Korin

A great store for a wide range of Japanese knives prices from $ 100-​$ 5000! We also love cooking equipment and plates/​bowls from the store. The staff is always helpful!

About a month ago at my work I noticed one of my coworker’s beautiful knives after he removed it from it’s wooden sheath. Being that I’d only experienced those crapping plastic bland guards, I was immediately in awe of this new set up. After a few uses of this Togiharu petty knife, I was sold. I had to have one.
To my great surprise, my wonderful mother took action before I could, and purchased a Togiharu petty and santoku knife set for me. Thanks ma!!! :-D To make sure the knives would stay as magnificent as they were on the day I received them, I traveled to Korin to purchase proper wooden sheaths and ask about sharpening stones. All I can say is I received the most educational and pleasant help I’ve ever received when shopping for knives or their accessories. The attendants are so knowledgeable and friendly. From the moment you get there, they greet you and guide you through the store, answering all your questions and giving you all the information you need to pick the right knives and accessories. Truly A+ service.
After a few weeks of working with my new Togiharus, I’m so thankful to have come across them. What absolutely amazing knives. They’re relatively lightweight, have a handle which fits comfortably in my tiny-​winy hand, and have a slightly thinner bland then European style knives; thus allowing them to be more easily sharpened, and allowing you to perform precision cuts with ease, butcher meat and fish like nobodies business (hot knife through butter!), and not crack root vegetables when cutting. Just be sure to not leave this knives wet or exposed to acid for too long. They will rust and discolor!
My advice to you: if you are a culinary professional, take the time to travel to this playland. You’ll be there for longer than you think, and leave with a lighter wallet, but you’ll have a blast. If you’re a home culinary enthusiast, still pay Korin a visit. You’ll find flatware that will be perfect for your next extravagant dinner party, learn a ton about knives and how to care for them, and maybe even get a show from their in-​house sharpener working his magic on the giant stone.
This place is so awesome.

I was really interested in visiting this store. With such great reviews I assumed I would have no problem getting my razor sharpened. To my dismay the establishment is not wheelchair accessible. I called and spoke with someone asking if they had a ramp or another entrance. I had traveled all the way from south Brooklyn. She replied that they did not but placed me on hold. Two employees came to the door and looked out the window, looked directly at me and then walked away. I would also like to add that this place could easily have a portable ramp as the door was more than wide enough and only 2 steps high. The biggest disappointment is that they saw me but offered no assistance.

There is no more satisfying retail experience than a quick trip to Korin. I leave my wife’s dull knives. They are masters of not only sharpening but managing expectation. The knives are always ready before they’re promised. The selection of glassware, aimed at restaurants, is both elegant and sturdy.
Check it out and leave yourself a few extra minutes to browse. Soon, enjoy the delights of a happy cook with a sharp knife.

So ever since my love of cooking and food blossomed, I was always missing one key part — the all purpose chef’s knife. They say a great chef’s knife will last you a lifetime if you properly care for it. And this vow I’d take after purchasing my very first one here at Korin.
Korin is to knives as Tourneau is to watches. They sell different brands and styles of Japanese knives. The day we dropped by, there was an event going on with a raffle to win some knives. This made the store crowded and hot. It was fine since the amount of cutlery was overwhelming. The staff really knew their product (s) and was very helpful.
From the front, you’ll noticed cook books, tableware and cute sake sets as well as glassware. What really caught my attention was the yakitori grill. Gahhh someone needs to get me out of here before I go broke in this store! As you move towards the back, the star of the show rears it’s shiny head. A museum of high grade quality knives ranging from the low hundreds to thousands!
The boo and I ended up with one from the Togiharu line that’s well respected. Lightweight and made with Damascus steel, I’m very happy with my purchase. They also sharpen knives as a service. I hope this store stays around for a long time. I’m sooo in love (sorry boo lol).
4 ½ stars

This store is so low key that I just found out this gem today after passing the same place for 2yrs! What a GEM! I am so happy — Japanese culinary and Japanese knives heaven! love all their beautiful knives, bowls, cups… Basically any cooking tool, any culinary stuff… I also bought a book of Japanese home recipes.
I’ll def come back! Staff is very friendly. Price is fair.

I bought one of the expensive chefs knive masanogu and was very happy with it until today when it broke as I was cutting beef. I contacted the customer service and all they offered to me is 20% off my next purchase. How ridiculous is that? I spent $ 325 and all I got is this offer. I will never go back to this store and buy their products. They don’t treat their customer well. Cheap!!!
3÷3÷16 Update
Well I must say I rushed to put my review about customer service. Today I was contacted by May (hope I spell her name correctly) and she kindly listen to my story and let me exchange my broken knife for the new one. As it was obvious that my knife was defective and had to be sent to the factory.
I’m very happy with it. I hope the quality of this knife will be up to par. Thanks Korin!!!

