Cote Korean Steakhouse - Broad Channel

We came in on Sunday night for our anniversary with pretty high expectations, but our experience didn’t even meet the bare minimum. To start, we arrived exactly at our reservation time but ended up waiting an extra 30 minutes near the bar while “a table just paid the bill”. Once we got to our table, our server was nice as first but then appeared to become more and more irritated throughout the night. It felt like she was constantly in the kitchen, so we had difficulty flagging her down. While the meat was cooking, other servers even had to come and turn the meat for us, and our first two courses were definitely medium to medium well when we asked for medium rare. At a certain point, a completely new server took over our table, which was very confusing at first because we were expecting our original server. Sadly, he was also away from the table too often, and the marinated galbi was way too charred as a result. Understandably, marinated meat burns easily, but someone only came to turn it once after a really long time, which was surprising because by 12 the restaurant was only at half capacity. We had to do our best to scrape the burnt parts off, and as much as I enjoyed the non-burnt halves, the charred flavor was still very noticeable. We considered asking for a redo but given the quality of the service thus far and how late it was (thanks to the delay at first), we opted not to. The only redeeming point was the amount of banchan and sides that came as part of the butcher’s feast, but for close to $100 per person I see it as a very very thin silver lining. Overall, we were turned off by the negligent service, and the meat quality suffered as a result. Some of the negative aspects of our meal were probably out of their control, but most were within. A lot of my friends really enjoyed their experience here in the past, which is why we chose to spend our anniversary here and why our night was especially disappointing for us.

Amazing steak. The drink menu, though, feels disjointed from the food. The natural choice for me would be barley tea — not drinks from the bar.

If you can get past how pricey they are, the steak here is amazing, truly deserving of their Michelin star. We got the Butcher’s Feast each (includes flatiron and hanger steak, marinated galbi, dry-aged ribeye). The banchan has something I’ve never tried before — kimchi-style perilla leaf that tasted a bit strange.

Went for a late night dinner reservation. Hip atmosphere, loud music, great hospitality. Had the butchers feast, which did not disappoint. Everything was delicious. Price point was on par for the quality of food and experience. 10/10 would recommend.

It is very rare that my positive experience with a restaurant starts before I even walk in through the door. I had heard how difficult it can be to secure a reservation at COTE. It would be even more challenging since I was planning on dining solo. All of COTE’s tables are made for 4. Their Resy description states that for parties of 2-3 they offer two seating options, their first and last seating. Since there was no single party option, I decided to take a chance and email them. Both Al and Jennifer went above and beyond to not only get me a table for Sunday at 5, but they also showed a true sense of professionalism and made me feel welcome through their communications. Al even reached out to say they had an indoor cancellation, so I was moved from the outdoor bungalow to an indoor table. Right off the bat I had set a high bar for COTE as my pre-meal experience was already among the best I had ever experienced. When it came time for the actual meal, again the kindness and energy shown by the whole staff just added to enhance the experience of the meal. The Maitre d’ was warm and inviting, made some small talk about if I had been here before. If I brought my appetite. I replied it was my first meal of the day and she laughed and said I made the right decision, and boy was she right! One small but very welcome thing I noticed is. When I was brought to my table it was setup just for 1. I have been to restaurants, including other Michelin star restaurants where the table is setup for the whole table. Here I was at a table for 4 and it had 1 plate setting. It showed a sense that they were ready just for me, and that was wonderful. For the actual meal I went with the butcher’s feast, I added on the A5 Wagyu, and ordered 2 appetizers. The Korean Bacon, and 4 pieces of shrimp cocktail. The presentation was beautiful, and mouthwatering all at once. The shrimp was excellent, and the gochujang cocktail sauce was so savory with a hint of heat. The Korean bacon was beyond anything I could have expected. It took every ounce of strength I possessed not to order another. I really cannot stress this enough. Do not sleep on the Korean Bacon, you will regret it. Already my meal was out of the park. Another small note. I was here solo; I had a table for four and a premium table at that. I had the table closest to the window, literally one of the best tables in the restaurant. Not once, not even for a moment did I ever feel rushed. I was always reminded to take my take. When a plate was empty it was not taken away, they asked if they could clear it each time. The meat was not slapped onto the grill. It was a very delicate dance, and that dance was executed elegantly by my server Laszlo. He was very friendly and explained the whole menu to me. He offered tips to enhance my meal, and my experience. He was engaging and I got the sense he enjoyed doing what he does. The whole team at COTE Flatiron is wonderful, and they look out for each other and all the customers there. While Laszlo was my main server he was covering many tables. Other staff members did come by to ensure the meat was cooking properly. Not too long not to short. Other than Laszlo at least 4 other staff members came by to just check on my grill and the meat to ensure it is not at risk of being overcooked. Including Jonathan the restaurant manager. As a frequent solo diner, it is a rare experience for a manager to come check on a single table. It almost never happens. Jonathan did pay attention to the meat on the grill. He also took the time to see how I was doing, why I came here. We talked a bit about other restaurants I had been to and how amazing my experience at COTE was. I cannot stress enough how truly exceptional my experience her at COTE was. It blew away every expectation I had set by leaps and bounds. I eagerly await when I can go back and try to omakase experience. One tip, come with a ravenous appe