MONO+MONO - East Village Reviews

The location is cozy and stylish, the food is poor, with corean style drinks (not that bad) . The service is unorganized and not in time. The prices are a little bit high compared to the quality.

Went here for drinks while waiting for a reservation somewhere else. Very surprised when we entered as it is such a beautiful restaurant. Would love to go back for dinner as the food looked good.

Excellent address in NY. Nice atmosphere and excellent food. Menu not huge but better that way. Few but well-groomed dishes. Considering the prices of the city, excellent value for money. Highly recommended

The restaurant gives off a very relaxed vibe, dark walls, low light and jazz music playing. There were three of us and we ate family style, ordering a few dishes and sharing. Great idea, as everything was a bit different but wonderful. The fried chicken was spectacular, fresh and moist and sinfully delicious. I would highly recommend checking out this place for a fun night out with friends.

Awesome little place. Great ambiance (DJ rocking vibes on a Thursday night) the place is beautiful and funky. They have a whole huge wall full of old records in back, and little niches were you can sit couples making it really romantic and interesting. It’s really cute and sweet. Good Korean food. Menu could be more expansive, have a bit more choices. The potato wedges and street corn appetizers were great. My pork loin, the bulgogi hamburger and fries, trufle japchae were all tasty entrees. And the mochi were fantastic little desserts. I’d go back. They only take cash or Amex though, so come prepared. Great experience.

You enter through a flower shop into a dining area that is both unique and quirky with soothing jazz playing over the sound system. Start your meal with one of their signature cocktails, you won’t be disappointed! The food is well prepared and seasoned to perfection! Ask your expert server for recommendations! We would return in a heartbeat!

Honestly such a gem of a place! Cool ambiance, great food. It was kinda amazing! Definitely go for wings , but the glass noodles were also great.

Holy Moly! So my husband decided to surprise me for Valentine's Day and we went out. We are saving $$$ so we eat at home probably 28 days out of the month; breakfast, lunch and dinner. So when the time comes to go out, he does so much research that everywhere we have gone was amazing and this place is not an exception. First, the ambience is beautiful. It's dark wood with a huge glass wall of vinyl jazz records AND there is this sort of conveyor string that travels records across the ceiling. Our waitress was super sweet and very helpful. We both agree to ask the waitstaff what they think we should order; it seems we luck out better this way. Our waitress suggested the crispy bun "pork" and wow wow wow: she really was right. We also ordered the Galbi Skewers; yup, another homerun. Let's get to the chicken; nothing comes close. I lived in the South the majority of my life, and had some "knock your socks off" fried chicken but this goes beyond all bounds of reason. It was super crispy, super tender, super juicy, and super good. I just cannot explain how good. We ordered a half/half: the soy garlic and hot & spicy. It was so good I was nibbling the bone. The hot & spicy is that; however the heat is not offensive or lingering. It's warm with a kick but not to where you need a drink to cool your mouth. I did not speak at all during eating this chicken I was enthralled in the food.

The restaurant is very nicely decorated but we had to ask to sit outside as the music was playing so loud that we could not have a conversation at the table. A pity. The food was okay, but certainly not great.

