Atomix Tops Inaugural North America’s 50 Best Restaurants Ranking
New York’s Atomix leads the first North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list, marking a milestone for Korean fine dining.
Photo: Courtesy of Atomix
The first-ever edition of North America’s 50 Best Restaurants was unveiled this week in Las Vegas, with Atomix in New York City named the No. 1 restaurant on the continent. The accolade marks a milestone both for the husband-and-wife team behind Atomix, Junghyun “JP” Park and Ellia Park, and for Korean fine dining on the global stage.
The award comes at a high point for the couple’s NA:EUN Hospitality Group, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary next year. Their trajectory began in 2016 with Atoboy, an approachable take on modern Korean cuisine, followed by Atomix in 2018. Atomix’s 12-course tasting menu, built around storytelling and Korean culinary heritage, quickly set a new benchmark for the genre. Each dish is served with a card detailing its inspiration and ingredients, marrying technical precision with cultural narrative. The restaurant now holds two Michelin stars, a James Beard Award for Outstanding Hospitality, and a rare three-star review from the New York Times.
The recognition from 50 Best shows Atomix’s growing influence beyond New York. Ranked No. 12 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, it has become a touchstone for chefs worldwide experimenting with Korean fine dining. The Parks’ group has since expanded with Naro and Seoul Salon, further embedding contemporary Korean cuisine into New York’s dining fabric.
The broader list, compiled by a 300-member panel of chefs, writers, and culinary experts, spans 20 cities across the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean. Montreal’s Mon Lapin (No. 2), Chicago’s Smyth (No. 4), and SingleThread in Healdsburg, California (No. 8), joined New York stalwarts Le Bernardin (No. 9) and Le Veau d’Or (No. 10) in the top tier.
Overall, the list highlights both established temples of gastronomy and newer, boundary-pushing kitchens shaping the region’s dining identity. Under-the-radar U.S. destinations like Denver, Charleston, and Portland were highlighted, while two Caribbean entries—Buzo Osteria Italiana in Barbados and Stush in the Bush in Jamaica—brought further range to the rankings.
Speaking after the award, Chef Park said the recognition was “a motivation to continue pushing ourselves and to share the depth and creativity within Korean cuisine with the world.” For a restaurant built on meticulous detail and cultural storytelling, topping the inaugural list reinforces Atomix’s role not only as a dining destination but as a cultural ambassador redefining what North American fine dining can encompass.
