This little place, tucked above the Peculiar Pub, is one of the gems of the neighborhood that some are starting to call NoHo. On Bleeker between LaGuardia and Thompson, Choga serves a one-two punch of some of the best Korean food south of 14th street combined with sushi that consistently gets rave reviews from my sushi-indulging friends (sadly, I don't eat fish). It's the perfect lunch or dinner location, and the takeout/delivery food is of the same high quality as the food you get when you sit down.

Let me start off by saying that kimchi stew is one of my favorite dishes in the world, and Choga's kimchi stew is unquestionably the best I've ever eaten. It comes in two varieties, spicy and sinus-clearing, and you never know what you're going to get. The galbi, both for lunch and for dinner, is amazing, and the other Korean dishes have gotten positive responses from Koreans and non-Koreans alike. The lunch menu is fantastic and averages around 7 bucks and the dinner menu is a knockout that runs from about $10 to about $17 per dish… which is about what you'd expect from the neighborhood.

Besides being a great stopover for lunch, Choga makes a great start to an evening. They can easily put together several tables for large groups (I've gone with groups of up to 10, and just saw a group of 16 today), and can find you an out-of-the-way table for two with a candle and some Korean wine if you're there with a special someone.

The staff is friendly, although their English is oftentimes limited to job-related functions (ie, if you don't speak Korean, you're not going to be able to flirt with your waitress very well, although they'll be too polite to let you know that). The food oftentimes takes a while to be prepared due to the high volume of business that they do, but it's always worth the wait.

Choga is perfect for takeout or long lunches. It's also one of the best spots for a nice downtown dinner with authentic Korean food (and, of course, sushi). It's also pretty close to what you'll find in a newer Korean restaurant in Seoul and it's rare that there isn't at least one table of people speaking Korean. It's not a great place if you're in a hurry or if you have very specific dietary needs (chances are you won't get your ideas across unless you speak Korean), but it's an awesome location if you're into great, traditional, butt kickingly spicy Korean food.

This place is better than most of the places I ate at in Seoul.

A fantastic, inexpensive, and friendly Korean/Japanese restaurant just near the corner of Bleecker and Thompson Street. The menu has both Korean and Japanese dishes; however, the staff is Korean and will guide you toward the Korean dishes for preference. Let yourself be guided.

The food is very good--lovely, fresh, clean flavours, with side dishes of kimchi and other pickles and sesame oil sauces.

The staff is good-natured and helpful without being obsequious.

Whilst not the most buzzing place we ate at, it was certainly great value and seemed to have a few regulars in.

Two adults and a child ate for $55, including drinks.