Nowon East Village — Restaurant in New York

The food is worth a visit. However, the hospitality is truly what prevents me from giving more stars. I get it. We are still grappling with the reality of Covid and maybe that’s what scares people. Maybe. Or at least that’s what I was thinking until the crowd flowed in and it was evident that Covid wasn’t a concern.

Anyway, my buddy arrived a bit early for our reservation and was asked to wait outside. Strike one. We are the first to arrive for their dining service and not a soul around, when we are placed by the restroom. Strike two. I’m asked to use my phone and put in my order—I do. I’m told that I won’t be charged until the end—cool. Several times throughout my meal, we are asked if we want to tally up. Strike three.

I don’t need anyone to tally up my meal as everything has been handled through my phone. Or maybe there’s something that needs to be done on their side. I don’t know, but all I know is that when you’re constantly being asked if you’re done, you get the hint.

The city needs restaurants to get through this moment, but restaurants also need customers to get through this. Sure, maybe he was having a bad day, I get it. We all have them, but I also understand that as a paying customer, I deserve some level of hospitality. My hope is that it was a one off and that you go and experience the presence felt when biting into that legend burger. Shoot even if it wasn’t a one off, try it once and move on.

Peace and love, Nowon.

**received a response from the restaurant within hours of my post to essentially dismiss and discredit my review. I do recall having a clean table when they claim that they asked if I wanted to be “tidy’ed up,” however, I’ll give them the benefit of doubt. Fine.

In regards to showing up 30 minutes early, we can agree to disagree on the exact time, but my point still stands: be hospitable.

Finally, we weren’t asked our preference on a table; we were led to it. Anyway, the point of my review was to provide my perspective on my experience; not to agitate anyone. My...

Reservations fill up fast, so plan early - the space is small both inside and outside. We originally tried going in last month, but scheduling snafus occurred due to a private event that had rented out the entire restaurant, and our reservations were canceled as a result - the general manager didn't realize we had reservations through Resy until the afternoon of, and canceled and waived the cancelation fees. He also offered his number and told us to contact him directly for future reservations to make up for the inconvenience.

We went in last week, reserved via calling the restaurant directly instead of Resy to ensure no scheduling conflicts this time - we tried calling the general manager, but he never picked up. We went for the outdoor seating since it was packed inside. We were a group of 3 and ordered the E.P. set menus.

The kale salad was delicious and a great way to start the meal, the dressing was tasty, though it did start feeling too sweet as the sauce built up in the mouth. The wings were delicious, we went for soy garlic. The chopped cheese rice cakes were a highlight of the meal, I would definitely recommend that for anyone trying this restaurant for the first time.

We got the legendary burgers, which we all enjoyed eating - it was only half burger portions per person for the set. The honey butter tater tots was the disappointment for us - the way the honey was soaked into the tater tots, and the butter sauce slathered over it, just didn't hit the right spot for us on the taste. It overpowered the palette, and was a different kind of sweetness that didn't do it for us. It was the only dish we couldn't finish.

We sat down at 7PM, and were informed at the 8:05 mark that we had to leave soon to accommodate an 8:15 reservation. So be aware that given the small seating size, they may expect a tight turnaround from...

Nowon is reputed to have an incredible kimchi double cheeseburger. Having spent a good amount of time in Korea and a big fan of the cuisine, I was drawn to try such a legendary cheeseburger (which is also what it’s called). Nowan is a cozy place with a lively and fun atmosphere. The music is pumping, although my companion found most of the lyrics to be incredibly offensive, as did the couple at the next table. But I was there for the food, so I enthusiastically ordered the Legendary Burger, of course. I had read some good things about it and I was anxious (and hungry) to try it. When it arrived it certainly passed the look test, as it was a beautiful piece of burger art! After a couple bites I thought it was a pretty good burger. For my taste I would have preferred more kimchi influence and generally stronger Korean seasonings. But that’s just my own preference. As it was, It wasn’t bad, and it’ll please most kimchi fans. They don’t use the spicier kimchi, which might be better for the majority of folks. Overall, not bad. They don’t serve fries, my preferred side when having a burger, but instead they offer tots. Not at all my thing, but I ordered the garlic and honey ones anyway, and I have to say they were slamin! The honey addition really made it pop. Definitely worth ordering as I don’t think I’ve ever had tots so delicious. In closing, while I may not have been overly impressed with their signature burger, I’m glad to have stopped in and tried their fare. The space is nice and the people are friendly and welcoming. I’m going to go back in the future and try the burger again. If you like things like gochujang and kimchi, then give this...