Draft:Namu Gaji

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  • Comment: Can't cite wikipedia, please remove those and replace with reliable sources. grapesurgeon (talk) 06:58, 13 April 2026 (UTC)

Namu Gaji was a Korean-American restaurant in San Francisco, California, operated by brothers Dennis, Daniel, and David Lee from 2012 until April 2021. Known for its California-influenced approach to Korean and Japanese cuisine, it was a successor to the brothers' earlier restaurant, Namu.

Background

Dennis, Daniel, and David Lee—three Korean-American brothers who grew up in the restaurant industry, with their mother operating a restaurant in Natick, Massachusetts—opened Namu on Balboa Street in San Francisco's Inner Richmond neighborhood in 2006.[1] After the Balboa Street location closed at the end of 2011, the brothers relocated and rebranded, opening Namu Gaji in April 2012 at 499 Dolores Street in the Mission District.[2]

The name reflects the restaurant's identity: "namu" (나무) means "tree" in Korean and "gaji" (가지) means "branch."[1] The brothers also maintained a stand at the Ferry Building Farmers Market throughout their operation.[3]

Chef Dennis Lee received the Rising Star Chef Award from San Francisco magazine in 2012.[4] Namu Gaji was the subject of a micro-documentary produced by Great Big Story, a video division of CNN.[5]

Cuisine

Namu Gaji served Korean-influenced California cuisine drawing from Korean, Japanese, and American culinary traditions, which chef Dennis Lee described as "Korean-style regional California food."[6] Signature dishes included stone pot bibimbap, a seven-day cured and pickled beef tongue, stone pot okonomiyaki, kimchi fried rice, and gamja fries topped with short rib and kimchi.[1][7]

The restaurant was known for its interpretation of the Korean taco, which Namu had helped popularize in San Francisco beginning in 2009 through its Happy Belly food cart in Golden Gate Park and later at the Ferry Building Farmers Market.[8] Rather than using a flour tortilla, Namu Gaji's version used sheets of nori (dried seaweed) as the wrapper, billing it as the "real Korean taco."[9]

The restaurant operated its own farm in Sunol, California in partnership with farmer Kristyn Leach, using Korean Natural Farming techniques to grow produce and herbs for the menu.[6][10] The brothers' aunt oversaw an in-house fermentation program using bacterial cultures from the family's village in Korea.[11]

During Namu Gaji's operation, the Lee brothers also opened Namu Stonepot, a fast-casual Korean restaurant at 553 Divisadero Street in San Francisco, in 2017.[12]

Dennis Lee also served as a founding chef at Magnolia Gastropub and later as executive chef at Smokestack, a barbecue restaurant at Magnolia Brewery in San Francisco's Dogpatch neighborhood, which opened in 2014.[13][14]

Closure and later ventures

Namu Gaji closed in April 2021 after nearly a decade in operation.[15]

Following the closure, David, Dennis, and Daniel Lee co-founded Pixlcat Coffee & Butter Mochi alongside Jeff Kim, opening their first location in San Francisco's Richmond District in late 2023.[16][17][18] Pixlcat Coffee also operates a stand at the Ferry Building Farmers Market in San Francisco, continuing the Lee brothers' longstanding presence at the market dating to their time with Namu.[18]

In August 2025, a second location opened in Charlestown, Massachusetts, the first outside California.[19] The Boston location was named among Boston magazine's notable new restaurant openings for October 2025.[20]

References

  1. "Namu Gaji: Reincarnation Fits Nicely into New Mission Home". SFWeekly. 2012-05-23. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  2. "An Exclusive (and Extensive) Sneak Peek of Namu Gaji, Opening April 11th | The Chatterbox". tablehopper. 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  3. "Client Challenge". www.tablehopper.com. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  4. "CA: Oakland Cannabis Company Nabs Bay Area Chef To Create New Gourmet Edibles Line". 420 Magazine. 2018-06-21. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wN-TMVEDtg
  6. "The Lee Brothers' New Namu Gaji in the Mission - 7x7 Bay Area". www.7x7.com. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  7. Battilana, Jessica (2012-04-27). "Seoul Food". Tasting Table. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  8. "Namu Gaji". San Francisco Bay Guardian Archive 1966–2014. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  9. vicentesf (2012-01-27). "The Real Korean "taco" – Namu". Vittle Monster. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  10. "Planting Vegetables in California, a Woman Finds Her Korean Roots". Culture. 2016-01-21. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  11. "An Exclusive (and Extensive) Sneak Peek of Namu Gaji, Opening April 11th | The Chatterbox". tablehopper. 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  12. Kane, Peter-Astrid (2017-08-23). "Thigh Will Be Done at Namu Stonepot". SFWeekly. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  13. "At last, Smokestack brings great BBQ to SF". San Francisco Examiner. 2014-06-22. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  14. Kauffman, Jonathan (2014-07-11). "Barbecue chefs bring regional secrets back to S.F." SFGATE. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  15. "60% of the World's Seeds are Owned by Corporations. How Farmer Kristyn Leach is Resisting". PBS SoCal. 2022-02-01. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  16. Bicchieri, Paolo (2023-12-11). "This Cozy New Clement Street Cafe Serves Butter Mochi and Creamy Lattes". Eater SF. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  17. Dahill, Maureen (2025-10-14). "New to the Neighborhood: Pixlcat Coffee". Caught In Charlestown. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  18. "Pixlcat Coffee". Foodwise. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  19. Talk • •, Boston Restaurant (2025-07-17). "West Coast coffee shop opening new location just outside downtown Boston". NBC Boston. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  20. Blumenthal, Rachel Leah (2025-10-01). "Where to Eat in Greater Boston in October 2025". Boston Magazine. Retrieved 2026-06-29.

Category:Restaurants in San Francisco Category:Korean-American cuisine Category:Restaurants established in 2012 Category:Restaurants disestablished in 2021 Category:Mission District, San Francisco Category:Korean-American culture in San Francisco Category:Izakaya restaurants