Restaurant in New York City, United States
Michelin-starred handrolls, no dress code required.
Mari is a Michelin-starred Korean handroll tasting counter in Hell's Kitchen from chef Sungchul Shim, ranked #177 in North America by Opinionated About Dining in 2025. The counter-only format and $$$$ price tier make it a hard book and a destination dinner. Secure a reservation well in advance.
Mari is one of the harder reservations to secure in Hell's Kitchen, and it earns that difficulty. Chef Sungchul Shim's Korean handroll tasting counter holds a Michelin star, a Pearl Recommended designation, and an Opinionated About Dining ranking of #177 in North America for 2025. The seat count is small, the format is tasting-menu-only, and walk-ins are not a realistic option. If you can get a booking, take it.
Mari occupies a narrow but specific niche: a Korean reimagining of the Japanese handroll counter, structured as a tasting menu rather than an a la carte roll-by-roll experience. The name means "roll" in Korean, which tells you exactly what to expect in format, if not in flavor. Chef Shim built his reputation at Kochi, his tasting counter a few doors down on 9th Avenue, and Mari extends that project into more casual, tactile territory without sacrificing precision.
The room wraps counter seating around an open kitchen, so the chefs are visible from every seat. That configuration is worth knowing before you book: there is no private corner, no hidden table for a low-key evening. The atmosphere is focused and intimate, with the kind of contained energy that comes from a small room operating at full concentration. The ambient sound level is conversational rather than loud, which makes Mari a workable choice for a date or a celebration dinner where you actually want to talk. For a louder, more social Korean dining experience in the city, Atomix runs a different kind of room.
Each course arrives as a handroll: seaweed cradling rice, then the featured ingredient on leading. OAD's description from its ranking notes Scottish salmon, cured mackerel, and a mushroom sequence among the preparations. A banchan spread and seafood close out the meal. The pacing is brisk by tasting-menu standards, which suits the format. This is not a three-hour endurance test; it moves with purpose.
The venue database does not include a detailed breakdown of Mari's beverage program, so specific bottle counts or pairing costs are not verifiable here. What is consistent with the tasting-menu format and Michelin recognition is that beverage pairings are typically available and worth considering when the food program is this tightly sequenced. Korean cuisine at this level often pairs well with both natural wine and sake, and a counter format like Mari's generally allows the kitchen team to recommend what is working leading on any given night. Ask about pairing options when you book, and confirm pricing in advance given the $$$$ price tier. For a restaurant where the wine program is the centerpiece of the evening rather than a complement to it, Le Bernardin operates at a different depth on that front.
Mari is a hard book. The small counter format means availability disappears quickly, and the Michelin recognition since 2024 has tightened that window further. Book as far in advance as the reservation system permits. Dinner-only service runs from 5 PM across the week, with slightly extended hours on Friday and Saturday (closing at 10 PM rather than 9:30 PM). The address is 679 9th Ave in Hell's Kitchen, accessible from multiple Midtown subway lines. No phone number is listed in the current venue record, so reservations should be pursued through the venue's booking platform directly.
The $$$$ price tier places Mari in the same bracket as New York's most serious tasting-menu restaurants, including Per Se and Eleven Madison Park, though the format and duration are considerably more compact. For solo diners, the counter configuration is genuinely comfortable: there is no awkward table-for-one dynamic, and the open kitchen gives you something to watch throughout the meal. Mari is one of the better $$$$ options in the city for a single diner who wants a serious meal without a formal dining room.
Book Mari if you want a Michelin-starred tasting experience that does not require three hours or a formal dress code. The handroll format is approachable enough for a first tasting-menu experience, and the Korean flavor profile is distinct enough to feel like a genuine alternative to French or Japanese fine dining. It works well as a date venue, a celebration dinner, or a solo meal at the counter. It is less suited to large groups or anyone who finds the counter-only format constraining.
For broader context on where Mari fits in the city's dining options, see our full New York City restaurants guide. If you are planning a full trip around the meal, our New York City hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide can fill out the rest of the itinerary. For comparable tasting-counter experiences in other cities, Lazy Bear in San Francisco, Smyth in Chicago, and Providence in Los Angeles are worth cross-referencing. If you are traveling internationally and want to plan ahead, Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg, The French Laundry in Napa, Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico, and Dal Pescatore in Runate are Pearl-tracked options in the same tier. For New Orleans, Emeril's covers a different part of the American fine-dining map.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mari | Korean Handroll, Korean | $$$$ | Hard |
| Le Bernardin | French, Seafood | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Atomix | Modern Korean, Korean | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Per Se | French, Contemporary | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Masa | Sushi, Japanese | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Eleven Madison Park | French, Vegan | $$$$ | Unknown |
What to weigh when choosing between Mari and alternatives.
Mari runs as a tasting menu, not a freestyle handroll bar where you pick and choose — that distinction matters before you book. Chef Sungchul Shim (also behind Kochi, a few doors down) applies Korean flavors and premium ingredients to a format most people associate with casual Japanese counters. It holds a Michelin star as of 2024 and earned a spot on OAD's Top 177 North American restaurants in 2025, so walk in with tasting-menu expectations, not a casual Tuesday-night mindset.
At $$$$ pricing, Mari justifies the spend if you want a Michelin-starred experience without the three-hour formal-dining commitment. The handroll format keeps things moving and approachable. If you want a deeper, more elaborate Korean tasting experience, Atomix is the higher ceiling but also a significantly heavier commitment in time, formality, and price. Mari sits in a practical middle ground.
Mari is a set tasting menu, so there is no ordering in the traditional sense — the kitchen decides the progression. Per the OAD write-up, expect Scottish salmon, cured mackerel, and mushroom rolls alongside banchan and seafood closing courses. Come ready to eat what the counter sends out rather than customise.
Mari opens at 5 PM daily and does not offer lunch service, so dinner is your only option. Friday and Saturday service runs until 10 PM; all other nights close at 9:30 PM, giving you a slightly tighter window mid-week.
Yes — the counter format is well-suited to solo diners. A single seat is easier to book than a table for two or more, and the open kitchen layout (chefs flanked by counter seats on all sides) means solo guests are fully in the action rather than tucked to a side. If solo Michelin dining in NYC is your plan, Mari is a more practical entry point than, say, Per Se or Le Bernardin.
At $$$$ for a Michelin-starred, OAD-ranked tasting counter with no dress code and a sub-two-hour format, Mari offers reasonable value within the New York fine-dining tier. It is not Masa-level spend, and it delivers more focus than a generalist $$$$ restaurant. If the question is whether to choose Mari over a comparable splurge, the Michelin star and OAD #177 ranking give you solid backing for the decision.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
