Montclair To Get Kimchi Smoke Restaurant Thanks To Instagram, Yelp

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Want to know why Kimchi Smoke’s chef and owner Robert Austin Cho chose Montclair as the location for his new restaurant? Instagram and Yelp.

Kimchi Smoke’s location in Westwood has garnered critical recognition including:

• Nominated for a Garden State Culinary Arts Award for Best New Restaurant
• Named Critics Choice for Best Barbecue 2016 by NJ Monthly
• Named Best Korean Restaurant 2017 by 201 Magazine
• Named Best Cheap Eats 2016 by Northjersey.com.

Riding on the success of his Westwood location, Cho recently announced plans to open a Montclair location at 345 Bloomfield Avenue, with a soft opening slated for April. Learn more here.

Here’s why he chose Montclair for the new location, according to a news release:

“Cho made a couple of posts on Instagram asking his followers where the next location should be. The responses included: Westfield, Edison, Hoboken, Montclair, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Hackensack and even Connecticut. And while he scouted some of those locations, he could not find something suitable. After eating in Westwood, a Yelper suggested that Kimchi Smoke would do very well in Montclair, which prompted Cho to do another search in Montclair and found a suitable space! Timing, timing, timing.”

• See related article: Jersey Diner Turns Awful Yelp Review Into Marketing Gold

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Photos: Kimchi Smoke

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