Mono Mono has turned into the my go to place for a good dinner. I love the ambience of it's dark walls and high ceilings. The tables are made of a gorgeous deep wood and the hanging records and floor to ceiling bookcases of them make the place sound and feel hip and trendy without being pretentious. The DJ roost peers over the restaurant; like a lord surveying the lay of his land as his crafts the vibe of the restaurant. Overall, Mono Mono has succeeded in giving itself the look of a jazz and piano bar while serving up an amazing array of food and drink. The biggest draw here of course are the bon chon korean fried chicken wings. They are SO good. Crunchy (in almost a fluffy kind of way) without being too oily and full of flavor and juciness. My favorite is the soy garlic sauce chicken. They are well worth the wait and I prefer these wings to the ones in overpriced Korea town. Since coming here for their wings I no longer desire American buffalo wings. The pickled radishes that come on the side offer a cleansing taste to the mouth that helps to cut through some of the oiliness that results from the fried chicken. Pork buns - Very tasty though the bun is a little too oily to me. I still order it though as the sauce inside is quite lovely and I'm a sucker for pork. Sea Bass - Comes in a SUPER tiny portion (and expensive!) but is DELICIOUS. It is buttery and has an amazingly smooth texture to it. Just thinking about it makes me salivate JUST a little. Having it is a gift of a taste experience. Make sure you have other things coming your way or you'll be hungry still. Jap Che - Very good and HOT! (In temperature) I wish the portion was a bit bigger. Seafood Fried Rice - Awesome. Great with the wings if you're asian like me and love your fried chicken with rice. Also delicious on its own. The sushi rolls are very creative and satisfying. I recommend all of them and the portions here are generous. Grilled corn on the cob makes for great side to anything that might not feel filling enough. It is not your average ear of corn! Fries - another satisfying side that comes with some delicious sauces. Ramen - good and satisfying and well priced to boot! And of course the BAR! Mono Mono crafts up some deliciously creative cocktails made from their homemade infused soju. The jars of soju soaked fruit on the walls sometimes rotate in for months before being served. And because soju lacks that bitey alcoholic taste, all the cocktails come clearly tasting as well crafted as they are. This place is truly a favorite stop of mine in the East Village. I haven't been disappointed yet by the helpful and accommodating staff nor the food and drink here.

My daughter found this on Pinterest and we walked an hour to get there from the Brooklyn bridge so it could have been disappointing but it lived up to the hype. So pretty with flowers and records everywhere. Even the food was pretty. And tasty though the menu was pretty limited since neither of us were drinking. At 45 I felt 10 years too old and her at 15 seemed 10 years too young for the rest of the crowd. But everyone was helpful and pleasant and we weren’t treated out of place.

Karaoke room is a great deal!

Mono +Mono is a hidden gem in a quiet part of East Village. The bar/restaurant is NOT a typical Korean style chicken restaurant. It’s jazz themed and has old vintage feels. Inside the restaurant, there’s a wall displaying over 30,000 jazz vinyl records and a DJ playing the live jazz music almost every night. I went to Mono+Mono after work with my colleagues. The wait server told me they just updated their menu and recommended to try their new items. We followed his suggestion and ordered mango salad, chop steak, and their signature fried chicken with soju cocktail and draft beer. I think the double fried chicken was definitely the best. My colleagues and I tried both soy garlic and spicy versions The skin was very thin and crackly. It was not greasy at all. Inside the crust, the chicken meat was very moist and juicy.. What I really liked about the dish was that the seasoning didn’t get on my fingers. I strongly recommend their fruit infused soju cocktails. We tried grapefruit soju cocktail. Unlike straight soju that has a burning aftertaste, the soju cocktail was very smooth and fresh. This place is more like a trendy jazz bar in terms of the atmosphere and crowds. I really like coming to this place whenever I feel like hanging out with my friends with good foods and drinks. It’s also nice to see their impressed by my recommendation.

Passing by on our way home, we saw the down to earth look, and peeked inside. Turned out to be incredible and delicious! A must have for a brief cocktail or a fun experience in a retro looking, music filled dinner.

The restaurant is very pretty but the food is pretty average. Way too heavy and lots of mayonnaise like sauces. Disappointed in the food. The drinks are okay but small pours. The service was just soso. Can’t recommend.

While preparing for this week's New York trip I selected Mono + Mono based on the reviews and a craving for exotic food. It was as described to a tee! I had the Korean Fried Chicken and it was such a nice change from the typical fried chicken I eat back home in Tennessee -- its crunchy, moist inside and full of flavor. Brigitte Grisanti New York Foodie will be back.

