Bun-Ker Vietnamese Team Plans to Close Original Ridgewood Location Next Week

Hit Vietnamese restaurant Bun-Ker will be closing its original outpost on a nearly-empty stretch of Ridgewood next week as it gears up for its new location. Owner/chef Jimmy Tu gained a following for killer Vietnamese street food at the location, even though the tiny, hip restaurant at 46-63 Metropolitan Ave. is a trek from the subway and surrounded by factories. He’s closing it on Tuesday, November 15 since the new, bigger Bun-Ker at 99 Scott Ave. in Bushwick/East Williamsburg is so close. "There’s no point," he says. "Right now, we have so much on our plate." The new location, which will have a more expansive menu and a small retail shop, is expected to open on November 29.

But the change does not necessarily mean the original outpost will change hands. Tu always considered turning it into a totally different restaurant. With work on the new location and a space in the new Dekalb Market in Downtown Brooklyn, the team hasn’t had time to consider what it could be instead. "It would be totally different," he says. "Anywhere from Senegalese to Japanese. Who knows?" That said, it’s up in the air, and selling the space is also still on the table. "For the time being, we’re just going to let it go," he says.

• Team Behind Queens Vietnamese Favorite Bun-Ker Gears Up For Big, Ambitious New Location [ENY]
• All Coverage of Bun-Ker [ENY]