Korean Fast-Casual Spot Korilla BBQ Is Opening a Downtown Brooklyn Location

Brooklyn lunch fiends will soon have a new place to eat bulgogi burritos and Korean barbecue pork rice bowls at 2 MetroTech, near Lawrence Street. Popular Korean fast-casual burrito and bowl spot, Korilla BBQ will open a location in Downtown Brooklyn by late spring or early summer, the second brick and mortar location after its East Village flagship at 23 3rd Ave.

Owner Edward Song originally launched Korilla BBQ as a food truck that he has parked in the neighborhood every other week for nearly two years, giving him momentum that has garnered over 12,000 Instagram followers and over 25,000 Twitter fans.

The Brooklyn location will differ from the East Village spot in that chef Michaelangelo Calvarido has created a new breakfast menu for the outpost, with both Korean dishes and items like breakfast burritos layered with Korean-style meats. Also look for Korean congee with a water base, corn, whipped eggs, and additions like pork belly and sausage. He’ll also offer breakfast rice bowls and breakfast sandwiches.

Lunch and dinner will present the same create-your-own meals of the East Village location, but Calvarido will also feature “chef-curated bowls” at the new Brooklyn spot. A wider variety of kimchi will be on the menu, along with in-season vegetables.

Song says they wanted to open in Downtown Brooklyn after seeing the popularity of their truck. Developer Forest City Ratner Companies brought them on in hopes of helping to turn the neighborhood into a dining destination.

Several other restaurant and restaurant complexes have opened up recently in the area. Gotham Market at The Ashland debuted on Thursday a little further south, and chef Rob Newton and Kerry Diamond, the team behind respected Carroll Gardens restaurants Nightingale Nine and Wilma Jean opened their latest restaurant, Black Walnut, on Schermerhorn Street.