We came here on the recommendation of my daughter who dined here several times. Our reservation was for 1:45 hrs (finished in 45 minutes )The service was very speedy and food delicious but as we came close to finishing our food the waitress abruptly dropped off the check-no we didn’t ask for it neither did she ask us if we were ready for the check. We were hoping to look at dessert and maybe share a slice or two but we are leaving with a sour taste in our mouth, and it’s not the kimchi!

Live music, great decor, 30,000+ record albums displayed on a rotating overhead device--fun place. Everyone gets the Korean double-fried chicken and they have great drinks, too.

Really good, affordable sushi. Pretty varied menu, a lot of their rolls automatically come as a double portion and there's also several that ALL come with crabmeat in the middle with the other ingredients around the outside, yum!

Such a little east village side street gem. Massive inside which is rare for the neighborhood, eclectic asian fusion menu thats amazing, with a DJ spinning jazz and all sorts of quirky touches. For example there are these fake picture frames along the walls that people sit inside of(hard to explain, see restaurant pics.) Also there are jazz records hanging off a conveyor belt that slowly move along the ceiling. This place is my new fav.

Great Korean style chicken. Must have it if you come here in addition to any of their cocktails. We were there the night of their closing due to fire, but I hear its reopened! Can't wait to return! Service was mediocre, had a female server...I think we interrupted her life, but dont let the hurried and thoughtless waitress keep you from eating here. Check it out, good music too!

The food here is truly incredible. The wings are exceptionally crispy and bursting with flavor, making them some of the best in the city. Additionally, they offer wonderfully creative cocktails with an Asian-inspired twist that are refreshing and packed with delightful flavors. The ambiance and decor inside are breathtakingly beautiful, creating the perfect atmosphere for a date or to impress someone special.

Terrific food, especially Korean friend chicken, pleasant and friendly wait staff, great ambience and surprisingly good drinks. (they don't serve hard liquor but substitute rice wine which turned out to be a real success. (Try their Bellinis)

After all the social media buzz i decided on giving this place a try. The ambiance was nice but no cocktails available. They had no bartenders to make drinks. Food was average.

4 of us for mid week dinner and we had a great time, what a find! Nestled in the middle of the East Village, a 10 minute walk from Bleeker subway in a vibrant and really interesting area, Mono+Mono is a fantastic little restaurant. The interior decor is lovely - you sit surrounded by thousands upon thousands of Vinyl LP's, all stacked on shelves with heavy dark wood and steel everywhere. Live music was playing - a great little jazz band and the service was excellent - attentive and friendly. The menu is interesting mix of Japensese meets Korean. We bought a few things and shared which was a great way to try the menu. We had Jeon - little Korean pankakes with pepper and ground bee4 at $7.95 (my favourite) and a lovely garlic seafood rice at $10.95 and then we shared a medium fried chicken which was 10 pieces for $16.95. The friend chicken is their house speciality and was worth it - not greasy, twice friend with a heavy, crispy batter. It was my first time with fried chicken and I wasn't disappointed. Good cocktail menu, we had three during the meal and the waiter also appeared three separate times with complimentary shots from the bar which were greedily welcomed. Definitely on my favourite list for a return! They do do delivery as well, but I would go because the experience and atmosphere is great.

This is a restaurant level 2.0. The menu is not very big, not much choice though, but what they serve is very good and reasonable priced. They are working on deserts . But please keep the interior as it is. What a great place to go.

On Friday night before 11pm, this restaurant was perfect for a late night dinner with friends. Finding it can be a challenge but parking was not too bad if you get lucky! The outside is small but once you get in-wow..the atmosphere was inviting, great music, modern decor. Service was quick, and the food-absolutely divine!! The best part of the meal, the monomono chicken must be their specialty because it was so good we must have ordered about 3 plates of it..sweet, spicy, crunchy, tender...The sushi, especially the soft-shelled crab, was delicious-battered and fried but had leafy greens and rice with it..everything we ordered-we enjoyed. We stayed til about 3am and the servers kept coming and took good care of us. The price we paid was worth it (a little pricey) but we didn't just pay for the good food but the whole experience!!

