Her Name Is Han

Went for lunch on a week day and the wait was only a few minutes. I had the lunch beef noodle set and was very impressed by the meal! High quality ingredients and flavor was spot on. Also, my friend ordered the seafood noodle set. Considering it was the same menu item, we thought we would be getting the exact same dish but with different protein. Interestingly, the dishes had also different noodles, broth and flavor. I think its cool and appreciate the uniqueness, though I’m sure some would be confused. The Han dumpling that comes with the set is dynamite — wish they included more! Will be back to try other dishes!

Really loved this place !! My bestie brought me here and she is right that this place is great! The Mung bean pancake and squash rice cake were so good ! It is a bit different from your 32^nd street Korean food I thought. There’s a little twist to it but still awesome flavors that make you crave more Korean food.
It is a cozy atmosphere with jazz playing and a more mellow kind of lighting that makes you want to stay there to talk the night away with your companion.
I enjoyed the army stew too– wish they put tofu in there as well! It could’ve been spicier in my point of view as well.
Check came up a bit more than expected but I guess $ 60 per person including drinks and dessert would have it around that amount.
Love it !
I will be back !

KenScale: 7.5÷10
I don’t go out to Korea Town in Manhattan that often despite my Korean background. Not only is it always packed with people but the scene rarely changes and I would like to check out as many different places as possible. Furthermore, the food in Korea Town is not the best as I alluded to in my reviews of Korean restaurants in the city. You don’t have to have great Korean food in K-​Town to be successful; there will always be a ton of people, Korean and non-​Korean, who will come out to the neighborhood and have drinks along with Korean staples like BBQ, regardless of the quality of food. The team from Take 31, one of the more popular Korean bars in the area that also serves a variety of pub food, has recently opened a more formal restaurant next to the bar. I was definitely intrigued since Take 31 was actually one of the places with better food than most places. This restaurant with quirky name (named for the owner’s mother) seemed like a promising modern Korean place that shows that Korean food is not just about BBQ. My recent experience, though, was mixed to my regret.
The menu at the restaurant is fairly large and consists of five different sections from appetizers to entrees to noodles and rice dishes. Sautéed pork with chief’s gochujang sauce (jaeyook bokkeum) has always been one of my favorite Korean dishes, and the one at Her Name is Han definitely delivers, with nice balance of flavor and texture. I had very high expectations for spicy assorted seafood and homemade dumplings soup that is meant for sharing by multiple people. It turned out to be a disappointment, however. While the soothing flavor of the soup was nice, the seafood wasn’t as fresh as I had hoped, and the dumplings tasted like they came from frozen food corner instead of «homemade.» Sautéed rice cake (ddeukbokki) with shishito pepper and kabocha with yuzu gochujang sauce, one of the staples from Take 31, is also at this restaurant and I would recommend definitely ordering this to start your meal. On the other hand, Japanese yam and potato pancake along with mentaiko, which sounded very promising the moment I looked at it on the menu, could’ve been more crispy instead of soft and mushy on the inside, especially with the subtle hint of mentaiko that was otherwise quite nice to the dish.
The restaurant, along with Take 31, is constantly packed with people and there is no reservation so my suggestion is to go as early as you can. The restaurant has a full bar with fruit-​based soju and cocktails. I liked the modern vibe of the restaurant (probably not as intimate as nearby Hanjan but still very thoughtful in décor). I will perhaps try Her Name is Han again in the near future to order other dishes to see if my mixed experience was more due to what I ordered than the execution level of the kitchen. Until then, I would say this is a nice addition to K-​Town but needs a bit more clean-​ups at the kitchen.

