Downtown Brooklyn: A Korilla BBQ Brick and Mortar is Coming at You
If you live or work anywhere near downtown Brooklyn, you know that it is not ~precisely~ a culinary destination—yet. Presently, there are very nice options within a ten minute walk of the Jay- and Fulton-Street nexus but, until Dekalb Market Hall opens (we are told!) this spring, the number of exciting lunch destinations that allow you to sit down, relax in a non-corporate setting, and inhale something that does not come from a chain, are limited.
And so within this context it is exciting (for us, and the thousands of others who work around the courthouses and MetroTech Center) to learn of the latest, delicious brick and mortar food addition to the neighborhood: Korilla BBQ.
Soon, we learn from Eater, the Korean rice bowl and burrito food truck standout (which often makes an appearance in the same neighborhood on Thursdays) will create a permanent outpost at 2 MetroTech, and is set to open late this spring or early summer. It will be the second brick and mortar location after the original at 23 3rd Avenue in the East Village.
With City Point residential towers now well on their way to being filled, several more residential towers newly built just across Flatbush Avenue in Fort Greene, an already robust and hungry, but relatively option-short crowd of lunchtime professionals, and a renewed business interest in the neighborhood with additions like Alama Drafthouse and CityTarget, Korilla seems to have made a savvy decision for location number two.
Korilla BBQ owner Edward song said he was convinced to expand here after their truck in the neighborhood had already been drawing such strong lunch crowds. Developer Forest Ratner is said to have added to the argument with their goal to turn the area into a “dining destination.”
The Brooklyn location will provide a slightly different menu than that in the East Village. Chef Michaelangelo Calvarido (imagine walking around the world with that name and not being creative) will debut a breakfast menu unique to 2 MetroTech, including breakfast burritos filled with Korean meats; on real cold days (if they ever return!) you will also be able to sup on Korean Congee made of, says Eater, a water base, corn, whipped eggs, and your choice of meat. There will also be rice bowls and sandwiches in the A.M. Afternoon an evening options will provide the same build-your-own meals as the original location, but will add something else new with “chef-curated bowls” and a greater selection of kimchi, and in-season veggies, according to Eater.
Song said, in a statement: “As Downtown Brooklyn continues to grow and expand, so is Korilla. We want to bring a fresh, new concept for our Brooklynites to enjoy. We’re ready to bring the neighborhood the best version of Korilla yet. Brooklyn, you ready?”
Um, yes. While it is some version of fun to follow Korilla on Twitter to see where their food truck ends up each day, it is much cooler to know you can bank on their lip-smacking Korean fare, day in and day out, at one very permanent location.
Image via Korilla BBQ Instagram