Somaek Korean is an a la carte Korean restaurant in Downtown Boston built around family-style service. Chef Jamie Bissonnette runs the kitchen as partner, working alongside consulting chef Soon Han — his mother-in-law — with Tong Lee serving as sous chef and chef de cuisine.
The menu draws on home-made, traditional Korean cooking: bossam (steamed pork belly wraps) and nong-eo hwe (Korean striped bass sashimi) to start, with mains like galbi gui (LA-cut grilled beef short rib), kimchi jjigae, doenjang jjigae, and ojing-eo bokkeum. Multiple kimchi varieties are made in-house, and the drinks list runs on a Korean-forward spirits program of soju, makgeolli, and yakju.
Regulars treat it as a repeat destination, drawn back by the house-made banchan and attentive service, with particular praise for the bartenders and for dishes like the beef and seafood mains.
Somaek Korean was included on The New York Times' Restaurant List in 2024, was a James Beard Foundation Best New Restaurant semifinalist in 2025, and was selected for Michelin's 2025 guide.
The menu draws on home-made, traditional Korean cooking: bossam (steamed pork belly wraps) and nong-eo hwe (Korean striped bass sashimi) to start, with mains like galbi gui (LA-cut grilled beef short rib), kimchi jjigae, doenjang jjigae, and ojing-eo bokkeum. Multiple kimchi varieties are made in-house, and the drinks list runs on a Korean-forward spirits program of soju, makgeolli, and yakju.
Regulars treat it as a repeat destination, drawn back by the house-made banchan and attentive service, with particular praise for the bartenders and for dishes like the beef and seafood mains.
Somaek Korean was included on The New York Times' Restaurant List in 2024, was a James Beard Foundation Best New Restaurant semifinalist in 2025, and was selected for Michelin's 2025 guide.