3.5−4 stars. Makes sense that this place is just slightly outside of K-​town because it is just a bit different from your usual Korean joint. When I read that Her Name Is Han is all about fresh, home-​cooked food made from scratch, I imagined a comforting, hearty meal. I was surprised to find though that this was actually some of the lighter, more untraditional Korean food I’ve tried.
For two people, we ordered a bottle of grapefruit soju, BBQ pork chops small plate, baby octopus small plate, and assorted seafood with dumplings soup pot. It was definitely plenty of food. Could probably have taken away one of the small plates and still been very satisfied. Total price came out to be around $ 46 per person including tip so it was a bit pricey for Korean food but definitely pretty great value overall. The BBQ pork chops were delicious: the meat fell off the bone and the BBQ flavor was present but not overwhelming. However, they didn’t actually taste very Korean-​rather, just some sort of Asian-​flavored meat. I wasn’t a huge fan of the baby octopus. It was a bit too chewy and the sauce was a combination of sweet, sour, and spicy that didn’t entirely work with the texture. The hot soup pot was a great thing to have during this time of year-​it was definitely a popular menu item. The soup was stocked with lots of bok choy, mushrooms, mussels, claims, shrimp, dumplings, and even CRAB so overall a very impressive array. Unlike the soondubus that you would usually find in K-​town, this soup tasted decidedly lighter and much less flavorful. It certainly wasn’t bland, but it definitely wasn’t anywhere near the «spicy» that the description advertised. Finally, the grapefruit soju was very smooth and SO strong, just like others have described. Pro tip: try to soak as many grapefruit into your glass of soju as possible-it’ll make the soju taste even better!
Environment-​wise this place is much nicer than your average K-​town joint. It’s very elegant and cozy. Wood is the main theme and there’s an aura of nostalgia with jazzy music playing in the background. Service is very friendly and quick. Tables are a bit small-​we had trouble fitting everything we ordered on there. Also in the winter time the tables near the door can get very cold and drafty as people come in and out!
To me, Her Name Is Han is a great place to go if you’re looking for some slightly more westernized, lighter, healthier-​tasting Korean food. However, if you’re craving good old staples like soondubu and bibimbap, you’re better off at trusty K-​town!

Got there at 12:30 for lunch with a friend, and we got a table immediately. It got a bit crowded around 1, the wait time is about 5 – 15 minutes. Compare to last time I was there for dinner with a reservation and we still have to wait for 20mins, this was surprising.
My friend and I both ordered the lunch platter, so we get to try different things. I had the cursor chicken and my friend had the salmon avocado. They all came with soup, a very small bowl of salad, rice mixed with pumpkin and sweet potato and the pickles.
The crispy chicken was great, the skin outside was dry and crunchy, not oily at all and the meat was still very moist. I am not a huge fan of deep fried food as the ingredient loses its original flavor from the heat, I can’t taste the food, but only the crispy texture.
The moist from the chicken did the magic and bought the chicken flavor back. It was even better with a little bit of salt and pepper. (They don’t have it, but personally would highly recommend with Yuzu salt, that will brings up the freshness and add more interesting flavor on the food. Imagine taste the salt on the crispy part and then it’s flavor gets mixed with the chicken moist).
Rice mixed with steamed sweet potato and pumpkin was tasty and filling, extra sweetness from the pumpkin, and feel so satisfying.
Lunch is so affordable. Comparing to other Korean restaurants in the neighborhood, their proportion is on a smaller side, still good enough for one person.
Love their vintage industrial interior, with the wooden texture from the tables and dishes, that add a warm touch to it. Great place to go with small group of friends.
–S

Hello, Han.
I left your restaurant still hungry despite I ordered a large pork belly dish and a gopchang stew.
The pork belly was alright. I ordered my favorite Korean dish, gopchang stew and was surprised by how overwhelming the perilla leaves were. It completely overpowered the flavor of the gopchang. I shared these two dishes with my cousin. Came with two bowls of rice. Came out to $ 50+ tax.
Expensive price and small portions… I don’t know how people can get full without order at least 2+ items. Perhaps it’s because people fill up their stomach with alcohol while I didn’t.
The presentation and atmosphere was nice… But those were the only good parts. They like to put meager amount of food in nice dishes. Good deception and marketing.
I have nothing else to say. Goodbye Han.

Great price for their lunch menu. It was filling and relatively cheap. Their avocado fries while pricey ($ 1 a fry!), it was delicious and I would definitely come here again for lunch.
Their dinner menu is significantly pricier and they have small portions but they offer unlimited rice so you can just fill up on that. The service here was amazing. I never had an empty cup of water the entire time i was there.

Get the grapefruit or blueberry (or both) soju. It’s strong and it comes in a super cute milk bottle. Food here can be described as mom’s cooking — not too heavy but still rich with flavor. For three people, we ordered the dukbokki, braised short rib, bulgogi stew, and bimbimbap. The braised short rib was, by far, my favorite dish. The pork was really juicy and tender. For dessert, we shared a small jar of rice tiramisu (one star deducted for dessert since it tasted more like rice pudding).
This place doesn’t take reservations yet but come early on a weeknight.

