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GUI Steakhouse Is Not Your Daddy’s Chop House
February 27, 2025, 12:52.05 am ET

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Photos: Molly Tavoletti

A new steakhouse just hit the Theater District, and it's not playing by the old-school rules. GUI Steakhouse, the latest venture from Michelin-starred Chef Sungchul Shim, isn't just another fancy meat palace—it’s a full-throttle reinvention of the American steakhouse, loaded with Asian flavors and a menu that makes your standard porterhouse look downright basic.

Opening its doors at 776 8th Avenue, GUI (which means "grilled" or "roasted" in Korean) is an upscale yet unstuffy two-story spot where dry-aged USDA Prime cuts share the stage with premium Japanese A5 Wagyu, all grilled to perfection over binchotan charcoal. But this isn’t just about the beef—Shim’s menu also leans hard into seafood, including oysters topped with caviar or uni, razor clams, and a seafood "ICE Plate" puts the usual shrimp cocktail to shame.


Photos: Molly Tavoletti

GUI’s menu is packed with unexpected takes on steakhouse classics. There’s a Clam Chowder Pie (yes, you read that right), Mala Gambas with Sichuan spice, and a Double-Cooked Thick Cut Bacon glazed in chunjang for a hit of sweet and smoky. Even the salads mean business, with the Chopt Salad loaded up with black garlic hummus and smoked bacon, while the Caesar gets a punch of umami from candied anchovy and milk bread croutons.

And don’t sleep on the sauces—GUI’s got steak pairings on lock with a lineup that includes Black Garlic Bordelaise, Gochujang-infused Choron, and a makgeolli-spiked Béarnaise. If you're not dunking your perfectly-seared Ribeye into some of that magic, you’re doing it wrong.

Of course, no meal here is complete without a visit to Bar 92, the sultry ground-floor cocktail lounge serving up Wagyu Katsu and a mean GUI Shrimp Burger. The sleek 38-seat hideaway is pronounced "goo-ee,” a play on words as the two numbers 9 and 2 in Korean, when pronounced side by side also means "grill". It is the perfect spot to sip on soju or makgeolli before heading upstairs to get your steak fix.

With seating for 130 and two private dining rooms, GUI is primed to be the go-to for pre-theater crowds, power dinners, and anyone who’s tired of the same old porterhouse routine. Reservations are available at guinyc.com. This place is already heating up, and the grill isn’t the only thing on fire.



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