Best Asian Lunch in NYC: Korilla BBQ

Have you ever caught a whiff of bulgogi from a tiger striped food truck cruising the Financial District or parked outside Metrotech in Brooklyn Heights? That’s Korilla BBQ, serving up an eclectic menu of Korean-Mexican fare with flavors as bold as its stripes. We got the scoop on what makes this curbside eatery such a popular lunch destination for kimchi-crazed New Yorkers.

What is the inspiration behind Korilla BBQ?

Korilla BBQ was founded on a rhetorical question: “Who doesn’t love Korean BBQ?” We wanted to share the goodness of Korean food and culture in an innovative way.

What makes Korilla BBQ stand out in NYC?

We serve the best of Korean cooking in a unique format. People aren’t used to eating bulgogi in a burrito, or kimchi paired with applewood smoked bacon and fried rice. We also offer a variety of all-natural, healthy toppings and housemade sauces for our customers to customize their rice or salad bowl.

What are your most popular dishes?

Our bulgogi bowl is a huge hit with the lunch crowd. The bacon kimchi fried rice is also really popular and so is the Korchata – our housemade horchata made with rice milk and cinnamon.

If you’re not at a Fooda Popup, where else can New Yorkers find Korilla BBQ?

Our food truck is always on the move. We post daily updates to Twitter and Instagram with our location. We also opened our first brick-and-mortar store at 23 3rd Ave. (near the corner of St. Mark’s Pl. and 3rd Ave.) back in 2014, so customers can get their Korean BBQ fix without tracking down our truck.

Can you share any future plans for Korilla BBQ?

We just opened our second location in SoHo at 55 Spring St. in November. We’re also planning to expand to the Upper East Side, Financial District, and Brooklyn.

With an eclectic menu of burritos, rice bowls and salads infused with explosive Korean flavors, it’s no wonder New Yorkers voted Korilla BBQ Best Asian Lunch in NYC. The question is: do they have what it takes to win top honors?