Anytime Kitchen ★9.3

Anytime Kitchen: Koreatown’s Late-Night Anju Machine

Korean drinking food — anju — is a genre built for company, and few rooms in Manhattan execute it with more conviction than Anytime Kitchen. Up a narrow staircase in the heart of Koreatown, this third-floor gastropub keeps bubbling stews, crackling fried chicken and cold soju moving until hours most kitchens fear.

The Concept

Established in 2018 and first known as Anytime Soju Bar and Eatery, the flagship of the Anytime Hospitality group runs on a simple thesis: creative, shareable Korean comfort food engineered to pair with soju and makgeolli, served deep into the night. It hasn’t courted glossy critics — its reputation is pure K-town word of mouth, built one late-night table of friends at a time, and the climb up the stairs gives every first visit an open-secret thrill.

What to Order

The army stew — budae jjigae — is the shareable centerpiece: a bubbling pot of sausage, Spam, rice cakes, pork mandu, kimchi and ramyun noodles. Tteokbokki comes several ways, including a cult “super creamy” version and a fiery buldak chicken-and-cheese build. Corn cheese and popcorn chicken are the non-negotiable starters; bulgogi fries and kimchi bacon pilaf handle the carb diplomacy. Deeper cuts reward exploration: wagyu brisket gamjatang with perilla, kimchi cream ramyun, seafood jjamppong, a mandu trio and yukhoe — Korean beef tartare. Weekday lunch pivots to cupbop rice cups and set meals with banchan.

The Space

A dim, modern room that manages cozy and buzzy at once — closer to a stylish den than a canteen, with volume that lets a table actually talk. The small entryway fills with waiting groups late on weekends, which is its own testimonial.

Who It’s For

Groups sharing pots and pouring rounds, K-drama-fuelled first-timers, second-round drinkers who need food that fights back, and genuine night owls — this is one of Koreatown’s true late-night anchors.

Good to Know

How late is it open? Very — into the small hours on weekdays and until nearly dawn on Friday and Saturday nights.

Do I need a reservation? Bookings are accepted and wise for prime evenings; walk-ins work, though late weekend waits build fast.

What should a first table order? Budae jjigae for the table, corn cheese, popcorn chicken and one adventurous tteokbokki.

What do people drink here? Soju — straight or in cocktails — plus makgeolli and beer; the menu is engineered around them.

Is it vegetarian-friendly? Only partially — corn cheese, some tteokbokki and japchae exist, but pork, beef and seafood rule the menu.

Opening hours