MEET ORION BAR!
Coming this Spring to Brooklyn! (with your help)...
We’ve been planning to open this bar together for years now, and we’ve finally found the perfect space! Orion Bar will be centered around Korean and American drinks, accompanied by unique Korean American bar snacks and late night food. We want it to be a fun place for people who love to hang and drink, especially Korean-style, to gather locally in Brooklyn, where we’ve lived together for over a decade.
THE DRINKS
Orion Bar will be featuring interesting Korean spirits and signature twists on classic cocktails like our ginseng jujube Negroni, or you can keep it casual with a beer and shot with a broth back.
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THE FOOD
As for food, we’ll be serving our favorite anju, all our favorite things to eat when drinking, like kimchi patty melts, spicy clam soup, and late night ramyun.
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WHAT WE NEED
We are raising money as we open our new bar. We have already secured and signed a lease on a beautiful space in Bushwick, and any money that you are contributing now will help us finish building it out, hire staff, purchase inventory, and open this spring.
WHO WE ARE
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Irene Yoo, aka Yooeating, is a chef, recipe developer, food writer, and culinary historian specializing in Korean and Korean American home cooking, street food, and drinking culture. She has contributed to Food52, Food Network, and Bon Appetit, and previously presented at The Korea Society and The Museum of Food and Drink. She also co-hosts YouTube channel KA KA Studio, which shares unique Korean American experiences and perspectives through Korean food, culture, and travel. Her debut cookbook, Soju Party, will publish via Knopf in fall 2025.
Nick Dodge is a longtime beverage professional, most recently at Nitehawk Cinema where he has been managing the beverage and cocktail program for over 10 years.
We started exploring the concept of Korean American drinking and drinking food together through our 30 popups that we hosted around Brooklyn over 5 years, and want to expand it into a full-concept bar.
While we have both been working in this industry for years, it has been our dream to create and own a space together. We are thrilled to be able to add to the bar community in Brooklyn, our adopted home. We can't wait to host you all as soon as we are open.
REWARDS!
We really appreciate any support you can provide, and to share our gratitude, we will be offering limited edition Orion Bar merch, early access to Irene’s upcoming cookbook and exclusive events and perks.
Even if you can’t contribute monetarily, we would love if you could share this video and our fundraiser on social media, and follow along on our bar journey on Instagram @orionbarbk. And of course, please come visit us once we open!
Perks
Get a digital recipe book sent to your inbox featuring sneak peeks of cocktails and anju to be featured at Orion Bar and in Irene's upcoming cookbook, Soju Party!
In addition to the digital recipe book, get a handwritten postcard painted by Irene’s sister Carolyn Yoo aka @Caromakes, mailed to you! We love handwritten notes and would love to send you a personalized thank you for helping us make our dreams come true.
Reserve a signed copy of Irene's upcoming cookbook Soju Party! Please note that this will be sent to you when the book publishes in fall 2025, so in the meantime we'll send you the digital recipe book so you can get drinkin' and cookin'.
Score a sweet limited edition Orion Bar t-shirt, plus the digital recipe book and handwritten postcard.
Get a shot glass designed by Irene’s sister Carolyn Yoo aka illustrator Caromakes in addition to scoring the sweet limited edition Orion Bar t-shirt, plus the digital recipe book and handwritten postcard!
Want to join the party before anyone else gets a chance? Come to our soft opening and get down with us as we launch! Party with our friends and family and taste samples that we will be passing around throughout the night.
Want one of these limited edition prints designed and risograph printed by Irene? We have one framed in our kitchen. You can too!
Want to learn about our menu first-hand? We will host an online cooking class, that will cover the specific preparations and inspirations of a few of our favorite menu items. We will provide an ingredient list in advance so you can follow along at home.
Want to tell people they are sitting in your chair? We’ll put your name on the bottom of a bar stool with a P-Touch label maker (in perpetuity or until it falls off).
Support our bar AND get your photo taken by star photographer Heami Lee! Book a family portrait session, whether it’s with your visiting parents, your cute baby, your adorable pet, or just your fabulous self!
Must be able to travel to NYC for a 20 minute session at Heami’s studio in Greenpoint, based on mutually discussed availability. You will receive 15 images.
