Orion Bar brings Korean drinking culture to Bushwick   

By Scott Lynch

Chef Irene Yoo has been publicly hyping her love of Korean drinking culture since at least 2013, when she and her husband and partner Nick Dodge launched a series of popup dinner (and drinking) parties called Yoo Eating. When she moved it all online during the early pandemic (think: YooTube cooking videos), Yoo’s infectious enthusiasm for Korean comfort food — and the booze that goes with it — brought her even more attention. So she and Dodge decided it was time to give this thing a permanent home where we could all gather together and eat and drink and get happy on a regular basis.

Welcome Orion Bar, the couple’s brand new restaurant and bar located in the former Le Garage space on Suydam Street in Bushwick.

Get belted at Orion (Photo by Scott Lynch)

“In Korean culture, eating and drinking are one and the same,” Yoo tells Brooklyn Magazine. “When you go out drinking you’re always eating, so we wanted to open a place where you get really nice cocktails and bottles of soju, or you could get down with a beer and a shot, or broth backs, or weird infusions, but also make sure you’re also getting fed alongside the drinks with some great comfort food.”

They nailed it. Orion is a blast. There are six different bottles of soju available, like Jinro Is Back and Chamisul Fresh ($17 each), or Tokki Gold ($77) for the big spenders among you. Practice your tricks — tornadoes, splish splashes, face rolls, etc — before knocking it all back in raucous fashion. Orion is not a place for quiet, grim-faced consumption. Get a soju bomb. One of several “shot and…” selections, this one featuring samgyetang-infused soju (it’s like Korean ginseng chicken soup) dropped into Bacchus D, which Yoo described to me as an “old man energy drink.” This stuff not only sent me flying during dinner, it got me out onto the roller rink at nearby Xanadu later that night.

Dodge, who’s also been the beverage director at NItehawk Cinemas for the past ten years, came up with the cocktail list. “We first and foremost didn’t want Orion to feel like a stuffy, pretentious cocktail bar,” he said. So while names of these potent punches are familiar–martini, whiskey sour, spritz, negroni–Dodge throws in plenty of Orion-only twists, like jujube-infused soju, omija berries, and dasima, which is like fried kelp.

The booze-hound in my party sucked down what is surely the raddest drink of the summer, a slushie “Space Spam” made with rum, pineapple, gochugaru syrup and aperol, served in a Spam can.

Space Spam slushie, $15; Bacchus “old man energy drink,” $8 with a shot of samgyetang-infused soju (Photo by Scott Lynch)

The Korean milky rice wine makgeoli, a half dozen beers, and natural wines by the glass or bottle round out the drink options. You could get drunk here every Saturday this summer and never run out of different ways to do it.

Equally important to the alcohol at Orion is Yoo’s food, and her menu is filled with booze-soaking bangers. We made quick work of all 10 dishes and everything was great, but my personal picks would definitely include the shrimp chips and dip, which arrives as a spilled-out bag of crisp, salty snacks with a crock of myeongnanjeot (pollock roe) in mascarpone. The Spam musubi is also a must, a slab of that tinned meat surrounded by egg, melted cheese, and caramelized kimchi.

Shrimp chips and dip, $12 (Photo by Scott Lynch)      

There are three noodle dishes, all of which hit the spot. The kimchi carbonara is crazy rich, a huge mound of garlicky Sun ramen studded with bacon, egg and parmesan.

Kimchi carbonara, $24 (Photo by Scott Lynch)

The Shin ramyun comes all brothy and burbling in a pot, and the chapagetti, a mess of jjajang ramyum with hunks of brisket and truffle oil, is a true dank delight.

Chapagetti, $12 (Photo by Scott Lynch)

Yoo’s patty melt, meanwhile, is sloppy with kimchi pimento cheese, which is pretty intense, and probably best eaten once you get at least a little tipsy.

Patty melt with kimchi pimento cheese and fries, $21  (Photo by Scott Lynch)

Her white ddukbokki, all slippery fish cakes, shitake and cheongyang pepper, is a umami party on a plate. For dessert there are packaged choco pies, which, to be honest, vibe more nostalgic than delicious.

White ddukbokki, $20 (Photo by Scott Lynch)

You can post up at the bar for a snack and a few quick pops, settle in with a crew at one of the tabletops, or, the best idea on a pleasant summer night, grab that front porch perch.

Orion Bar is located at 157 Suydam Street just off Central Avenue, and is currently open on Thursday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to midnight, with expanded days and hours coming soon