How to Get Into New York’s Kisa

Resy: When do reservations drop?

Andrew Choi: They drop 15 days in advance, and are released daily at midnight.

How quickly are they filling up?

Right now, we’re relatively new to Resy, but I’d say we get booked up the week of. There are plenty of time slots for future dates. Usually, our 6 p.m. slots and our 9 p.m. slots stay open a little longer.

You were walk-in-only before joining Resy, right? Why did you decide to take reservations?

We were just walk-ins only, but we did feel bad that a lot of guests came from out of state, and they didn’t know about the line. We didn’t want to turn away the people that came from far away.

You’re still saving quite a bit of space for walk-ins, right?

Yes, about two-thirds of the restaurant is first come, first served. People can join us for a walk-in right at 5 p.m., and our reservation books open at 6 p.m.

How has taking reservations impacted the day-to-day at the restaurant? Have things changed at all?

We’re being very mindful. I like to take reservations as a promise; we’ll get you this table as soon as you get here. It’s been working really well; as long as the guests come on time, we’re able to take care of them. I also really like to see additional notes, like birthdays or anniversaries. When we have a little bit more information, it goes a long way with customer care and building relationships with everyone.

What would you say the prime times are?

I would say anywhere between 7 and 8:30 p.m. That’s when everyone is finishing work and joining us for dinner. The busiest day is Saturday, and even sometimes Sundays.

Have you been this busy since you opened?

Yeah, we’ve been busy from the jump. And honestly, it wouldn’t be possible without the support from our friends, our regulars, and the community overall. We did have our first project, C as in Charlie, which kind of helped us get the ball rolling. We told everyone about Kisa, and then when we first opened, we received so much love and attention from the community. We were just really glad about it, and grateful for that.

How many seats do you have inside?

We’re a little tiny. We have 38 seats, and it’s about 18 tables.

Do you utilize the Resy Notify feature?

Not really during peak hours, but when I come in and check the books for the day, if there are any last-minute cancellations, I’ll fill up those slots with anyone who’s on the Notify list. That way people can avoid the wait.

How long does it usually get?

Right off the jump, we do see quite a few people. I would say the range is between 20 and 25 people. I wish I could fit everyone in, but we just do as much as we can depending on the cancellations.

What would be the best piece of advice you could give to somebody who is hoping to get a table?

I would definitely say to book early, whenever the reservations drop. We don’t fill up right away, and we’re actually kind of grateful for that. We want everyone to have some time to plan to come join us. If they’re trying to join us as a last-minute decision, that’s a little tougher.

Do you have a favorite of the four entrées?

For me personally, it would be our spicy pork. We recently added a ssam wrap set on the side for $3. Spicy pork has a very subtle sweetness that comes from the meat, and then it’s followed by that slight spicy-with-a-smoky-char flavor that we specialize in over here. I like using the ssam wrap because it adds a layer of freshness and it’s a great combination, especially if you want to add in any of your side dishes. It’s like an endless combination situation. It’s really fun.

A lot of our ingredients are shipped from Korea. We do this because we want to make sure people have that authentic taste and experience with us. That said, a lot of people might not be aware of some of our ingredients, so we put all of our resources online so people can learn about them. We separate the Korean spirits that people [might not be] aware about, with acidity, level of sweetness, and a brief description. We also update all of our banchans every time we bring a new combo, and they all have brief descriptions and certain allergens listed as well.

What about drinks?

Here at Kisa, we try to put a lot of emphasis on everything that’s culturally Korean. We don’t sell the traditional green bottle or blue bottle sojus; we actually sell a lot of cheongju, which are Korean sakes. My personal go-to is our Yangchun. It’s a little funky, so maybe not for everyone, but for me, I like the small notes of cheese and mushroom. It complements some of the savory and spicy foods between each sip. It’s just beautiful.

Where would you want to sit, if you were eating at Kisa?

The entire restaurant has its own charm, but I would definitely say somewhere in a booth. I have guaranteed focus on my friend without worrying too much about the guests next to me. We try to make it as efficient as possible where guests don’t feel like they don’t have any space.

Tell us about yourself. How did you end up in this role at Kisa?

My restaurant experience started at Barn Joo. That’s where I met most of the leadership team, their directors of operations and general managers that I was working under. I really loved the restaurant industry, so I continued on with that to Thursday Kitchen and Rule of Thirds.

Obviously, Covid happened, so I took a little step back. During that time, I felt that I missed interacting with people. After months in isolation, I was like, “I’m gonna get back out there.”

So my boss, Steve [Jaewoo Choi], actually reached out to me, and he was like, “Hey, we’re opening C as in Charlie, we’ve worked together before, and we would really love to work with you again.” He extended his hand. I just thought, “Why not?”

As the ball continued to roll and Kisa opened up, they decided to bring me along as part of the management team. That’s how I got started here.

Set the scene for us. What is the dining room like during those prime times on Saturday and Sunday?

We have nostalgic ’70’s and ’80’s Korean music playing in the background. We played those because they were traditionally played at kisas back in the day. We have guests who bring their parents and they say, “Oh my god, I used to listen to this as a kid.” That’s what we’re going for.

So, on Saturday around 8 p.m. you have the music playing, everybody’s talking and having great conversations. You hear the kitchen bell ringing, all of the sizzling going on. You can smell the spicy pork and bulgogi filling up the room. It’s just a lively, electric environment. I’m really happy to be taking care of it.

I would definitely say the best time to come would be between 7 and 8 p.m. when you can be a part of the fun craziness we have going on here.

Is there anything else on the horizon for Kisa?

Well, we just opened for lunch about two weeks ago. It’s open Friday to Sunday for now, and we open it from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., but we do last call around 2:15 p.m.

We’re not taking reservations at the moment [for lunch], because it’s still really new. Down the line, I do believe we’re planning to open for lunch seven days a week. That’s probably when we’ll start taking reservations.

The menu is something completely different. We only offer two items with three separate unique sets of banchan and rice. One is called gamjatang, which is a traditional Korean hangover soup for $18. It’s perfect for right after a Friday night out; it’s a nice, hearty, spicy soup with some veggies on the side. We also have a $17 traditional Korean pork tonkatsu.

Kisa is open for lunch (walk-ins only) Friday to Sunday from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., and they’re open for dinner daily from 5 to 10:30 p.m.

Ellie Plass is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn. Follow her on Instagram and X. Follow Resy, too.