Jeju Noodle Bar, chef Douglas Kim’s Korean ramyun restaurant and the first noodle restaurant in the United States to earn a Michelin star, has opened its second New York City location at 204 Elizabeth Street in Nolita. The new outpost carries the core ramyun menu plus dishes not served at the West Village original.
Key Takeaways
- Jeju Noodle Bar’s second location opened this month at 204 Elizabeth Street in Nolita.
- The original Jeju Noodle Bar at 679 Greenwich Street earned a Michelin star in 2019 and appears as a One Star restaurant in the Michelin Guide New York City 2025.
- The Nolita menu keeps Jeju’s ramyun and myun dishes and adds a few items not available in the West Village.
- Douglas Kim opened the original Jeju Noodle Bar in September 2017, after cooking at Per Se, Gordon Ramsay, Bouley, and Nobu.
- Jeju first teased the Nolita location in late 2024 and had projected a spring 2026 opening.
Jeju Noodle Bar Brings Its Ramyun To Elizabeth Street
Jeju Noodle Bar’s Nolita location marks the restaurant’s first expansion in nine years. The Elizabeth Street space serves the same ramyun and myun dishes that built the West Village restaurant’s following, along with a short list of additions created for the new room. The restaurant’s official Instagram account now points followers to the Elizabeth Street address.
The move gives Jeju a second Manhattan neighborhood without changing what made the first one work. Rather than reinventing the concept for Nolita, Kim is extending a proven menu and testing new dishes at the margins, a lower-risk way to grow a restaurant whose reputation rests on consistency.
A Michelin Star Earned On Greenwich Street
Jeju Noodle Bar earned its Michelin star in 2019 and has held it since, making it the first noodle restaurant in the United States to receive the honor. The restaurant appears as a One Star entry in the Michelin Guide New York City 2025. The New York Times also placed Jeju at No. 16 on Pete Wells’ 2024 ranking of 100 New York City restaurants.
That star belongs to the original location at 679 Greenwich Street. The Nolita outpost has not yet been evaluated by Michelin, and the guide’s next Northeast ceremony, which covers New York, is scheduled for December 14 at the Glasshouse in Manhattan. Whether Elizabeth Street eventually earns recognition of its own will depend on inspectors judging it as a separate restaurant.
Douglas Kim Built Jeju Around A Dish He Had Not Seen In The US
Douglas Kim opened Jeju Noodle Bar in September 2017 with a specific goal: to explore a fresh version of Korean ramyun, something he had not seen done in the United States. He brought fine-dining training from kitchens including Per Se, Gordon Ramsay, Bouley, and Nobu, yet had never cooked a noodle before the restaurant opened.
The restaurant’s name reflects that ambition. Jeju describes the word as Korean for “skill,” “talent,” or “ability,” and frames its cooking as its own interpretation of dishes rooted in Korean tradition. That approach, applying fine-dining technique to what many diners know as an everyday instant dish, is the thread running from Greenwich Street to Elizabeth Street.
What Diners Can Expect From The Nolita Menu
Jeju Noodle Bar’s menu is built around ramyun, Korea’s take on noodle soup, but the West Village restaurant has also earned attention for dishes beyond the bowl. Those include the crispy JeJu ChiKin Platter, the chopped-beef gochujang bokum, and the toro ssam bap, which layers fatty tuna tartare, scrambled eggs, and tobiko.
The Nolita location keeps that core ramyun and myun lineup. The restaurant has said only that a few new dishes will appear at Elizabeth Street that are not available in the West Village. It has not published the full list, so diners searching for the Jeju Noodle Bar menu in Nolita will find the familiar foundation with a small set of additions still to be detailed.
A Two-Year Path From Announcement To Opening
Jeju Noodle Bar first teased its second location in late 2024 and later projected a spring 2026 opening, with restaurant guides listing a May target. The doors opened in October instead. Long build-outs are common for Manhattan restaurant expansions, and Jeju’s timeline shows how far the gap between announcement and first service can stretch, even for an established, award-winning brand.
For Nolita, the arrival adds a Michelin-credentialed name to Elizabeth Street’s dining scene. It also reflects a broader pattern of established New York restaurants growing into new neighborhoods, similar to the wave of mid-priced French restaurants that reshaped summer dining across the city.
Noodles Lead A Busy Month Of NYC Openings
Jeju Noodle Bar’s opening lands during an active stretch for noodle-focused restaurants in New York. Japanese udon specialist Yume Ga Arukara, which began in Cambridge, Massachusetts, opens its Fifth Avenue location in NoMad on October 21 after a soft opening earlier in the month. Together, the two openings give New Yorkers two distinct regional noodle traditions to try in the same month.
FAQs
Does Jeju Noodle Bar Still Have A Michelin Star?
Yes. Jeju Noodle Bar’s original West Village location at 679 Greenwich Street appears as a One Star restaurant in the Michelin Guide New York City 2025, a distinction it has held since 2019. The new Nolita location has not yet been rated.
Who Owns Jeju Noodle Bar?
Jeju Noodle Bar is chef Douglas Kim’s solo restaurant venture. Kim opened the original in the West Village in September 2017 and leads the new Nolita location.
Where Is Jeju Noodle Bar In Nolita?
The Nolita location is at 204 Elizabeth Street, New York, NY 10012. The original Jeju Noodle Bar remains open at 679 Greenwich Street in the West Village.
What Is On The Jeju Noodle Bar Menu?
Jeju Noodle Bar’s menu centers on Korean ramyun and myun noodle dishes, alongside plates such as the JeJu ChiKin Platter, gochujang bokum, and toro ssam bap. The Nolita location serves the same core dishes plus a few additions not offered in the West Village.
