Venue-specific photo of Kisa, from the venue's own website.
Photo: Kisa (venue website) · Source
Kisa is a Korean restaurant on Allen Street on the Lower East Side, modeled on Korea’s kisa sikdang, the “driver’s restaurants” that feed taxi drivers home-style meals quickly and cheaply.
Eater New York explains the format: the only choice is your protein, and the rest is a set spread of refillable banchan. Reviewers like the nostalgic decor, the generous banchan and the bulgogi, and recommend extras such as the sausage and rice cake skewers and the raw marinated shrimp.
In the news & reviews
- Eater NY: The Best Lower East Side Restaurants
“Kisa is meant to evoke the taxi driver restaurants of Korea, where affordability and speed are top priorities.”
- Eater NY: The Hottest Lunch Spots in NYC Right Now
“During dinner service at Kisa, the menu is $32 featuring a daily selection of banchan: All there is to do is pick a protein.”
- Restaurantji review of Kisa
“Squid platter $36 - the squid was very tender and delicious.”
- Restaurantji review of Kisa
“Tonkatsu lunch $19 - very generous portion of tonkatsu, 2 large pieces.”
Venue Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Leaflet
Starter listings from public sources — verify hours before visiting. Listed Nov 13, 2026. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Owner or regular? Send a correction.