LALAON Brings Seoul's Han River Gathering Culture to the Williamsburg Waterfront

• LALAON opened June 17 at 22 N 6th Street in Williamsburg, occupying 10,000 square feet along the East River.

• The 300-plus-seat restaurant was designed by owner and creative director Juyoung Oh, whose past work includes projects for Samsung, LG, and the Korean Consulate General.

• The kitchen, led by Executive Chef Seung Hoon Jung, centers on Korean barbecue and a Han-sang-style shared table, alongside a cocktail program built on soju, Haku vodka, and Korean-inspired garnishes.

• Reservations are available on Resy; the restaurant is open seven days a week.

Founder Minsung Kang grew up along Seoul's Han River, where barbecue, shared tables, and long evenings by the water were simply how people gathered. LALAON, which opened June 17 on the Williamsburg waterfront, recreates that rhythm on the East River. The 10,000-square-foot space, designed by co-founder and creative director Juyoung Oh, uses marble, stone, concrete, wood, and glass to hold a 40-seat bar, an 80-seat main dining room built around Korean barbecue, a 100-seat patio facing the water, and a mezzanine for private events. Oh's design résumé spans hospitality, residential, and commercial work in Korea and New York, including projects for Samsung, LG, Hanwha, and the Korean Consulate General.

Executive Chef Seung Hoon Jung, with Head Chef Donny Kim and Sous Chef Dasom Kim, runs a menu anchored by Korean barbecue served Han-sang style, meant to be shared rather than plated individually. Premium cuts arrive with steamed egg and ssam vegetable sets, alongside stews and a banchan program from a chef with more than four decades of experience in Korean side dishes. Beyond the grill, the kitchen turns out raw bar seafood, Korean-Chinese comfort dishes, and a short list of signatures: brisket soybean paste stew, bibim-naengmyeon, galbi kimchi fried rice, and gochujang pork belly. At the bar, smaller bites like corn ribs, Korean fried chicken, and a burger built on the same logic round out the menu.

The bar program threads Korean ingredients through familiar formats. The GGC pairs soju with Haku vodka and yuzu; the Ah-Ah reworks the espresso martini with Ketel One and coffee liqueur; the Cote leans on lychee and St-Germain. Jasmine, mandarin, and Midori appear elsewhere on the list, alongside a non-alcoholic program, beer, and wine by the glass and bottle.

LALAON adds a large-format, design-forward restaurant to a stretch of Brooklyn waterfront that has become a dining destination in its own right. At more than 300 seats across four distinct spaces, it is built for the kind of long, communal evening Kang remembers from the Han River, translated for a neighborhood with room for exactly that scale.