REVIEW

  Taste: everything we ordered tasted great, and the truffle donabe was the best truffle dish I've ever had
Value: on the pricey side ($180 for 2 entrees, 2 apps, 2 cocktails,... read more 1 dessert), but felt it was fair given how much I enjoyed the food
Frequency: will probably come every 2-3 months for that truffle entree

Recommended dishes:
1. Truffle donabe with flank steak: the best execution of truffle I've experienced so far, and I am a frequenter of the tasting menu places in NYC that love to use truffle but tend to overdo it and have an overpowering truffle flavor. This is a rice dish with white truffle shavings that beautifully marries the aroma of truffle with the texture and taste of the rice. I am not a big truffle guy but I loved this. Massive flavor and aroma in your mouth

2. king crab noodle: a 50/50 fusion of fettucini pasta and Asian noodles in terms of flavors. It was so good that could eat a giant bowl of this; sadly the portion for this app gets consumed pretty quickly by a party of two

3. Matcha tiramisu: I had low expectations for this but it was a very good and cleanly executed tiramisu. very good for just $8

4. Oyster: the gochujang dressing was brilliant and worked very well with the oysters, which tasted fresh. Highly recommend getting a half dozen if you like oysters

We also had the Branzino and Sea Urchin appetizer. We weren't huge fans of the branzino - the fish could have been cooked fattier/juicier. the sea urchin appetizer was pretty good (pieces of uni on lobster tempura cakes) and a good mix-in, so I do recommend it, but we enjoyed the above recommended dishes more

in terms of conceptualizing the type of cuisine at Hortus, think of this place as Jungsik's counterpart as Nougatine is the counterpart to Jean-Georges. most dishes here could belong on a $200 per person tasting menu

can also think of it as a korean Kimika. it's very far from 'korean'. more like experimental fine cuisine with asian/korean influence

  Fantastic. Took my girlfriend for her birthday here. Placed a reservation via Yelp for a two-top on Sunday at ~7pm. Restaurant wasn't too packed and we were seated in their... read more upstairs canopy dining area. Ambience is very quiet and romantic, great date spot. We decided to order the Hortus tasting menu which was $65 per, tax and tip not included. It's four courses including: Hortus Royal platter (seafood platter, in small), and appetizer, an entree, and a dessert. We ordered the crab pasta and octopus for app, the duck and short rib for entree, and the tiramisu and pudding for dessert.

Hortus royal platter - delicious! Seafood was nice and fresh. Comes with a whole lobster tail, cocktail shrimp, kumamoto oysters, and a yellowtail crudo. Big fan of the cocktail sauce that came with the shrimp, surprisingly pairs really well with the seafood and oysters. The oysters were also garnished with a few drops of ikura, really creamy and decadent. The clarified butter + lobster combo was also sublime. Yellowtail crudo had a stronger fishy scent/taste, but was just as delectable.

Apps - We got the crab pasta and octopus. Crab pasta was creamy, decadent, and delicious. We both enjoyed the octopus! It was grilled to a nice crisp, but yet still soft and luscious inside.

Entrees - We got the short ribs and duck. The short ribs came with a bed of creamy potatoes (?) and apple strips on top to lend a bit of sweetness and acidity. The short ribs were soft and tender, well seasoned. The duck came with a tart fruity sauce with a potato-esque puree, but the duck was cooked to perfection and each bite with the purees was immaculate. I can't complain here.

Desserts - We got the pudding and the matcha tiramisu. The pudding was mango based and had a whole lemon slice that was glazed/caramelized. Acidity worked so well with the mango tartness here! Was pleasantly surprised. The tiramisu also came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a healthy dose of matcha powder. Really really good.

Overall - Highly recommend! Will come back

  Love the fusion of Korean and European.  Excellent service and creative dishes.  Can't wait to return.

  Great ambiance and ideal noise level for intimate conversation. They also have very cool interior design. Great food and awesome customer service. Cilantro polenta was surprising good but it had... read more couple clumps.

  A neighborhood gem that I hope everyone will support during these difficult times! The building itself is quaint and worth a visit. Everything on the menu is delicious and why... read more not treat yourself to some uni or wagyu or truffle? Hortus offers these all and at a reasonable price for these things. Literally have had nothing bad, I've always left completely satiated and wondering to myself why I don't come more often.

  We have 6 people. So we order (3)$65 set and (3)$45 set.

