A Michelin-Starred Koreatown Stunner Has Closed

A Michelin-starred restaurant known for bending the rules of Korean cooking has closed.

Chef and owner Jiho Kim has shuttered Joomak Banjum at 312 Fifth Avenue, between West 31st and 32nd streets, with plans to open in a new location this fall. Kim also runs (with Sechul Yang) the still open Korean pastry spot, Ddobar, along with JM Bakery, both inside Olly Olly Market.

The former chef of the Modern attributed the closure of the original location to “skyrocketing” rent. At the beginning of 2023, the year’s lease jumped from $38,000 to $42,000, which amounted to 20 percent of the restaurant’s revenue. He explains that the math wasn’t sustainable for the fine dining establishment, and the last day of operation was February 18, 2024.

Joomak Banjum opened in 2021, with Kim, along with pastry chefs, Sarah Kang and Kelly Nam, teaming up to assemble a sweet and savory tasting menu that reflected their pastry backgrounds. “This is the type of wonderful thing that happens when you let two excellent dessert chefs run the show, blurring the lines between sweet and savory ....”

Kim is scouting new locations as he aims for a ten-year lease at a more affordable rate. Diners who miss the squid ink sourdough jjajangmeyon noodles in black bean sauce or the duck leg galbi in apricot mousseline that helped nab one Michelin star in 2022 won’t have to wait until the comeback: Starting in April, Kim plans to launch Joomak Nights at Ddobar: a BYO $185 tasting menu sans corkage fee on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The Ddobar menu would reappear the rest of the week.