San Francisco's ‘Koreaworld' Looks a Lot Like Sōhn

Eater

a day ago

Janet Lee grew up in the Bay Area not seeing Korean Americans have their own place in San Francisco. She'd drive with her family to San Jose, maybe, or all the way to Los Angeles. But it wasn't until Queens in San Francisco, the Korean superette, that she says she felt the city had a piece of Korean Americana amongst its furniture.
She and chef Deuki Hong will take that energy to the next level with their upcoming Sōhn. The tremendous former Daily Driver space at 2535 3rd Street is a place for Hong's immaculate food and thoughtful drinks, yes. But Lee, a managing partner, and Hong say this will be a failure if guests see themselves as mere diners. The intent is to create a community launch pad, a place for events and art. The two are partnered with Maum, a shop for soaps and home goods. The name is a derivative of the Korean word for hand, and the two stress their new space is a product of many, many hands. Sōhn, they hope, plants a flag for myriad featured Korean makers in California and throughout the world.
'This is the culmination of a 20-year career,' Hong says. 'We may never do a dinner service. When you come in, it makes sense.'
Tina Yang
That doesn't mean the food and drink options aren't ritzy affairs. Hong — who just released the cookbook Koreaworld last year following 2016's Koreatown — cut his teeth under chefs Corey Lee and David Chang, amongst many more, on his way to stardom. Nearby, he owns the titanic Neighbor Bakehouse. Here, he shows Korean barbecue done up as a patty melt, warming bowls of jook, and a fermentation lab for kimchi and other goods. A few of the dishes from his late Sunday Bird restaurant in San Francisco made the menu, such as the popcorn chicken. Matcha comes from big-hitter Kettl and coffee from Los Angeles's Be Bright, run by U.S. Barista Champion Frank La. A Melona soda, an homage to the Melona ice cream bars of Hong and Lee's youth, is a daily drink for both of them.
The art and items at Sōhn bring home the communal intentions, though. Interior designer Cathie Hong took the 8,000-square-foot space over as her first commercial project, adding a 12-seat bar to the hushed, lo-fi-looking space. There are 30 different Korean makers and artists available selling blankets, candle makers, and ceramic critters. Artist workshops, collab dinners, pop-ups, and cooking classes are quick to show up, too. The first partner in the art lane is the Korean American Art Collective; featured art in the space sells with 100 percent of proceeds going to the artists.
Sōhn joins an area of San Francisco quickly becoming an exciting destination for diners. Breadbelly's second outpost — much larger than the original and with a proper interior component — opened inside Pier 70 at the end of a street well under construction. Sōhn looks to join the growing area. This marks Hong and Lee's first time working together, too, as they were early friends from when Hong moved to the area about eight years ago. And while Lee remembers Han Il Kwan on 19th Avenue and Balboa Street and Shin Toe Bul Yi in the Sunset fondly, she and Hong are excited to be a part of the new wave of Korean American food in the region, and the country. The space opens on Korean Liberation Day, after all.
'I was born and raised in San Francisco,' Lee says. 'So just the response we've gotten over the past few weeks of hearing from other Korean Americans, not just my age but younger and older, we've been waiting our entire lives for a gathering space like this.'
Sōhn (2535 3rd Street, San Francisco) celebrates its grand opening on Saturday, August 16 at 10 a.m. with full hours to come.
Tina Yang
Eater SF
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