A James Beard-winning chef is bringing a new Korean-inspired concept to a prominent historic building in Jersey City’s Downtown, as a new eatery called Dubu Hana is hoping to open by the end of this year.
During their May 19 meeting, Jersey City’s Alcoholic Beverage Control heard an application to transfer a liquor license inside the ground floor of the TelCo Lofts at 8 Erie Street. The property was first constructed in 1900 for use by the NY/NJ Telephone Company as its switching station, later used by the Jersey City Police Department before a retail-to-residential conversion.
The license will be transferred to an entity called Project Dubu Hana LLC, which will take over the space formerly occupied by The Boil, which opened in early 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic. The restaurant recovered to have a five-year run but eventually shuttered last year.
Dubu Hana comes courtesy of Esther Choi, the Jersey-born chef who spent her childhood in Egg Harbor. Choi’s formal training began at New York City’s Institute of Culinary Education, and she later founded Manhattan’s Mökbar, which won her a James Beard Award.
Mökbar, which blends Japanese-style ramen with Korean flavors, launched their first New Jersey location a few years ago inside Newark’s Gateway Center revamp. Dubu Hana will be Choi’s second venture in her birth state, as the new restaurant recently launched a website.
Promising “something SEOUL-ful is coming soon,” Dubu Hana’s interior revamp is designed by Li Architecture Studio. Several renderings of the future space were posted on the firm’s social media, showcasing booth and table seating areas, as well as a bar at the rear of the restaurant.
While a menu for Dubu Hana has not been revealed, the restaurant promises “comfort food, the Korean way.” They have quietly created an Instagram account at the handle @eatdubuhana, and the eatery says they are looking to open sometime during the fall of 2026.
Choi herself, who is scheduled to release her first cookbook, “Hand Taste,” later this year and recently appeared on the Food Network series 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing, can also be followed on Instagram at the handle @choibites.
