Ilcha

This Korean restaurant specializes in drinking snacks like chicken wings, bulgogi tater tots, and fried seaweed spring rolls—a.k.a. what you want to fill up on as a pregame warm-up to a night in the Marina. But Ilcha’s stylish, shareable plates don’t just involve a fryer. Bubbling hot pots are on most tables, filled with everything from tofu or ramen to kimchi and baked beans. Go for the bulgogi version, which is loaded with cabbage, rice cakes, mushrooms, and bouncy japchae. And the must-order soy-cured shrimp are a sweet and salty dream. Eating it all against all-white walls and a striking mural is a great way to feel chic before losing your dignity at some nearby bar.