Support our bar AND have dinner with your favorite TikToker living
his best life in Korea, Max Abrams (of @maxnotbeer)
while he’s back in New York!
Must be able to travel to NYC and be available on April 21 or 25, based around Max’s schedule. Dinner will be at a mutually agreed upon location and Orion Bar will not be responsible for dinner or travel expenses.
Come get behind the bar with Nick! We will host a cocktail class at Orion Bar that will cover the basics of cocktail technique and development, and dive into the specific inspirations and ingredients of some of the cocktails on our menu. And of course we will be tasting our work.
Let us provide you and a friend with a prix fixe menu sampling many of our favorite food and drinks from the menu, as well as some exclusive secret-menu offerings. Irene and/or Nick will be there to guide you through the menu and discuss the inspirations of the dishes.
You and a friend will be joined by our friend and favorite dining companion Jamesy (of @Jamesyworld) for an extra special dinner! You will enjoy a prix fixe menu sampling many of our favorite food and drinks from the menu, as well as some exclusive secret-menu offerings. Irene and/or Nick will be there to guide you through the menu and discuss the inspirations of the dishes.
Highlights
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Get a digital recipe book sent to your inbox featuring sneak peeks of cocktails and anju to be featured at Orion Bar and in Irene's upcoming cookbook, Soju Party!
In addition to the digital recipe book, get a handwritten postcard painted by Irene’s sister Carolyn Yoo aka @Caromakes, mailed to you! We love handwritten notes and would love to send you a personalized thank you for helping us make our dreams come true.
Reserve a signed copy of Irene's upcoming cookbook Soju Party! Please note that this will be sent to you when the book publishes in fall 2025, so in the meantime we'll send you the digital recipe book so you can get drinkin' and cookin'.
Score a sweet limited edition Orion Bar t-shirt, plus the digital recipe book and handwritten postcard.
Get a shot glass designed by Irene’s sister Carolyn Yoo aka illustrator Caromakes in addition to scoring the sweet limited edition Orion Bar t-shirt, plus the digital recipe book and handwritten postcard!
Want to join the party before anyone else gets a chance? Come to our soft opening and get down with us as we launch! Party with our friends and family and taste samples that we will be passing around throughout the night.
Want one of these limited edition prints designed and risograph printed by Irene? We have one framed in our kitchen. You can too!
Want to learn about our menu first-hand? We will host an online cooking class, that will cover the specific preparations and inspirations of a few of our favorite menu items. We will provide an ingredient list in advance so you can follow along at home.
Want to tell people they are sitting in your chair? We’ll put your name on the bottom of a bar stool with a P-Touch label maker (in perpetuity or until it falls off).
Support our bar AND get your photo taken by star photographer Heami Lee! Book a family portrait session, whether it’s with your visiting parents, your cute baby, your adorable pet, or just your fabulous self!
Must be able to travel to NYC for a 20 minute session at Heami’s studio in Greenpoint, based on mutually discussed availability. You will receive 15 images.
Support our bar AND have dinner with your favorite TikToker living
his best life in Korea, Max Abrams (of @maxnotbeer)
while he’s back in New York!
Must be able to travel to NYC and be available on April 21 or 25, based around Max’s schedule. Dinner will be at a mutually agreed upon location and Orion Bar will not be responsible for dinner or travel expenses.
Come get behind the bar with Nick! We will host a cocktail class at Orion Bar that will cover the basics of cocktail technique and development, and dive into the specific inspirations and ingredients of some of the cocktails on our menu. And of course we will be tasting our work.
Let us provide you and a friend with a prix fixe menu sampling many of our favorite food and drinks from the menu, as well as some exclusive secret-menu offerings. Irene and/or Nick will be there to guide you through the menu and discuss the inspirations of the dishes.
You and a friend will be joined by our friend and favorite dining companion Jamesy (of @Jamesyworld) for an extra special dinner! You will enjoy a prix fixe menu sampling many of our favorite food and drinks from the menu, as well as some exclusive secret-menu offerings. Irene and/or Nick will be there to guide you through the menu and discuss the inspirations of the dishes.
