With so many gems coming and going in New York City, it’s hard to know where to look. If you’re into Asian cuisines like me, then Take31 in Koreatown is right up your alley.
Koreatown is an incredible neighborhood with many amazing restaurants you need to check out. If you’re interested in Chinatown and Chinese food, check out the blog post I did on Dim Sum hopping in New York City.
Getting back to Take31
Take31 is a self-proclaimed gastropub in the heart of Koreatown. Like all restaurants in New York City, they’re following the covid protocol very carefully.
New York City is currently very strict with lockdown measures due to covid, but restaurants are working with what they’ve got.
To start with, one person in your party has to fill out a contact form for contact tracing. This is required for every restaurant.
Take31 has a great curbside bump-out that separates each party with a plexiglass partition.
The heat lamp is hot enough to keep you warm during those chilly winter nights.
Like every restaurant in New York City, Take 31 takes your temperature upon arrival. Most New York City restaurants have hand sanitizing stations to ensure your hands are clean and safe.
The service at Take31 is fast. The food comes out family-style. In other words, appetizers, drinks, main courses, and everything in between come out all at once. The portions are also big enough to share with friends.
Take31 & Food Details
Let’s get into the food a little more. My party was a small party of three. I didn’t order anything fancy to drink. Water is good enough for me. However, my partner and friend got some Soju cocktails.
At the start of the meal, they bring out some fish balls to cleanse your pallet. They’re a little spicy but tasty.
We ordered the Seafood Scallion Pancakes to start. They were followed by some Garlic Chicken and the Wasabi Cream Chicken for the table.
Unfortunately, I thought the Seafood Scallion Pancakes were a little bland. However, the Garlic Chicken and Wasabi Cream Chicken were so incredible it was hard not to shove it down our throat as fast as possible.
We then ordered individual plates for ourselves. We each ordered a bowl of Garlic Stem and Pork Noodles, which I enjoyed very much.
Everything came out at once, and I didn’t know what to try first. At the end of it all, it was very enjoyable.
Although I loved it, it didn’t beat my favorite NYC Korean restaurant. However, that’s for a future blog post.
Let me break it down for you:
Take31 is delicious. It’s also covid safe. Try to get a table outside. The heat lamps are very warm and they separate each party with plexiglass partitions.
The prices are reasonable for an NYC restaurant.
If you want more info, check out their website here: http://www.mytake31.com.
