Kjun, the exciting Manhattan restaurant pairing up Korean and Cajun cuisines, is on the move, but don’t worry — it’s staying in the same Murray Hill neighborhood. Owner and chef Jae Jung tells Eater that she’s moving her restaurant from 154 East 39th Street, between Lexington and Third avenues, just a mere block away, into a much bigger, two-story space in Murray Hill on 334 Lexington Avenue, at East 39th Street, set to open in late January 2026.
“It’s because we are too small,” Jun explains to Eater why she’s relocating Kjun. She says that the current restaurant could hold a maximum of 20. “We had to say no to a lot of people when they walked in.”
Kjun’s current lack of a liquor license doesn’t help, despite Jung’s efforts to try to get one. “And a lot of times, people were like, ‘It would be so nice to have a nice beer and fried chicken together,’” she says. “I tried, I fought hard, but we’ve never been able to get the liquor license.”
Because of those two constraints, Jung had been looking for a new location for the past several years; it was important to her to stay in the same neighborhood.
“We started here,” she says, “and we have a lot of good regular customers that I really care about.” The new location — 2,100 square feet that can fit about 70 people — is taking over what was the House of Lasagna space, which closed earlier this year.
Kjun 2.0’s menu will remain essentially the same, with Korean Cajun dishes, but Jung plans on offering some more “upscale” dishes, she says. She’s been playing around with potential items like lobster and grits, and new steaks.
“It doesn’t have to be just one dimension,” Jung says. “We are trying to give them multiple layers.”
For the first floor, Jung envisions leaning into a New Orleans atmosphere. “Downstairs [will] be like a bar,” she says, “with loud music”. She’s bringing in a New Orleans brass band, Rebirth Brass Band, for the eventual opening party.
Upstairs, the second floor will take on a more Korean vibe, with reservations-only seatings (the original Kjun offers a $115 tasting menu and other set meals).
As for the original location, Jung plans on converting it into a takeout and fried chicken sandwich spot with a new name whenever the new Kjun opens. She also plans on hosting pop-ups and parties.
Jung had worked under the legendary and late Leah Chase at New Orleans restaurant Dooky Chase. Eventually, she started Kjun as a takeout and delivery operation in 2021, which morphed into a pop-up later that same year. She competed on Top Chef’s 19th season, followed by opening the original Kjun in 2022.