A Korean-style bulgogi gimbap that debuted at the US Open tennis tournament in New York is drawing an enthusiastic response from local fans.
The $28 Gimbap That Won Over a U.S. Influencer
Ahead of the 2026 US Open, a large fan zone and food area were set up around the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York, according to the New York Post, Bon Appétit and other outlets on the 24th local time.
The most talked-about menu item among local fans was the bulgogi gimbap, priced at $28 (about 39,000 won) per roll. Online buzz has intensified after Sam Goldberg, a well-known U.S. food influencer, released a video of himself tasting it on-site.
Bon Appétit also described the gimbap sold at the US Open as "a menu suited to watching outdoor sports — easy to hold and eat on the move, not greasy, and filling."
Rooted in Memories of His Mother, It Won Over New York's Palate
The person behind the menu is Simon Kim (Korean name Kim Si-jun), a Korean-American restaurateur based in New York. He has built a strong presence in the city's dining scene with ventures such as COTE, which combines Korean barbecue with an American steakhouse, and the fried chicken specialty restaurant COQODAQ.
Korean-American chef Eunjo Park contributed to developing the recipe. Park has a career that includes stints at Per Se, a three-Michelin-star French restaurant in New York, and Momofuku Ko, a two-Michelin-star restaurant. Kim called Park the "godmother of gimbap" and shared the collaboration process along with her.
Gimbap reportedly carries meaning beyond a mere menu item for him. Bon Appétit reported that he still remembers the colorful gimbap lunchboxes prepared by friends' mothers on elementary school field day, and that he particularly loved his mother's gimbap, made with thinly sliced bulgogi, crunchy carrots and pickled radish. The idea for this menu also grew out of those memories, according to the report.
"Gimbap reminds me of my mother and of growing up in Korea — it was a regular dish in our home," Kim said. "She would make gimbap so I could eat it on elementary school field day, and since the US Open is like the greatest field day in America, I thought it was the perfect place to present gimbap."
