The counter at Atomix

Why it is on the list

Atomix has held two Michelin stars in every New York selection from 2021 to 2025.¹ Chef Junghyun Park and his wife Ellia Park, who runs the room, serve one Korean tasting menu, drawn from Korean tradition and technique.² The counter is U-shaped and looks straight into the open kitchen; there are two seatings a night.³ The restaurant also holds first place on North America's 50 Best Restaurants and the 2023 James Beard award for Best Chef New York State.²

It is the wrong choice for anyone vegan, vegetarian or celiac, or allergic or averse to fish, shellfish, seafood, dairy, gluten or allium: the kitchen does not cook around these.³ For a closed room rather than a counter, take the private room at Jungsik.

How to get it

Seats are booked online for the 5:30 PM or 8:45 PM seating; reservations are required.³ Atomix releases a whole month of seats at once, so a private buyout needs two months' notice to take the date off public booking.⁴ To take the whole counter for an evening, send the private dining enquiry form or write to info@atomixnyc.com; it seats up to 15 and includes the tasting menu, the drinks programme and the private use of the room.⁴³ Corkage is $100 per 750 ml bottle, two bottles at most per reservation.³ For six, the upstairs bar serves its own menu, every course prepared in front of the guests, and can be held semi-privately.⁴

Discretion

A buyout takes the whole counter for the evening, and the date is closed to public reservations.³ The counter is on the lower floor; the six-seat bar upstairs is booked separately.⁵