Jeju Noodle Bar

Jeju Noodle Bar is chef Douglas Kim's West Village ramyun shop, opened in 2017 on the corner of Greenwich and Christopher streets. Kim, who was born in South Korea, cooked at Per Se, Bouley, Gordon Ramsay and Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare before setting out to give Korean noodle soup the fine-dining treatment, and in 2019 the restaurant earned a Michelin star, a rare honor for a noodle bar. In 2024 Pete Wells placed it at No. 16 on his list of the 100 best restaurants in New York City. The forty-seat room is modern and lively, with plenty of bar seating and a neon sign in the window that reads "Coffee No, Noodles Yes." Dishes arrive on custom ceramics made in Korea.

Ramyun, Korea's take on noodle soup, is the core of the menu, with handmade noodles and deep broths that range from rich pork to lighter vegetable and seaweed versions. Before the noodles, order the toro ssam bap, a rice bowl of fatty tuna with scrambled egg and tobiko served with toasted seaweed for wrapping, and the JeJu ChiKin, Kim's very crisp Korean fried chicken. Jeju Noodle Bar was featured by the YouTuber New York Turk in 2025 as a solo dinner, and the bar is the best seat for one. Reservations are available online, and the name, which means skill or talent in Korean, sums up the cooking well.