In the old days, NYC was filled with small, quirky shops that had unique goods available nowhere else. There was an African goods store on 8^th in the Village back when I was in college. My friend and I would start our Christmas shopping spree there so he could buy unique holiday cards. Throw in lost toy stores, one owner jewelry shops, bakeries and non-​chain restaurants and the world has clearly changed. I think, not for the better.
There are a few oldies around. McNulty on Christopher for coffee and tea — Fountain Pen Hospital on Warren to name just two. Happily, while visiting FPH, I saw Korin and popped in. This small store is a throw back to that niche emporium that finds an audience and services it well. Here they sell elegant Japanese style products from dinnerware to extremely high-​end knives. The knife selection, displayed in museum-​like cases, is mind boggling. Prices are not for the faint hearted. I saw tags with a lot of zeros! Some, naturally, are in the hundred dollar range but the top of the line sushi knives are much, much more.
They also have an in-​house knife sharpening service — which makes sense if you sell such serious cutlery. I watched a man slowly hone an edge on an expensive looking blade. He looked like he was straight from central casting ! I spoke to him (his English better than my Japanese) about sharpening as I have a keen interest in knives (pun intended). He said he studied sharpening at the foot of a 90 year old master. The tools he uses, he said, cost as much as some of the knives. Fascinating!
While there, a chef came in with an abused Japanese knife he found in a restaurant kitchen and asked if they could bring it back to life. They said yes and the price was surprisingly low. Cool…
They have classes, elegant wares and a friendly staff. Prices are equal to the quality, meaning fair.
I went home with a small rice bowl and have had my AM cereal from it nearly every day.
Please, shop here to help keep it in business. NYC needs more small exciting shops like this. The last thing we need is another chain store selling the same trash you can buy in Jersey!
Recommended.

Brought my knives for their annual sharpening. Some mid-​range some low-​range. All came back scary-​sharp. $ 15 a knife may sound steep but the value is a great bargain, considering how badly you could cut yourself on a skittering dull knife. They provided fast turnaround and e-​mail notification. Staff were extremely courteous and efficient.

If Hattori Hanzo isn’t available to provide you with some genuine and masterfully crafted Japanese blade works… Korin is as good as any contingency plan that this particular writer can come up with. Upon walking into this small shop, I couldn’t help but notice the quality and craftsmanship of the wares being sold. Cast iron cookware that looks like they’ve been aged and seasoned by a very caring hand, and some obscure cooking instrumentalities (takoyaki pan!) and ceramic pots that I would love to have in my apartment… if I had the means, I would replace (or at the very least supplement) all my cooking tools with stuff from Korin.
The star (s) of the show at this joint, however, is (are) the cutlery. I can’t speak as to the methods and smithwork that went into the making of the assortment of blades for sale (Tempered? Folded steel? No clue!), but just from a visual inspection, yours truly could see the quality… how I wish I could use one in the comfort of my kitchen. But what I observed from the staff (a demonstration or a clinic of some kind) was convincing enough for me. It also didn’t hurt that they were super friendly and knowledgeable (cutie in the red pants too… but I feigned disinterest, as is typical for my sober self to do).
I will definitely be back, maybe pick myself up a new knife for the new year (my CuisineArt ones are starting to get a bit dull).

Insanity. Knives everywhere here. Glorious knives. One feels you’ve stumbled into a Klingon armory or Hatori Hanso’s workshop. (ok I’m geeking out a bit) seriously, you’ve never seen such knives. They are works of art (trust me I’m an art Professor). It makes me stop to wonder if I could even justify using one of these incredible instruments. They have a knife for just about anything. Not to be missed is the $ 9K Tuna blade. It seriously looks like an instrument of destruction. The staff is super friendly and helpful, even to some guy like me who wandered in off the street. They have other special Japanese cookwares, but the knives are what is all about here. After a quick look I can tell they have quite a range to fit both budgets and cooking techniques. If I ever win the lottery I’d definitely stop in here. Maybe someday, maybe someday… It’s cool though just to come inside this place to look at all they have. A must if you’re in TriBeCa and at all interested in cooking.

If you’re serious about knives this best is the absolute best go to. Rui helped me choose a knife! He was super knowledgable and answered every single one of my questions. Let me see and hold as many knives as I wanted while explaining the benefits of each.
Even helped me figure out what to do with my older knives that were wearing down. And it’s not JUST knives. There are tons of great reads, plates, stones and kitchen equipment as well. They also provide seminars monthly from sushi making to knife care.
Calling all Culinary students! The experience doesn’t have to be super expensive. I got an initial 10% off as a student and was able to get a great starting Japanese knife without breaking over $ 100. Their Master even sharpened my knife initially and the salesman explained to me how to sharpen from scratch and what stones to use. It was a great experience.

