Since opening earlier this year, scoring a table at Coqodaq may feel akin to winning the lottery since reservations are snapped up moments after they become available (two weeks out.) As difficult as it is to live up to such hype, Coqodaq exceeds expectations by serving up an exceptionally elevated fried chicken dining experience.
Simon Kim and his Gracious Hospitality Management team are the brains behind Coqodaq. The highly anticipated opening of Kim’s second major concept has been more than four years in the making. He opened Cote NYC back in 2017 when Korean cuisine was ripe for reimagining, and that’s when Kim’s genius started striking gold. Cote has since opened up locations in Miami and Singapore.
Korean Fried Chicken, or KFC for short, is often considered the second most popular Korean cuisine in the West, after Korean BBQ. And just as Cote was all about elevating the low-brow, smoky Korean bbq experience, now with Coqodaq, Kim has created a “cathedral for fried chicken”.
What’s a coqodaq?
The restaurant’s name sets the tone with a clever play on words. First, Koreans will recognize the word coqodaq (pronounced coco-dock), as their way of saying cock-a-doodle-doo. Daq also means chicken in Korean, while coq means chicken in French.
Back in 2017, when opening Cote’s doors, Kim told us that he truly believed that Korean food was the best food in the world. A bold statement at the time, but one that now feels prescient given the current NYC dining landscape. Notably, a recent NY Times special feature observed that “Korean restaurants have remade the [NYC] fine dining scene”.
An affordable luxury that is truly special
Coqodaq’s glamorous setting offers a high-low concept centered around a core fried chicken tasting menu that’s remarkably affordable for fine dining. A $38 Bucket List dinner includes chicken consomme, three kinds of fried chicken, a cold perilla noodle dish, banchan (small side dishes), and soft-serve frozen yogurt. Flanking this tasting menu are luxurious appetizers and add-on items that will please the most discerning tastes.
In the spirit of reimagining the entire fried chicken dining experience, no detail was overlooked. Fried chicken is conventionally a finger-food and Simon Kim has you covered with an elegant hand-washing area at the front of the restaurant.
Also near the entrance are a bar and some high-top tables to welcome walk-ins, as well as a wall of windows that are ready to slide open during the warm weather months. The grand dining room is framed with glowing, vaulted arches that seem to go on forever thanks to a wall of mirrors. Cozy booths provide comfortable yet intimate seating for optimal parties of four to six.
In the spirit of a better KFC experience, Coqodaq chickens are certified humane. Raised on a diet that consists of surplus vegetables from farmers markets, the chickens roam free-range in their natural habitats and are hormone and antibiotic free. As an added bonus, all of restaurant’s fried chicken offerings are gluten-free.
Though beer is de rigueur for fans of traditional Korean chimaek (chicken and maekju/beer combination), Victoria James, Executive Beverage Director at Gracious Hospitality Management, recommends pairing chilled Champagne with your meal at Coqodaq. Not surprisingly, the wine list is outstanding and boasts the “biggest champagne list in America,” with over 400 varieties available to complement your special meal.
Building a restaurant empire takes a village and Simon Kim is surrounded by a loyal A-List team that supports his every move. In addition to James, who also leads the wine program at both Cote NYC and Cote Miami, executive chef Seung Kyu Kim’s relationship with Kim goes back decades to the time when they both worked at Jean-George.
Tips on Coqodaq Reservations
Reservations open 14 days out at 10am EST. All the tables at Coqodaq are for parties of 4 and up. Parties of 2 to 3 are allowed only during the first and last seating.
If you can’t get a reservation for Coqodaq and are willing to wait a bit (or you are dying to try it), try arriving a bit before the 5pm opening and get in line. There are tables by the bar that are reserved for walk-ins. On a recent weekend evening, we saw a long line at 4:30 p.m., and they all got in by 5:30.
Coqodaq sets aside a number of tables for phone and email reservations, in addition to Resy online reservations. Try writing a compelling email and you may score a table sooner that you might think, especially if you are willing to be flexible on day or time.
Here’s our list of must-have dishes at Coqodaq:
- Boricha cocktail
- Tartare Trio with Sourdough Toast
- ‘The Bucket List’ Fried Chicken Feast
- Side of Curry Chicken or Tteokbokki
- Diebolt-Vallois Champagne
12 E 22nd St, New York, NY 10010
(646) 490-5099
Corrections: The fried chicken at Coqodaq is gluten-free. A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the entire menu is gluten-free.
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