Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
A New Korean Noodle Bar Is Coming To The West Village
By
Nell Casey
Published Jul 29, 2017
Modified Jul 29, 2017
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Nell Casey
Published Jul 29, 2017
Modified Jul 29, 2017
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Look out for a new noodle soup slurping spot opening in August in the West Village. Douglas Kim, a chef with an impressive resume that includes Per Se, Morimoto NYC, Bouley and Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare, will open JeJu Noodle Bar in the former Nighthawks space on Greenwich Street serving ramyun, Korea's equivalent of Japanese ramen, with an eye towards recreating this brand on a larger scale.
"In our country, we had ramyun. The funny thing is that it's a very, very popular instant noodle, and we are one of the top few countries in the world that consume ramyun," Kim explains. "But nobody's tried to make a refined version, so I was very curious how I could do it in our way. So that's why I call it a Korean ramyun, because it's very, very similar to Japanese ramen, however the flavor profile is very different."
A preview by Eater goes into greater detail about the signature jeju-ramyun, reporting it will be a pork broth-based bowl with pork belly, scallion, white kimchi, and other accouterments. Besides the small ramyun menu, there are other dishes like hwe dup bap—what Kim describes as a crossover between poke and Japanese chirashi—with sashimi grade fish, hearty vegetables and flavorful sushi rice. "Almost like a one wonder dish," he offers.
Kim is quick to define his restaurant as a noodle bar, not a ramyun bar. "I didn't want to call it a ramyun bar, then I'll have to focus on just ramyun itself. Since it's my first restaurant and first child of the brand, I want this restaurant to be more flexible," he says. "If I call it noodle bar, in that case I can bring a lot more different dishes to the table."
"I want to introduce Korean ramyun and at the same time I want to introduce more authentic Korean dishes, but with my own twist," Kim says. "The funny thing is the majority of the ingredients I'm using in the restaurant...only a few of them are Korean ingredients, however all the outcome is Korean food. That's very, very different from other Korean restaurants. I don't need to use Korean chili flakes if I can get better chili flakes from where else. As long as the outcome is better, I don't mind that."
"I'm trying to break the ice between the American palate and the Korean palate," he concludes.
679 Greenwich Street; jejunoodlebar.com
Tagged
douglas kim
jeju noodle bar
korean
korean ramen
ramen
original
Nell Casey
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
Why NYC restaurants are playing coy about sustainability
Though it has multiple benefits, the practice remains popular for one basic reason: it saves money.
By
Samantha Dady
Published Oct 26, 2026
Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.
The median price of a cocktail in the city is now $16, and $9 for a draft beer.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Food
Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.
The median price of a cocktail in the city is now $16, and $9 for a draft beer.
By
Hannah Frishberg
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
By
Robert Sietsema
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .