Dotory

I’m sitting here eating some bibimbap I picked up on the way home and realized I’d not reviewed this place, one of my favorite spots in the neighborhood. People, it is GOOD. The bibimbap is superb (don’t miss the bbq tofu, I get it with everything). The pancake is superb. Their sandwiches (kind of a korean style banh mi) are superb. We’ve also had the bao buns and the dumplings with excellent results. Oh, and the iced soo jung gwa is my jam. I should probably get it hot some day, but it’s so good iced… spicy and sweet and refreshing.
Their desserts are also really good – rotating flavors of bread pudding with tasty gelato, mm mmh.
They have a gorgeous looking cocktail menu that I’ve yet to try because I’m never there at cocktail time. It’s on the list of things to try.
The dining room is small but really cozy and comfortable and the service is always friendly even if you’re just in there to get something to go.

I’ve been going to Dotory since they opened. I must’ve tried everything on the menu. The food is excellent, it has home style quality. But the very best things are the specials. If you can be there on Kimchi Jjigae day, consider yourself lucky.

Excellent food and great service! Every time we go, we try something new and always enjoy the food! We never leave without ordering the soup. Citrus tea is outstanding! Great atmosphere

This place is 10 on the hipster scale … The food is clean, portions large, and vegetables are abundant, drinks are too. We had bao buns, pancakes, sweet potato noodles, and a chicken dish — totally satisfied.
Under $ 100, for the above, for two people on a Friday night in Williamsburg is awesome.

I really like this Korean restaurant, the food is always tasty and seasoned to perfection.

My boyfriend and I ordered the bulgogi beef bibimbap and the japche between us. The bibimbap was definitely the best I’ve seen in terms of the variety of fresh ingredients, from beans to pumpkin to bok choy. Definitely fantastic if like us you’re after a quick fix of healthiness. The japche was also well-​mixed with a whole heap of veges. My boyfriend really liked the dried tofu in them. I found the noodles just a tad too salty, but the end result was still a really tasty alternative to the usual diner options. We also loved the laidback vibe of the place. Definitely coming back here again on our short stay in Williamsburg!

Food is very good especially the sliced pork with chili paste over kimchi fried rice and a perfectly cooked fried egg next to a side of salad and avocado. Service is very slow tho but only waitress available and had to manage a lot of tables. Please hire more people~~

You will like this place if you like Korean food.
Cocktails are really good.
Pancake is really really good.
Service is really really really good.
Chill vibe in the back.

Really wanted to like this place, but alas, it wasn’t to be. The only reason I’m rating Dotory 2 stars instead of 1 is because the interior is nice and the staff is relatively friendly. Otherwise the experience was terrible. Waited 30 minutes for bi bim bop even though I was literally the only person with a food order in (I was there at 4:45pm). The place was not busy at all. So, I finally get the food and although it looks tasty, I had requested no mushrooms and of course there were mushrooms in the food. And all of this would have cost $ 14 (with tofu), so not cheap. 3 strikes and you’re out. Will not be returning.

This is the go-​to spot in South Williamsburg if you’re looking for humble, well-​priced Korean fare for younger tastes.
When it’s sunny and warm, make sure to dine out back in the charming garden when it’s open in the summer.
Otherwise, cozy up to the window seating to do some people watching of the diverse hipster/​Hasidic/​Hispanic neighborhood.
Do not miss the nori tacos, japchae and bibimbap!

This small but lovely shop was a total surprise. We picked it for lunch because we were hungry and it happened to be close but I suspect that on future trips to NYC I’ll be making a point to eat here intentionally.
Definitely checked the special board to see what they’ve got. Everything from the lemonade to the dumplings were great and my only regret was not being able to try the whole menu.

What a great addition to the Southside! Homestyle Korean food in a really cute and uniquely decorated space.
I’m so sick of all the new places opening with the dark wood and steel accents and boring food for all the basic bitches that have moved into the hood.
Dotory is a delicious and relaxing refuge run by a badass Korean lady who went to art school and worked at Purple Yam (reason for some Filipino touches in the food).
My favorites are the soondoobu, the nori tacos (fried seaweed with fresh shredded vegetables and pomegranate seeds, delicious and beautiful), the bibimbap you can customize made with multi grain rice and the kimchi pajun. I eat here once a week, you should too if you live nearby.
They just finished their backyard so it’s a great way to get some people together for a feast. Do it!

Maybe their food is better when it’s fresh from the kitchen, but my dine-​at-​home experience was nothing to write home about. Nothing on their delivery service; it was fine and arrived in a reasonable amount of time. I expected better of the food. Quite disappointing after all the glowing reviews.
I had the banh mi-​style Broadway’s #1 sandwich, which had bbq bulgogi meatballs in it, but the meatballs were dry and bland, and the baguette it came on was hard, not crisp and flaky like I’ve come to expect from a banh mi. My husband ordered a japchae (potato noodles stir fried with vegetables), and while the noodles were rather flavorful, they were still unexceptional. The add ons (cheese and dry meatballs, in this case) are way overpriced and brought his order to a whopping $ 16.50 for JAPCHAE. Nuh uh, not worth it.
I know this place has higher reviews than Dokebi and Brooklyn Seoul (2 of my go-​to spots for Korean food in Williamsburg), but I personally was not impressed. I like a place with more stew and noodle options, so I’ll just stick with the 2 aforementioned restaurants when I need a quick Korean fix.

Can’t get enough of this place! The bibimbap is definitely the star of the menu & you can customize the ingredients too. The bao buns are my second favourite. The combination of the pork belly that literally melts in your mouth along with crunchy daikon & scallion all lovingly nested in a super fresh bao bun. Dotory is definitely the best Korean fusion restaurant I’ve been to & the prices don’t hurt either.

