Duo of restaurateurs expand presence in Chinatown London
Shaftesbury Capital has announced that two renowned restaurateurs within Chinatown London have further expanded their presence at the destination. Maguro Group is set to bring its Korean street food brand, BUNSIK, to Wardour Street, whilst Alex Xu has launched Kung Fu Burger on Shaftesbury Avenue, for his fourth concept within Europe’s leading location for ESEA food and culture.
BUNSIK will join Chinatown London’s vibrant food landscape this September, marking the restaurant group’s second site within the destination. The 900 sq ft site at 31 Wardour Street is next-door to Pochawa Grill, Maguro Group’s debut Korean BBQ concept that opened in late 2022. BUNSIK Chinatown London will bring its popular section of Korean style corn dogs, as well as other authentic grab-and-go dishes such as Ddukbokki, Korean fried chicken, burgers, cup-bap, and cup-noodle.
With a portfolio of concepts now spanning four sites in Chinatown London, restaurateur Alex Xu has launched his latest brand, Kung Fu Burger, at 104 Shaftesbury Avenue. Inspired by the street food phenomenon across the ESEA region, Chinese burger concept Kung Fu Burger’s menu is centered around a sourdough Chinese-style bun and a variety of fillings, from shredded pork belly – the most popular version – to chicken, or vegetables. Operating out of a 100 sq ft kiosk, Kung Fu Burger joins Alex Xu’s existing brands in Chinatown London, including popular bubble tea brand, Happy Lemon, and Taiwanese dessert parlour, Meet Fresh.
Jae Cho, Director, Maguro Group, commented: “We are immensely proud of what BUNSIK has accomplished since the inception of the concept, and we are delighted to be bringing the brand into one of the UK’s most significant cultural hubs. BUNSIK was founded off the back of popular trends across the ESEA region and it is flattering to see that Chinatown London, with its rich history in partnering with iconic and authentic restaurants, has chalked out space for us to sit alongside Pochawa Grill, and amongst other great concepts in the destination. This marks a significant move for BUNSIK, and we are pleased to be partnering with Shaftesbury Capital once more.”
Maguro Group and Alex Xu are the latest restaurateurs to expand further into Chinatown London, following the news earlier this year that the restaurant group behind Hong Kong style café, The Eight, and Pan-Asian concept, YiQi, has launched its latest Chinatown London venture, SanHao. Opening its doors at 3 Gerrard Street, San Hao focuses on hand-pulled noodles and soups and occupies a prominent 3,000 sq ft space, on the corner of Chinatown London’s iconic Gerrard Street and Gerrard Place.