REVIEW

  - Check in for a free side!
- Quiet, intimate, spacious, elegant
- Amazing spot near ktown for some peace and quiet
- The decor is absolutely beautiful. Comfortable chairs, beautiful light... read more fixtures, and plants everywhere
- Multi-floored
- Cheaper cocktails
- We both had the Garden, which had soju, elderflower, and yuzu
- A table near us had ordered fries and they smelled delicious
- The bathrooms were spotless
- Will be back to try the food
- Definitely a hidden gem

  While some dishes are definitely not worth it, the overall experience at Hortus and most of the food is pretty solid.

My boyfriend and I came in on Sunday around... read more 8PM. It was decently crowded for a Sunday night, although far from booked.

If you're thinking about the prix fixe, it calculates to pretty much the same - so no real loss or win there.

Make sure to check in to get a free side (which I totally forgot about).

We ordered the crispy sea urchin ($16), the mala crab ($18), and the truffle donabe with hangar steak ($38 + $7) as well as the cucumber salad side ($6).
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The GOOD:

Mala crab is amazing! 100% would recommend - the flavoring is great. The dish doesn't come with a lemon, but I'd suggest asking the waiter for one as it makes the dish 20x better. It also comes with a lot of crab.

Truffle donabe was also quite good, although it does have a little TOO much truffle. I LOVED the hangar steak addition, but note that it's cooked very rare. I personally really like rare steak, but I know it's not for everyone. Overall, I thought this was a very filling and tasty dish.

The BAD:

The cucumber salad is definitely NOT worth it. It didn't find the taste to be so good (too garlicky compared to normal cucumber salad) and the portion is literally for ants. Not sure why anything with so little could be more than a dollar.

The crispy sea urchin was also lacking. I personally am a pretty big uni fan, but the dish was just very...ok. You get 2 pieces of sea urchin on crispy seaweed,  but it's very underwhelming.
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As for service, the food came out quite fast. Servers were attentive and quick. No complaints there.

The atmosphere is great for a date. It's very dimly lit and the booths feel private and roomy.

  Great service, with even better food!! Came here for the first time in the summer, and asked my boyfriend recently where he wanted to go for his birthday, and he... read more said Hortus!

This place is super intimate, and great for dates. They have a set menu for 2 for about $95 as a base. Some items cost extra on the prix fixe menu and well worth it. To start, you get to pick from their Raw Selection, where you get either a choice of seafood appetizers, or a choice of oysters. We opted for their King Crab dish, and it was pretty good. It has a hint of wasabi, but not overpowering. For our appetizers, we started with their Shrimp Toast, and opted for their Sea Urchin Noodles for $3 more. Out of the two their Shrimp Toast was my favorite. I found the Uni Noodles to be slightly too buttery for me, and the uni flavor was not distributed evenly, however that might have been our fault as we probably didn't mix it properly. I didn't love that dish, but my boyfriend did. We then ordered their Truffle Donabe, which is a rice dish that comes with black truffle, wild mushrooms, and a cured egg yolk. We also opted to add the Wagyu for $12. To be honest, my boyfriend was a little too ambitious with the carb dishes. We ordered about 5 carby dishes too many, that by the time the Donabe came, I was already stuffed. It was good from the three bites that I had, but my boyfriend finished the entire dish clean, and it was a HUGE dish.

The meal comes with two sides, and if you check in on Yelp, you get an extra side dish. We went with their Onigiri, their Bok Choy, and their Shishito Peppers. It was really funny, because the waiter came back to us after reviewing our order, and told us that the Donabe was a rice dish and the Onigiri was also all rice, and he wanted to double check if we wanted to opt for another side in case we didn't know. The boyfriend wanted the rice, so he got the rice. I enjoyed all of their sides, a lot of people might think the bok choy dish is probably very basic, but I found it to be a great break from all the meat, butter, and rice we consumed.

For dessert, we had a choice between their mango rice pudding, their monaka ice cream, or their Thai creme brûlée. We have had their Thai creme brûlée before as well as their monaka ice cream sandwich. I specifically remembered their monaka ice cream, and I absolutely LOVED it. I didn't love their creme brûlée last time, so my boyfriend opted for guess what? Their mango RICE pudding, and I stuck with the monaka ice cream, and boy was I not disappointed. It was just as good as the first time, and it reminds me of a smaller version of the Korean fish shaped ice cream, if you know what I'm talking about, but better! My boyfriend couldn't finish the rice pudding by this time, and stole some of my dessert though. I told him next time he needs to get his own!

