Restaurant reopens with new take on Korean cuisine

Food & Drink

Apr 17

K-ROK Korean BBQ & Karaoke Soju Cocktail Bar is relaunching with a bold new approach to Korean cuisine. The downtown Grand Rapids restaurant has an updated lunch menu featuring inventive fusion dishes and specialty drinks, blending tradition with innovation to meet evolving customer preferences.

Located at 169 Louis Campau Promenade NW in downtown Grand Rapids, K-ROK's revamped lunch menu includes fusion options like Bulgogi Burrito, Spicy Pork Empanada, Bulgogi Philly Cheese Steak, Bulgogi Fresh Roll Wrap, and Bulgogi Kimpab as well as new specialty drinks like alcoholic boba. The restaurant will continue serving authentic Korean "Seoul Food" entrees and BBQ.

Owned by the mother-and-son team of Myong Sun Yoon Holloway and Rob Yoon, the relaunch is part of an effort to adapt to a challenging economic climate while honoring a culinary legacy spaning more than four decades.

"My mom has worked over 40 years in this business; it's her legacy," said Rob Yoon. "She's accomplished so much and we've been incredibly blessed to have built something special here. I want to take it even further."

To ease parking challenges downtown, customers at K-ROK can now receive 50 percent off parking for up to three hours at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel parking garage.

The Yoon family legacy lives on at both K-ROK and Emonae Korean Restaurant, where meals are made from scratch using fresh vegetables, meats, and time-honored Korean techniques.

In addition to K-ROK, the family is also relaunching Emonae. Located at 6246 28th St. SE, Emonae will reopen in April with a new focus on traditional Korean dishes, moving away from the Korean BBQ concept.

Myong Sun Yoon Holloway immigrated to the United States from Korea in 1977 with dreams of owning her own business. Her passion for food began in childhood after the loss of her mother at age seven. She took responsibility for feeding her family of eight, learning to cook and farm under the guidance of her grandfather and step-grandmother.