Gunbae Tribeca Reviews

South Korean barbecues are the new hip "thing" in New York. They are springing up all over Manhattan. Even Qunetin Tarantino just opened his own place in the East Village. Our kids live in the Financial District, and they eat out a lot. They stumbled onto Gunbae by accident last summer and have been going back regularly ever since. The restaurant is located in Tribeca, right on one of the main streets, Murray Street. The appearance is light and airy, with high ceilings and state-of-the-art air vacuums, so that there is absolutely no smoke in the restaurant. Each table has a circular stove and your seat is a box with a lid where you can store your coat or purse. You order your meats -- we went with the Short Ribs, Pork Belly, and Beef Brisket. they keep bringing you an endless amount of delicious Korean munchies and vegetables in bowls to accompany the main courses. Each order is going to run you about $40. So, we fed four for under $250, and that included quite a few South Korean beers. A friendly chef comes to your table with your raw meats that have been very thinly sliced. He places them on the little stove. they are ready almost instantly and you start eating. He keeps cooking until all the food is gone. It took about 30 minutes for us to consume. And the food was out of this world. Truly, I had never eaten such a tasty meal in my life. The manager told us that soon, once it warmed up, their garden would be producing vegetables that they use in the restaurant. So, this restaurant puts a very high premium on serving locally grown produce and hormone free meats. The word is out about Gunbae and it was quite crowded. The locals can't seem to get enough. So, I recommend that you make reservations. For more travel tips, please check out my popular travel blog.

Came her for lunch and I ordered the chicken Bibimbap & it was pretty tasty. This was my first try at the rodeo & I wasn’t disappointed. I was very excited about the mini appetizers that come complementary is great. Considering the amount of food you get $15 is a great deal for the Bibimbap. Worth a try when in the neighborhood & in the mood for Korean.

Excellent food, fantastic service. A great party for 15. Followed by karaoke. The barbecue was exceptional. And to top it all, not expensive. 100$ per head including alcohol and a 2 hour Karaoke session .

We enjoyed hot pots on a cold NY day, I had the spicy beef brisket (Yuk Gae Jang) - the broth was delicious. They put out a few small plates to start the meal, even if you're not doing the BBQ. Each table has a grill. The service was friendly, and not rushed. Looking forward to going back to try the Bibimbop or grill.

The restaurant is really nice. each table has their own cooking gas burner. i dont eat beef and pork but i enjoyed the rest of the food. shrimp friend rice and the bowls were delicious

Best bibimbap I have had since being in Seoul. Good service, clean simple interior (note - bench seating with no backs for comfort. We would return to try other dishes!

A very nice place, frequented only by New Yorkers and a few tourists! The location is beautiful, every now and then I stop by because the main dish is the barbecue. Excellent vegetarian solutions for those who, like me, don't eat meat. For appetizers they bring several dishes to share. Very friendly staff and fair prices. Absolutely worth trying.

Gunbae Tribeca is a korean BBQ joint blocks away from the 9/11 memorial. The inside of the restaurant is beautiful, there's exposed brick and many industrial features to add to ambiance and feeling of the place. Each table had their own little grill in the middle which was really cool. Everything we tried there was amazing. I tried the bibimbap for the first time. This dish was rice, meat of your choice and veggies served in a hot stone bowl with an egg on top. The stone bowl was so hot it was searing the rice in the bowl. The rice became crispy due to this and was by far the best part of the dish. They also give you this hot sauce for it that was incredible. I chose pork on mine and friend the tofu one as well. Both were very good and seasoned well. I cannot wait to go back again. It was an awesome experience.

