Raon’s Fine-Dining Tasting Menu Orbits Around Kimchi
For chef Soogil Lim and his wife, Sasook Youn, Raon has long been in the back of their minds. Following the success of their East Village restaurant, Soogil, which first opened in 2018, they seriously considered opening a spot that was even more focused on their shared Korean background. Their convictions only grew stronger after they switched to a tasting menu format at Soogil in 2021.
Thus, Raon was born. It’s an intimate fine-dining restaurant on the Upper East Side, with a focus on kimchi pairings for each of the tasting menu’s 10 courses. There’s a top-tier wine list, an all-star team in the kitchen, and even ingredients flown in from Korea by one of the country’s most well-known Buddhist nuns. The restaurant is set to open on March 4, and reservations are now available.
We recently sat down with Lim and Youn to find out everything you’ll need to know about Raon before you go.
The Resy Rundown
Raon
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Why We Like It
It’s from the all-star team behind Soogil, one of the city’s premier Korean fine-dining restaurants. Here, they’re focusing even more on their expertise and personal histories, utilizing traditional techniques and ingredients. Expect a large variety of kimchi pairings, too. -
Essential Dishes
You’re limited to a $255 tasting menu here, which features 10 dishes paired with different styles of kimchi. -
Must-Order Drinks
Anything from the wine beverage programlist, which was curated by sommelier Hak Soo Kim, a Per Se and Jungsik alum.
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Who and What It’s For
People who remember the artistry of Soogil and want something new, or anyone who loves kimchi. (So, maybe everyone?) -
How to Get In
Reservations drop two weeks in advance at midnight. -
Fun Fact
Its name comes from the Korean word for “joyful” or “amusing.”
1. It comes from the same team behind Soogil.
Soogil was the brainchild (and namesake) of Lim, coming about after his childhood growing up in Korea and his time working in the kitchen at Restaurant Daniel. The East Village restaurant opened in 2018 as a more casual “tapas-style” spot, only shifting to their current tasting menu format after the pandemic happened.
During that time, the pair began dreaming about Raon.
“[The pandemic] ended up being a turning point for us,” Youn says. The two were delivering food and traditional meal kits every week for more than a year. They gained the confidence, she adds, to combine more elements of French and Korean cooking.
“[Lim] always told me, ‘I can learn French cuisine, but what are the real flavors and textures?’ He’s not French. We wanted to make our own country’s food,” Youn says.
Raon makes this dream a reality, building upon the legacy of Soogil.
“Soogil is my first restaurant, and the menu is based on my culinary background, mixing the French techniques I learned at Daniel with my Korean roots. Raon will take this a step further, focusing on the future of Korean food. We’ll use more Korean ingredients … and explore wider Korean food culture,” Lim says.
2. Kimchi is the star of the menu, but not the soloist.
The menu at Raon is a 10-course tasting menu ($255 per person) that features a kimchi tasting with four signature versions of the dish: baechu kimchi, bossam kimchi, jang kimchi, and dongchimi, as pairings to various courses.
Even the dishes that aren’t paired with kimchi incorporate the ingredient in some way, Lim says.
“We created a dish that brings together tuna, baek (white) kimchi, and caviar inspired by the southern Korean tradition of pairing raw fish with kimchi. Another highlight is our mandu filled with duck breast and foie gras, served with a kimchi jam that’s made from a six-month aged mukeunji (aged kimchi),” he adds.
Kimchi landed as the star, Lim says, because of what it means to Korean culture and to them.
“Before any party, my mom always made kimchi first. Then she would say, ‘Now I feel rich.’ As a child, I didn’t really understand what she meant. It was because with kimchi, she could whip up any dish, even if unexpected guests arrived,” says Lim. “For Koreans, kimchi is much more than just a food or side dish — it holds deep cultural and emotional significance, often evoking smells of mom, and memories of home, family, and heritage.”
3. The ingredients are ones you’d be hard pressed to find elsewhere in the States.
The pair’s relationship with the venerable Jeong Kwan, a renowned Buddhist nun and chef featured on Netflix’s “Chef’s Table,” solidified into a business partnership when she ate at Soogil in 2024.
They began discussing a partnership of sorts to bring the flavors Kwan was known for to the States, sourced directly from her temple in Korea, like her seven-year aged doenjang (soybean paste), and five-year aged ganjang (soy sauce).
“You’ll taste these in dishes like our rich, flavorful doenjang soup. At Raon, we want to offer more than just a meal. Our goal is to create an experience that showcases the creativity, depth, and innovation of Korean food and culture,” Lim says.
4. It’s intimate (by design).
When Lim and Youn were looking for a small and intimate space as home for their next restaurant, the Upper East Side seemed like the perfect fit. Their son grew up attending a local school in the neighborhood, so they knew the area.
“We wanted to make the restaurant small so that we could focus on the food and service,” says Youn. There are just 14 seats at the chef’s counter, with six additional bar seats opening in the front of the space that will eventually offer the tasting menu as well. Guests can expect to dine on a table and glassware sourced from Korean artists, including soju glasses and traditional bronze cutlery.
The dining room, designed by Ryan Cho (who also worked on Oiji Mi and Domodomo) is a calming shade of pale yellow, and the walls are adorned with a custom piece by artist Suzy Taekyung Kim titled “Collective Exuberance.”
When designing the space, the pair says they were inspired by dansaekhwa, the 1970’s Korean art movement of monochrome painting.
“We recognized the parallels between this concept and our fine-dining kitchen, which creates refined dishes through infinite repetition,” says Lim. “By reflecting these abstract elements in our interior design, we aim to express a harmonious blend of food, atmosphere, and service in a serene and contemplative space.”
5. Don’t skip the beverage program.
The beverage program will be equally all-star, headed up by sommelier, Hak Soo Kim, previously of Per Se and Jungsik. Expect soju, wine, beer, and cocktails, like the Donchitini with dongchimi-washed malt gin and a gochugaru-forward drink with mezcal named the Gganbu-KKanbu. Sake and a whiskey list are to come in the months following the opening.
The pairing available with the meal ($195) will have a primary focus on wine with appearances by soju when its higher ABV is needed for dishes with bolder flavors and spiciness. A dessert cocktail pairing is also included.
