The best way to describe Han Bat is with the words "peasant food." The dishes are hearty, basic, and traditional, with the emphasis on large portions rather than appearance, ambience, or the highest quality.

I recommend any of the chi gae dishess, spicy Korean casserole/stews that will warm your belly in the winter. The bibimbap, which is rice mixed with vegetables, egg, and meat served in a stone pot with red pepper paste, is also a consistently solid choice. They bring plenty of ban chan (side dishes), with the kim chi usually on the e-guh (ripe) side. One thing I will warn against is the man doo. These are fried Korean dumplings and it's listed as a main dish, but really should be considered an appetizer-type dish to be shared by the table. There always seems to be a non-Korean person who orders it whenever I'm eating there and it takes everything I have to keep from jumping out of my seat to advise them not to do it. But then again, they seem to like it well enough when it comes out, so what do I know? P.S. There’s no "on the table" BBQ.

Hanbat Restaurant
53 W 35th St.
New York, NY 10001-2219
212/629-5588

If you tell any New Yorker Korean that you like Hanbat, they'll say, "Oh, that's peasant food," because the vegetables at Hanbat are traditionally from the mountains of Korea. So? I order the bibimbap here, which is a large bowl of rice full of different kinds of root vegetables and shredded beef. Put a little hot sauce and mix it with a big spoon and you're set for the day. And as for every Korean sit-down meal you have, it comes with several side dishes you can pick on while waiting for your dish. This place is also one of my favorite places to get kimchi, Korean pickled cabbage.

After living in Korea for a year, I have a pretty high threshold for how I judge Korean food. Having said that, I really enjoy Han Bat. It is very popular with Koreans (which is a good sign) and all of my favorite dishes have been wonderful. I recommend the Bibimbap or the Beef Kalbi. The atmosphere is relaxed and the decor is tasteful (not fancy but pleasant). I have never had to wait to be seated although it seems to be busier at lunch than dinner. I recommend this restaurant for both first timers looking to try Korean food and for hard-core Korean food fans.