Mari NYC Review 2026: Michelin Korean Handrolls

The most expensive meal of my NYC trip!

A dinner that was worth every penny of the $500 for two,

crafted by Chef Sungchul Shim—the "White Spoon" chef from Culinary Class Wars Season 2!

This 1-star Michelin gem

serves up incredible Korean-style handrolls (Mari).

Mari Here is my review—let's dive in! ✨

📍679 9th Ave, New York, NY 10036, USA

⏱️Sun-Thu 5:00 PM - 9:30 PM / Fri-Sat 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM

💰Mari Tasting Menu (Dinner Course) $145, Wine Pairing $110

✅️1-Star Michelin Fine Dining by "White Spoon" Chef Sungchul Shim (Culinary Class Wars 2)

✅️Reservations Required

Mari New York is located on 9th Avenue,

right between 46th and 47th Street.

It's super close to Times Square,​

and just a short walk from the famous jazz club, Birdland.

So it's incredibly easy to fit into your sightseeing itinerary! 😙

Mari tucked away on a corner of 9th Avenue.

The restaurant itself is quite intimate,

and the sign is small, so keep your eyes peeled so you don't miss it! 👀

Mari has been Michelin-starred since 2022!

As soon as you walk in, there's a counter on your right

and a bar area to your left.

After checking your reservation, they take your coats and bags for complimentary storage,

and then guide you to your seats.

Here's a photo of the interior taken from the counter area.

There's a square-shaped bar counter

wrapping entirely around the open kitchen in the center.

While there are separate tables for 2 to 4 people further inside,

since it has a distinct omakase-style vibe,

I highly recommend booking a counter/bar seat!​

I was seated at the side of the kitchen counter.

Because of the square layout, you can see the guests on the opposite side quite clearly,

which made taking photos of the interior a bit of a challenge! 🤣

Let's get started with our basic table setting!

Subject to seasonal changes

Mari, the Michelin-starred hotspot in NYC,

offers a single menu option: the Mari Tasting Menu.

You can think of it as a 12-course meal or omakase experience,

featuring a beautiful progression of dishes right down to dessert.

On the left, you'll see add-on options.

The "Chef's Special" adds one extra handroll,

while the "Supplements" work as gourmet toppings—

allowing you to upgrade your handrolls with delicacies like uni (sea urchin).

We decided to add one of each!

Keep reading to see exactly what we picked! 😉

There's a separate drink list, which I made sure to snap photos of!

We ordered two different glasses of white wine to start. 🥂

Next time, when my wallet is a bit thicker,

I'll definitely go for the full beverage pairing! Haha.

Amuse-bouche

*A bite-sized appetizer meant to "amuse the mouth"

An amuse-bouche that wasn't even on the menu!

A Canadian mussel topped with a dollop of "Kimchi Jam."

They called it "Kimchi Jam" in English,

but once I tasted it, it felt more like a savory kimchi filling haha.

​

Steamed Egg (Egg and Caviar)

This steamed egg (gyeran-jjim) was served in an absolutely gorgeous celadon-colored bowl.

This bite-sized steamed egg dish

had a wonderful contrast of textures—silky smooth on the bottom and crispy on top,

with a perfectly savory hint of salted pollock roe.

The solid bits on the right side were finely diced

radish and rice cakes,

while the sauce had a subtle tanginess

that created a beautiful balance of salty and sour notes.

Amberjack

This dish featured a sauce brewed with

Korean tea leaves combined with a splash of lemon vinegar.

It made for an incredibly refreshing base!

On top of the amberjack, there were delicate slices of radish and rose apple.

The aroma of the lemon vinegar was delightful,

and the amberjack itself was so incredibly tender, even here in the US!　

Before the main handroll course officially began,

the table setting was refreshed.

The plate on the left is where the handrolls would be placed,

and since we'd be eating them with our hands,

they thoughtfully brought out warm hand towels!

Soy-Marinated Salmon (SALMON)

The very first handroll was salmon.

You might think, "Isn't all salmon pretty much the same?" but...

Mari's salmon handroll was on a whole different level.

This wasn't just raw salmon; it was marinated in oil—

essentially a style of soy-marinated salmon (salmon-jang)—

and it was an absolute explosion of rich, savory flavor!

