COTE Korean Steakhouse is a Korean barbecue restaurant owned and operated by Korean-American restaurateur Simon Kim.[1] The first location was opened in the Flatiron District of New York City in 2017 and has been awarded one Michelin star and several accolades from the James Beard Foundation. COTE was the first Michelin-starred Korean barbecue restaurant in the world.[2] COTE established additional locations in Miami Design District (February 2021) and Las Vegas (October 2025).[3]
"Cote" is a Korean word that can mean flower, blossom, bloom, beauty, or essence.
History
COTE Korean Steakhouse in New York and Miami are owned and operated by Simon Kim, who was born in Seoul and moved to Long Island with his family when he was 13 years old.[4] Before opening COTE, Kim operated the now-closed Michelin-starred restaurant, Piora, in the West Village.[5] Kim's original "Korean Steakhouse" concept combines Korean barbecue with a high-end American steakhouse experience and was inspired by his dual nationalities.[6]
COTE Korean Steakhouse dry ages steaks in-house and is the only Korean steakhouse in New York with a dry aging room.[7] COTE's head chef is David Shim, who previously worked at M. Wells and L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon. "Wine prodigy"[8] Victoria James is the Beverage Director.
In October 2018, Kim opened Undercote, an underground bar and cocktail lounge underneath COTE New York.[9]
COTE Miami has its own Vegetable Fermentation Lab.[10]
In October 2025, COTE Las Vegas opened on the Las Vegas Strip at The Venetian Las Vegas.[11]
Reception
COTE has received numerous accolades from the prestigious James Beard Foundation including Best New Restaurant, 2018;[12] Outstanding Wine Program, 2019;[13] and Outstanding Wine Program, 2020.[14]
Within one year of its opening, COTE New York earned its first Michelin star. The Michelin Guide noted its "particularly interesting wine list".[15][16] In 2022, the Miami location also won a Michelin star.[17]
Restaurant critic for the New York Times, Pete Wells, considered COTE to serve better beef than any other Korean BBQ restaurant in New York City.[18][19]
See also
- List of Korean restaurants
- List of Michelin-starred restaurants in New York City
- List of Michelin-starred restaurants in Florida
- List of restaurants in the Las Vegas Valley
- List of restaurants in Miami
External links
References
- Martha Daniel. How Vegas High Rollers Prepared This NYC Restaurateur for Fine Dining Eater, October 4, 2019, retrieved May 27, 2021^
- Michelle Lee. Cold Temperatures Won't Stop Manhattan's Sizzling Korean Barbecue Houses Eater NY, November 11, 2020, retrieved May 27, 2021^
- Brad Japhe. New York's Hottest High-End Korean BBQ Is Coming To Miami Forbes, January 18, 2021, retrieved May 27, 2021^
- Katie Lockhart. How Cote's Simon Kim Finally Learned Not To Worry About Pleasing His Father Zagat Stories, retrieved May 27, 2021^
- McCart, Melissa. Korean Steakhouse Cote Opens From Michelin-Starred Piora Crew This Week Eater NY, June 6, 2017, retrieved December 27, 2018^
- Kiri Tannenbaum. Simon Kim on Keeping Cote Afloat Institute of Culinary Education, March 24, 2021, retrieved May 19, 2021^
- Allen Kim. Inside Cote, the NYC steakhouse redefining omakase CNN, September 2, 2019, retrieved May 20, 2021^
- Rachel Tepper Paley. The Making of a Legend: Wine Prodigy Victoria James Wants to Bring Old-School Hospitality Back to Wine VinePair, January 11, 2018, retrieved May 20, 2021^
- Jeremy Repanich. One of Our Favorite Steakhouses Just Got Better Robb Report, October 13, 2018, retrieved May 20, 2021^
- Nicole Danna. NYC's Cote Brings Upscale Korean Steakhouse to Miami This February Miami New Times, January 15, 2021, retrieved May 27, 2021^
- America's First Michelin-Starred Korean Steakhouse Will Soon Debut in Las Vegas June 4, 2024^
- The 2018 James Beard Award Semifinalists www.jamesbeard.org^
- The 2019 James Beard Award Semifinalists www.jamesbeard.org, retrieved May 20, 2021^
- The 2020 James Beard Award Semifinalists www.jamesbeard.org^
- Michelin Guide retrieved March 11, 2018^
- Krader, Kate. The Dish of the Year Is Actually a Cocktail Bloomberg.com, December 26, 2018, retrieved December 27, 2018^
- MICHELIN Guide Reveals Inaugural Florida Selection Michelin North America, Inc.^
- Dai, Serena. Pete Wells Thinks Cote Serves Better Beef Than Any Other Korean Barbecue in NYC Eater NY, November 14, 2017, retrieved December 27, 2018^
- Wells, Pete. This May Be the Best Beef at Any Korean BBQ in New York The New York Times, November 14, 2017, retrieved December 27, 2018^