The story
The name 8282 is a double reference: Korea’s country code +82 and a playful Korean slang that reads as “빨리빨리” (quickly, faster). That get-it-done energy carries through the kitchen and the dining room at this Lower East Side spot, where the founders describe their food as “a light-hearted, fresh take on Korean food.”
Behind 8282 is the husband-and-wife team of Chef Bong Le Jo and Jee Kim. Chef Jo’s training began in Koreatown and was refined in the kitchens of Perry St, Dovetail, and Kissaki. Jee Kim, a Columbia Business School MBA, previously launched fashion and lifestyle brands and worked as a truffle distributor in Seoul. The couple previously ran the restaurant Pado in the East Village. Together, they say their vision is “Korea in NYC – fun yet smart, accessible but refined, unapologetic and inclusive.”
The menu at 8282 is a fusion of Korean traditions and inventive twists. Small plates like Golden Beets & Kimchi Salad with burrata and yuzu kosho, and Boneless K.F.C. (soy garlic fried chicken thigh) sit alongside larger shared plates such as Perilla Oil Pasta with seared branzino and 8282 Steak with grilled hanger steak and pine nut basil pesto. The cocktail list includes playful drinks like the Gochujang Margarita and a White Rabbit Slush made with makgeolli, rum, and lychee.
Since opening in 2022, 8282 has earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand for 2023 through 2026, a recognition of its good quality, good value cooking. The restaurant captures a distinctly modern Korean spirit – one that is both sophisticated and unpretentious, rooted in tradition but unafraid to have fun.
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