Tbh this is THE worst experience ever to have dinner in the city. I reserved a table for party of 5 @5pm last night. When we got there some waitress assigned us to a rectangular table that is obviously only suitable for 4 people. Thus three of us had to sit shoulder by shoulder on one side. My wife asked if she can sit in between (on the shorter side between the long ones) the waitress said NO. Then we noticed that there was a bigger rectangular table for 6 (3 seats on each side) available right next to us and asked if we can switch over the waitress then became upset and said that’s the table for 6 and this is the table for 5. Later their manager came over we raised a question that for rectangular tables if you don’t allow people to sit in between it’s either for 4 or 6 people not possibly for a party of 5. The manager seemed really arrogant and said I’m sorry but this is our policy and turned around leave without any further explanation. We ate our food since one of my daughters didn’t want to switch restaurant after the long ride but later we surprisingly found a mandatory 18% tip was already included in the bill with additional tips (range from 15-25%) still suggested —— they didn’t even give us a chance to complain through the tipping. Btw, during our entire stay, the bigger table for 6 was completely empty but they just decided that we don’t deserve a comfortable dinning experience. This restaurant doesn’t accept Visa or Mastercards which we only found out by the time we arrived (after a $250 deposit already paid for the reservation). The food is just so-so with normal prices comparing to other places with same level decoration (great for taking pictures). Most of the waiters are polite while waitresses are usually with bad attitude or being super arrogant. They have a tiny and stink restroom from where you start to realize your money is indeed well spent…Will NEVER go back to the place and will definitely WARN anyone who wants to go just because some of the pictures that they saw from the internet — the same mistake that we made to choose the place…

We managed to get a table early on a Friday night. Service was brisk and not too friendly. Although food doesn't seem to be the main focus here--it's a very intense, very lively, East Village scene--we had excellent fried chicken and Korean-style pancakes made of fish and vegetables. Prices were reasonable. Great decor and really great soundtrack. Seems to be a hard reservation to get. Fun if you want to be where young New Yorkers want to be seen.

Very hip restaurant with some of the best fried chicken I've tasted. Steak skewers, mono fries and the salmon starters were fantastic. Atmosphere was very chill with great Jazz tunes literally spinning overhead.

The entrance of Mono+Mono is beautifully adorned with flowers and vases. The restaurant has numerous tables, and the cutest ones are by the book wall. There's even a cozy corner for those who just want to enjoy a drink. The Espresso Martini was a delightful surprise. The food, although new to my palate, was appreciated for its uniqueness. The only downside was the fact that they accept cash or American Express only. Despite that, Mono+Mono is a must-visit, offering a beautiful ambiance and culinary experience worth savoring.

When you first see this restaurant from the street, it is not impressive. But once you walk in, you are immediately capitivated by the library of 30k+ albums/vinyls arranged two floors high against one wall. A DJ arrives later in the night to play his own favorites as well as requests. The best part is the overall sound quality that reverberates throughout ... awesome! The food is an interesting mix. We shared a mix (spicey and mild) of fried chicken wings/drumsticks. Outstanding tastes. I really loved the scene, food, and very friendly staff.

Awful ..just rice...that's what I got..just rice for 35 dollars...I would not recommend this place for my dog..

I went to this place with my husband to celebrate our 24th anniversary. The food was good and waiter was polite. But two things happen that took away from the moment. 1) We noticed a couple sitting next to us looking for cask to pay. So apparently you can only pay with American express or cash. They do have a sign at the front entrance hidden in a place where no one can see it, which I think is not ok. Fortunately I have an American express card but they definitely need more signs. 2) on my way out I had a small Daisy on my hand and the hostess took it away from my hands in front of everyone. I was so ashamed. The way she did it was rude. I could have pay for it or give it to her myself. I leave blocks away but, will never be back.

