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Chef Paul Carmichael was cooking Caribbean cuisine at the highest level, albeit in Australia. Bringing his Barbados-born cuisine down under, chef Carmichael ran Momofuku Seibo, the first offshoot of Momofuku outside of New York. The restaurant became a favorite, named as one of Food & Wine’s “World's Best Restaurants” and earned him the title of “Chef of the Year” from Gourmet Traveller, both in 2020. Yet after nearly six years of service, the restaurant closed its doors in 2021. But as Momofuku was ready to launch its next restaurant in New York, the first of which since 2019, they tapped Carmichael. Now stateside, chef Carmichael is putting his Caribbean culture at the forefront, first with Bar Kabawa.
One of our most anticipated openings of 2025, Bar Kabawa is opening tomorrow, February 6. Housed in the former Momofuku Ko space, Bar Kabawa’s bold colors and wooden details welcome you to a Caribbean home. And here, at this home, we drink.
Formerly of Attaboy and Grand Army Bar, Kathryn “Pepper” Stashek is tending bar here, showcasing Caribbean rum and a whole lot of daiquiris. The house classic is the Daiquiri Kabawa, made with your choice of rum, stirred with key lime juice and organic cane sugar served on snow ice. Variations on the classic cocktail include the Bay Leaf Daiquiri with a nitro-muddled bay leaf and the Piña Cola Daiquiri with Probitas rum, pineapple and coconut water. Shareable sippers are also on order including the Planter’s Punch made with Worthy Park 109 Jamaica Rum, grapefruit juice and clove and the Rum & The Coconut served in a coconut set to serve two.
Also at the bar, you’ll get an abbreviated taste of chef Carmichael’s chops with a menu of raw bites, Pickled Okra with Salt Cod and XO and Bay Scallops with Pikliz. Adding to the debate of who makes the city’s best patties debate, Bar Kabawa features a full patty menu for the snacking. Carmichael’s version combines Haitian and Jamaican techniques, offered baked or fried. A sneak peek of his fine dining prowess, patties here are filled with Short Rib, Conch & Bone Marrow and a Guyanese Pepperpot Duck and Foie. And if you need a sweet finish, Bar Kabawa will also feature rotating desserts, starting with the Caramelized Ducana with a nutmeg ice cream.
The opening marks one of two concepts coming from the Momofuku Group. The second, Kabawa, is set to open later this March and will dive deeper into chef Carmichael's Barbados roots via a tasting menu. But if Bar Kabawa is any indication of what’s to come, let's just say we can’t wait until spring.