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Momofuku Ssäm Bar

Critics' Pick

207 Second Ave., New York, NY 10003
at 13th St. See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
212-254-3500 Send to Phone

Critics' Rating: Price Range: $$$$
Reader Rating:
6.1 out of 10

10 Reviews | Write a Review
Cuisine: Eclectic/Global, Korean, Southern/Soul

Photo by Jeremy Liebman

Map

Official Website

Rate & Review

Hours

Daily, 11am-2am

Nearby Subway Stops

L at Third Ave.; L at First Ave.

Prices

$8-$15

Payment Methods

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Special Features

Dine at the Bar
Hot Spot
Late-Night Dining
Lunch
Notable Chef
Take-Out

Alcohol

Beer and Wine Only
Sake and Sojou

Reservations

Not Accepted

Profile

Like Mario Batali and the great British chef Fergus Henderson, David Chang is a card-carrying member of the “Refined Meathead” school of cooking. Meathead chefs have a fondness for pork products and for offal (“We do not serve vegetarian-friendly items,” says the menu at Momofuku Ssäm Bar), and the best of them, including Chang, have a knack for creating big, addictive flavor combinations that get under your skin. Like Batali, Chang—a Korean-American, raised in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.—mines his own ethnic background for inspiration. The past couple of years, he has been demonstrating his talents on a more modest scale at his madly popular original restaurant. But the newest Momofuku (the word means “lucky peach” in Japanese) is larger and more ambitious than the original, and after a period of bumbling experimentation (at first Chang insisted on selling only a form of Asian burrito called a ssäm), it has grown into a showplace for the chef’s unique brand of earthy, Asian-accented Meathead cuisine. — Adam Platt

Ideal Meal

Fried Brussels sprouts, three-terrine sandwich, spicy tripe, warm veal-head terrine, Momofuku Ssäm

Reader Ratings

6.1

"Mixed Reviews"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10

Eating succulent dishes while listening to The Pixies

ecasey22 from 10028 | Posted on 8/18/08

Overall Reader Rating: (NA) (Not Recommended)


Food:	9
Service:	9

Décor:	6

Value:	8

The value you get for this top quality of food is a bargain to say the least. Recommended dishes - hamachi sashimi, lamb entree, shrimp in watermelon broth.

As a Korean...

wasabininja from 98023 | Posted on 7/15/08

Overall Reader Rating: 7 (Recommended)


Food:	7
Service:	7

Décor:	8

Value:	4

I've had my fair share of Bo Ssam in my life including from the motherland and i have to say that momofuku is a bit of a toss up. Taste wise, it's delicious, fresh, and dare i say comparable...Read More