We were told that our large party of 14 (covering 3 tables) had to spend a minimum of $160 per table after we had already ordered our food. This meant that we needed to spend a minimum of $480. No where on the website does it say this, and there are no reviews with this info either. We spent most of our dinner (which was for a friend’s birthday) constantly asking the waiter where our bill was. The KBBQ was extremely overpriced. At the end of our meal, I asked if they could split the check, and the waiter told us no. So I sat in the restaurant calculating out the check, when they could have easily done it for us. After finishing splitting the tab, they told us that they could only run 4 credit cards max through the machine, which led to more calculations. Needless to say, my entire party was annoyed about how much we spent on dinner, how long it took to pay the check, and how unaccommodating the staff was. I would NOT recommend coming and will NEVER be back.

We were new to Korean bbq, so we needed the help of the friendly waiter when ordering. We tried to taste of little of everything and was impressed with how quick the service was here, although we did dine at a slow time. We liked that you can choose what grade of meat you want and how spicy you want the sauces. A fun time with fresh food.

We wanted to eat zkorean food and that's how we found this restaurant. We were happy we were found this place. Not only was the food excellent the staff was very professionel and friendly. A very goid first experience with the Korean kitchen.

The toughest part about NYC is choosing a place to eat from thousands of restaurants. As a family, my husband, daughter, and I had watched the first season of Itaewon Class on Netflix before our trip to NYC and was looking forward to getting some good Soft Tofu Stew. We spent the morning in the Oculus and visited the World Trade Center Memorial before we made the 10-minute walk up to Gunbae which we found on Google maps. Upon arrival, we were seated in a nice four-person table with the single burner range. We would have opted for hot pot or BBQ, but since it was lunchtime, we opted for the bulgogi, stew, and Korean beer. We were served with a tray of kim chi condiments ahead of our meal and our server mixed our bulgogi dish in front of us, ensuring we selected our preferred amount of chili sauce. The food was fantastic - there was nothing left and we were all satisfied. The servers were polite and exact. The tables were placed far enough apart so groups could have conversations comfortably while listening to good music. We were completely satisfied with our first visit and would definitely be back in the future.

Ate dinner here while visiting NYC. Did not do the Korean BBQ since I was solo, but very nice set-up with BBQ area at each table. Would definitely do next time with more people. Restaurant was clean, service was great and food was authentic! Ordered the Beef Bulgogi and Yaki Mandoo (Fried Pork Dumplings) and had and OB Lager. Meal came with Banchan or the many side dishes we are accustomed to eating at a Korean restaurant (salad, kimchi, bean sprouts, mac salad, hot peppers, etc.) Would definitely recommend!

Great service and food . The staff were so friendly and willing to help. The starters and grills amazing

My fiancé and I order from here or go here at least 2-3 times per week. we love the food and the atmosphere is amazing. Definitely go to this restaurant!

This was our first time trying Korean BBQ. It was unfortunate that our waiter didn't really understand that it was our first time and was not very good at answering our questions so we were ordering a bit blind. This is, however, no reflection on the restaurant as the table next to us had a very helpful waiter. On the menu, the types of meat are very clear but it does not state that the automatically bring out small side plates of cooked egg, veg, beans, pasta and salad. If we had known this I don't think we wouldn't have ordered so many side dishes. The side dishes on the menu are not fully descriptive. Our rice came out with egg on it and my husband can't eat egg but this wasn't on the menu. The food, however, was lovely and it was an enjoyable experience to have it cooked at the table. The interior is rustic but creates a very cool vibe. If it is your first time with this style of food, don't be shy and ask if you are not sure.