Food: The highlight of the meal was the Nori Taco — the fillings were tasty but wrapper stole the show — Dotory makes a fried seaweed shell which has a good consistency/​grip along with a unique but not overpowering flavor that I was really impressed with. The Pajun was good, rich potato flavor but I think in general I prefer the southern chinese scallion pancake (more flat & fried) so I would not necessarily recommend. We had Guksu and Sundubu which both had above average flavor.
Value: The value at Dotory was pretty high — it is south williamsburg but I was still a little surprised to have dinner for two with appetizers and one drink for my wife for less that $ 60. Very good food and flavor for the price.
Atmosphere: It is a thin space dominated by the bar and the heater by one particular table made it very hot at that table (we were able to move). The scale of the tables and chairs was small but they were not jammed together — I had some room between me and the table next to me. We were seated immediately on a Saturday about 7pm or so but as we left there was beginning to be a little bit of a wait.
Service: Our waitress was prompt and helpful. There was a bit of an unruly customer seated nearby shortly after we sat down and she handled the outbursts very skillfully.
Recommendation: At least go for the taco but try the stew while you are there.

~~~~~~~ dotroy ~~~~~~~
2^nd time,
They changed interior (it used be dark inside, now it’s light)
I liked the previous lighting arranges actually…
The counter table has extended so it’s more room & comfortable now.
i ordered a sundubu (Korean hot hot)
They have zukkini tomato tofu shrimp egg
I asked instead of shut imp add more tofu– they said ok :)
{I didn’t like Zukkini togethers — it’s flexible changing, I will ask next time with out it too}
It comes with soft brown beans rise kimchi back beans bamboo
Taste very good! & satisfy
Barely tea comes…
My friend ordered
Japnoodle– clear noodle egg salad pretty healthy :) this doesn’t come with anything it’s only 9 $-
They have an stamp card when the stamp get full, 1 bibimbap is free — stamps are available for only bibimbap
Pretty good music there
Reason I took off 1star because of interiors
As I wrote it previous one was better: D

Roomie and I had a delicious lunch here. I’d been for dinner and loved my broth bowl with the egg. Had the meatballs with gimchee rice lunch special and the peppery iced sweet tea. Very good. A welcome addition to the neighborhood.

I had heard really great things about this place, but it was totally mediocre.
The bibimbap rice barely got crispy at the bottom & i feel like the portion was a third less than what you usually get, and the bulgolgi meatballs… bad. so incredibly dry and tasteless. I barely nibbled on them and the waiter didn’t even take them off the bill.

On the coldest night of the year, my friend, brother and I decided to leave Manhattan and go on an «adventure» for Korean food in Brooklyn. I bimbimbap was exactly what I needed to combat the cold.
While Dotory isn’t a destination restaurant, I’m happy we tried it out. The restaurant was kind of drafty, but they served a warm cup of tea upon arrival, which helped to warm us up. My friend’s parents are from Korea, so she was familiar with the menu and was able to suggest what to order.
We started off sharing a delicious Korean pancake with squid, scallions, and other fun ingredients. I would never have ordered that on my own, but it was absolutely delicious.
I also ordered a bimbimbap with pork, an egg, garlic, and sautéed onions. This also came with a bowl of soup. Was absolutely delicious. The pricing, however, was unique. The bimbimbap ingredients were a la carte. You paya base of about $ 12 depending on what protein you wish. But then each addition costs anywhere from 50 cents to a few dollars. Ended up paying more than expecting, but was filled up and warm for the journey back to the city.

I don’t know much about Korean food, but I know that this food was delicious and extremely satisfying.
Located in the not-​as-​hipster part of Williamsburg right under the J/​M/​Z train lines, this is a tiny shop serving up some really delicious, fresh Korean food. The menu has so many good choices, so we had to get everything:
— Japche ($ 8)
I haven’t had this dish too many times, so I don’t really have a frame of reference, but this one was pretty good. Like all of the rest of the food to come, you could tell it came out made to order, as it was piping hot.
— Kimchi Pancake ($ 9)
People probably complain that this is pricey for a scallion pancake, but this thing is huge and way thicker than your typical version. It was quite greasy so I couldn’t get through much in the interest of stomach space, but I enjoyed the extra crispy edge pieces.
— Black Sesame Tofu Dolsot Bibim Bop ($ 11.50) with Bulgogi Meatballs (+ $ 4)
This was a pretty typical but still really delicious bowl of bibimbap. The added meatballs are what really saved it for me and made it particularly delicious.
— Kimchi Fried Rice with Egg and Spicy Pork ($ 10)
This was definitely the best bite of the meal, a hearty dish of excellent fried rice topped with a runny egg and plenty of spicy pork on the side. This was listed as a weekend special, so make very sure you stop by then.
— Manila Sandwich ($ 10)
Packed with Filipino style adobo chicken, this was a really satisfying sandwich. With flavors that kind of made like a Korean Banh Mi, it’s a great choice for a smaller, quicker option.
— Coffee Ice Cream ($ 3)
This was fine as ice cream always is, but I couldn’t really tell a difference from something you could buy in a supermarket. Skip it and head to the hipster area for a better dessert.
Like so many other good new food spots in Brooklyn these days, it’s a tiny space with good hip-​hop music pumping. There are just a few seats in the front with a larger table all the way in the back. They seemed to be doing a lot of takeout business, which makes sense given the space constraints. It’s a really nice place if you can manage a seat though, and I would definitely return for more of the great home-​cooked food.