Baekjeong is back in Koreatown, and this time the Korean barbecue institution has more than doubled down on its ambitions. The new restaurant, called Baekjeong Black, was scheduled to open September 23 at 49 West 32nd Street, tucked inside the landmarked Martinique New York building — an 8,000-square-foot, two-floor operation built to replace the original spot that closed its doors two years earlier.
According to whatnow.com, the opening marks the return of the Baekjeong brand to New York City after a two-year absence. Joseph Ko of Circle Hospitality Group is behind the new restaurant, having opened the original Baekjeong in New York twelve years ago, the outlet reports. Baekjeong first closed its original location at 1 East 32nd Street on January 1, 2024, with plans to relocate to the new Broadway-adjacent address under the Baekjeong Black name.
Co-owner Bobby Kwak explained the move at the time by pointing to demand the old space simply couldn't handle. “We've outgrown the space and are relocating. We couldn't meet the demand,” Kwak said, per the same whatnow.com report. That account describes Baekjeong Black as an 8,000-square-foot, two-floor space, while a separate 2024 report from ny.eater.com described the planned restaurant as a 300-seat operation with premium meats that would be the largest in Koreatown when it opened — the two outlets' figures differ, and no current source confirms a final seating count.
Two Floors, Two Very Different Experiences
The new building splits its identity by floor. On the ground level sits Yangban, a cocktail bar serving small plates alongside Korean-inspired versions of classic drinks, the report notes. Upstairs, Baekjeong offers what the site calls the full Korean barbecue experience, with tableside grilling and a choice of USDA Prime, dry-aged, and Wagyu beef cuts for diners to select before their meal.
The New York Times offered a similar picture in late September, reporting that founders Joseph Ko and Bobby Kwak were back a block away from their original location and on two floors of the Martinique New York. The Times described the ground floor as a cocktail bar called Yangban that will eventually serve lunch, and the second floor as a full-throttle Korean barbecue restaurant with tabletop grills and assorted cuts of meat on display.
A Brand With Roots Back to South Korea
Baekjeong's story stretches back further than its Manhattan comeback. The brand was founded in South Korea in 2003 and opened its first U.S. location in Los Angeles in 2012, whatnow.com reports, and the company's own account on baekjeongkbbq.com states it quickly expanded to nine restaurants across California, New York, and Washington.
As first reported by Time Out New York, the revived restaurant leans hard into that heritage with design details meant to root the space in Korean tradition, pairing modern bar culture with a classic tabletop grilling format on the floor above. The old Baekjeong space at 1 East 32nd Street, meanwhile, was slated to become a New York outpost of Los Angeles's Ahgassi Gopchang, known for intestines and offal, according to ny.eater.com — a 34-table restaurant across two levels that whatnow.com reported was set to open on February 20, 2024.
More Locations On the Horizon
The Koreatown reopening isn't expected to be the end of the expansion. The Times reports that the owners have promised more locations in Brooklyn and Queens, though no addresses or opening dates for those future spots have been confirmed.
Ko and Kwak's footprint in the neighborhood already extends beyond Baekjeong. The pair is also linked to Nōksu, a seasonal, multi-course tasting-menu restaurant serving high-end Korean fare, located at the same 49 West 32nd Street address near Broadway, according to ny.eater.com. Whether Baekjeong Black can match the scale its backers have described for it, the new restaurant has already restored a long-running Koreatown name to a dramatically bigger stage.
