Manhattan's first Korean food hall is opening next summer

From regional specialities in Atlanta to a spread of global proportions in Los Angeles, the US is no stranger to the food-hall phenomenon, and in New York, another one seems to be popping up every time you turn around. But next year, a unique new player will be on the scene.

Manhattan's 32nd Street in Koreatown, the center of the thriving Korean business and entertainment community and district, at night with cars and bright lights — Manhattan's first Korean food hall is reportedly opening next summer in Midtown, on the northern edge of Koreatown © Artem Vorobiev/Getty Images

, Manhattan’s first food hall serving primarily Korean cuisine is slated to open next summer, with vendors slinging Korean fried chicken, barbecue, comfort food, and more. Called K-Food Gallery, the sprawling market will come with a US$6 million price tag and 16 restaurants, including a third NYC branch of the highly-popular Taiwanese boba chain Tiger Sugar, the first US outpost of Korean sandwich chain Eggdrop, and a second location for the always-mobbed Jongro BBQ, from the same management team as the market.

According to Eater, the Group KFF parent company is putting half of that US$6 million toward the look of the place, as well as technology like self-ordering kiosks and food delivery via smartphone GPS. The 23,000-square-foot space will be located in Midtown, on 40th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, on the northern edge of Manhattan’s Koreatown.

That location was chosen deliberately, Group KFF president Choi Kyung Rim tells Eater, as the team is hoping to push the boundaries of Koreatown west to Times Square – and beyond. With plans for more New York locations in the works, not to mention the rest of the country – Eater names the cities of Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Seattle, San Francisco, Honolulu, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, D.C., and Boston as targets – it’s clear the company is thinking big.