6 Best Restaurants in Murray Hill, New York City

Meat lovers in particular will enjoy Korean barbecue, and Dons Bogam is a venerable, quality option with a variety of meats (including American Wagyu) and seafood, cooked for you on a grill embedded in your table. Dishes are served with assorted condiments, sauces, and embellishments. Don't ignore the appetizers; the dumplings and pajeons (scallion pancakes) are excellent, as are the noodle dishes and bulgogis (marinated beef slices) if you aren't into barbecue. Artisanal and infused sojus (a Korean spirit) are among a good selection of wines, sakes, and beers.

Amid a contemporary rustic space with exposed brick walls, an assortment of wooden tables, and framed pictures and housewares on shelves, this popular Korean restaurant specializes home-style Korean cooking, with a pictorial menu reflecting the look and feel of a magazine. It is broken down into small plates, meat dishes, hot pots, rice and noodles, and dessert. In coining the term "Korean soul food," this homey atmosphere encourages a lingering meal with loved ones, perhaps starting with crispy pancakes with shrimp or hot peppers, followed by a thinly-sliced grilled bulgogi. The pot selections, including a vegetable option, are flavorful. The full-bar offers cocktails including a honey crisp bekseju (Korean rice wine) and sojus infused with such flavors as lavender or mint.

Not all the beer in the Balkans will help you pronounce the name of this small restaurant, focusing on the hearty and underrated cuisine of Albania. Start off with some dips and spreads—red pepper, creamy kajmak (Balkan cheese)—before moving on to the veal-stuffed dumplings, the clay-pot-cooked lamb and rice, or the qebaba (finger-sized ground veal sausages). Finish the meal with a glass of rakia, the potent (often homemade) fruit brandy that is ubiquitous in the Balkans.

If Seoul and New Orleans somehow collided, it would taste a lot like what chef Jae Jung is cooking up at this 20-seat spot. Born in Korea, raised in New Orleans, Jung fuses Cajun and Korean cuisine to create fun and delicious dishes, such as kimchi-spiked gumbo, gochujang-buttermilk fried chicken, and tender barbecue pork ribs slathered in a Korean glaze. For $100 per person, ambitious and hungry diners can order the tasting set: everything on the menu.

A tiny, rustic-styled, indie coffee spot, Lucid serves excellent, boldly flavored coffee, an array of teas and chai, and hot chocolate, as well as tasty pastries. Their house-made almond milk goes nicely with their flat white. Savor the delicious aromas inside the homey space with its small wooden tables, and ask about special or seasonal coffee flavors. It's popular with both travelers and locals.

Worthy Korean barbecue will draw you in to this longtime favorite, but be sure to explore the full menu to find the other authentic Korean dishes that also draw crowds from morning through midnight, and then early into the next morning. This casual spot has tile floors and wooden chairs and tables, and the tables have charcoal-fueled grills for extra sizzle on meats and garnishes. Jjigae (Korean stews), bibimbap, scallion and kimchi pancakes, and other Korean fare round out this hit K-town menu.