Oyatte – NYC

Oyatte, from Chef Hasung Lee (formerly at Geranium, French Laundry and Atomix), just had its grand opening on May 5th, 2026.

After rooting for Chef Lee while watching Culinary Class Wars, I was excited for the chance to try his new restaurant and was lucky enough to snag a seat during it's opening week. (Funnily enough, I was told that most guests had heard about the opening through Netflix as well)

I thought the ambiance at Oyatte was something genuinely special. Throughout the evening guests are guided through two rooms: the meal starts with a rustic, dimly lit seating area for opening bites and then transitions upstairs into a more polished dining room for the mains and desserts.

The service was attentive and polite throughout the night, especially impressive considering the pressure that naturally comes with opening week.

While the food was unique, it ultimately fell short for me — with the exception of the desserts, both of which were like nothing I had tried before. The two supplements (a porridge with truffle for $40 and a cucumber with caviar for $45) on top of the $210 base menu also made the experience harder to justify against the many other tasting menus in the city at a similar price point.

Menu:
Downstairs:
– Root Vegetable Consommé (6/10)
– 'Moo' Tarte Tatin (8/10)
– Fermented Carrot 'Donut' (6/10)
– Preserved Seasonality (5/10)
– Cured Meats: House Selection (7/10)
– Textures of Radish (6/10)

Upstairs:
– Massachusetts Scallop (6/10)
– Halibut (5/10)
– Spring Green Porridge (7/10)
– Wolfe Ranch Quail (8/10)
– Mugwort Ice Cream (8.5/10)
– Preserved Cara Cara Orange (9/10)
– Mignardises (8/10)