A table of plated steaks.

Sungchul Shim quietly opened Gui Steakhouse inside the Times Square William Vale Hotel this past winter. And while steakhouses aren’t usually my thing, the food here is too good to ignore: dishes are precise and balanced, reflecting the skills of the chef. Shim, after all, is behind Kochi, the Korean tasting menu spot he opened in Hell’s Kitchen in 2019, and Mari, the inventive hand roll counter that followed two years later. Both have Michelin stars. Following that duo, Shim opened Mari.Ne in 2023, a more casual Mari spinoff, and DonDon, a buzzy Korean barbecue joint. Gui marks a stylistic pivot: For a chef whose restaurants are definitively modern Korean, an American steakhouse in Midtown’s most touristy neighborhood feels, at first, like an outlier.

Much like Daniel Boulud’s new (showier) Flatiron steakhouse, La Tête d’Or, peppered in French influences, Gui – with its three separate spaces, the first floor bar, the second floor main dining room, and the not-yet-open omakase room – is rooted in an American steakhouse tradition, woven with Korean accents. On the menu, the mignonette is made with makgeolli for the raw bar. The brioche comes with a jocheong-seasoned butter. There’s galbi as well as a porterhouse among the meat cuts. Dishes reflect Shim’s precise, technique-driven style, which was honed at some of the city’s most acclaimed fine dining restaurants (he cooked under Thomas Keller at Per Se, at Le Bernardin with Eric Ripert, and later at Neta).

The dining room at Gui.

While Times Square gets a bad rap — even though there are good restaurants all over the neighborhood — Gui’s food is a draw: particularly when you’re with a group that includes a range of conservative to adventurous diners.

The vibe: The setting wears an anywhere-in-the-world anonymity with its neutral dining room and private, dimly lit seating. Jazz plays softly. The bar on the far wall glows. It’s not scene-y, nor is it a design marvel, which reinforces why you’re here: to get out of the mayhem that is Times Square and to eat very good food. The service is tight, too, with pacing that’s closer to fine dining, but less officious.

The food: Gui runs on a choose-your-own-adventure setup. You could settle in at Bar 92 downstairs for cocktails and a brief menu of oysters, hamachi, and burgers (beef or shrimp: $26, $23). Upstairs, it’s a mix of steakhouse hits and Korean dishes that feel dialed up and personal. But the crown jewel might end up being Hwaro, the omakase-style counter set to open this fall. Picture a 22-seat circle around a custom grill and oven, with course-by-course ceramicware and mother-of-pearl inlay accents flown in from Korea. If what Shim’s doing now at Gui is any hint, it’s going to be something special.

On the steakhouse side, Gui delivers the classics with polish, showcasing meat from Creekstone Farm in the dry-age case behind the host stand. The bone-in rib-eye arrives nicely charred, deeply savory, and sliced tableside ($89). The prime rib marinates in shio kombu with a koji crust. Sides include two potato options — mashed with Comte or rosti with yuzu creme fraiche ($12). The eggplant katsu is a good pick, with celery root and tomato ragout ($12). Creamed corn is mac-and-cheese-like with a cheddar-miso mornay ($12). And a common side, pea leaves ($18), was recommended by the server as a dish she eats as often as she can, for good reason.

Skip the steak, and you’re still in for a great meal. Shim’s mom ships him meju (fermented soybean blocks), gochugaru (chile powder), and yeotgireum (malted barley) so he can make his own soy sauce, doenjang, and gochujang from scratch: That attention comes through in every dish.

In that vein, Korean offerings read like comfort food for the fine-dining crowd. There’s the crispy-edged dolsot bibim bap with the extra umami of seaweed ($21) or a creamy uni add-on ($25). Thin-sliced chadol wagyu brisket is another option ($23). (This was the dish I was most thrilled to eat the next day for leftovers.) The doenjang jjigae with clams and fermented soybeans is elegant, stocked with clams ($15). If you’re here with a friend, also order the sundubu jjigae, with chadol brisket and soft tofu and a chile kick ($15). Shim’s version of the humble dan dan noodles, dressed with roasted peanuts and Sichuan chile pork, is arguably better than most around town. And while the kimchi waygu fried rice topped with bacon and fried egg might be a bit redundant ($32), the kimchi is so terrific that it makes the dish. For dessert, there’s a wild coconut pineapple gochujang panna cotta, a yuzu baked Alaska, and a mousse with ssamjang caramel that’s truly a black and white dish ($17 to $19).

Gui feels less like a Times Square steakhouse and more like a proving ground for one of New York’s standout Korean chefs: that it happens to be located in one of the city’s most notoriously touristy neighborhoods might just be part of the trick.

Good to know: If you’re solo or with just one other person, head to the upstairs bar and order all the Korean dishes toward the bottom of the menu. The prices are fair, the flavors are memorable, and — if you’re anything like me — you’ll walk away quite pleased.