Kisa Restaurant's Korean-launguage sign, meaning "southeast intersection drivers' restaurant," is seen in the Lower East Side of New York. Courtesy of LKJ

Kisa Restaurant is a culinary time capsule, transporting diners in New York back to the flavors of Korean-style drivers' restaurants, known as "gisa sikdang" in Korean, in the 1980s. With its bold sign written in Hangeul (the Korean writing system), literally translating into "southeast intersection drivers' restaurant," the roadside eatery in the Lower East Side of Manhattan has emerged as one of the hottest diners in the Big Apple.

Since its opening, the restaurant has seen lines of customers waiting for an hour to 90 minutes, creating quite a spectacle. The diner's popularity is not due solely to the taste of its food. Its appeal lies in its ability to authentically present Korean cuisine without any localization.

Decorated with nostalgic antique items like a spring-wound wall clock, cuboid CRT TV, Korean calendar, wall-mounted fan and Korean ink landscape painting, the small restaurant with 36 seats offers "baekban" — a hearty, home-style Korean meal comprising rice, soup and side dishes.

David Yun, 34, executive director of Kisa, said his previous establishment made him think about opening a more authentic Korean restaurant.

"My fusion restaurant, C as in Charlie, earned a Bib Gourmand, but it was through this experience that I realized just how little many Americans knew about Korean food. Guests would often say, 'It was my first time having Korean food, but it was amazing,' even though the menu was primarily fusion. This revelation made me realize the importance of sharing authentic Korean cuisine and inspired me to open a restaurant dedicated solely to Korean food," he said during an interview with The Korea Times, Thursday.

Clockwise from top left, David Yun, Steve JaeWoo Choi, Kove Lee, Simon Lee and Kim Yong-min are seen at Kisa Restaurant in the Lower East Side of New York. Courtesy of Kisa Restaurant

Yun, Steve JaeWoo Choi and Kim Yong-min, who founded and ran C as in Charlie, teamed up with chef Simon Lee and photographer Kove Lee to introduce the unique tray-served Korean food culture to New York diners.

He said he has been heartbroken to learn the news that many of Korea's "nopo" (decades-old restaurants) restaurants were vanishing and during his visit to Korea a couple of years ago, he decided to bring drivers' restaurants of 1980s to the Big Apple.

"Having grown up visiting these places with my family, I feared their unique history and flavors might disappear. Inspired by this, I decided to bring a piece of Korea to New York City. I hope that by sharing these authentic flavors with a new audience, I can help preserve this culinary tradition for future generations," Yun said.

Modeled after the roadside eateries, which mainly serve quick and affordable meals to cater to the needs of workers like taxi and bus drivers who have unpredictable schedules, Kisa offers four entrees of Bulgogi (beef marinated in sweet soy sauce), Spicy Pork (pork marinated in gochujang sauce), Spicy Squid (squid with vegetables stir-fried in a mixture of gochujang and Korean chili flakes) and Bori Bibimbap (barley rice with seasonal vegetables). Each entree comes with a total of seven "banchan" (side dishes) made from seasonal ingredients for a price of $32.

Kisa offers four entree options of Bulgogi, Spicy Pork, Spicy Squid and Bori Bibimbap, each served with seven side dishes. Courtesy of Kisa Restaurant

Currently it provides kimchi, "jeon" (traditional pancake), spicy cured shrimp, acorn jelly, seaweed rolls, cucumber salad and soy marinated eggs for this summer season.

He said evoking the retro feeling of the Korean restaurant has been a challenge as he wanted to create a genuine, vintage atmosphere without it feeling like a staged set.

"I personally sourced authentic antiques from places like flea markets and eBay. Items such as wall-mounted fans, traditional landscape paintings and CRT TVs were carefully selected to give the space a lived-in feel. For items that were hard to find locally, I had them shipped from Korea. The combination of these elements created a space that feels both nostalgic and authentic," he said.

He added the hardest-to-get has been a bank-issued wall calendar. "Because of the superstition that bank-issued calendars bring wealth, I was determined to get my hands on one this year," he said. "However, due to high demand and early distribution, it was really hard to find a new one, especially since I had to get it from Korea."

Customers dine at Kisa Restaurant in New York, which serves Korean home-style Korean meal comprising rice, soup and side dishes. Courtesy of Kisa Restaurant

To add more fun, customers can borrow a quarter to grab an instant coffee or roasted grain tea from the Korean-style vending machine on their way out.

Yun said he takes advantage of Korea's "jeong," or hospitality culture, in his marketing. Providing coins for coffee and Yakult (Korea's favored probiotic drink) has been part of it.

"We're always thinking of little extras we can do to make our customers feel at home. When people love our side dishes, we'll often ask if they want more. We think it's really cool to offer this kind of personalized service, especially in a big city like New York. It's like sharing a piece of our heart-warming childhood memories in Korea," Yun said.

Kim, operating partner, says one of the most rewarding moments is when customers say how much their food tastes like the real deal in Korea. "Even though there are tons of Korean restaurants in New York, they say our food reminds them of home-cooked meals. We've met people from all over who wish they had a place like ours back home," he said.

Kisa Restaurant's interior evokes a retro feeling. Courtesy of LKJ

The restaurant says currently 60 percent of customers are non-Asian, a significant change from when it first opened in April and primarily served Koreans.

Regarding their future plans, Yun said instead of trying to create something that Americans will like, they want to simply bring what they love, catching something that already exists in Korea, interpret it through their own lens and present it in New York.

"We can simply show them what we love," Yun said, dismissing the notion of altering their offerings based on presumed American preferences for less spicy or familiar ingredients.

Yun is committed to accurately representing Korean culture, particularly its cuisine, believing it's his generation's responsibility to authentically showcase their heritage.

"Remember when 'Gangnam Style' took New York by storm? Unfortunately, its popularity quickly turned into mockery. But with the global success of BTS and the diversification of K-pop, I realized that Korean food could follow a similar trajectory. If we keep catering solely to Western tastes, we risk becoming a mere trend," he said.

"Instead, I believe our generation has a responsibility to introduce the depth and diversity of Korean cuisine to the world. By showcasing different aspects of Korean culture, we can establish Korean food as global heritage, just like Japanese, Chinese or Thai cuisine."