Boka
9 St. Marks Place; 212-228-2887
St. Marks Place is known for a lot of things: tattoo parlors, NYU cafes, trinket shops, among others. But when it comes to decent restaurants, only Jules and La Palapa come to mind – until now. With its exposed brick and bamboo ceilings, Boka is warm and inviting with a moderately priced menu of Korean fare from chef Jeff Lee.
Must-have meal: Kimchi pancakes (four for $5.75); Korean rice balls ($2.25 each); scallop and spicy crab “sandwich” ($6.50, above right); golden “Bon Chon” fried chicken (10 pieces for $6.75). No dessert, so have more chicken!
Soundtrack: A deejay mixes upbeat lounge music from St. Germain to Fatboy Slim.
Hours: Mon.-Sun., 10-2 a.m.
Archipelago
333 Hudson St.; 212-243-3345
Taking up residence in the former window-wrapped Dani space is Hisanobu Osaka’s Archipelago, an outpost of haute French-Japanese fare. Raw and organic elements such as wood, brick and wrought iron decorate the space that also features an open kitchen from which comes an array of small plates to be eaten in multiple courses.
Must-have meal: Usuzukuri (fresh fluke rolled with scallions, shiso and jalapenos, $12); roulade de poulet (twice-cooked chicken in mustard panko crust, $20); chawan mushi (dashi custard with sticky rice risotto, green curry ravioli and chicken jus, $10); and the gratin de haricot noir (sweet black beans with vanilla ice cream and green tea sabayon, $10).
Soundtrack: Contemporary jazz, Latin and ’80s tunes.
Hours: Lunch: Mon.-Thurs., noon-3 p.m. Dinner: Mon.-Thurs., 5-10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 5-10:30 p.m. Closed Sundays.
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