Meju

Chef Hooni Kim opened Meju behind his Little Banchan Shop in Long Island City in early 2023, after building his New York career at Danji and Hanjan. The name refers to dried blocks of fermented soybeans used to begin Korean jang. At this eight-seat counter, Kim treats doenjang, gochujang, ganjang, ssamjang, jeotgal, and kimchi as the subjects of dinner rather than supporting condiments. Some have aged for years under his care or come from mentors in Korea. Michelin awards one star and calls the room as much a classroom as a restaurant. Kim explains the history and microbiology behind each ferment while serving it with a spare, carefully chosen ingredient.

The seven-part menu currently costs about $235, plus a 20 percent service charge that the house says is not a gratuity. Courses have paired fresh tofu with doenjang, raw fish with gochujang, jeon with ganjang, beef with ssamjang, and pork with jeotgal before ending with rice and kimchi, then sikhye and red bean. Wine and Korean beverage pairing and a nonalcoholic pairing are available. Dinner runs roughly three hours, Wednesday through Saturday. Standard reservations for one to four guests use SevenRooms, with larger private dinners handled separately. The kitchen needs advance notice for restrictions and cannot safely accommodate celiac disease or severe gluten allergies because barley appears in its ferments. Meju is the city’s most concentrated lesson in Korean fermentation, hidden behind a neighborhood banchan shop rather than a Midtown lobby.

Diners praise the intimacy of eight seats, Kim’s generous explanations, and flavors that feel deep and comforting rather than decorated for spectacle. The tofu and doenjang, raw fish with gochujang, aged soy sauces, and rice with kimchi recur as highlights. Guests who enjoy asking questions often describe the classroom quality as part of the pleasure.

The format is demanding: about three hours, a $235 menu plus service charge, scarce reservations, and little flexibility for serious allergies. A few diners find the lesson-like pace long or prefer some courses to the pork-and-jeotgal pairing. Meju is worth the commitment when fermentation is the subject you want to study; it is not an à la carte Long Island City dinner.