Corridor 109, a pandemic-born modern seafood fine dining pop-up, is preparing to open a brick-and-mortar in Melrose Hill at 641 N Western Ave.
The company’s first storefront is set to move into the former home of Melrose Home Furnishing, next to the David Zwirner and Morán Morán art galleries, according to Eater Los Angeles. Chef Brian Baik, who launched the concept after working in New York City for years, is planning to open Corridor 109 in the first quarter of 2025, offering a tasting menu at an eight- to 10-seat counter, as well as a limited food menu called Bar 109 toward the front.
This is a massive accomplishment for Baik, who started the concept from his parent’s Koreatown restaurant, Kobawoo, as a Mondays-only pop-up. Eventually, the concept was able to move to Chinatown and expand its offerings to more than one day a week, charging $275 per person for a tasting menu that uses the best ingredients from Japan and Korea. Now, the accomplished chef is getting ready to open the concept’s first storefront, featuring an open kitchen that allows Baik to interact with the customers, which he hasn’t done before. Bar 109 will be open from the early evening until midnight six days a week.
“I felt it would be important, especially where I’m opening, to have a component that serves the neighborhood and community, to be a place where people that live nearby can hang out, come in for drinks or bites to meet with friends,” Baik tells Eater Los Angeles. “The cooking will be in front of guests, but us cooks are meant to fade into the background. There’s a good parking situation, it’s not over-commercialized, and there’s a lot of exciting projects in the area — it just feels right.”