Overall, it was a great dining experience, and I can't wait to come back to Hortus.

  Organized my friend's 40th bday here for a group of 17. They seated us altogether in a nice private alcove section which we loved. The food was amazing but the... read more service not so much. First our female server tried to push us to order from the prefix after I had prior extensive phone discussions confirming we can order a la carte. When we refused, she asked one of us to write down everyone's orders. Um is she sharing her salary with us? My gf said a few choice words about this and she finally started doing her job - shocker. Onto the food. All the apps were delish. I loved (in this order) the soft shell crab, the beef tartare, the calamari, the foie gras, the uni. My pork belly entree was fatty and meaty nom! My friends loved the truffle rice bowl but I'm not a carb person. The sea bass was forgettable to me but I feel that way about fish in every restaurant unless it's a whole one. They lit and plated a cake we brought for the bday boy without cutting fee so that was lovely. It took them another hr to do the bill. We were there for 4 lonnnnnng hours - could have run a marathon. In short come for the food, not the service!

  Had planned a birthday dinner for a friend here with a bunch of girlfriends and it was perfect for the occasion - menu was very sharable, food came out prompt... read more and delicious, beautiful ambience! The servers were nice and knowledgeable about the menu including drinks - We all enjoyed the food and wine that was recommended to us.

I personally liked their seafood sharable dish, beef, uni noodles, shrimp toast and pewi potato. Can't wait to go back and try their other dishes too because we had such a great experience here! Two thumbs up

  Great food. Good ambiance. excelent service. Highly  Recommended.
Should try they pre fix menu.

  This place is so good!!!

First off the restaurant is beautiful!!!! They have a bar area and also a second floor of seating which is where we got seated.

They... read more have this amazing prefix deal for two priced at $95. We ended up doing the wine pairing which was delish. Loved every wine they poured us. You will leave happy and full!

The only negative is that we ate a bit slow (just enjoying every bite and sip!)  but it felt like the food came fast so we had to rush. At times we had lots of plates on the table. Would have been nice if they spaced it out more and / or went with our pacing.

Otherwise it was a delish meal.

Perfect place for a chill meal with friends or even a nice occasion. Def go!! And Enjoy!!

  It was my second time back here, and I brought my mom and her friend for her birthday. Overall experience was fine, but a few points that stood out as... read more a sore point was the fact they seated five of us at a small round table, resulting in a cramped dining experience. It was also noted in opentable that the dinner was for a double birthday celebration-- I wasn't expecting free anything but a candle or some type of acknowledgement would have been nice. A lot of restaurants have good food, but it's the overall dining experience and small details that make a place stand out.

  I had a lovely time here. The coordinator got us a table pretty quickly even though they had a full house and we did not make a reservation. I started... read more with a dozen oysters and shared pork menu. Oysters were very fresh and the sauce went well with oysters. Pork was the hit. I ordered with brown and black rice. It was not salty but had enough seasoning and I think it tastes better with rice. I would definitely come back again and try other interesting menu.

  Asian fusion done right! We decided to try Hortus on our girl's night out and ended up having an amazing dinner. Every single dish was done beautifully and tasted absolutely... read more delicious. There wasn't a single thing that we tried we did not like. And being a group of food-sharers, we loved that the dishes were easy to share and the portions were generous. Prices were also very reasonable, especially given the high quality of food. Top that up with excellent and attentive wait staff and you end up with an experience that makes you want to come back for more! I'd highly recommend Hortus if you're interested in a delicious and delightful meal in the city (and who wouldn't be? ;P).

  Great food, great service, definitely a date spot, gno, i recommend  the set menu for a little but of everything

  One year later, it's still amazing!

The raw platter was good but not a must-have. The crispy sea urchin and sea urchin noodles however, are must have if you like uni.... read more The pork is still the best thing on the menu. The seafood comes with a really delicious broth that's slightly spicy and lemongrassy. The beef is good but nothing spectacular. The only downfall are the desserts; the mango rice pudding and monaka ice cream were fine but did not match the quality of the rest of the meal.

They send a free dessert if its your birthday which is very nice. And check in on yelp for a free side!

  Best dinner I've had since... too long to remember.

We did the prix fixe for 4 and we did family style so got to try a lot of the menu. Usually... read more with more than a dozen dishes there is a dud or two no matter the restaurant but not the case here. Everything was well seasoned and on point, with a diverse set of flavors and textures that all worked well together. It's clear that they only use the best ingredients and put a lot of care into executing each dish.

