The Lower East Side will soon be home to a brand-new Korean BBQ restaurant.
Gangnam Korean BBQ & Hot Pot is the latest concept currently set to arrive on Division Street later this year. It is owned by Yong Li, an experienced hospitality professional with years of experience who previously served as General Manager for Nikko Asian Cuisine for the past ten years. Located in Fairfield, New Jersey, Nikko offers guests sushi and hibachi-style Japanese fare in a sleek and contemporary venue with its own DJ and dance floor.
Now, after many years of service at Nikko, Li is now getting ready to launch his very own concept in New York. His restaurant, Gangnam, will be opening up at 125 Division Street, between Orchard and Canal streets. The space is located right next to the fabled “Dimes Square”, a fashionable micro-neighborhood based around the Dimes restaurant that experienced a cultural resurgence during the pandemic. Soon, the gaggle of hipsters and very recent tourists congregating around Dimes will be able to enjoy some Korean barbecue right around the corner.
The location at 125 Division Street is rather spacious for the neighborhood, which is notoriously cramped when it comes to bars and restaurants, and is expected to seat an impressive 140 guests inside at one time. The location was formerly an unknown retail space, and the first floor currently houses the art gallery Europa.
Unfortunately, very little information is known about Gagnam at this time, although Li is intending to acquire a restaurant wine license for the space. He is proposing operating hours of 11:30 AM – 12:00 AM every day, seven days a week, and has no plans to develop any sort of sidewalk cafe. As Li has not yet launched any of Gangnam’s social media pages, you will just have to keep your vigilant eyes on the space for further signs of life as the concept develops.
