Most likely, you already know about this place. It opened to much fanfare. Any foodie worth his artisan sea salt knows about the Momofuku empire. They run this town like the mafia.

We were fortunate enough to snag a table at this new Italian/Korean joint on opening night. But this was no easy feat. I got in line an hour after everyone else did: 5 pm. They weren’t slated to open until 6 pm, which is about the time I made my way to the front of the line to put my name on the list.

I was told it would be two more hours until we were to be seated.

It ended up being just 1.5 more, but as I live around the corner, we just went home and chilled til we received our beloved text notification.

Time to eat, b*tches!

We scurried back to the restaurant and got seated immediately. Blonde wood and minimalist décor aplenty, per the usual.

Tipping is not allowed, so the prices are a bit higher to reflect this. We ended up shelling out about $75 per person, this includes two entrees, one app, one dessert and two cocktails each.

Ok, so I’m not going to spend the next hour describing every dish in detail. You can go on Yelp and get that 411. So, here’s an eloquent summary for you: the food was really good.

The highlight was certainly the Spicy Beef Sichuan pasta and the hangar steak. The panna cotta was a bit sour, I should have ordered the pistachio pound cake everyone else around me was chowing down on.

The Limoncello slushie and the Blood Orange Daiquiri were both very tasty. Order those. Or order something else, what do I care?

Unfortunately, the lines have consistently remained quite lengthy, so this place will not fall into the category of “Casual Neighborhood Hangout” But definitely worth taking a fellow foodie who doesn’t balk at the thought of a 3 hour wait before dinner.

232 8th Avenue
New York, NY 10011
b/t 21st St & 22nd St
Chelsea
(646) 518-1919
nishi.momofuku.com

The line just to put your name down and hope to actually get seated the before closing.

Limoncello Slushi – $14

Blood Orange Daiquiri – $14

Fried Fingerling & Smoked Yolk & Tarragon – $10

Spicy Beef Sichuan Noodles – $25

Hanger Steak – $35

Panna Cotta & Plum Vinegar – $10