Highlights:
Shrimp toast - Fried but light and delicate with a sauce that we finished to every last drop.

Eggplant - mozzarella and pine nuts at a Korean restaurant? Who cares, it's absolutely delicious

Foie gras - usually not a fan but the sweetness of the figs and balance with acidity made this dish a delight

Rib eye - can you say "perfectly medium rare edge to edge"? And now let's put it over the top with a delicious sauce and savory mushrooms

Kimchi - probably the most "authentic" tasting dish, with a deep hearty dose of Korean pepper. Then paired with tomatoes - which you never see but somehow works.

All this was paired with excellent and attentive service and sheek and relaxed ambiance, and an excellent wine list to boot. If you can't tell, I really enjoyed it. Will be back!

  We travel. We like food.

With that said, this is one of the best meals we've had in a VERY long time. I cannot understand how there is not a... read more line out of the door to get into this restaurant. Every single bite of food was truly incredible.

Not only that, the service was ABOVE and beyond... and even that seems like it isn't enough. The manager literally stopped me from leaving the restaurant (I was going to run and find some simple food for my 3 year old) to tell me he would go into the kitchen himself to make sure my daughter had food and my husband and I could enjoy our meal.

RUN... no SPRINT to this restaurant right this second.

  Hortus is the place for a date night! There are love seat tables as well as normal chairs.

I got the tasting menu for two which was $95 for two... read more people so with tax and tip it turned out to be around $65 per person! Which I thought was a steal. Usually with tasting menu you get disappointed with one or two dishes but everything was a hit! I got the oysters, bok choy, onigri, beef, beef tartar, and for dessert thai tea creme bruele and matcha ice cream. The dinner was very filling!

Ambiance of this establishment is A+ definitely gives off fancy vibes without the price tag. Since i was here on a Monday night it was very very empty but I'll definitely come by a weekend sometime as well.

I saw some comments about service and I must say service was fine for me, maybe they improved? Water glasses were always filled and servers were all kind!

All in all, I'd definitely come back again!

  We chanced across Hortus while walking on 5th Ave down to the Strand. We had an excellent lunch here. I had the spicy chicken lunch and my SO had the... read more mushroom ramen. The service was prompt and courteous and unobtrusive, the ambiance is quiet and minimalistic. And the prices are surprisingly reasonable for NYC. Highly recommended.

  Excellent high-end food, tasteful decor, and good service. The appetizer portion sizes were quite small so I was worried for a bit that the amount of food included in the... read more prix fixe menu might be too little, but it turned out to be just the right amount and I was pretty full. Went on a Saturday night and there was basically no wait.

  I've visited Hortus for a birthday celebration this year and I was pleasantly surprised. First of all the interior design in this restaurant is killer. You feel like you're in... read more a super swanky bar when really you're in a restaurant. They also have a tasting menu for dinner which is very reasonably priced. I had the foie gras which was amazing. It was done perfectly and exactly the way that I like it. I also found that the service was quite good. My friend and I also shared the wine tasting and the wines were much better than I expected for the price.Overall I recommend!

  Howdy pals! This past Wednesday my girlfriend and I were by Mad Park and wanted some seafood. We called for reservations in 20 minutes and they accommodated us.
It has... read more a cool speakeasy vibe that's popular nowadays. Staff was friendly, food was great. A dozen raw oysters and sides for $55 was pretty reasonable. Shareable fish plate. Bok choy on the side. Glass coke bottles. Bathroom walls lined with faux plants and a pull tab handle. Overall a cool place. We'd definitely go again.

  Came to hortus last night with a party of four. I think this is a relatively new restaurant, and draws most of it's culinary inspiration from a broad number of... read more asian spots.

We opted for 2 sets of 2 (this means 4), and we all got a drink, so the total came out to like $70 pp after tip. What did we order... well, I think we got a bunch of things: kimchi, cucumber salad, scallion biscuit, pork belly, crispy sea urchin, wagyu tartar, mala crab. I don't think any one particular item was a standout, except for maybe the mala crab, which I thought was the best and has noticeable heat. Everything was done well though.

For dessert, we tried all three of the options, so the mango sticky rice, the thai creme brulee, and the monaka ice cream. I didn't think any of the three desserts stood out, but definitely felt that the creme brulee was the best of the bunch.

Would I come back? Sure. I think they have some interesting options for lunch that I would consider trying.