Nowon East Village

"A New York Korean American pop-up known for its towering smash burgers." - Jaya Saxena

"Your Order: The Legendary Cheeseburger, even though it’s $21.  Nowon calls their double smashburger legendary, and we think this Korean American gastropub nailed the name. Roasted kimchi, american cheese, raw onions, pickles, and kimchi special sauce smother two crispy, beefy patties, and a sesame seed bun brings the whole thing together. Yes, it’s a $21 smashburger. But you’re going to enjoy it while listening to Biggie, drinking a craft beer, and snacking on some honey butter tots, either at their East Village spot, or larger Bushwick location." - willa moore, neha talreja, will hartman, bryan kim

"Kimchi mayo is the golden gun of condiments - it’s a cheat code that guarantees success. Nowon understands this, and lathers it onto a juicy, charred double cheeseburger made with dry-aged steak. Order it for pickup or delivery from this East Village Korean spot, and add honey butter tater tots or chopped cheese rice cakes as a side." - hannah albertine, nikko duren, bryan kim, arden shore, matt tervooren

"The “legendary” burger at Nowon lives up to its name: two patties (made from a blend of chuck and short rib), pickles, onion, and a toasted sesame bun are held together with a single skewer. A decadent kimchi butter sauce is distributed throughout. It’s an actually interesting riff on the smash burger that’s managed to hold up since this restaurant opened in the East Village in 2019, and it’s just as good at the restaurant’s new location in Bushwick." - Robert Sietsema, Luke Fortney

"In 2019, the chef Jae Lee had an idea. What if he could make a smash burger... He served his first kimchi smash burger at his New York pop-up, and the fanfare was immediate... he opened his first restaurant, Nowon, where he still serves this smash burger to its many fans—clocking in at about 1,200 burgers sold each week." - BySam Stone