(Photo: Daniel Maurer)
For years the words “Falafel” and “Shawarma” (somewhat ridiculously) ran down the facade of the building at 23 Third Avenue. It briefly got a new look after Archie & Sons moved in (and then out) but now it’s getting some new stripes.
Today Williamsburg-based Colossal Media started painting Korilla BBQ’s trademark tiger stripes above the Korean-taco truck’s first brick-and-mortar location.
According to Korilla founder Eddie Song, the landlord loves it. “Instead of his building being called the falafel building, it’ll be called the Korilla building,” he said during a conversation inside of the gutted space today.
Song originally wanted white tiger stripes (which, it turned out, looked too much like zebra stripes). And compared to the trucks, the takeout joint will indeed be a beast of a (slightly) different color: the tacos could see new ingredients like pulled pork, and a $15,000 combi oven will allow for a new lineup of sides as well as dishes beyond just tacos. Though the menu is still in the conceptual phase, Korean fried chicken is a distinct possibility. There’ll also be homemade beverages.
The dining room (which will hold less than 20 seats) is still being designed. Tomorrow, an artist is coming in tomorrow to talk about incorporating some “East Village swag, or East Village energy” into a back nook. After all, Song is psyched to be returning to his former stomping grounds as a Columbia student (and then as an NYU Stern School student). “I remember when I was first hanging out here in 2003, it was popping,” he recalled. “That’s when there were Page Six articles about models eating at Yakitori [Taisho].”
Will models flock to Korilla when it opens (hopefully at the end of the month, though that may change)? Stay tuned!