We had lunch there!!It was really nice to experience the barbeque ourselves, but thank God with the help of the waiter!! Really nice place, tasty food, good prices

Korean BBQ upstairs. Karaoke downstairs. What could possibly be a better combination? If you find yourself in the Tribeca neighborhood craving Korean (traditional plates plus BBQ, too) - but aren't particularly keen on a fancy/pricy tasting menu a-la-Jungsik - then look no further than GunBae. Housed in an attractive, modern, bi-level space, GunBae boasts a full bar (with a variety of house-infused soju) - plus rocks a serious happy hour (M-Th from 11:30A-7PM, $5 for all beer / $7 for selected wines), to boot. And while the wine list may not read like that of a fussy French restaurant, there are plenty of great red and white options by the glass/bottle. Having chosen a two-top table outfitted with a BBQ grill (for the sheer cave woman-esque intrigue of watching someone cook glistening raw meat before your very own eyes), Danielle and I split a variety of food items - both Korean BBQ and traditional dishes - so that we could sample as many plates and preparations as possible. For the BBQ selections, we opted for the Yang Nyum Kalbi (boneless beef short rib) and an order of the American Wagyu Brisket. We also chose two of my personal favorite Korean dishes of all time (thank you, Christine Yi!), the Kimchi Pancake and Dduk Man Du Guk, a beef-broth stew chock full of rice cakes and dumplings. While I love BBQ/grilled meat as much as the next guy (I am a Texan, after all), I have to say that, at this particular restaurant, I preferred the non-BBQ items! Why? Truth be told, I like my beef gristle-free and, unless we're talking about Japanese Kobe, relatively low on marbeling. Call me boring, perhaps even risk averse, but I'm a 'filet mignon' gal to the core. That being said, my protein preferences definitely lie within the minority, especially at Korean BBQ restaurants where most of the raw meat is enveloped with a higher fat ratio/percentage. I'm pretty sure that Danielle and I chopstick-fought over the last slice of that piping hot and crispy Kimchi Pancake! And I can say with 100% confidence that I successfully polished off the remainder of that delicious beef stew. There is truly something so comforting and warm about rice cakes in a savory broth; it's like receiving an embrace from the person in your life who gives you the best hugs. I look forward to returning to GunBae soon and checking out their karaoke space, plus sampling the (Gunbae Chicken) Wings, Bibimbop, Wagyu Kimchi Fried Rice, and like 15 other menu items.

Great meat quality for their korean BBQ! We had their Bacon/Pork and Kalbi. The order comes with table service and delicious steamed egg. Of course, we wash our dinner down with some soju. It won’t be right without it and they had some really lychee housemade soju.

I went to Gunbae with colleagues recently to take in my first Korean barbecue experience and I definitely wasn't disappointed. We ordered a few starters for the table - vegetable jap che and kimchi pancakes - both of which were delicious and ample for sharing. The server started us off with the steamed egg, which had a rich creamy melt in the mouth texture which made me want to have more. Since we came to Gunbae with the intent of having the barbecue, we didn't order any hot pots or bibimbaps in spite of great feedback. We had pork belly (sam gyup), yang nyum kalbi (marinated beef), chadol brisket (thinly sliced beef) and the grilled chicken breast. It was fascinating to watch the server put the food on the grill, let it cook, toss and turn it at the precise moments and then to serve it. The food is ample and is served with quite a few smaller knick knacks - kimchi, chillis in bean paste (fell in love with this so much so that our table was given a bigger portion of this, all of which I finished), lettuce (to wrap the meat in), broccoli in sauce, macaroni salad, etc. The servers were attentive and ensured that the food was cooked perfectly every time. Absolutely loved the food and would definitely recommend - even for those new to Korean BBQs!

I honestly haven’t eaten Korean food before so this was my first time sharing this type of meal with a Chinese co-worker. They automatically serve you some smaller than tapas size portions of broccoli, macaroni salad, kimchi, salad, and 2 other dishes first. I had a beef broth soup with cellophane noodles and some cabbage also served with a side of rice. The beef chunks were delicious and tender and the soup was really hot. Another dish I tried was Bimimbop. Excuse my spelling. She had chicken with veggies on top of rice with a fried egg sunny side up on top. Very good as well. I’ll be back soon as it’s perfect for warming up on a cold winters day in downtown NYC.

