New York’s most overlooked neighbourhood is finally being discovered by tourists

Take a three-minute walk from the Empire State Building, around the corner from Fifth Avenue, and you’ll discover a place in Manhattan that’s not quite as famous as its neighbours.

Koreatown, which spans just a few blocks in the centre of the city, is one of the largest Korean commercial districts in the States — and its atmosphere is infectious.

It is dense and resolutely vertical.

Restaurants, bakeries, karaoke bars, beauty shops, and supermarkets stack on top of one another like a game of Jenga, glowing with neon signs late into the night.

And in recent years, with the swell of interest in Korean culture – from KPop Demon Hunters to K-beauty – Manhattan’s Koreatown has finally started having its moment.

In fact, New York as a whole is seeing a Korean cultural renaissance.

Propelled by viral TikTok fame, restaurants now have lines stretching around the block, while sought-after lounges and late-night speakeasies can be difficult to get into.

Today, it is a hive of activity.

Yet only half a century ago, it was a less desirable part of the city, a place where Korean immigrants settled following the liberalised Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.

The bill green lit a surge in Korean immigration to the United States, growing to a community of more than 1.7 million people by 2010.

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Tony Perrottet, a Manhattan-based writer and historian, told Metro he has seen the neighbourhood change drastically over the 30 years he has lived in the city.

He said: ‘When I first moved to New York, Koreatown was literally in the shadow of the Empire State Building.

It really was a forgotten commercial enclave that nobody particularly wanted to go to – or if you ventured there, it was likely by accident.

‘But in recent years, it has been transformed into a Manhattan destination in its own right, with amazing restaurants, bars, noraebang (karaoke rooms), spas – you name it, the whole smorgasbord of Korean cultural entertainment.

Now I am happy to plot an outing there and will go out of my way to.’
Korean was introduced to a wider American audience in 1993, when Ruth Reichl reviewed the now-closed restaurant Kang Suh for The New York Times.

She described the cuisine as a ‘thrilling’ and ‘entirely satisfying’ experience filled with contrasting flavours.

However, she noted at the time that the neighbourhood was largely kept a secret by the Korean community, and non-Korean visitors were rare.

She wrote: ‘Why hasn’t Korean food become more popular in New York City?

… This may be because Koreans are perfectly content to keep their food to themselves.

I have lived in New York myself, and some of my favourite spots are in Koreatown.

There’s the slick subterranean restaurant and bar Museak; the Korean-style gastropub Osamil (with a cool speakeasy upstairs); Koku Ramen, with its affordable prices and deliciously crispy dumplings, Antoya BBQ for DIY grilling (it also hosted the cast of KPop Demon Hunters), and Miss Korea BBQ for its traditional cold noodles in ice – unusual, but mercifully refreshing on a summer’s day in the Big Apple.

Beyond food, Koreatown has recently become a hotspot for beauty and wellness.

Many spas, I discovered, offer treatments at significantly lower prices than elsewhere in the city.

Dr Harim Kim, founder of Riko Spa near Times Square, told Metro that these services were once known only within the Korean community.

One example is Bared Monkey Laser Spa, which offers FDA-approved laser hair removal and non-invasive skin treatments.

I tried it myself, and returned many times, saving a chunk of cash in the process.

Dr Kim says beauty treatments in Korea are ‘very affordable – not like in America – and that’s why you’ll find better value for money in Koreatown.’
At her spa, which opened in August 2025, she serves up to 60 clients a day, offering everything from Botox and fillers to skin-tightening laser treatments.

‘With more volume, prices stay low,’ she explains, ‘and I believe looking good should be accessible to everyone.’
Koreatown may still sit in the shadow of the Empire State Building, but it no longer hides in it.

What was once a quiet enclave has evolved into one of Manhattan’s most dynamic neighbourhoods, a place where culture, cuisine and commerce collide.

And where anyone willing to wander a few blocks off the beaten path is richly rewarded.