Restaurant in New York City, United States
Korean-Spanish fusion, no tasting-menu commitment.
Nudibranch delivers Korean- and Spanish-inflected sharing plates in the East Village at a $$ price point, with an OAD Top 500 ranking, an Esquire Best New Restaurants nod, and a 605-bottle wine list holding a Star Wine List White Star. It's one of the more practical choices for a special occasion dinner in New York if you want serious food and drink without committing to a $$$$ tasting menu format. Booking is easy relative to peers.
Nudibranch is worth booking for a special occasion dinner in the East Village, particularly if you want something more considered than a standard neighbourhood spot but don't want to spend $$$$ at Atomix or commit to a tasting-menu format. Ranked #490 on the Opinionated About Dining Leading Restaurants in North America list for 2025 and named one of Esquire's Leading New Restaurants (#20, 2022), it has the credentials to back up its reputation. The wine program holds its own too: a Star Wine List White Star designation signals a list worth paying attention to, with 605 selections and a corkage fee of $35 if you'd rather bring your own.
Chefs Matthew Lee and Jeff Kim run a kitchen that draws from Korean and Spanish traditions to produce contemporary plates with a clear point of view. The portions are on the smaller side — the format encourages sharing across the table rather than working through individual courses in isolation, which makes this a good fit for groups of two to four who want a social, exploratory meal rather than a formal sit-down.
The food price point sits at $$, meaning a typical two-course dinner runs $40–$65 per person before drinks. For a special occasion, that's a reasonable entry price given the OAD ranking and the kitchen's track record. If you're comparing on value, this is considerably easier on the wallet than a tasting menu at Atomix or a full evening at Eleven Madison Park.
Wine Director Sammi Schachter oversees a 605-bottle list with particular strengths in France and Spain — a coherent focus that complements the kitchen's French-Korean-Spanish blend rather than simply padding the list for length. The $$ wine pricing means there's a range of price points on offer, not just trophy bottles, which is useful when you're managing a dinner where food is the main spend. The $35 corkage fee is fair by New York standards; if you have a bottle you want to bring, it won't feel punishing. For a night where the drinks program needs to stand alongside serious food rather than compete with it, Nudibranch's list is a practical asset rather than an afterthought.
Nudibranch is rated Easy to book. You don't need to plan weeks in advance to secure a table, which gives it a practical advantage over tighter reservations at places like Le Bernardin or Per Se. That said, for a special occasion dinner on a Friday or Saturday, booking a week or two out is still sensible rather than leaving it to the last minute.
The restaurant sits at 125 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003 , squarely in the East Village, which means easy access to the neighbourhood for drinks before or after without a long cross-town trip. Google reviewers rate it 4.7 across 412 reviews, a strong signal of consistent execution rather than a single-visit spike.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price (food) | Booking Difficulty | Wine List Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nudibranch | Korean / Spanish fusion | $$ | Easy | 605 selections |
| Atomix | Modern Korean | $$$$ | Hard | , |
| Le Bernardin | French / Seafood | $$$$ | Hard | , |
| Eleven Madison Park | French / Vegan | $$$$ | Hard | , |
Nudibranch works well for a date night or celebratory dinner where you want the food to be genuinely interesting without the formality of a full tasting menu. The sharing-plate format suits couples and small groups equally; solo diners can read further down for counter-seating notes. If you're looking for a serious occasion restaurant with a wine list that has been curated with care rather than assembled for show, this is one of the more practical choices in the East Village at this price point.
For more New York City dining options, see our full New York City restaurants guide. If you're planning a full trip, our New York City hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide cover the rest. For comparable fusion-forward dining elsewhere in the US, Lazy Bear in San Francisco and Providence in Los Angeles occupy a similar creative register at a higher price point. If you're after the formal end of the spectrum, Alinea in Chicago, The French Laundry in Napa, and Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg are the reference points. Internationally, Alain Ducasse at Louis XV in Monte Carlo and Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen set the ceiling. For Southern US comfort in a different register, Emeril's in New Orleans is worth knowing.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Nudibranch | — | |
| Le Bernardin | $$$$ | — |
| Atomix | $$$$ | — |
| Eleven Madison Park | $$$$ | — |
| Masa | $$$$ | — |
| Per Se | $$$$ | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Nudibranch and alternatives.
Nudibranch is rated easy to book, so a few days to a week of lead time is usually sufficient. That's a real practical advantage over tighter East Village spots — you're not competing with a six-week waitlist. For weekend dinners or larger groups, booking earlier in the week still makes sense.
The East Village setting and family-style sharing format signal a relaxed, neighbourhood-dinner vibe rather than a formal occasion. Think put-together casual — no need to dress for a white-tablecloth room. It's the kind of place where you'd feel overdressed in a suit and fine in clean jeans.
The sharing-plate format at Nudibranch actually suits groups well — dishes are designed to be passed around the table, and the $40–$65 per-head cuisine pricing keeps the bill manageable for a party. For larger bookings, check the venue's official channels; availability at 125 1st Ave can tighten on busy nights even for an easy-to-book venue.
Possible, but the sharing-plate format is built around the table experience, so solo diners won't get the full range of the menu without ordering multiple dishes alone. If you're eating solo, ask about bar seating — a smaller selection paired with the 605-bottle wine list (wine pricing in the $$ range) can still make for a worthwhile visit.
Bar seating is common at East Village restaurants of this scale, and the wine program — 605 bottles, $$ pricing, with a $35 corkage fee — gives a solo seat at the bar more substance than most. Confirm bar availability when booking; the venue's easy-to-book rating suggests walk-up bar spots are plausible on quieter nights.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
