A massive new 6,000-square-foot Korean destination is set to make its mark when Teo Nomad opens this summer at 135 W 29th St. Named after the Korean word for “fundamental ground,” the concept will include a café, private tea room, restaurant, brewery, and an art gallery in a single venue. It will be located in the recently renovated Haymarket Building.
Taye Yun, director of operations, recently told What Now New York that the restaurant will be either “plant-based” or “plant-forward.”
“Obviously, people are more aware now of ‘K-barbecue’, which is fine,” he said. “But, rather than being meat-centered, meat-focused, we want to cherish the history of how Koreans marinate and season their vegetables in a particular way and let meat be more of a supporting role.”
A café space at the front of the venue will be dedicated to malcha — the Korean term for matcha. Yun said the tea will be sourced through a direct partnership with the Hadong government, which oversees Korea’s first and most prestigious tea-harvesting region. The tea program will be overseen by a tea director from South Korea.
Teo NoMad will also have a downstairs brewery featuring specialized machinery imported from Korea to produce fresh, probiotic-rich makgeolli (Korean rice wine). Yun said the beverage program will be anchored by a curated list of 12 malcha-based drinks and a menu of rice wines.
“We’re trying to introduce the key ingredients that are harvested in Korea and then have a certain kind of a hub where it could become a product, a dining experience, or a bar experience,” Yun added.
Teo Nomad is currently eyeing a mid-July soft launch to test its operations, with an official opening planned for early August. Once open, the venue will host regular programming including brand partnerships and listening sessions in its basement lounge, further cementing its status as a multifaceted cultural destination.
