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All Reader Reviews of...

HanGawi

12 E. 32nd St., New York, NY, 10016
nr. Madison Ave.
212-213-0077

Avg. Rating

6
Food: 5
Service: 5
Décor: 7
"Mixed Reviews"

Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10.

60% would go back.

 Write your own review

Fake Korean

By JosephCelli on 11/25/2011

  • Overall Rating: 2
  • Food: 1
  • Service: 3
  • Décor: 3
  • No, I would not go back!

What a disappointment this place is for anyone who has had the opportunity for a real Korean (usually Buddhist) vegetarian meal. There is nothing here to recommend! The bland, tasteless, hype of a meal does not reflect the subtle to extreme variety you will find in a true Korean vegetarian restaurant. Even in the simplest of Korean places you will get a better meal than this with a wide variety of wild greens, root crops, mushrooms with well prepared rice. The desert here, straight off the shelf from an American supermarket, was the equivalent of a cheap pudding. There are some excellent Korean restaurants in NYC - this place has nothing to recommend.

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9 out of 29 people found this review helpful.

The dullest meal you will ever have

By m310 on 2/3/2010

  • Overall Rating: 2
  • Food: 1
  • Service: 1
  • Décor: 8
  • No, I would not go back!

I went there for dinner a few months ago after reading great reviews here. The alcoholic drinks had no alcohol in them. The soup was bland and weird. The rice was well prepared but the rest of the food had no flavor or anything interesting about them. It tasted as if I was eating well prepared paper or something.

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45 out of 94 people found this review helpful.

Zen and the Art of Pricey (but Tasty) Korean Vegetarian

By r3a35mm on 7/15/2009

  • Overall Rating: 9
  • Food: 9
  • Service: 9
  • Décor: 9
  • Yes, I would go back!

Hangawi is an upscale Korean vegetarian restaurant that has not lost its charm or creative menu in all the years it´s been around K-town. After being greeted warmly by Joanne we were asked to remove our shoes and then led upstairs to a raised dining area with tables set over sunken floors. (Note to older folks: be careful not to slip on the wooden floors in your socks as you angle yourself into the deeper recesses of the undertable space.) Once esconced, we were ready to eat some fine vegeterian fare in this tranquil, Zen dining establishment. Everything we ordered tasted great, including hot vermicelli stone pot soup, various types of rolls (fried and otherwise), avocado stone bowl rice, and seaweed salad. There are many other dishes that we wish we´d tried. Lone negative: The prices are too high, but the novel experience and good service was worth it.

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45 out of 99 people found this review helpful.

Great unique vegetarian experience

By BARNARDGG on 10/12/2008

  • Overall Rating: 9
  • Food: 9
  • Service: 9
  • Décor: 9
  • Yes, I would go back!

A little pricey, but beautiful decor, great service (waiter dressed in traditional Korean attire) and wonderful food (but smaller portions). I don't recommend the organic menu, however, not much flavor. The eggplant appetizer was amazing!

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79 out of 149 people found this review helpful.

good and different, but you'll leave hungry and poor

By dtulsa on 4/1/2003

  • Overall Rating: 6
  • Food: 7
  • Service: 5
  • Décor: 8
  • Yes, I would go back!

good veggie korean with a great no-shoes, sit cross-legged, mellow, zen vibe. the price/value relationship is a little out of whack, but if you're ok spending $40ish/person on korean food and leaving hungry, then'll you'll be ok.

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231 out of 482 people found this review helpful.

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