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No, you're not seeing things. The folks behind critically acclaimed new restaurant Jeong are taking a trip down memory lane by temporarily resurrecting their suburban strip-mall eatery Hanbun, which shuttered back in 2018. Owners Dave Park and Jennifer Tran decided to revive their beloved stall after the state ordered that all restaurants close their doors to dine-in guests to help stop the spread of coronavirus.
If you didn't get a chance to visit Hanbun in Westmont, you may have at least heard fables about the far-flung destination that ferried fine-dining eats out of a food court stall. Owners and partners Dave Park and Jennifer Tran eventually closed up shop and headed into city limits to open Jeong in West Town last year. Like its predecessor, the new restaurant has been met with rave reviews.
But when Park and Tran were unexpectedly forced to close up shop, they knew they had to get creative. "If Jeong sits idle without an income, our future will continue to get worse," Park and Tran wrote in an Instagram post.
The Hanbun pop-up will offer pickup and delivery, though it's worth noting you won't find them on Grubhub; to keep costs down, family and friends will help drive orders to customers, so please tip extra generously. Guests will be able to start pre-ordering on jeongchicago.com tonight, with seven menu items to choose from. Tran said that six are Hanbun originals, like the pillowy tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and fan-favorite ramyun, with toothsome noodles, chili-infused broth, hunks of tender chicken and lots of 'shrooms.
These dishes will be available in extremely limited quantities, and guests can pre-order as soon as the pop-up goes live later tonight: Keep your eyes on Jeong's Instagram page and website for more details.