Get to the Chase:
Pros:
1) Really nice service, and they greet you with smiles at the door
2) 100 day fermented grapefruit or blackberry soju is insanely strong… and that’s a good thing :)
3) 1 budae jigae pot, seafood pancake, 1 bottle of sowuju, and grilled octopus for 2 people came down to about $ 85 including tax and 20% tip… not bad not bad
4) Most of the food was amazingly fresh and well cooked! Most delicious was the budae jigae, but I also loved how the pancake was only lightly fried/​battered, not overly greasy
5) Very quick service (you can be in and out in an hour)
6) Great fun date spot or for a small party of 4 (though seating is pretty limited)
7) Possible pregame place with some yummy bites for sure
8) Great ambience and interior décor, clean and organized
Cons:
1) Place gets packed quite quickly and it’s a first come first serve, so make sure to be there with your entire party and on time!
2) Grilled octopus was overcooked and super rubbery :(

I hate to be the debbie downer and an outlier after reading some reviews, but I just don’t think this place is that good and it feels too niche. In a nutshell, this place is that spot between a straight up fusion/​contemporary Korean restaurant and a traditional Korean restaurant. The restaurant itself is a nice, trendy environment with younger servers that greet and appear helpful relative to a more traditional Korean restaurant (but not really, I’ll explain below). I thought the menu was extremely frustrating, flipping through pages to chose from a multitude of options. The benefit to the menu is that there are pictures and long descriptions, which is why I felt that this was that niche, Korean «American» kind of restaurant. Don’t get me wrong — this is Korean food, no mixing of Korean ingredients to make something else. But my issue was, the food was just a little bland/​toned-​down which completely impacted everything.
With regards to the food, there are about four sides (banchan) which were about the smallest sides I’ve ever had. The kimchi had a watered down taste and the radish (which we were told was spicy), was the sweetest/​pickled radish I’ve ever had. We had four items: the dumpling, the corn croquette, the Kalbi Jim (braised short ribs), and the Budejiggae. The dumplings were nothing special, the corn croquette was overly sweet and was just ??? to me (if you want to get good croquettes I’d go somewhere else), the Kalbi Jim had decent flavor but the meat felt like it needed more braising/​time to achieve better tenderness, and the Budejiggae was again, numbed down (not sour/​spicy enough) to appeal to a more mass audience.
The service was very quick, almost too quick — probably wanted to burn and churn, and no one comes to ask you if you wanted another drink and my water was left empty. Normally, don’t care about this kind of stuff at Korean restaurants, as you come to expect bad service, but I thought this would be their offset for the bland food, but nope.
Finally, be careful with the drinks. I thought «wow a $ 4 IPA, a $ 6 cocktail». The IPA was 12 ounces (possibly smaller), and the cocktail, which was way too sweet by the way, is obviously not infused with any kind of real hard alcohol (not sure if it was soju or not) but you are getting what you pay for (the restaurant is not offering you some kind of great deal).
This place is not for me. If you are contemplating coming here just remember you are paying a premium for food that you could get elsewhere that tastes much better. There are better restaurants that are bit more fusion if you’re introducing yourself to Korean — think of a Danji on 52^nd, Oiji in the East Village, or even Kori in TriBeCa, and there are better restaurants on the traditional scale — anything on 32^nd street really, that offer a better alternative in my opinion.

I’m going to be honest, I was hesitant about coming to a more «contemporary» Korean restaurant, but the bf convinced me to go.
We came in at 5:30, right as it opened for dinner, and we were literally the first ones there, so we were seated immediately and greeted warmly by the staff. The ambiance was perfect for a date night, dimly light but lots of little candles and lights throughout the restaurant.
After perusing their diverse menu for a bit, we chose two appetizers (the corn croquette and dumplings) and split the (budae jjigae) since it’s quite large and could easily have fed three people. The was traditional, like they ate in the army, with beans, cheese, ham, Spam, noodles, and rice cakes, and it was delicious — not too spicy, but full of flavor. It definitely warmed us up on the cold January night. The corn croquettes were creamy and sweet on the inside and crispy on the outside. The dumplings were delicious, too! (And I’m quite picky when it comes to Korean dumplings).
The waiters were very attentive to us, refilled our waters constantly, and explained each dish as it came out, which I appreciated.
Overall, I definitely recommend this place if you’re ever in K-​town — great service and great food (but get there early if you don’t want to wait!)

Came her with a couple of my girl-​friends for dinner. The wait in line can start nearly as soon as they open, so be prepared. The food is delicious, and it’s great that they have a monthly feature that rotates through the year. Her Name is Han definitely leans more towards the palate of what’s on 32^nd K-​town, but in a nicer, cozier space. If you are looking for something more towards Korean-​American fusion, go to their sister restaurant next door– Take 31.

