How About a Little Seoul Food?

Some people call it Koreatown, some say K-Town. But unlike the Koreatowns in San Francisco and Los Angeles, Manhattan’s Korean enclave isn’t much of a neighborhood; in fact, it is just a single block of 32nd Street between Broadway and Fifth Avenue.

Few Koreans actually live here. There isn’t much residential space on the block or in the surrounding area. But K-Town has become the cultural center for New York’s growing Korean population.

At ground level you will find an assortment of shops, newsstands, banks and hotels, but the street is dominated by dozens of Korean restaurants and cafes. This area is busy 24/7 and if you are in the mood for an inexpensive prepacked lunch box, a stylish sweet snack, a traditional barbecue or an elegant dinner – regardless of whether you are a vegetarian, a seafood fan, a calorie counter or a lover of bloody red meat – you’ll easily find something to suit your taste and your budget.

Don’t miss the eggless scallion pancakes at Woorijip, the cold acorn noodles (yes, they’re made from acorns) at Hangawi, the freshly-baked cakes and buns at Koryodang Bakery or the green tea frozen yogurt (so addictive it is affectionately called crackberry) at Pinkberry. If the day is sunny, you might prefer to sit outside at the tables on the plaza to watch the busy social scene.

Once your craving for Seoul Food is satisfied, remember to look up. The higher floors of the buildings on this block are packed with businesses that cater to the needs of the Korean community, offering herbal medicines, spas and beauty treatments, tutoring and language lessons, employment and travel agencies, tattoo parlors, internet cafes and raucous karaoke bars.


On 32nd Street Posted by Picasa


Animated billboard with Korean subtitles Posted by Picasa


Pinkberry yogurt shop Posted by Picasa


Girls on the plaza Posted by Picasa


On the plaza Posted by Picasa


Korea Way sign Posted by Picasa


Newspaper stand Posted by Picasa


Looking in to Woorijip Posted by Picasa


Nightlife on the upper floors Posted by Picasa

  • Hangawi Restaurant
  • Woorijip Restaurant
  • Koryodang Bakery
  • Pinkberry
  • Village Voice: Close-Up on Koreatown
  • K-Town Comes of Age
  • New York Times: Beer For Breakfast
  • 13 Responses to How About a Little Seoul Food?

    1. Dr. WhoAmI says:

      .

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      If you stop believing what your professor
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      find the Bible makes more sense than you
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      everyday what we don’t understand unless it
      comes to the issue of salvation.
      – – – Dr. Woodrow Kroll

      There is simply no historic foundation for the
      position that the Framers intended to build the
      ‘wall of separation’ that was constitutionalized
      in Everson. The ‘wall of separation between
      church and state’ is a metaphor based on bad
      history, a metaphor which has proved useless
      as a guide to judging. It should be frankly and
      explicitly abandoned. – – – Chief Justice of
      the US Supreme Court, William Rehnquist

      In 1796 the US Supreme Court issued this
      ruling, “By our form of government, the
      Christian religion is the established religion,
      and all sects and denominations of Christians
      are placed on equal footing.” Some 57 years
      later, after Congress was petitioned to separate
      Christian principles from government, in 1853
      the House Judiciary Committee issued their
      formal report, including these words: “In this
      age there is no substitute for Christianity.
      This was the religion of the founders of the
      republic, and they expected it to be the
      religion of their dependents. The great vital,
      conservative elements in our system is the
      belief of our people in the pure doctrines
      and divine truths of the gospel of Jesus
      Christ.” – – – Dr. Gerald Beavan

      “It is the duty of nations, as well as of men,
      to own their dependence upon the overruling
      power of God and to recognize the sublime
      truth announced in the Holy Scriptures and
      proven by all history, that those nations only
      are blessed whose God is the Lord.”
      — President Abraham Lincoln

      Trust in yourself and you are doomed to
      disappointment; trust in money and you
      may have it taken from you; but trust in
      God, and you are never to be confounded
      in time or eternity. – D.L. Moody

      Faith and love are apt to be spasmodic
      in the best of minds. Men and women live
      on the brink of mysteries and harmonies
      into which they never enter and with their
      hand on the doorlatch they die outside.
      – – GK Chesterton

      Best wishes for continued ascendancy,
      Dr. Whoami

      P.S. Here’s some blogs that I found
      of interest
      as I negotiated my way
      through cyberspace:

      Is Jesus God?
      Religion Comparison
      Watch The Jesus Movie
      Muhammad or Jesus???
      Answering Islam
      A Short Look At Six World Religions
      God’s Word in different languages…
      How to become a Christian
      Who Is Jesus?
      See The Word
      Around the Well
      Every Student
      ‘Thought & Humor’


      Only one of these is amalgamated with me –
      can you determine which one??? Tell me
      sometime what your thoughts are
      about all this:O)

      Like

    2. Do Kwang says:

      Hey, I suggest you turn on the spam guard and stop Mr. Bold Guy up here from visiting you a second time.
      Meantime, thanks for visiting my blog in spite of the language barrier and even messaging. I dream of Brooklyn, I swear!

      Like

    3. Wow! Quite the spam hit!

      Fascinating blog. You lead quite a tour. My husband is Korean-American and we greatly enjoy Korean food. I’m as white as they come, so it is interesting to visit places where I’m such a minority. We live in the Pacific Northwest, which has a very active Asian community, but you still have to work at it to find places to be a minority at! 🙂

      Like

    4. Pendullum says:

      When I go to NY in the next time I am certain to got to little Korea…

      Like

    5. Annie says:

      I loved your introduction to Seoul Food and I thought I’d show you an advertisement for some southern Little Rock AR soul food.

      Hey, thanks for visiting my blog.

      I like your blog very much.

      Like

    6. This is really interesting! I love the photos, too.

      Like

    7. Quodlibet says:

      I used to live in S. Korea and loved the people, food and the culture. Amazing place to live. I most certainly miss the food. I live in Calgary and there are a few Korean restaurants, but I have to say, they don’t quite live up to my memory of Korean food. Nice blog!

      Like

    8. tallulah says:

      I am salivating while reading your blog. I love food and New York is so different from Way Down In Mayberry (where I live). It’s nice to see some culture.
      Great pictures!

      Like

    9. Carlynn says:

      Hi, thanks for your comment on my post. I hadn’t thought of that alternative to a lampshade but it appeals to me. I was even thinking, “Mmmm, not the prettiest head for a lampshade but with a few highlights, maybe an earing or two, there is potential there.”

      What a great site you have. New York is such a cool city and I love Asian food, I am definitely noting down addresses for our next visit. I have to try Green Tea ice cream if it’s that addictive and the shop itself looks so cool. I’ve always wanted to do the silk road but I had never thought of doing an equivalent tour in the town I live, I have to check out the options as we have a wide variety of restaurants here.

      Like

    10. Blage says:

      Thanks for posting to my blog…your photos are great! Will check out little Korea next time I’m in NYC.

      Like

    11. Jeff De Rosa says:

      Wow. I wish I found this blog earlier on in the year. Your cultural descriptions are amazing. Makes me much more anxious to get to NYC… or at least out of here. Hell, I’d settle for Manhattan Kansas right now!

      Like

    12. ~tanty~ says:

      Hi, nice blog you have here. And thanks for visiting my blog. I have moved and here is my new address:
      http://stavangerphotobytanty.blogspot.com

      Like

    13. Seesaw says:

      Beautiful photos, great blog.

      Like

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