When Brian Baik came back to Los Angeles in 2020 after a decade in some of New York City’s most rarefied kitchens—Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, Eleven Madison Park, Sushi Noz—he didn’t imagine his first brick-and-mortar opening would be a bar. But on July 29, in the rapidly evolving Melrose Hill neighborhood, that’s exactly what he opened with Bar 109.
Bar 109 will be the front room to Baik’s long-awaited tasting menu restaurant, Corridor 109, a project that has gone through pop-up phases at both Koreatown institution Kobawoo (owned by Baik’s family) and a tiny four-table space in Chinatown. The name comes from Kobawoo’s strip mall suite number, a nod to Paris’s now-closed two-Michelin-starred Passage 53.
For the bar’s drinks program, Baik has tapped Kayla Garcia, fresh off a run at Chicago’s Kumiko—winner of the 2025 James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar and ranked No. 10 on North America’s 50 Best Bars list. Garcia’s menu updates classics with subtle precision: the Marine Layer is a saline-kissed martini built from gin, Manzanilla sherry, dry vermouth, and white kelp; the Ichigo Punch combines strawberry, basil, vodka, mezcal, clarified milk, and junmai sake; and the Chic Hey, a non-alcoholic cocktail inspired by the Korean rice drink sikhye, features malted barley, fermented rice, and kombucha.
General manager Jon Tran, a certified sake sommelier, has assembled the sake list with input from master sommelier Michael Engelmann, who curated the wine program.
In a first for Baik’s fine-dining career, there’s a bar bites menu. Highlights include a smoked salmon dip with Ritz crackers, a colossal U-10 shrimp cocktail, a fried fish sandwich inspired by Japanese nanbankan, and a wagyu hot dog with pickled pepper relish and Dijon mustard.
Designed by Montalba Architects, the sleek, black-painted interior centers on a striking Forest Gold marble bar, its surface threaded with rusty brown veins. Three elliptical tables invite groups to gather—an intentional contrast to the high-ticket, reservation-only experience that Corridor 109 will offer once it opens.
Bar 109 is meant to be the neighborhood’s living room: casual, walk-in only, and open late. In Baik’s words, it’s a way to introduce himself to Melrose Hill—an area now home to dining names like Bar Etoile, Kuya Lord, and Étra—before unveiling the main event.
Bar 109 is now open at 641 N. Western Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90004. Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 6 p.m. to midnight.
For more information, head over to the official website.