Came here for a birthday dinner. This place is crazy busy and we had to get here at 6PM to get a table for 8.
Pretty new place on the outskirts of K-​Town. Apparently, this use to be a Thai restaurant. Pretty sure it wasn’t doing this well. We ordered a ton of dishes so I’ll run through them briefly here.
Ribs — portion was small, only 3 ribs. Flavor was very sweet but not unpleasant, albeit a little one dimensional. Meat was tender but retained its form and was not falling apart.
Clams Japchae — one of my favorite dishes of the night. Japchae was japchae but the broth was very flavorful and thoroughly infused with clam and garlic.
Budae Jigae — it was good but nothing special really.
Chicken and potato Jigae — also good, but didn’t standout. More sweet than spicy. Mushrooms and vegetables were very fresh and presented nicely.
Seafood dumpling Jigae — broth is the same as budae jigae but infused with tons of seafood. Clams, crab, etc. Didn’t get to try the dumplings but they seem like your standard Korean tofu dumplings.
Fried chicken — standard fried chicken but very well executed. Batter was not too heavy and coated the chicken in a nice thin crispy layer. Flavor was good. A red sweet sauce and salt and pepper were offered for dipping. Neither added too much to the chicken which was good on its own.
Bo Ssam — again, standard Bo Ssam, slices of pork belly with kimchi. The pork itself has no seasoning so you have to eat it with kimchi. It wasn’t bad but I wouldn’t order this again. Nothing special.
Octopus — I love octopus and I would say that this was very well cooked. It’s so easy to overcook things like squid and octopus and this was perfectly tender. The sauce was a slightly spicy, slightly sweet red sauce, which is fairly common amongst Korean dishes.
Shrimp and shoshito pepper pajun — we got this on the house which was nice of them. The shrimps were juicy and the peppers offer a nice mild spiciness. I really liked this little pancake.
The Ban chan — these are little side dishes you usually get for free at Korean restaurants. To be honest, I was very underwhelmed by the variety and portion size of their ban chan. It just didn’t compare to other places.
Overall, I would say that all of their dishes are very well executed and use quality ingredients. Their version of many classic Korean dishes deserve praise. However, I felt that the place as a whole did not standout. They serve the same foods as many other Korean eateries in K-​Town and if one were less forgiving, could simply be described as a higher quality pojangmache.
The décor is very trendy and the jazz music is also very classy. However, I do have a hard time reconciling this fancy hipster atmosphere with their mission of delivering authentic Korea home cooking.
As it is currently, I probably wouldn’t wait in the absurdly long lines to eat here, but it still deserves 4 stars based on quality and execution alone. The service was also impeccable.

I ate 12/​31/​2015 with my wife. The staff is so very generous with huge numbers of greetings, lots of kind gestures, courteous seating, and overall wonderful treatment. Their happiness rubs off. The menu is a work of art, gorgeous in so many ways, especially given my day job is in web design. From its data, formatting, print quality, layout, and physical presentation, it’s a real beauty & treat to read.
We ordered C4 (boiled beg slices, tendon soup w onikn, lemon, mustard sauce) & E4 (9 seasoned veg on rice). Both dishes are very high quality & medium portions. The ingredients seemed very fresh & the soup was real as there was none of the customary post-​soup thirstiness per MSG. All preparation was spot on. Their insistence on a quality home-​style experience is true to life. The banchan was just 4 items (see photo) but quality over quantity.
Four days later, I return to pick up a scarf I left behind & they were equally kind.

Guess nothing could beat a Korean style stew on a freezing night and Her Name is Han attracted me by its unique name. This place does not take reservation, and by the time I got there, a long line has been formed already. What was worse was the limited space inside so I would have to wait outside! Unbelievable!
What kept me from lowering the rating was the authenticity of food. We tried the fried chicken and the three-​type sausage stew with kimchi and mushroom, accompanied by blueberry housemade soju. I wish there could be more vegetables inside the stew… Fried chicken was crispy and juicy. Would try the seafood pot next time, but I do wish they could increase their portion size.

