Nolbu Nolbu Restaurant was named after an old Korean folktale called, “Nolbu and Heungbu”. Nolbu was a greedy and wicked man, who spites his kind and honest brother, Heungbu, out of the family fortune. When his starving brother begs Nolbu for food, Nolbu kicks him to the curb. But at the end of the story when the roles are reversed, Heungbu accepts Nolbu when he comes knocking at his door. The story is a cautionary tale that asks listeners to view Nolbu as the antagonist. But Lee Choon Gi chose not to do so. Instead, he saw Nolbu’s redeeming qualities, persistence, and hard work. 

In a sense, both Lee Choon Gi and his wife Lee Eun Suk, lived like Nolbu. Finding various ways to survive from working odd jobs at a grocery, flea market, JFK airport, and a nail salon, the Lee family persevered as new immigrants all while caring for their baby daughter.

But it wasn’t until their prepared foods and pre-packaged kimbap business failed did the Lees have their epiphany. Because pre-packaged kimbap would sour at the end of the day, they opened Nolbu Nolbu, a made-to-order kimbap restaurant that presented customers a variety of ingredient options to choose from. For the first time, New Yorkers could buy freshly prepared kimbap in any style that they wanted. It was an instant hit. Today, Lee Eun Suk and Lee Choon Gi are assisted by their staff, their sister, and even their daughter, Elizabeth, all of whom represent the spirit of Nolbu’s endurance.

Established in 1998