New Korean restaurants opening in Louisville as the cuisine, culture rises in popularity

Since he was a kid, Edward Lee was sure about one thing. He wanted to be a chef.

Among the many surprises along the way to making his dream come true, something still baffles Lee.

“If you had told me 20 years ago I would be opening a Korean restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky,” he recently told the Courier Journal, “I never would've believed you."

What once was beyond belief is now Nami, the modern Korean steakhouse Lee opened in May, after years of being a star player in the rise of Louisville’s food scene. Nami has already received local and national praise, including a place on Esquire’s list of “50 Best New Restaurants in America,” released in early December.

This is not Lee’s first time running a restaurant paying homage to his heritage. But it has been a couple of decades. Twenty-five-year-old Lee opened his first restaurant, serving Korean cuisine, in New York City.

Nami marks a return to Lee’s roots, as the Esquire article stated, just as Korean cuisine is "peaking."

This food’s rising popularity has been well documented over the last several years, including data from The Food Institute reporting that interest in Korean cuisine spiked nearly 90% in the 12 months leading up to January 2022.

“All foods have their moment and Korean food is definitely having a moment,” Lee told the Courier Journal.

And the moment has reached Louisville.

Korean food, culture exploding across Louisville's dining scene

As Lee has observed, several new Korean restaurants have opened or are planning to open in the Louisville area.

Along with Nami, Top 1 Korean BBQ & Hotpot is expected to open in December at 1803 Bardstown Road and KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot, an all-you-can-eat chain, has a location planned on South Hurstbourne Parkway.

Miki’s Karaoke Bar, which offers karaoke daily and serves fast-casual Korean street food, opened in September at 2230 Frankfort Ave. in the former Jake and Elwood's restaurant space.

Mikyong Miller, a native of Seoul, South Korea, who has lived in Louisville and worked in the restaurant industry for 20 years, has long dreamed of opening her own spot.

Miller previously told the Courier Journal that she wanted to offer a simplistic menu with a homey vibe.

“I want it to be a happy place,” she said.

Lee feels similarly about wanting to bring the comfort of Korean food, with upscale touches, to Nami. He felt motivated to open the restaurant in Louisville after years of impressing at dinner parties at his house.

“I’d serve Korean food and my friends would be like, ‘Why aren't you doing this at a restaurant?’” he said. “After hearing that over and over, it was like, ‘Yeah, maybe we should try something with that.’”

This was after Lee made a name for himself with restaurants such as 610 Magnolia and Milkwood, which closed and is now the McAtee Community Kitchen, and with appearances on shows such as “Top Chef” and “Mind of a Chef.” He also authored “Buttermilk Graffiti,” which earned Lee a James Beard Award for food writing.

Yet, there was some hesitation about opening a Korean restaurant here.

“When a food is slightly obscure, it’s a gamble to do that,” he said. “There’s always a timing element for it. You think the public is ready, but you’re not sure.”

Lee felt the timing was right.

“I think Korean food has been building for a long time,” he said. “It has been in the country for a long time, just more in the bigger cities and now you’re seeing it go through smaller cities.”

He suspects this can be somewhat tied to the rise of Korean pop culture. Netflix now has a robust category for K-dramas, the nickname for TV series such as “Squid Game” produced in South Korea, and K-pop, the shorthand for Korean popular music, has become mainstream on the heels of bands such as BTS and Blackpink.

“If people are interested in Korean culture, all of the creative arts move in the same direction,” Lee said. “And for Korean people, food is such a huge part of their culture.”

A legacy of Korean food in Louisville

These new restaurants join longtime Louisville eateries such as Lee’s Korean Restaurant, 1941 Bishop Lane, which date back to the 1980s.

When Chanhwi An’s parents decided to move his family from South Korea to Louisville in the early 2000s, he wasn’t sure what to expect.

“As a Korean, you kind of feel weird. People don’t know where Korea is or what the foods you’re eating are,” An, 31, said. “There’s this identity crisis.”

His parents took over Lee’s, which they’ve owned for about 20 years. He has watched the place welcome generations of customers. And he watched Louisville grow and become more diverse.

“Now, it’s kind of more well-known to be Korean than before,” An said. “I joke with my friends that now it would be hip to be Korean growing up.”

He, too, has noticed the uptick in restaurants in the same genre as Lee’s.

“I think it’s a blessing that people are open to new food,” he said. “I am proud that there is a market for it. I hope that it helps people branch out and even make Korean food on their own.”

Lee hopes to be part of that with Nami, where he’s known to chat with patrons at their tables and share childhood stories about dishes on the menu.

“For as American as I am, it’s also my heritage,” he said. “It’s really fun to explain and share. It’s really important that I represent Korean food and that we do it in a way that's modern and exciting and that we do it in a way that respects the culture.”

Reach food and dining reporter Amanda Hancock at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: New Korean cuisine builds popularity in Louisville with Nami success