By far the best that I eaten in this area. I might possibly come here everyday now. Only downside is most seats are for groups and I like to eat alone. I’ve been getting sick right after I eat but I feel fine after coming here. I think because I’ve been eating too much meat and fatty stuff. Here, while there is meat, it is plenty healthy as they begin with serving of small dishes of veggies. I haven’t eaten so many veggies for a while. My favorite is the hot pot because it’s served scorching hot like how I like it. Perfect for winter meal. It’s more an Asian thing because you never get soup at an American restaurant that is piping hot and that annoys me having soup that is lukewarm. I hope they have more varieties of hot pot in the future like a Tofu Oyster pot would be great but for now the choices are not too bad. Not too crowded during happy hour so perfect spot for an early dinner. Service is very prompt, courteous, and professional.

We went there recently, two couples with our children ages 14-11, and had a great time. The children were allowed to cook on the grill, and that of course was the highlight for them; however, you have the option of cooking it yourself or having someone cook it for you at the table. the food was delicious: the bibimbop is tasty and not too spicy, just right. The boiled scrambled egg on top of broth that comes with any of the BBQ entrees is so soft and full of flavor: almost like a cloudy souflé. The kimchi pancake: you MUST have it: I'm not a fan of kimchi, but this mixture of crunchy, tasty, soft pancake had me at hello! Afterwards we went downstairs for an hour and half of karaoke: you're allowed until 7:30 with children. Great fun! Of course we were all so eager for a chance at the microphone..!

8 p.m. or thereabouts any weekday night depart the Tribeca throng scooting near the former Radio Row thoroughfares, or those quickly visiting and snatching some fast food at the corner Chipolte, to enter instead the even faster sliding Gunbae “train” at 67 Murray Street before it departs the “station.” Or, if you prefer, first gaze in at the “conductors” moving up and down the City of Gunbae. Tall, tall, stalwart waitresses clad in smooth, silk-like black garb, spring up and down, from front to back of the dining area, a never ending stream of conductors. The sensation of a smooth steam engine aura emerges from their motion and secure, smiling visages. They become the never ending steam engine that soars its way along the tracks or path they seem to have invented. Just as The City of New Orleans, they too will have gone 500 miles before the meal is done. “And I'll be gone 500 miles when day is done,” their soft steps chant Steve Goodman’s words. They smoothly work in melody with other servers of heavier repasts and also table clearers, much more miniscule-like Hispanic men who somehow melodiously pair perfectly with them. Cleaners/disposers dance the same harmonious rhythm, only in reverse culinary sequence, quickly gathering what remains after people have nibbled and chewed. They send the former repasts through a door named only “Exit,” reserved for workers only. Yea, they fly it almost blindly, voraciously, through the portal. Huge pipes, organ like but larger, reside at each table, declaring their engineering firm origins, to bring fire for food to transform into barbecue orders. Bricks throughout, on all sides of the original Radio Row environs building, declare their construction site ancestry. Capitalized signs all over, WARNING, GOVT WARNING, etc. create nameless, unreasoning fears of what looms ahead. Before entering the dining car view directly across the street the inflated college building at 70 Murray Street that jealously gazes 24-7 at the soft-spoken, ever more diverse Korean dancing wheels, smooth engineers, and suave staff. A nearby Target and the 911 replacement towers jealously look on. Yes, do not neglect the luscious Kimchi pancakes, the bibimbap, and more. Ask about the basement Karaoke space. Gunbae’s food delicious as it is accedes to its motion of a restaurant secure in its own delicate space while its multi-cultural engineers and conductors keep it on time along the tracks. Thus, at Gunbae eat, observe, and, above all, evolve.

Went with my aunt and friend for my birthday whilst visiting the city. My aunt had been plenty of times with family over the last year and has loved it every time. The interior is beautiful with an industrial style, exposed brick and each table has its own personal grill. You sit on bench boxes that you can put your coats and bags in. We had dumplings, wings as well as one of their rice dishes and the belly pork and steak. It was truly incredible. They cook the food on the grill in front of you but I believe you have the option to cook it yourself too.