We were so happy our daughter took us to this great restaurant. The food is wonderful and so are the drinks. We tried several dishes and all were quite good. It is so amazing to walk in and see the all the albums. We went on a Friday night so it was very busy. We heard that the restaurant was closed for awhile and we are so glad they were able to open up again. We look forward to eating here again on our next visit to the city!

First of all, I should give credit where credit is due. The ambience is pretty spectacular and the menu + drinks looked good. Just walking in, I really wanted to like the place. Unfortunately, that was the extent of our positive impression. Once seated, we were completely ignored by the wait staff -- for 40 minutes. The last 10 of those were spent with our necks craned trying to grab the attention of someone that worked there. At one point, a waitress had waited the table next to us and moved down to the next table. I had called for her, but to deaf ears (in her defense, it was very noisy). The next half of this experience is perhaps not their fault -- it is probably a matter of opinion what a restaurant should do in this situation: the table towards the center from us was a foursome of somewhat rowdy guests, which turned into 8 (with 4 of them standing). This would be fine if it were a bar, but I would not expect to have people standing within a foot of your table having a loud conversation (and as evidence to the kind of conversation they were having, the guy, clearly intoxicated, was telling the other that he felt guilty for pissing in the sink). I was at least somewhat hopeful that this would have drawn the attention of the waitstaff so at least we would have an opportunity to place our order, but instead we waited until the guy literally sat at the foot of our table before we asked him to move. And for the first time for either one of us, we walked out of a restaurant before placing our orders. Deep down, I know this is probably an anomaly here and that we just had really bad luck with either a particular waitstaff or a combination of strange circumstances. But for all of the good things this restaurant has to offer (that you can read about in other reviews), this experience was about as bad as I've ever had, and so it gets one star from me.

This place is unashamed of using every trick they can to cut their costs and maximize yours. They charge a $100 cancellation fee within 24 hrs (I asked and yes, they really will charge you). They only take AmEx, buy you can use their ATM and they can pocket that fee from you. The wait staff is non-existent. It seems like a normal table-service restaurant, but you will not know your server's name, they will speak minimal English and they will rush both to bring you plates and to take them away (even if you aren't finished). A wholly unprofessional operation with decent but not amazing food. The only amazing thing is the interior.

Nice place, nice people, very good vibs. Music is high. Not too much but you have to stay close to your frinds to not miss the discussion. Food is ok. I strongly suggest.

My son lives in the city and we often just wander the streets and pick different places for dinner. We happened to park on 4th Street last night and saw how pretty this restaurant looked for the outside. I have to say that it's one of the best and nicest restaurants I've ever been to. It's upscale Korean. The food is amazing and the service even better. We had the chicken wings (we always try to be healthy but it was too tempting not to try), the garlic shrimp, the branzino and the mushrooms with glass noodles. Each dish was explained to us in detail by Lori, our server (and I think maybe she is the manager?) The atmosphere is amazing. High ceilings. Book shelves and old vinyl records rotating around the room. Hi top tables and chairs sitting inside the bookcases. Just beautiful. A very special place. We will be back. This is a don't miss.

Had a good dinner here. They have Bon chon style fried chicken on the menu. It's definitely crispy and tasty. The decor inside is awesome. As others have mentioned the record collection scrolling behind the glass walls is both unique and cool at the same time. Great meal, a little pricy, but I guess we also paid for the ambiance along with the food.

Is a unusual korean reatsaurant, with a original design, warm and trendy. We had the korean pancakes and the tofu for appetizer and I wanted to take them twice, they were both delicious. The glazed fried chicken is really good, but the spicy one was really too spicy, my wife could not feel anything after it. Unless you are used to spicy food, take the honey garlic one, you will enjoy it more. Very good also the beer selection. Service is very good, friedly and professional. For sure we will go back next time we are in New York

This place is very cool, unusual rustic decor, great ambiance. The food is great, delicious and unusual. Definitely try the mixed drinks made with Soju. The staff was friendly and helpful and we ate way more than we should have but everything was so good we couldn't stop. One of the best meals we've ever had in NYC. We will definitely go back on our next visit.