After waiting more than two weeks, Hannah Choi, 28, sat at a bar on Tuesday and enjoyed her favorite meal: Chimaek — which translates to Korean fried chicken
and beer.
The meals at Momoyaki, a Korean cuisine restaurant, always remind her of home.
“You definitely start to miss it when it’s not around,” the UF pharmacy graduate student said.
The local restaurant relocated to 1624 SW 13th St. after 10 years in the same spot near Southwest 34th Street. On Monday, a steady stream of customers inaugurated the full bar, communal seating area and a new menu that included more than 20 new items. Meal prices range between $5 to $14.
After the restaurant’s lease ended in December, the owners managed to find the new location at the last minute, said Dylan Sobien, the restaurant’s general manager.
“We took this move as an opportunity to change our image and try new things,” Sobien said.
At the new location, more of the menu items are hand-crafted, including cocktails. Sobien said he wanted to transform the restaurant into a farm-to-table model, offering fresh and local ingredients.
“We’re constantly trying to im- prove in every area,” Sobien said. “The focus is on Korean flavors, but we want it to be modern too.”
Some customers who walked in were surprised by the changes, but Sobien said he’s confident they’ll adjust.
With a space closer to UF and downtown Gainesville, he said he hopes to draw a larger, more professional crowd while keeping prices low.
“Not everyone is rich,” he said. “A large part of the population here is in school and taking out loans.”
Choi, who usually eats at the restaurant twice a week, said the food was worth the wait.
“There aren’t a whole lot of places in Gainesville that serve Korean cuisine,” Choi said.
Even though the restaurant is changing, she said she’s confident the quality will remain the same and bring in an even larger crowd than before.
“I feel like the new location keeps the tradition with a new twist,” she said. “It’s very exciting.”
From left: Kyle McKenna, a 19-year-old UF psychology sophomore, chats with his older brother Sean McKenna, 25, and Michael Haas, 26, at Momoyaki. McKenna decided to visit Momoyaki’s Grand Opening before he starts working there.
