cut of meat (which the guy did not do) and told us which seasoning compliments the meat! The best cut of meat we had that night!

Unfortunately, the guy comes back and grills the rest of our meat. Unattentive, never explaining any of the meats, burns/overcooks the rest to well done. I know these are great cuts of meat because I can taste the quality through the burnt chewy taste.

We did put in our reservation that it was a birthday dinner. We saw the table next to us get a cake and a candle, but when the bill came, they just plopped down ice cream. I had to ask if they did anything for birthdays because I felt left out — especially since the table next to us was commenting on how they had a phenomenal time. Eventually they came back with the cake which was great, but already by this point, me and partner both wanted to get out as soon as possible because of how bad of a time we had.

This was just an unpleasant experience and I am just exacerbated by this whole experience. I just can't believe that a waiter can be this rude to both...

Nice looking place and its massive but what a disappointment overall. Listen to the reviews that say there are better options in the area - they're right.

We had a party of 9 and showed up as 11, then had to stand in the cramped entryway with two other large parties waiting to be seated. Kept getting bumped into.

Service was friendly, but slow. Felt like they kept pushing bonchon to make up for not bringing the steak.

Booths are uncomfortable. I'm 5'4" and my feet couldn't touch the ground so i had to rest my ankles on the bar style rail behind my ankles. My knees on the other hand were touching the underside of the table (seemingly the metal door where they access the underside of the stove) the whole meal.

Suggest not going with a party larger than 6. They spread us out across two tables because our group was larger, so we couldn't interact with the other table.

I might be biased towards more traditional Korean bbq but we had the elite package and here are my takes:

1. The bonchon were such a let down and they overserved it, continuously sending more instead of refilling as needed. Definitely don't go here if you want traditional bonchon or good kimchi
2. Steak quality is good overall, but cook is mediocre. Have had my share of Japanese A5 wagyu and the A5 here was a disappointment both in terms of quality (I've never seen a strip of fat on the side of a piece of A5; it should be marbled, but not have big chunks that need to be trimmed) and there was no crust on the outside like you expect when it is cooked well (again driven by the marbling and the right cooking temperature and method). It was actually a bit gray after being cooked which...doing that to A5 is a sin honestly. What a waste of A5.
3. The cold noodle broth is a fairly flavorless slush. Just not good but I guess nice attempt to innovate? The speck of meat inside is gray (because its cooked and cold) which alongside the green noodles is very unappetizing to the eye and the flavor didn't make up for it
4. Don't order the kale salad - it was not tasty and the potatoes weren't consistently cooked
5. The kimchi stew was honestly the only thing i ate and thought "wow...