Docklands at 789 Franklin (near St. Johns) to become Bun Smith

mike dunlap · June 2015

Does this place have a website or Facebook page? I can't find one. Would like to check out the menu.

Brooklyneya · June 2015

Not that I can find, but this article has some info on their offerings:

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150407/crown-heights/photos-asian-fusion-food-trucks-open-brick-mortar-shops-brooklyn

whynot_31 · June 2015

Photos of interior from Kristin Moon, relative of the restaurant's owner, David Moon:

https://twitter.com/KristinKMoon/status/612791786214412288

(click arrows for more photos)

She also confirms it is now fully open.

whynot_31 · June 2015

She has now posted the menu on their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bunsmith/850066425078414?fref=photo

goldemi1 · June 2015

Is that price PER bun?

Brooklyneya · June 2015

Happy hour?

laura palmer · June 2015

I agree that $5/7 a bun seems high. I assume that they'll be like these korean buns below (photo from internet, NOT from bun smith) and that one will never be enough:

Here's a write up of the place in DNA info: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150622/crown-heights/korean-fusion-restaurant-brings-steamed-buns-franklin-avenue

Brooklyneya · June 2015

Yelp already has a few reviews of the place, with photos of the buns and all. Several people complained of the price of the buns, but said they were good.

whynot_31 · June 2015

This was reportedly $25. He had another drink and it was $30.

CIOJgh5VAAAKgmG.jpg_large

https://twitter.com/ILvCrownHeights/status/613524686199107585

Vanderbilly · June 2015

If we can just slow down our drinking while we consume our bun with small thoughtful bites, we'll come closer to breaking even by the end of the night!

nateasensky · June 2015

Wow, talk about too expensive. This is sad, I would love to eat there, but at that price in this neighborhood it just isn't going to happen.

crownheightster · June 2015

Maybe, like many of the other neighborhood places, they will start with high prices and then adjust them after a few months. Like Chika Mexicana on Nostrand, perhaps they will begin offering a combo deal "2 buns for $9" or a sweet happy hour deal.

ehgee · June 2015

Looks tasty. Won't eat there at that price.

It's more expensive than a similar Manhattan restaurant run by a celebrity chef who has a sitcom based on his life:
http://www.baohausnyc.com/menu/

goldemi1 · June 2015

$25 for that!? Since this isnt going to be a 'destination' restaurant or tourist draw, neighborhood joints rely on trial & repeat I'd assume. Trial is half the battle, and at these prices they may be limiting even that.

Brooklyneya · June 2015

Based on the menu, what he ordered is for $20, so $25 must be the total with tax and tip. Still a lot, but just clarifying. $4 a bun would be more sensible.

rogers_sterling · June 2015

That's nuts. Chuko buns are top notch and they charge $5 for 2. Also, $5 for a Narragansett is enough to make Quint jump off the Orca.

stmarksian · June 2015

Man, I was supposed to go there for dinner tonight, but may reconsider at those prices. Even the buns at Ippudo are $9/2, and they do turn-away business in Manhattan and could probably charge whatever they wanted. I'm lucky enough to not normally need to be super price-conscious when I eat out, but those numbers just seem absurd for a neighborhood joint on Franklin.

whatchuwant · June 2015

Yes, pricey, but damn if the tofu with shitake shrooms wasn't the bomb.....and I'm not a tofu kinda gal.

stmarksian · June 2015

Ended up going anyway and the food was pretty good. I tried the pork belly, bulgogi and korean fried chicken (spicy) buns, and the fried chicken was EASILY the best one. I would gladly house a couple of those any day. The bulgogi was also good, but the pork belly was not worth it at all. Even after I knocked most of the kimchi off, you could barely taste the belly.

A weird thing that I didn't like was how they brought out the buns. Even if everyone in your party orders separately, the buns come out grouped by type, not by individual order. A friend and I both ordered a KFC and a pork belly, and they came out on two trays, each with two of the same bun, plus a third tray for my bulgogi. If they had just grouped them by order, they could have saved a tray and prevented us from having to pass them around at the table. Seems inefficient, if not outright annoying to guests.

I'll gladly go back for the fried chicken buns, but I hope they work those kinks out. Was glad to see that the place was pretty busy, though--definitely busier than I ever saw Docklands.

whynot_31 · July 2015

Yelp commenters seem to conclude it is yummy, but a little pricey:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/bunsmith-brooklyn

crownheightster · July 2015

Mr. and Toddler Crownheightster and I went for dinner a week ago. We go the bulgogi and KFS buns and the french fries in rice wine syrup. Delicious. A little pricey. However, we made up for the priciness of the buns by taking advantage of the happy hour shojo, which was $4 for a HUGE pour.

Brooklyneya · July 2015

They must have been reading this. All buns are now $4. Someone posted an updated menu from a week ago on their Facebook page with the new prices and expanded menu (bowls are now being served).

whynot_31 · August 2015

Ms. Whynot and I have now been twice. The food is yummy, and the prices have indeed been dropped a bit.

The place appears to be doing well.

whynot_31 · May 2017

Second location on Gold St in the works. https://www.tran.sla.ny.gov/servlet/ApplicationServlet?pageName=com.ibm.nysla.data.publicquery.PublicQuerySuccessfulResultsPage&validated=true&serialNumber=1302082&licenseType=RW

Docklands at 789 Franklin (near St. Johns) to become Bun Smith

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