If I had to pick my absolute favorite handroll,

hands down, it was the salmon. It was so good I could cry 🥹❤️

Golden Threadfin Bream (GOLDEN THREADFIN BREAM)

Maybe because the first salmon handroll left such a strong impression,

my memory of the golden threadfin bream is a bit faint.

The outside of the fish was lightly seared with a torch,

and it was topped with pickled carrots over a red ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste) sauce!

Rather than shouting "This is a full-on Korean restaurant in NYC!",

I think the charm of Mari lies in how subtly and beautifully

they weave these Korean elements into every dish.

Mushroom Hot Pot Rice (MUSHROOM)

When I saw "sotbap" (hot pot rice) on the menu,

I was like, "Wait, are they serving a whole bowl of hot pot rice in the middle of the course?"

But it turned out to be a handroll made with rice cooked in a traditional hot pot, haha.

Tucked underneath the grilled mushrooms was an oyster,

but because the earthy mushroom aroma was so dominant,

I couldn't really taste much of the oyster.

Still, a lovely, wholesome-tasting mushroom handroll! 🍄

Scallop (SCALLOP)

I have two different photos of the scallop handroll

because this is where the uni (sea urchin) we added

as an extra supplement made its grand entrance!

The standard version features a corn tart base topped with mandarin jam

and a generous portion of finely minced scallops.

And here is the standard version topped with premium Hokkaido uni—

My husband's scallop hand roll haha

According to my husband, who is a huge uni fan,

the quality of the uni was absolutely incredible,

and the rich, deep aroma was super satisfying.

​

Tuna TORO AND CAVIAR

*Chef's Special

This is the Chef's Special that I added on.

A whopping $34 for just one hand roll...!

But it was totally worth the splurge.

Just like the soy-marinated salmon,

the fatty tuna paired absolutely perfectly with the rice.

It melted in my mouth so fast

that I literally wondered, "Wait, did I even eat it?"

SPICY TUNA

I didn't quite catch the whole explanation for this one,

but I think the crispy topping was fried potato starch.

They mentioned it has a little kick because of the chili flakes.

It's probably not spicy at all for Koreans,

but I felt like it might actually taste quite spicy to the locals! 🙄

STRIPED JACK

By this point, I lost my focus and stopped listening to the explanation

hahahaha 😂

The appetizer was striped jack sashimi,

and the roll featured cooked striped jack.

WAGYU ZABUTON

"Zabuton" actually means floor cushion in Japanese...

Is it called that because the Wagyu is flat...? 🤔

The garnish on the very top is perilla leaf,

and the yellow bits in the middle are anchovy-coconut candy chips.

It's a combination and texture I've never heard of, but it was delicious!

The candy chips had a very subtle hint of spiciness.

And that's the end of the hand rolls! 😭

RAZOR CLAM JJAMBBONG

The main course of NYC's Michelin-starred Korean restaurant, Mari!

The main dish was jjambbong, served alongside shrimp pancake + scallop crab pancake.

The side dishes from left to right:

glazed sweet potato with persimmon puree, pickled stem lettuce, kimchi, and onion with black bean sauce.

It seems like the noodle dish changes periodically,

and the side dishes change along with it.

I was so incredibly happy to have some red, spicy soup after a while...

The toppings, including squid and scallops, were so generous,

giving the broth a rich, deeply satisfying seafood flavor.

​

Apricot, Coconut & Donuts

APRICOT, COCONUT & DONUT

Dessert... the dessert was the real highlight.

The only problem is that it's already been a month,

so I can't quite remember if it was an apricot + oolong granita

or a coconut sorbet! 🤣

The glutinous rice donut had the absolute perfect texture

that I always dream of.

As soon as I took a bite, I literally gasped, "This is insane..."

Haha, of all the ways to describe fine dining, is that really the best I could do?!

This was a complimentary dessert they gave us

because I wrote "honeymoon" in the reservation notes!

It was so nice to wrap up such a wonderful meal with pudding!!!!

Plus, there was a Korean server on staff,

so we could order and pay in Korean.

It felt so good to finally let our guard down and relax for a moment! 🤣

Chef Sungchul Shim, who appeared as a White Spoon chef on Culinary Class Wars,

also runs a skewer spot and a steakhouse besides Mari.

I definitely want to check out his other New York restaurants next time! 😄

My review of Mari, the Michelin-starred NYC fine dining

and hand roll destination, is officially complete!

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