America's Only Michelin-Starred Korean Steakhouse Packs Even More Fun Underground

New York City's Cote took the food world by storm when it first opened in the Flatiron District in 2017. Restaurateur Simon Kim, head chef David Shim, and beverage director Victoria James (author of "Wine Girl") made the space the place to be seemingly overnight. Before too long, the industrial-chic restaurant landed on esteemed best new restaurant lists, becoming a staple on roundups of the top steakhouses and Korean barbecue spots in town. Cote is a Michelin-starred restaurant, earning the distinction mere months after opening; it's the only U.S. restaurant in its category to hold the honor. Undercote — go ahead and take a quick moment to detect its meaning — premiered the following year.

Undercote, of course, is the moody, sleek cocktail locale with superb small plates plunged beneath (see also: "under") Cote. It is paradoxically dimly lit and verdant with foliage, dramatic yet soothing, and undeniably one of Manhattan's most impressive bars. While carnivores are busy ordering the juiciest steaks on the ground floor, Undercote's patrons are more likely to be downing martinis alongside gochujang-glazed chicken nuggets or doing caviar bumps while sipping a cola nerve tonic mixed with Michter's rye and lavender vermouth. Although its entrance is somewhat obscured and its subterranean coordinates make it a little hidden, Undercote is too cool to call itself a speakeasy (alcohol is legal — those are all just bars). However, unlike Cote upstairs, which is still one of the toughest restaurant bookings in town, Undercote does not accept reservations, so you have to try your luck at the door.

No-reservation destinations are a double-edged sword. On one side: In the absence of the bots and resellers snapping up tables all over hospitality platforms, you might actually have a decent shot at landing a seat. On the other: You might not. But actually getting in more or less follows the same formula as gaining successful entrée to any other so-called hotspot anywhere in the world.

Showing up early never hurts. Undercote is open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. Get there then for your best chance of sauntering right in. Doing so on traditionally less popular weeknights in the beginning and middle of the week might make your chances even better. And if you're prepared to wait, your patience will probably be rewarded. Cote has an upstairs bar with a separate menu that guests can take advantage of in the meantime. Its bartenders offer martinis, too, but you'll only find reserve cocktails like the N.Y. State of Mind, featuring Hennesy XO and cacao-infused Dom Benedictine liqueur, once you venture down below. Of course, you can avoid all this by gathering your six favorite friends — while reservations may not technically be accepted, you can book events in the space for as few as seven people.