Korean restaurant opens in downtown

Published 2:00 pm Saturday, May 13, 2023

You’ve heard of K-pop music. The groups BTS (seven boys) and Blackpink (four girls) are huge in South Korea and the United States.

You’ve heard of K-drama. You can watch shows such as “Divorce Attorney Shin” and “Inspector Koo” on Netflix.

You might have heard of K-food. If not, now’s your chance. 

It’s here, right in downtown Milledgeville in the old Western Auto building at the corner of Wayne and Greene streets. 

JK Korean BBQ restaurant is open and fully operational: the restaurant side where you order from the menu and the BBQ Table side, where you can cook you own meats.

Owner Jong Kil Kim had a slow opening while he waited several months for the BBQ tables to be installed. It gave him time to experiment with the menu and ask diners what they liked best.

“I can’t imagine a restaurant like this doing well a few years ago,” said Joon Sung Kim, a senior at GMC who helps his father. “But it can now because of Tik-Tok, YouTube and things like that. People are more open to this kind of food. They are more curious instead of being just weirded out by trying something new.”

The Korean restaurant starts with a built-in clientele from the local colleges.

“College students from big cities, they know what to expect from a Korean BBQ restaurant,” Jong Kil Kim said. “They come in and say, ‘Oh, good, Korean BBQ is in Milledgeville.’ ”

“Some who know their Korean food say they enjoy dining here more than in Atlanta because we teach them how to eat it,” said Joon Sung Kim, “and they say it’s more comfy here.”

The elder Kim said, unlike American food that is mostly eaten separately, diners should eat different kinds of Korean food in each bite.

A little bit of rice, a little bit of meat, a little bit of kimchi, a little bit of garlic pepper chewed together in each bite, he said. 

Beef bulgogi is the featured menu item. It is thinly sliced sirloin steak that has been marinated in soy sauce, minced garlic, onions and pear puree.

There are hundreds of flavors of Korean kimchi (fermented cabbage), including white and red. 

Kim pointed out that you cannot lump all Asian food into one category. “It’s not just Chinese,” he said. “Indian food is different. Japanese is different. Korean is different.

“It’s like comparing food in the Unites States to food in England. They are different.”

The Kims are particularly proud of their BBQ tables, where you can select up to seven meats including beef brisket (Chadol), pork belly (Samgyeopsal), and chicken. Then, you can grill it any way you like it. The cost is $41 per person (at least two per table) and you can eat all you want for two hours. 

You can choose just one meat and pay less. There are seafood options including shrimp, squid and octopus. 

Sides such as rice, kimchi, boiled egg in a dish and pickled radishes come with the meat at the BBQ grill stations.

If you don’t want to cook your meat at the BBQ tables, the restaurant staff will cook it for you.

Many people are trying Korean food and telling their friends about it, the Kims say.

One online reviewer wrote: “The food was great, and the owner was such a kind man. His enthusiasm for the food that he cooks is evident and he genuinely cared about our individual experience at his restaurant. The food was very authentic. We will be coming back again!”

“K-food? Come try it,” Kim said. “Korean food is very healthy. It’s real food.” 

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IF YOU GO

What: JK Korean BBQ

Where: 201 S. Wayne Street, downtown Milledgeville

Phone: 478-295-0230

Hours: Tuesday-Thursday: 11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.; Friday, Saturday: 11 – 10:30; Sunday: 12-9; Monday: closed.

Also: A market beside the restaurant sells Korean drinks snacks.