Orion Bar

"Orion Bar recently debuted from Irene Yoo, a master soju swirler, and her husband Nick Dodge. The menu lists drinks like the Melona, named for the honeydew-flavored Korean ice cream, or a cocktail with gochugaru (Korean red pepper). For food, there’s a patty melt with kimchi and tteokbokki with Parmesan. Yoo told Eater: “We wanted to be that in between: somewhere between drinking in Koreatown and an American dive bar.” It fits the bill." - Eater Staff

"At Orion Bar, the perfect order is on almost every table. It’s a patty melt with kimchi pimento cheese, and the Space Spam cocktail: frozen, with rum, and served in a Spam can. At the long bar towards the back of this roomy Korean-American spot in Bushwick, bartenders also pour soju bombs and mix things like the bourbon-based Coffee & Cig. You could totally swing by just for a quick drink and some shrimp chips. But with all the creative cocktail making—and a fridge that’s well-stocked by the chef and co-owner, who’s a soju connoisseur—you’d do well to stick around for several hours. Choose your own adventure: drink a cocktail or a bottle of makgeolli, get a Somaek shot with a spicy ramyun broth chaser and eat some spam musubi on a bar stool. The long tables would also be great for a soju-fueled birthday party. photo credit: Willa Moore Food Rundown Pickles The best $5 you can spend. The cucumbers are spicy, salty, and sweet, with thin slivers of jalapeno and lemon peel. Fried Dumplings Pork, tofu, and kimchi inside of a crispy bubbly skin, with a big shower of scallions on top. An excellent drinking snack. Patty Melt The kimchi pimento cheese here brightens up an otherwise heavy sandwich, but not too much—at its core it’s still messy, rich, beefy, and perfectly paired with one too many cocktails or Korean beers. It’s $22, but it comes with fries—they’re dusted in a kimchi-flavored seasoning, and served with a side of ssamjang aioli." - Willa Moore

"Bushwick also has a new cocktail bar. At Orion Bar, named for the Korean Choco-Pie company, you can drink too much soju, and soak it up with pork and kimchi dumplings, spam musubi with caramelized kimchi, Chapagetti, and of course, a choco pie." - will hartman

"Orion Bar, located in Bushwick, is a bar that specializes in serving soju in a hundred different ways. It offers a variety of unique cocktails and drinking snacks inspired by Korean anju. The menu features innovative drinks like soju mixed with gochugaru and malted rice syrup, as well as food items such as Korean carbonara and instant ramen served two ways. The bar aims to offer a blend of Koreatown and American dive bar experiences." - Luke Fortney

"New-school Korean bars are popping up left and right, putting a spotlight not just on soju, but also homemade makgeolli and imported sool. Orion Bar (157 Suydam Street, at Central Avenue) is one of them. The bar, named after the Korean “choco pie” company, is coming to Bushwick this spring. It comes from owners Irene Yoo, a master soju swirler, who also has a cookbook on the way, and her partner Nick Dodge, behind the cocktails at the Nitehawk movie theaters. There are kimchi patty melts and other salty snacks, along with shots of clam juice and ramen broth. Ahead of the opening, the owners are looking to raise $85,000 to hire staff and build out the bar." - Emma Orlow