Danji, the intimate Michelin gem on West 52nd Street has finally reopened.

After a fire next door to the restaurant in April 2023, which temporarily closed down the beloved Korean Michelin-Starred, modest space that is definitely superior to fancy white tablecloth spots, many feared the worst.

Well, rejoice.

Here is the best part. It is as if nothing ever happened, which let’s be honest, is kind of amazing in a city where post-renovation often means quadrupled prices, QR code menus and furniture that looks like it was shipped in flat-packed from “Pretentious Scandinavian Dining Concepts R Us.”

Not Danji. Same intimate vibe. Same moody lighting. Same narrow space where you will elbow a stranger trying to hang your coat and somehow become friends by the second sake or soju.

Danji is Chef Hooni Kim’s debut restaurant which originally opened 15 years ago and was awarded the first ever Michelin star in the world and for Korean cuisine.

The Food? Still a love letter accented for moi by a lovely Terada Honke Kadori sake ($16).

Danji has quietly curated one of the best little sake and soju lists in Midtown. Whether you like your sake cold and clean or warm and whispering secrets, they have something for you.

Let’s get to what you really care about. The food is still fantastic. The Yellowtail Sashimi was sweet and silky, a fresh, tantalizing appetizer ($22).

The Cod Roe over Rice with seaweed, sesame and scallion was a wonderfully layered treat ($17).

The tofu is to die for. The best anywhere and I say that as someone who does not like it. Tofu, in my experience, usually tastes like someone dared a sponge to impersonate food. Danji’s crispy and soft tofu version is silken, savory and somehow alive with flavor. It is not tofu trying to be something else. It is tofu being its best self ($16).

The Korean Fried Chicken Wings. I ordered the non-spicy version with onion dip. They were delectably crispy. Finger lickin’ good without the greasy mess and oily aftertaste ($21).

While I devoured the wings my husband dug into the Soy Poached Sablefish with rice.

The sablefish was buttery and lacquered in miso like its fancy cousin, black cod in every Nobu-adjacent dining room, but with more soul and less showboating ($38).

We ended the meal with a scoop of refreshingly gratifying Black Sesame Ice Cream ($8).

The staff is still that perfect mix of attentive, but not clingy.

They welcome you like they’re genuinely glad you are back, which, frankly, we all need after years of being ghosted by our favorite haunts. No QR code menus here. Just humans with smiles and real paper menus. It’s practically vintage.

Danji isn’t just a comeback story. It is a quiet, confident reminder that greatness doesn’t need to reinvent itself with every reboot. Sometimes, you just need to survive the explosion, dust yourself off and bring back the same damn deliciousness that made people fall in love the first time.

Take note: Danji offers a fabulous seven-course Danji’s Greatest Hits Tasting Menu for $78 per person as well as a four-course Beverage Pairing for $42.

Danji 346 West 52nd Street New York City. Open Tuesday-Saturday 5-10pm. Reservations on Resy.