Momofuku Ko (Ko means “child of”) is the third restaurant by the international Momofuku restaurant group founder and chef David Chang. Ko opened in 2008 as a ten seat tasting menu restaurant in the East Village, and then relocated to Extra Place in the Bowery in 2014.
The award winning restaurant has maintained two Michelin stars since 2009, and is helmed by Executive Chef Sean Gray, General Manager Su Wong Ruiz, and Beverage Manager Arthur Hon.
Their tasting menu is “strongly guided by the Japanese kaiseki tradition, as well as seasonality, the innovation of [their] mentors and peers, food memories, and the breadth of cuisine available in the melting pot of New York City.” As expected from a restaurant that consecutively places on the World’s Best Restaurant list, the experience of dining at Ko is special and memorable.
The experience also manages to be as fun and familiar as enjoying a meal at a friend’s house. We are fortunate to have connected with Ko after their move to Extra Place. Their expansion allowed for a broader beverage service, including brewed coffee. Coffee is offered near the end of the multi-course meal and is manually brewed by Espro Press.
Although Junior’s and Ko are located on different coasts, we visit the team annually to share information about producers that we work with as well as the Cost of Production Covered Project.
Like all restaurants during 2020 they have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and have pivoted to include outdoor dining and to-go service. We are confident that through their ingenuity and grit they will survive this challenge and continue to share Ko’s unique approach to food with future diners.