A wonderful experience to eat here. The place is clean and spacious and the food is delicious. The staff are very friendly, helpful and attentive too.

Two of us stopped there recently for lunch. We know little about Korean food. The staff was corteous and prompt. They answered our questions well. The food was different for us and excellent. It was also plentiful and very reasonable. Certainly will go back.

Beautiful meal cooked at the table by our hostess. I was nervous of going with my 8 yr old in case she ate nothing but she tried most things and the hostess was very helpful with recommendations Would recommend

We happened to come across this nice Korean restaurant when strolling through the city. It was my first time in a Korean restaurant and I was delighted - the fried dumplings were delicious, the hotpot very nice. The service was very friendly and helpful - our server showed me how to mix the hotpot and was very kind and patient. Should we ever come back to New York, we will certainly pay this nice place another visit.

Had a soup and bbq dish. Got excellent food fresh prepared on the table, exemplary service, highly recommended will come again

Food was delicious. Our server JP was EXCELLENT! Newbies to Korean BBQ he recommended Wagyu Kalbi and Sam Gyup pork belly. I hope we can go back before we leave the city.

The good was good, the service was good, but I the service is the reason why I am writing this review. The entire staff was extremely polite. At the end of the meal, I paid with my debit card and walked out the door. I got three blocks and found that the waiter was running to catch up with me. I had left my debit card there and it was pretty much my only means of payment on my trip to NYC. I probably wouldn't have even noticed until the next morning. I am extremely grateful for the staff who chased me down to return my card. You don't see that much these days, especially in the city. I will be sure to return to this restaurant on my next trip.

We stumbled upon this restaurant after watching a film at the Tribeca film festival. It is an attractive restaurant with very friendly and helpful servers and host. The food was very good. The small dishes were pretty standard, not exceptional, but good. The kimchi seafood pancake was really good. The grilled meat was very good too. It wasn't write-home-about good, but it was good meat and the server cooked it well. The dipping sauces were fine, some of us liked them, some didn't. Two things hold me back from five stars: First, the food is really good, but not anything above other Korean BBQ places. Second, while the restaurant's decor and feel is very nice, the noise level is just too high. It was difficult to hold a conversation between three people across a table with a grill on it. I recommend this restaurant, especially if you have never had Korean BBQ before. They do a good job giving you through the process, but beware of the elevated noise level.

If you’re looking for a Korean table bbq, Gunbae is ok. Not more, not less. The food is classic and average. Nothing spectacular but good. Just the service doesn’t makes you feel welcome at anytime. Smiles have to be paid extra I guess, any explanations of the process maybe too. A bored guy shows up once and a while to cook your food, you’re not meant to do that yourself like in other Korean BBQ-venues, which doesn’t makes the visit better. They cut even the finest and quite expensive meats with a paper-scissor, I mean....

My boyfriend and I work in Tribeca and after our previous go-to Korean restaurant closed, we decided to try out Gunbae. Now we come here about once a week. There have been weeks we've come twice. The food is sort of like comfort food to us and it's very filling. We order the LA Kalbi and the Wagyu Kimchi Fried Rice every time we come here and it never disappoints.They have good banchan as well. We particularly love the macaroni salad. The staff is always amazing and friendly. I've never had a bad experience here. It's also definitely nice when they start recognizing their regulars because it feels like when they greet you, they're really greeting you, if that makes sense. It feels more personal and even more welcoming than they already are to begin with. The best part of the restaurant is that you don't leave smelling like Korean bbq like you do with most Korean restaurants. Which is great when you're just popping in for lunch during the week. You don't want to be the one in the office smelling of food!

This was the highlight of our trip to New York, the best Asian restaurant we’ve been to in the city! The beef was superb and of such high quality that one doesn’t typically expect of bbq places and service was warm, friendly and attentive. Can’t wait to come back!