History
About Nowon
Nowon, founded by Chef Jae Lee in 2019, and named after Chef Jae’s hometown in Seoul, South Korea is a vibrant Korean-American gastropub with two locations in New York City – the Flagship in the East Village, and a second outpost in Bushwick.
Nowon offers a unique, intimate, and fun dining experience that blends the rich flavors of Korean cuisine with the diverse culinary influences of the Big Apple. Chef Jae is known for his creative dishes, such as the highly acclaimed ‘Legendary’ Cheeseburger and ‘Chopped Cheese’ Rice Cakes that garnered significant media attention. With a lively atmosphere, Nowon features nostalgic 90s and early 2000’s hip-hop music.
The success of the original East Village location led to the opening of a second, larger venue in Bushwick in July 2023, where Chef Jae introduced Korean-inspired wood-fired pizzas. Nowon continues to thrive, with plans to expand further, including a new location in Boston in 2025.
Jae’s Story
At the age of eight, Chef Jae Lee and his family immigrated from Seoul, South Korea to New York City on a travel visa, pursuing the American dream. Chef Jae landed in Queens where in 2007, at the age of 18, he began his culinary career. Starting at an East Village ramen shop, he quickly fell in love with the high-energy, fast-paced environment.
Over the next few years, Lee dedicated himself to working in a variety of esteemed restaurants, eventually landing the Executive Chef role at Momosan Ramen & Sake and later, Hotel 50 Bowery. At 30 years of age, encouraged by his then-girlfriend, now wife, left his job to pursue a pop-up venture that celebrated his Korean-American heritage. In early 2019, Chef Jae launched his pop-up series, ‘Him’, which means "strength" in Korean. His six-month residency at a small East Village bar Black Emperor, quickly gained attention, with Gothamist praising his burger as "one of the best burgers in NYC." This success enabled him to establish his first brick-and-mortar restaurant, Nowon, in the East Village.
Since then. Chef Jae has been featured in various news publications such as The New Yorker, Brooklyn Mag, The New York Times, and Eater and has been featured on The Today Show, CBS’ The Dish, ABC7, and Pix 11.
