It serves killer Korean barbecue. Now it's one of the best restaurants in the USA
Amanda HancockDespite opening less than a year ago, Nami is becoming a well-known name in the food scene.
This week, the restaurant in downtown Louisville has made national news: Along with 46 other restaurants, Nami was included in the 2024 USA TODAY Restaurants of the Year list.
Nami is one of two Kentucky restaurants on the list, which also recognizes Barn8 on Hermitage Farm in Goshen.
Read on for details about Nami and why it made the Restaurants of the Year list.
How many have you been to?Check out USA TODAY's 2024 Restaurants of the Year
What makes Nami stand out
Buzz began about the restaurant well before the doors opened in a six-story retail and apartment complex near downtown Louisville. That’s because Nami’s owner is celebrity chef Edward Lee, known for appearing on TV, winning a James Beard Award, and running 610 Magnolia, among other popular restaurants. In 2023, he was invited to the White House to cook a state dinner honoring South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, Kim Keon Hee.
After more than 20 years on the Louisville dining scene, Lee finally launching a Korean restaurant drew plenty of interest.
And interest went beyond the local level, as evidenced by Esquire including Nami on "The 50 Best New Restaurants in America” list, published in early December 2023.
The project of a modern Korean steakhouse here was interesting for Lee, too.
“If you had told me 20 years ago I would be opening a Korean restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky,” he recently told the Courier Journal, “I never would've believed you."
Our criteria forUSA TODAY's Restaurants of the Year for 2024
There’s a sense of pride for Lee to represent his heritage at Nami, he has said. He’s also proud of the team he built. Nami’s executive chef is Breanna Baker, who began at 610 Magnolia as an intern and ended her run there as sous chef. Baker is joined by consulting chef Yeon-Hee Chung, who previously ran Charim Korean Restaurant.
What to order at Nami
Korean barbecue. Nami's dinner menu features a section of Korean barbecue with 10 dishes, each served with house-made banchan, lettuce, and three sauces, ssamjang, gochujang and citrus soy. The options range from Ga-Ji, made with eggplant and king oyster mushrooms in a doenjang garlic marinade for $27 to a thickly-sliced Wagyu beef ribeye for $125. Other items include bibimbap rice bowls and main courses such as the crispy skin snapper served with crab fried rice and a ginger soy glaze.
When dining at Nami, diners have the option of enjoying live table grills, as one might expect from a Korean barbecue restaurant, or ordering composed dishes from the menu.
Dukbokki. Starters include crispy pork and bacon mandu and dukbokki, described as “quintessential Korean comfort food,” in a post on Nami’s Instagram page. “The combination of chewy rice cakes in a balanced and spicy gochujang sauce with kimchi and veggies is already amazing, but we like to add on a fried chicken bear claw to really make this the ultimate comfort dish.”
Taiyaki puff pastry. For dessert, the Taiyaki puff pastry is a must-try, at least for the photo opp. This fish-shaped cake is made with chocolate pecan pie filling and Yuja whipped cream. The filling changes seasonally.
Nami boasts a full bar and a curated wine list, built with Korean cuisine in mind.
Did you know?
Nami offers brunch on the weekends and has a karaoke room for a post-dinner activity. You can book the room for $45 per hour. Lee is a big karaoke fan, sharing online that his go-to song to perform is “Suspicious Minds.”
Details: 835 E. Main St., Louisville, Kentucky; 502.690.2067, nami-restaurant.com.
Reach food and dining reporter Amanda Hancock at ahancock@courier-journal.com.