What to Order at Kisa

Kisa is a Korean diner on Allen Street modeled on the driver's restaurants of Seoul, and ordering is refreshingly simple: one $32 set meal, your choice of entrée, and bottomless banchan.

What should you order at Kisa?

Pick the bulgogi or the spicy pork and let the set do the rest. The Infatuation's Bryan Kim scored Kisa an 8.5, calling the $32 set a comprehensive homestyle meal of entrée, rice, soup, and banchan, and the restaurant earned a James Beard semifinalist nod after landing on best-new-restaurant lists in 2024.

1. Bulgogi. Kim describes it as sweet, tender, and sliced into smoky ribbons. The consensus first order.

2. Spicy pork. Deeply marinated and speckled with char per the review, which notes it runs milder than the name suggests.

3. The banchan, endlessly. The sides are the show and they refill: soy-marinated shrimp, rolled omelet, mung bean jelly, potato jorim with beef, and gochujang-glazed sausages with rice cakes all appear in the review. Pace yourself accordingly.

4. Bori bibimbap. The vegetarian route: vegetables over barley rice, same set structure.

5. The black bean latte. Dessert comes from a coin-operated coffee machine, and the server hands you the quarter. Kim notes the bill even reflects it: $31.75.

What should you skip at Kisa?

The squid, if you are choosing between entrées: Kim's review found the gochujang-tossed version somewhat one-note next to the meats. There is nothing else to skip, because there is almost nothing else to decide. The set format is the whole menu.

How do you get into Kisa?

Two different systems. Per Resy's guide to getting in, dinner reservations drop 15 days ahead, released daily at midnight, and about two-thirds of the tables stay reserved for walk-ins. Lunch on Friday through Sunday runs walk-in only. The room is snug, so put your name down and wait it out nearby.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Kisa cost?

$32 per person for the full set meal per The Infatuation's 2024 review: entrée, rice, soup, and bottomless banchan. The coin-machine coffee is included, quarter provided.

What is a kisa sikdang?

A driver's restaurant, the fast, hearty, no-fuss canteens that serve taxi drivers in Seoul. Kisa recreates the format on the Lower East Side, down to the beige room and the early '90s details.

Does Kisa take reservations?

For dinner, yes: Resy reservations drop 15 days ahead at midnight, per Resy's own guide, with most of the room still held for walk-ins. Weekend lunch is walk-in only.

Getting in is the harder half of the plan. DinnerElite tracks when Kisa releases reservations and how far ahead it books, and it emails you the moment a cancellation opens up. Start from DinnerElite's Kisa page.