Appetizer:
1) Royal Platter
2) Yellowtail Crudo
3) King Crab Noodles (must try)
Warm noodles with full of crab meat, pretty... read more good
4) Crispy Octopus (must try)
Very tender inside, crispy outside

Main:
5) Ribeye
Just too chewy even though is medium rare, the ribeye is absolute NO to us
6) Branzino
Very interesting mixing with the green cilantro sauce
7) Duck (must try)
Perfect cook, very good eating with the sauce
8) Truffle Donabe (must try)
This is really amazing! Definitely worth 5 stars!!! Hanger steak is recommended, but not the sea urchin, the sea Urchin will cover all the flavor that you suppose to taste. Add hanger steak $7 / add Sea Urchin $15.

Dessert:
9) Monaka Ice Cream (black sesame is good)
10) Macha Tiramisu
11) Thai Tea Pudding - sour & sweet

  I do not want to hurt this restaurant's Yelp rating because I have been before and the food is fabulous, but I wish I had been warned: the outdoor seating... read more is completely covered and definitely feels fully indoors. It left me in a very awkward situation having to refuse to eat there and ruin my party's plans because I'm still not comfortable with indoor dining, which is what the outdoor dining is. I went earlier in the pandemic and the terrace was open -- it is now a true joke to call it outdoors. Very very disappointing and frustrating to be misled. That said, if you are fine with indoor dining, the outdoor area is cute and insulated.

  Been there twice and enjoyed everything I've tasted so far:
Royal Platter - Very fresh seafood, love the lobster tail and shrimp cocktail.
Pumpkin soup - sounds unassuming but truly... read more super good with toasted sourdough bread they offer. Highly recommend, ordered it both times we went there.
King crab noodles - very tasty and generous amount of king crab meat. Would also recommend it.
Tuna Tataki - probably the only dish I had that was just okay. Very strong notes of yuzu and pepper.

Both mains I've tried are tasty, especially the truffle donabe.

  This was my second time to Hortus. I went there with my girl friends a while ago and I loved the food, décor and ambience. So I went with my... read more husband once again when indoor dining reopened.

We ordered the Tasting menu.
The seafood in the Royal Platter was fresh. I wanted to have more. But seeing the portion of the appetizers, I knew the size was just right.

We had King Crab Noodle and Grilled Eggplant. Both were tasty and considered large portion as appetizers. There were good amount of king crab in the noodle and the sauce was rich but not too much. I am not a fan of eggplant but the dish tasted yummy.

I had Truffle Donabe as main course. I had this dish before. Though the truffle was smaller but the whole dish was still great. I liked the aroma of truffle and mushrooms. My husband had the Rib eye. It tasted good but a little bit overcooked as he ordered rare.

The desserts were special and yummy too. Not to mentioned the service was nice, and all the covid rules were nicely done. We were happy.

  We ordered the Hortus Tasting Menu since it covered a lot of things that we wanted to try/order.

HORTUS ROYAL PLATTER
- lobster tail: tasted so fresh
- tuna tataki: was... read more looking forward to this the most but prob liked it the least bc I wasn't a fan of the charred scallion yuzu verde
- shrimp cocktail
- oyster: oysters are always great but thought this had a nice new spin from the fish roe that they put on top (added a sweetness that was different and I rlly liked!)

APPETIZERS
1. King crab noodle - this had to be one of my favorites of the night. Must order!! Everything about it was amazing--loved the Italian/Asian fusion. The flavors balanced out so well

2. Shrimp toast - I thought this was just ok since it's just Chinese 芝麻大餅 (zhi ma da bing) with shrimp paste and azn sweet&sour sauce so it was nothing special to me since I can make something similar for cheap at home

MAINS
We both ordered the Truffle Donnabe w/ hangar steak (+$7 for steak) and thank goodness we did because this was TO DIE FOR. We both loved it so much!! 10/10 would come back just for this (and the king crab noodle). You could really taste the truffle and the assorted mushrooms, rice, and steak went perfectly together. The cured egg yolk was the cherry on top--the star on top of the Xmas tree. Every bite was amazing and had so much flavor.

DESSERT
We both ordered the macha tiramisu and thought this was delicious! Thinking I'm becoming more of a tiramisu person after this...

We sat indoor but the outdoor patio was so cute and nicely decorated that I probably would want to sit outside next time. Staff was great. I love that they have the Tasting Menu to let you try so many different things and all this food for $65 a person. Overall, amazing experience and have already recommended to so many of my friends.

  Outdoor dinning in NYC limited table they take the precautions!