Came here again because the food was amazing last time. We tried to make a reservation and called at least 4 times but nobody picks up the phone. So we decided to just show up. Waited for 30 minutes. Because we waited so long, the hostess actually moved us to another table after we were seated briefly. We ordered three appetizers, and an entrée. One of the appetizer took unusually long and we actually wanted to cancel the order if they haven’t made it yet, but apparently they are just backed up and we got it about 3 minutes afterwards. Because of that, the soda that I ordered was free. I’d say their service is a 5. None of the food is really spicy, which is crazy coming from me since I can’t stand ANY spice, which is my type of Korean food ;)
Good luck getting a reservation. A wait is guaranteed.

Great lunch spot! There’s a somewhat limited menu, but all your Korean favorites are represented. From the small eats menu, grab yourself some avocado fries, black sesame tofu and the KFC. I opted for the chicken with garlic crumbs lunch special (there’s a weekly rotating lunch special that has rice, soup, kimchi and 3 other small side dishes for $ 10) which was perfectly portioned and quite flavorful. The only thing I didn’t like was the soup. My table also ordered beef curry, bimibop and pork over rice with no complaints. Hope to come back here for lunch again soon!
Protip: Cash only
Bonus: $ 2 beers (8oz) during lunch

The brilliantly named Her Name Is Han is such a kindred spirit of Izakaya Mew On W. 35^th St. that I’m really surprised to learn that they have different owners. Granted, Mew is Japanese and HNIH is Korean, but everything from the Asian hipster décor to the printed menu, daily specials, $ 10-​and-​less price range, and CASH-​ONLY policy smacks of that other great Midtown lunch spot.
HNIH is blissfully relaxed during lunch hours, but really packs in the crowds at night, from what I’ve seen. Maybe it’s the partially obstructed street view due to adjacent construction, but I kind of hope it doesn’t spin out of control after Time Out, Eater, and other foodie rags sink their teeth it. Han should remain a jewel for us Midtown workaday schlubs. Alas, the quality of the food suggest a different fate.
On my first visit with Korean-​loving coworkers, I went for the fire-​grilled chicken bapsang lunch special. The chicken was chopped with homemade garlic crumbs, grilled in a subtle sweet sauce. It came with 3 or 4 banchan selections, including dried anchovies and some high-​quality kimchee, a bowl of rice, and a bowl of miso soup.
My friends had equally awesome dishes: bulgogi quinoa salad and sweet and sour chicken fried rice. Yum.
But the absolute toppers were the dumplings and amazing K.F.C. (Korean Fried Chicken). I could get a bucket of those and die a happy man. Three a man had to do.
Return visits are definitely in order – there is much to try.

This place is still relatively new in ktown, I came with some friends to try it out and I was so glad we did. The food was pretty good. We got the budae jigae and the seafood hot pot, everyone preferred the budae jigae over the seafood pot (the seafood soup was lukewarm and we kept trying to heat it up). Their budae jigae isn’t as spicy as some other places make it but I think it’s good.
The only downside is the wait is sooo long! But that’s expected in ktown. We waited at least 30 minutes before we got our seats. So put your name down right away when you get there! They won’t seat you until your full party is there.

Unfortunately, my review would be a minority here.
To our surprise, this place had a line before the restaurant opened for dinner service. That is a good sign right? After seeing raving reviews, I knew I had to give this spot a try. My party was one of the first groups to be seated on a Saturday evening. The vintage décor is mesmerizing and lighting is romantically dimmed. It really reminds me of a secret society and where only elite members are allowed like in dramas.
My girls started off with drinks the Apple Sangria and the Lychee Sparkling. Both were really sweet and tasty drinks, not to mention $ 6.00 was a fair deal. We wanted to get the Grapefruit Soju but was told that we will have to come back in two to three months. They have just ran out and in the process of making it. Love to hear that the soju is homemade and fresh best time we visit.
Our first and most successful dish was the barbecue marinated short ribs. It was cooked so perfectly tender. We really enjoyed the sweetness of the marinated sauce. Kimchi & Pork Stew always hits the spot for their pork just melts in your mouth. Other dishes we tried were the Country Fried Chicken, where once again the meat was super tender but tasted bland even with the red sauce and salt pepper condiments. The Pork Stew which had bacon, hot dog, spam, ham, ramen noodles, rice cake, and topped with a bit of cheese was okay. The least successful dish would be the Clam Glass Noodles. This was extremely dry which made it very unpleasant to eat overall. Taste-​wise is quite boring for I can produce a similar rice noodle dish at home with scallions, onions, and red pepper at home.
I was disappointed in my food experiences here. To sum it up, cocktails and meats are their strengths. I’ll be back for the grapefruit soju and the barbecue meats.