Charcoal Korean BBQ is back as Jong Kak reopens after a year and $200,000 in upgrades

When Suk Jeong closed down his Station North eatery last August, he figured the restaurant would be back in business in two months. But the shutdown stretched on as Jeong ran into one setback after another.

Last weekend, Jeong was finally able to welcome back customers to Jong Kak, which frequently comes up in conversations about the best Korean barbecue around. Food is grilled over a charcoal flame, and diners are offered jumbo marshmallows to toast over it like a campfire after they finish their meals.

Its unique method of cooking, considered the gold standard of Korean barbecue, lends smoky flavor and charred texture to the meat and vegetables that are prepared tableside.

However, charcoal also poses special challenges for fire suppression. Jeong said he was forced to close down last year after inspectors with Baltimore’s fire department told him the restaurant, which first opened in 1989, would need significant upgrades to stay in business.

“The building is old, and everything is old,” Jeong said.

Baltimore City Fire Department spokesperson Veobia Akilo said that the restaurant was in violation of the fire code during a visit last August and that officials later issued Jong Kak a cease-and-desist order.

“Because the restaurant uses charcoal as a solid-fuel cooking source, it is required to maintain code-compliant fire protection for that hazard,” Akilo wrote in an emailed statement. That includes an approved suppression system, working hood and exhaust systems as well as portable extinguishers.

Inspectors with the department dug around into the ceiling and made their assessment, Jeong said: “Fix everything.” He found a contractor to do the work, but said he faced delays when turnover in the fire department led his case to be reassigned again and again. Akilo disputed that, saying that “there were no staffing issues within the Office of the Fire Marshal that impacted this inspection process.”

Jeong, whose family purchased Jong Kak in 2004, had only just agreed to another five-year lease on the building at 18 W. 20th St., or else he might have considered shutting down the restaurant all together. “There was no way out for me,” he said.

Almost 12 months and $200,000 later, Jeong finally got permission to reopen. On Aug. 6, he posted an announcement to Instagram that Jong Kak would be coming back. Perhaps predictably, commenters on Reddit, while celebrating Jong Kak’s return, roundly roasted Jeong for the use of AI on his flyer, which he generated using ChatGPT. “I was kind of surprised” by the backlash, he said.

Opening weekend was “chaotic,” Jeong said. Several of his former cooks left for other jobs while he was closed, so “it was just me and one other guy” preparing all the food. “We used to have five guys in the kitchen.”

But open he must; he has debts to pay. “All the people [are] asking for the money for the construction,” Jeong said.