Restaurant in New York City, United States
Easy to book, harder to forget the food.
Domodomo is a Korean-Japanese restaurant in SoHo ranked #569 on OAD's Casual North America list in 2025 — up from #723 in 2024. Lunch is the quieter, more focused option; dinner builds more energy and runs later on weekends. Booking is easy, and the credentials are strong for this price tier.
If you've already been once, the honest answer is yes — but what you're returning for depends entirely on when you go. Domodomo at 140 W Houston Street in SoHo has climbed the New York City Japanese dining rankings steadily, moving from an Opinionated About Dining recommendation in 2023 to #569 on OAD's Casual North America list in 2025. That's meaningful upward movement, and it tracks with a 4.5 Google rating across more than 1,400 reviews — a sample size large enough to trust. The kitchen under chef Brian Kim is doing something consistent enough to earn repeat visits, but the lunch and dinner experiences are different enough to warrant choosing deliberately.
Domodomo serves lunch Tuesday through Sunday from 12–2:30 pm, and dinner every night starting at 5 pm. If you came for dinner on your first visit, lunch is worth your attention now. The midday session typically runs quieter , the SoHo room settles into a lower register without the evening energy that builds after 7 pm. For diners who want to focus on the food without competing with a rising noise level, a Tuesday or Wednesday lunch sits at the more relaxed end of the week. Friday and Saturday evenings push later (the kitchen runs to 10 pm on those nights), which makes them the right call if atmosphere and a longer pace are the draw rather than conversation-friendly conditions.
The dinner format carries more momentum , the room fills, the energy lifts, and the service tempo adjusts accordingly. If you're bringing someone new to Domodomo and want them to feel the full version of what the restaurant does, a Thursday or Friday dinner gives you that without the weekend peak crowd. For a solo return or a focused two-leading where the food is the point, Tuesday or Wednesday lunch at 12 pm is the sharper choice.
Domodomo's cuisine type is listed as Japanese, but the cooking here draws from broader influences , chef Brian Kim's approach sits at a Korean-Japanese intersection that makes it distinct from the more format-driven omakase rooms in Manhattan. If your first visit was exploratory, a return is the moment to go deeper: order with more intention rather than letting the menu wash over you. The OAD ranking places Domodomo in a casual category, so expectations should be calibrated accordingly , this is not a $300-per-head tasting room, and it doesn't try to be. That's part of the value proposition. For the price tier this restaurant occupies, the credentials are strong.
For comparable experiences in the city, Chikarashi covers similar Korean-Japanese territory with a different format, and Blue Ribbon Sushi Izakaya is a useful benchmark if you're weighing late-night Japanese options. For more formal Japanese dining in Manhattan, Odo, Noda, and Tsukimi operate at a different price point and formality level , worth knowing when you're deciding how much you want to spend and how structured you want the experience to be.
Booking at Domodomo is currently easy , you don't need to plan weeks out to secure a table. Midweek lunch slots are the most accessible; Friday and Saturday evenings are the tightest windows. If your schedule is flexible, a Tuesday or Wednesday dinner gives you the evening energy without the weekend pressure. The address is 140 W Houston Street, a walkable SoHo location well-served by subway. No dress code is specified, which is consistent with the OAD Casual classification , smart casual is safe, but the room doesn't demand it.
For broader context on where Domodomo sits among New York's dining options, see our full New York City restaurants guide. If you're planning a longer trip, our New York City hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide round out the picture. For Japanese dining outside New York, Myojaku and Azabu Kadowaki in Tokyo offer useful comparison points for what the format looks like at its most refined.
Quick reference: 140 W Houston St, SoHo | Lunch Tue–Sun 12–2:30 pm | Dinner Mon–Sun from 5 pm | Booking: easy, midweek most accessible | OAD Casual North America #569 (2025) | 4.5 Google (1,403 reviews)
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domodomo | Japanese | Easy | |
| Le Bernardin | French, Seafood | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Atomix | Modern Korean, Korean | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Per Se | French, Contemporary | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Masa | Sushi, Japanese | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Eleven Madison Park | French, Vegan | $$$$ | Unknown |
Comparing your options in New York City for this tier.
Domodomo is a relaxed West Houston Street spot — no dress code is documented, and the OAD Casual ranking confirms the register. Clean, comfortable clothes are fine. This is not a jacket-required room.
Right now, booking is straightforward — you don't need to plan weeks out. Midweek lunch slots are the easiest to grab; Friday and Saturday dinner fill faster, so aim for 5–7 days ahead for those. No urgent scramble required compared to harder NYC reservations like Atomix or Masa.
If you want the full experience, dinner gives you more time and a wider window — service runs until 9 or 10 pm depending on the night. Lunch runs 12–2:30 pm Tuesday through Sunday and is a smarter move if you want a quieter room or easier booking. First-timers should go to dinner; returning visitors will find lunch a worthwhile change of pace.
Bar seating specifics aren't documented in the available venue data. Call ahead or check at booking — the restaurant is accessible enough that a direct inquiry before your visit is easy to manage.
For high-end Japanese with a tasting format, Atomix (Korean-Japanese, two Michelin stars) is the comparable in prestige but a significantly harder reservation and higher price point. For a la carte Japanese downtown, Domodomo is one of the more accessible OAD-ranked options. If budget is a factor, Domodomo wins on approachability over most of its ranked peers.
Yes, with the right expectations. Domodomo is OAD Casual-ranked, meaning the experience is serious about food without the ceremony of a tasting-menu room. It works well for a birthday or anniversary dinner where you want quality cooking without a rigid format — but if you need white-tablecloth formality, look elsewhere.
No specific dietary accommodation policy is documented for Domodomo. Given chef Brian Kim's Korean-Japanese approach, the menu likely includes seafood-forward dishes — worth flagging any restrictions directly when booking, particularly for shellfish or gluten concerns.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
