After gaining a following as a pop-up, a handroll omakase concept is opening a permanent downtown Charleston location this summer.
KYN, a concept from chefs Tae Woo Lee and Peter Marcus of Lee Marcus Food Group, will debut at 61 Cannon St., according to the restaurant’s Instagram page.
The duo began cooking together in 2023 in New York City. Lee was operating his first restaurant when Marcus joined to help lead the Tacomakase series, a 14-course tasting menu with beverage pairings that blended Japanese technique with masa, RESY reported.
Lee and Marcus reunited after moving to Charleston in October and have since hosted events and pop-ups at Wine Shop Sullivan’s Island and SOMM Wine Bar.
Now, the duo plans to establish a permanent home, serving handrolls, crudos, experimental salads and noodles featuring seafood imported from Japan and global flavor profiles.
“The food here, it’s fun. It’s going to be a combination of a lot of us working together through this vessel of handrolls, Japanese-style fish that we’re flying in, so bringing in a lot of those techniques, those old-world traditions in the new age of food and cocktails,” Lee said in an Instagram video.
The space will feature what the pair describes as an “immaculate vibe” with “hip music,” and they look forward to serving the community.
“It’s going to be a party. We’re excited to open the doors and see a lot of familiar faces and a lot of new faces,” Marcus said in the video.
The team will hold an open hiring call Wednesday, July 1, and Thursday, July 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for all positions, including front-of-house managers, bartenders, servers, cooks, kitchen managers and porters.
An official opening date has not yet been announced, however, visit the LMFG website and follow along on Instagram for the latest updates.
What Now Charleston reached out to the team. This article may be updated.
