Jeju Restaurant, the acclaimed modern Korean eatery in Tofino, BC, and a finalist for enRoute magazine’s Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2022, is set to open a new location in Vancouver, BC, on November 13, 2025. Situated in the vibrant Mount Pleasant neighbourhood at 540 East Broadway, the custom-designed contemporary space honours both Jeju Island in Korea and Tofino in Canada. Owners Sungeun “Sung” Kim and Yunyoung “Dylan” Kim, with Dylan serving as executive chef, are excited to bring Jeju’s signature dishes and service to the city where they met and started their hospitality careers. The restaurant will serve dinner Tuesday to Saturday. Reservations can be made through jeju-restaurant.com.
Reinterpretation of Traditional Korean Dishes
While designing the menu, Sung and Chef Dylan consulted with their mothers to create offerings that elevate authentic Korean dishes reminiscent of their childhood memories. The new restaurant will remain a family-run venture, with Dylan’s mother, Myungseok “Julie” Suh, who has been a professional chef for over 40 years, continuing to work alongside Chef Dylan and his father, who helps with dishwashing, and Sung managing the restaurant operations.
Fans of Jeju Restaurant’s Tofino location can look forward to versions of signature dishes on Vancouver’s menu, along with new items. The menu will feature favourites like Spot Prawn served with dill oil, orange vinaigrette, and garlic aioli, and Galbi, which includes Korean BBQ CAB short ribs aged for 35 days, served with pickled radish, jangajji, Chef Julie’s homemade kimchi, and more. New item concepts include a seasonal fish dish featuring flavours of doenjang jjigae, a classic Korean stew made with fermented soybean paste. The restaurant will also continue to import chillies, sesame seeds, and other essential ingredients directly from Sung’s grandmother’s family farm in Haenam, Korea.
“The Vancouver menu will feature a more refined approach compared to the current menu in Tofino,” says Executive Chef Dylan Kim. “Having our new kitchen and being on the mainland gives us much more freedom in our cooking methods and access to the best local ingredients. We are excited to showcase our full creativity and capabilities in the new restaurant.”
Signature Korean Cocktails
With Vancouver’s top-tier cocktail scene, Chef Dylan and Sung aimed to ensure Jeju Restaurant Vancouver’s bar program surpassed expectations while remaining true to Korean flavours and ingredients. They traveled to Seoul, Korea, visiting renowned bars to find a bartender who matched their style. After tasting cocktails by Byungjin Lim at Bar Cham, ranked #6 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 and #53 on the World’s 50 Best Bars, and learning about his seasonal, local approach to crafting drinks, they knew they had found the right person. They collaborated with Byungjin to create Jeju’s new four-season-inspired cocktail menu, featuring Korean fruits and herbs, along with house-infused Soju, a traditional Korean distilled spirit.
Contemporary Design Paying Homage to Traditional Korean Heritage
Jeju Restaurant’s elegant interior, designed by Vancouver-based design studio &Daughters and constructed by Must’ART, welcomes guests into a space that is both warmly intimate and minimalist. The large hanging light fixtures are reminiscent of the thatched straw roofs of the chogajip houses found on Jeju Island. Meanwhile, the polished concrete floor reflects the natural gradient of Tofino’s Long Beach. The restaurant features a stunning central bar, recessed booths, banquets, and an exclusive Chef’s Counter with side-by-side seating that offers a view into the kitchen – a key design element to foster a direct connection between Chef Dylan and guests.
The street-front windows feature the traditional use of three-pole gates called jeongnang. When all three poles are lowered horizontally, it signals that the family is at home and ‘you may come in,’ or, in Jeju’s case, ‘we’re open.’ This symbolism is reflected in the brand identity created by Glasfurd & Walker, who brought Chef Dylan and Sung’s vision for Jeju Vancouver’s identity to life.
“The most significant gift Jeju restaurant has given us is that of connection,” says owner Sung Kim. “Connection to our guests, community, team, and most importantly, to our families. From ingredients grown by my grandmother to recipes shared across generations to working shoulder-to-shoulder on the kitchen line as mother and son, with Dylan’s dad not far away. We are grateful to be able to continue Jeju Restaurant’s story and share our lives and food with new neighbours in Vancouver.”