Atomix

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

The Idea Behind the Name

Ato derives from an ancient Korean word for "gift" — and that etymology quietly frames everything at Atomix. Husband-and-wife team Chef Junghyun "JP" Park and manager Ellia Park built the restaurant as a place where guests could go deep into Chef Park's New Korean cuisine through a tasting menu rooted in Korean traditions and technique. Atomix followed their first restaurant, Atoboy, and has since become the flagship of a small but serious New York dining group that also includes Naro and Seoul Salon.

The Space

Arrive at the unassuming NoMad address and the exterior gives little away. Inside, the ground floor holds an upstairs cocktail bar where a separate bar tasting menu is offered — courses prepared by the R&D Chef, paired with a beverage sequence curated by the drinks team. The main event unfolds in the basement: a 14-seat U-shaped counter with an open kitchen close enough to watch every move. Two seatings run each evening, and reservations are required.

What Arrives at the Counter

The Chef's Counter experience is a 12-course tasting menu of New Korean cuisine, each dish presented in bespoke ceramics alongside a card explaining the ingredients, origins and inspiration behind the plate. Expect combinations built on world-class flavour and texture — lamb with deodeok (a Korean root vegetable), cherry blossom trout with Korean mustard and rhubarb, sea cucumber with shrimp and egg over rice, wagyu contrasted against cold noodles. The wine program moves between classic and avant-garde producers chosen to align with the kitchen's flavours.

Recognition That Reflects the Work

The accolades are substantial and hard-earned. Atomix holds two Michelin stars, three stars from The New York Times, and was ranked No. 1 in North America's 50 Best Restaurants. On the global stage, the restaurant has climbed steadily through the World's 50 Best Restaurants, reaching No. 6 in 2024 and No. 12 in 2025 — recognition that frames Atomix as one of the defining expressions of Korean gastronomy anywhere in the world. Chef JP Park received the James Beard Award for Best Chef New York State in 2023, while the restaurant earned the James Beard Outstanding Hospitality award in 2025, a distinction that reflects Ellia Park's equally essential role in the experience.

A Broader Conversation

Atomix regularly invites chefs from acclaimed restaurants around the world — from Central and Quintonil to KOL and Smyth — for two-night collaborations that set the kitchen's ideas in dialogue with other culinary perspectives. These events are not sideshows; they are a genuine extension of what the Parks are building: a restaurant that treats New Korean cuisine as a living, outward-looking practice rather than a fixed tradition.