Yummy food and awesome service
Shrimp toast is a must sooooo good

The eggplant  and sashito peppers was my least favorite... read more items that we ordered  oh and the tea desert was yuck to me no one ate it

Total of 5 people
2 bottle of saki
5 Drinks
5 entrees
3 appetizers
1 desert  
1 oyster with lobster and tuna

Bill total $497

  Had a post Christmas, holiday lunch here - outdoor dining was so cozy, warm, and safe. We had the price fixed lunch special, the portions were generous and food was... read more delicious. Perfect way to close out the holiday

  Second time stopping by for dine in with a party of 4 for Christmas Day, overall delicious food with great flavors and very accommodating to get a reservation just a... read more few hours before.

Nice heated terrace out back with socially distanced tables. Temperature was sometimes tough due to being too cold or too hot but overall a great experience.

Hero of the night: Truffle Donnabe with Hangar Steak - hands down the best dish on the menu, make sure you order it. Clay pot with mix of mushrooms and beef over a delicious crispy fragrant rice. Umami heaven.

Also Great:
Scallop appetizer
Black Plum cocktail
Spicy Braised Short Rib

  This is for both the delivery and dining. Hands down this is one of my favorite restaurants in NYC. I have been coming for a couple of years now. Been... read more here for dates, group dinners, Christmas dinners, New Years dinners, birthdays, etc. They have a small outdoor terrace in the back that is nicely decorated. Food is beautifully done. If you order delivery, they have probably the best packaging I've seen for a lunch set. I order the pork lunch set at least once a week. Worth it!

  Hortus has been on my bucket list for a while and finally got a chance to visit. The decor is elegant and beautiful with romantic ambiance. Overall it was a... read more solid place for a date with reasonable price & portion.

We had their 2 courses lunch $30 Prix-Fixe with selections of Pumpkin Soup, Tuna Tataki, Hanger Steak and Truffle Donnabe. Their food was decent but with no surprise. Our favorites were the Pumpkin Soup which was creamy & rich and the Tuna Tataki which was refreshing.

However, the entrees were a little disappointing especially the Truffle Donnabe. The taste was flavorful but it looked slightly different from the photos we saw online. We expected there would be a perfect egg in the middle of the Donnabe but it melted already when it was served. The steak was not the best but still tender.

  This gem is tucked away in the heart of Koreatown. The ambience is modern, chic with seductive lighting. The servers were attentive and I felt safe dining indoors last month... read more when indoor dining was available. We had the short ribs special and it was mouth watering. Highly recommend that along with the scallop ceviche, uni and soju cocktails!

  The food is meh. It's not good. Service just ok. The drinks are  just ok . Won't come here again.

  Have been coming here for a couple of years now. Service is always pleasant and food consistently delicious.

  Bottom line - service is good, restaurant is beautiful, and food is okay, but didn't live up to the hype that my friends and colleagues set up for me. Our... read more appetizers were better than our mains. I want to give this place another shot - my friends said that this was not as good as their previous experiences. Maybe it's just Friday the 13th. I want what they had!

I went to Hortus with a group of friends who have already been - they had great experiences and were extremely excited to return so I had really high expectations. There was a prix fixe option on the menu to choose an appetizer and an entree. This was fun and we were able to try several dishes this way!

Appetizers - we shared the King Crab Noodle, Tuna Tataki, Scallop, and Shrimp Toast. The Tuna, scallop, and shrimp toast were a great introduction to our meal. Each were extremely flavorful and well portioned. If I had to choose one to eat again, I would choose the shrimp toast. It was our collective favorite appetizer. I think the most disappointing was the King Crab Noodle. We didn't taste the lemon oil or the onion jalapeño pesto. Perhaps our dish was off, but in sum it was a cold, al dente spaghetti in oil with some crab meat.

Entrees - we had the duck, ribeye, sea bass, and spicy braised short rib. What I loved about the entrees was the intensity of the flavors and how we can taste every component listed on the menu. Unfortunately we had an issue with each of the proteins. The duck was exceptionally chewy, the sea bass had several bones, and the short rib was dry. Additionally, all of our dishes were served on the cooler side of warm, none of them felt like they were just made. Every other component of the entrees were amazing. I'm sitting at home still thinking of the radish and orange of the duck entree, the risotto, and the charred eggplant purée of the sea bass.

Dessert - the green tea tiramisu was my favorite thing we had.

  What a fantastic surprise this this little spot turned out to be! We found it on Seated and the menu looked interesting, so we decided to give it a go.... read more Warm service, excellent food (the pumpkin soup was the best I've ever tasted and the matcha tiramisu was so memorable). Our reserved table was 10 minutes late so they comped 2 rounds of cocktails (!), which made the experience even better. Lovely cozy patio as well.