Amazing place. You can easily feel overwhelmed by all the choices you can make. You go in with a budget in mind and end up spending double!
They have a ton of japanese knives, for everything. I was looking for a starter western knife and they adapted to my budget as possible (7−8″ western knives start at 90 $).
The employees are really corteous and friendly and they will try to help you in every decission. Also they don´t push you to decide and give you time to check every detail.

What a great store! I walked in and while I immediately knew that I could find loads of things I’d like to have here, I was sure it would all be out of my price range. How wrong I was! The ceramics drew me in, since they were interesting, beautiful and reasonably priced. Then I got to the kitchen tools (ditto) and finally to their meat-​and-​potatoes, the knives! The range is spectacular, with a knife in every style and price for anyone. The staff are exceedingly helpful and professional, too. I cannot say enough good things about Korin!

You go for the knives. This is a place you go to to purchase a knife that you will use for the rest of your life. Its also a place to learn how to sharpen the knife as they have classes.
The people are knowledgeable. There pace might be a tad slow.
They have other things that are cool. Japanese kitchen stuff, serving sets, a couple of really cool japanese charcoal grill. The sell the white charcoal from Japan here as well.
All thats cool but, this is a knife museum/​store.

Japanese knives galore. I had a wonderful experience shopping for an entry level professional knife. Everyone was very kind and patiently answered all of my questions and let me look at as many knives as I felt I wanted to see. Knife sharpening is an art; at Korin it is well respected traditional that I felt privileged to be part of for the few hours I was in the shop. I asked for recommendations and absorbed all of the info from the two attentive sales women. All employees are a fountain of knowledge and I felt like I was in good hands making such an important purchase. The authenticity was enhanced by the traditional knife sharpening set up — the the wheels, water, uniforms, many stones. I ended up leaving with a Misono UX10, protective case, knife sharpening stone and base. Highly recommended spending time in the store learning from the sales clerks and knife sharpeners. I will be back for events and to care for my knife. Korin provides a knife sharpening service and knives for purchase; also available are custom order knives. Hopefully many more trips to come!
*Bonus* if coming from NJ, a 2 block walk from the World Trade Center path.

Awesome knives, I just wouldn’t know how to use one ! Tons and tons of chef knives and they ship for you as well. Save the hassle of checking in a bag.

Simply amazing — had a 20 minute chat with one of the guys here and got an impressive overview of Japanese knives. Great selection, friendly and courteous staff — skip the Shun knife collection and Williams Sonoma and come here instead.
Highly recommended.

If you’re any bit serious about your cutlery, then Korin is your mecca. This place sells the most legitimate Japanese knives that you can find in the city, let alone the country. Right in the heart of TriBeCa, Korin might be a small store, but it has more than enough to offer.
I came here the other day to buy a new santoku knife. Even though I don’t really cook, a santoku knife can always come in handy, and worst comes to worst, this knife will make a ballin’ clothing tag cutter.
Once you step inside, you’re greeted with a bunch of Japanese tableware. Head to the back of the store and you’ll see all the knives you’ll ever need in life. From your $ 100 base knife, to the $ 10,000 rare knife, Korin has it all. Even better, they have their knife master, Chiharu Sugai, who will sharpen any knife that you purchase here for free. I ended up settling for a Togiharu santoku knife, which, to my luck, was 15% off. In the end, it cost me just shy of $ 175, which is not too bad considering all the other things that they have for sale.
There’s a reason top chefs come here to get their tools. From Top Chef Kristen Kish, to your regular Joe, Korin has something for everyone. The staff here is nice, and more than willing to take time to explain every single detail to you. Just make sure to bring you wallet because things here do not come cheap. But then again, you get what you pay for.

I had never had my knives professionally sharpened, and with a 4^th of July BBQ planned, I wanted to have my implements in good shape. Finding a sharpener in NYC was harder than it should be, but I decided to go with Korin.
The three knives were done in a few days. When I picked them up, they were given to me in really nice knife sheaths. I couldn’t wait to get home and try them out. Wowza. If I wanted to, I could now make an atomic salad.
I liked the store a lot too. They have a huge selection of knives. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and not at all pushy. They also have a place where you can sit and view the knife sharpeners working, sharpening classes, and a very informative and broad catalog.
While I liked that they had other items available for purchase (dinner sets, rice cookers, etc.), some of the selection was limited (specifically, I wanted to buy an oversized ramen spoon!). Since this is primarily a knife store, even having complementary items available a good thing.
The price was about $ 15 a knife. That is more than I saw at Henry Westpfal & Co and Broadway Panhandler (both were between $ 5-​$ 8) but I certainly can’t argue with the quality. I may try out the other places as a comparison, but Korin is a great choice.