Bunsik expands beyond the capital

The 2,000sq ft restaurant in Manchester’s Piccadilly Gardens will launch later this summer and feature an ‘evolved’ menu, but retain its focus on Korean-style soul food and corn dogs.

Matt Peters of Nash Bond advised Bunsik on the site. 

Bunsik launched on Charing Cross Road in London in 2021 having become a hit on social media and has gone on to establish sites in Embankment and Camden.

As with its London outposts, Bunsik Manchester will serve a range of corn dogs made from either sausage, cheese or a combination of the two, which are skewered, dipped in batter, rolled in breadcrumbs, and topped with either potato, diced French fries, crushed ramen noodles or crispy rice before being fried.

The menu will also include kimbap, cooked rice, vegetables, fishcake and meat rolled in dried sheets of seaweed and served in bite-sized slices; ddukbokki, cylindrical rice cakes cooked in a spicy sauce; and Korean fried chicken tossed in a variety of sauces including sweet and spicy, honey garlic, and dakgangjeong.

There will also be a new dessert available exclusively at the Manchester site called bingsu.

A cross between an ice cream and a snow cone, bingsu is made from frozen cream or milk and is a type of Korean shaved ice where a block of frozen milk or cream is grated or shaved using a knife.

Toppings range from chopped fruit and condensed milk to fruit syrup and red beans.