Joo Ok is a Korean fine-dining restaurant in Manhattan’s Koreatown led by Chef Chang-ho Shin. Originally opened in Seoul in 2016, the restaurant relocated to New York City in 2024 after earning two MICHELIN stars in South Korea. Shin reopened Joo Ok alongside several longtime team members, including general manager Jooyong Kim and sous chef Ben Park.
Located on the 16th floor of an office building, Joo Ok offers a seasonal tasting menu centered around Korean ingredients, fermentation, and jang, the fermented sauces and pastes foundational to Korean cuisine. The menu changes throughout the year but often includes signature dishes like makgeolli bread topped with seared Chilean sea bass, soy jelly, and crispy scallions.
A major part of the restaurant’s philosophy revolves around sourcing and seasonality. To maintain ingredient quality after relocating to New York, the team operates a farm in upstate New York where they grow Korean herbs and vegetables while producing their own jang and perilla oil.
Joo Ok earned its first New York MICHELIN star just months after opening in Manhattan, followed by a second star the following year. The restaurant is recognized for its detailed service, ingredient-driven cooking, and contemporary approach to Korean fine dining.
