konban NYC
Konban came to New York from Seoul as a pop-up inside Domodomo, and this Chelsea basement is its first room of its own. It fries pork loin and tenderloin katsu and sells almost nothing else that matters.
Why go
The room is underground, with a semi-open kitchen and a window onto a rock garden, and the chefs greet you loudly on the way in. Behind the cutlets sit Japanese beer, wine and sake, and a beef udon on a black garlic broth with tripe in it.1
Order this / avoid
- Order: the pork loin katsu.
- Avoid: building the meal around the izakaya plates. They are satisfying and they are not why the room exists.
What locals & experts say
- Will Hartman, The Infatuation, 9 January 2024, 7.6:
Get the inch-thick pork loin or tenderloin katsu, which are rosy pink in the center, and good value at $16 and $14 respectively.
Those were January 2024 prices.1 - konban, on what it sells:
Indulge in the culinary delight of konban's signature katsu, a masterpiece of taste, and embark on a gastronomic adventure with our inventive and varied izakaya menu.
2
Good to know
- Booking: worth doing. It is one basement room.
- The name: konban writes itself 魂飯, which it glosses as a table with soul.
Verdict
could-visit — Book it and order the loin. If there are two of you, take the tenderloin as well and eat them side by side. Everything else on the menu is company.