21 Best Places To Get Kimbap In NYC

CORRECTION 9/11/23: A previous version of this article stated Little Banchan Shop is in Long Island. It is in Long Island City. Additionally, it was stated that Chung Moo is located in Midtown. It is in Flushing.

Kimbap, a Korean rice roll sandwiching a number of traditional ingredients between a tightly packed dried seaweed wrap, is a big favorite of ours. While similar in appearance to Japanese sushi, you shouldn't try to compare the two or make the wrong assumption they are just Korean and Japanese versions of essentially the same thing. Typically consisting of a few separately prepared ingredients — a variety of cooked poultry, meat, or fish, and both pickled and fresh vegetables — great kimbap typically never employs dips like soy sauce, although Korean chili pastes and spices like gochujang might show up inside the roll.

The popularity of kimbap can't be denied, and perhaps best demonstrated by its struggling to stay in stock at Trader Joe's locations across the country. Of course, Trader Joe's isn't the only place to find amazing kimbap in the U.S., and in New York City specifically, its presence is well known and appreciated. Its popularity on local review pages proves that kimbap is definitely one of many Korean dishes everyone needs to try once, and in New York, you can find outstanding kimbap in every borough.

Buoyed by the energy of artsy Soho, The Woo is a contemporary bi-level Korean restaurant known for its eye-catching modern design aesthetic and mouth-watering eats. Smokeless BBQ grills adorn the center of each table for a smoke-free cooking experience that won't leave you smelling like a campfire but will set you back about $60 per diner.

Although it's not cheap, the food makes it all worth it. Start with a classic Kimbap Sushi Roll with your choice of vegetable, beef, or sea bass tempura and set the tone for the rest of your meal.

When the name of your restaurant shares the words "kimbap" and "lab," you know that the minds behind the cuisine have put a lot of thought into their creations. Almost a decade after launching the first gluten-free Korean pop-up of its kind in Brooklyn, husband and wife team Chef Wonil and Sarah Lee have won more accolades with Kimbap Lab.

With locations in Williamsburg and Chelsea Market, you know there must be great kimbap behind the clamor for more. Bulgogi beef kimbap rolls, spicy chicken, and spicy pork cover diners' carnivorous cravings, while mushroom/avocado kimbap or yubu kimbap rolls round out the vegetarian offerings. Do yourself a favor and pre-order to avoid the inevitable wait.

It's a safe bet that Koreatown likely contains the most kimbap per square inch, and Woorijip is another contender when it comes to kimbap in the neighborhood. There's a plethora of roll fillings options at this buffet-style establishment, although unique options like fish cake or the intriguing spam and egg roll kimbap show unexpected and playful creativity. The use of wild rice instead of the standard white sticky rice in a vegetarian kimchi kimbap is also a unique but health-conscious twist.

Inflation hasn't appeared to hit the kimbap market — at least not at Woorijip — all the rolls are priced comfortably between $4 to $8, with spicy pork being the most expensive item on the menu. Eat in at this casual dining spot, or walk a block over to the park at 6th Avenue and enjoy your Kimbap with a side of people-watching.

Yoodon is Bayside, Queens' answer for lovers of authentic Korean kimbap. While not as intensive as some of the prior listed restaurants, you can enjoy a nicely presented dish delivered to your door with a side of soup which, at a price point of $10.95 to $12.95 for five different kinds of kimbap, seems fair to us.

Bulgogi, spicy shrimp tempura, spicy crab, salad, and Yoodon's specialty kimbap roll round out the rice roll offerings at Yoodon. Beverages are pretty standard drink fare, with a few kinds of pop and bottled water on offer. Takeout or delivery are the only options here, but a restaurant isn't necessarily good just because you can sit down at it, as evidenced by how delicious this place is.

Nolbu Nolbu is a 20-year veteran kimbap spot in Flushing, Queens, and boasts more than 30 different made-to-order kimbap rolls. This nondescript mom-and-pop establishment isn't at all fancy, but the lack of design aesthetic has no bearing on the food. While everything looks good, there are a few lesser-seen menu items that deserve your attention.

The Nolbu manura kimbap with leeks, pickled radish, anchovies, carrots, and hot peppers, and the Prince Kimbap with spicy BBQ chicken and spicy squid are interesting if for no other reason than they are specific to the restaurant. Nolbu Nolbu is open every day from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Syko, a family-run affair between Syrian Chef Mazen Khoury and Korean Chef James Kim in South Slope, Brooklyn, is a playful amalgamation of their home countries and the nickname given to Kim's son. As opposed to fusion cuisine, the pair instead rely on playful interpretations of their unique cultural dishes. For Kim, that includes kimbap.

While most of Syko's business is based on takeout and delivery, there is some seating both inside and outside the restaurant. Halal beef and chicken that isn't used by Khoury in kibbeh, shawarma, or kebab ends up in Kim's bulgogi or chicken kimbap. The addition of spinach, pickled radish, shiitake mushrooms, zucchini, and carrots gives the halal a specifically Korean flavor base. Syko is open for lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and weekend brunch until 2:30 p.m.

Ejen Korean Comfort Food is one of the over 50 food outlets in Brooklyn's Industry City, a multi-use, reimagined industrial area repurposed for retail, education, and New York culture in Sunset Park. "Ejen" which translates from Korean into "now," is a contemporary, modern restaurant with so much respect for older cultural traditions that the owner Jenny Jiae Lee's parents are actually working in the kitchen. Bright lights, sharp lines, and muted earth tones belie the traditional techniques churning out authentic Korean food, some of which include kimbap.

For $14, you can get a roll consisting of carrots, spinach, burdock root, pickled radish, egg, beef bulgogi, and dried seaweed. You can also go vegetarian and opt out of the beef bulgogi. Dine-in or pickup six days a week from Tuesday to Sunday.

Korean Express is where you go for a fantastic kimbap to go in a hurry in Midtown Manhattan. This suits the lifestyle of most New Yorkers perfectly, so it's no wonder that Korean Express retains its loyal customer base with all of the other competing restaurants in the city. Reliably open Monday to Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., you can speed up the process of picking up your food by pre-ordering online or having it delivered to your door.

Four kimbap options include vegetarian, bulgogi, tuna, and spicy tuna. Korean Express is so on point with the speediness of the food that it even offers an ASAP 15-minute window for pickup.

KoFoo, a Korean rice bar inside The Four Seasons Cafe in Flatiron, has an impressive array of 10 kimbap options for connoisseurs. It would be fair to assume a connection to The Four Seasons lends itself to high quality, and KoFoo does not disappoint in that regard.

Better still, none of the kimbap rises over $12, so you get the Four Seasons-level food with K-Town prices and a mom-and-pop aesthetic. Delivery and takeout hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., while dining service starts early — 6 a.m. during the week and 7 a.m. on weekends.

Long Island City's Little Banchan Shop draws on the Seoul, South Korean tradition of tiny mom-and-pop shops that specialize in quick grab-and-go side meals. Korean American chef Hooni Kim brought the banchan concept to New York and expanded it to include entrées as well as small bites. The tiny space offers little in the way of seating, with the exception of a bench by the window.

For $11 to $12 enjoy spicy pork wrapped in seasoned rice and dried seaweed, filled with BBQ pork shoulder adorned with gochujang paste, and an egg omelet with pickled daikon with veg. Slivers of BBQ prime beef brisket follow the same pattern in the bulgogi kimbap, and a vegetarian kimbap employs tofu skin alongside an egg omelet as the protein. Pre-order for takeout or delivery.