TROY, NY – Under new ownership by husband and wife team Sung John and Helen Kim, Bespoki Bowl celebrated its grand reopening on Saturday.

After serving in the military for over 30 years, Sung John Kim became a real estate agent. They were looking for a smaller business, especially Helen, who he said is more into the restaurant business than he is.

“She (Helen) liked what was already set up, you just need to add things,” he said. “We just want to expand this business.”

When the broker was asked to help sell the restaurant because the previous owner was pursuing higher education, they thought Bespoki Bowl on 4th Street between Congress and State would be the perfect choice. They started working on the restaurant in July, adding and changing parts of the menu, but Sung John said much has stayed the same.

They found a place with good food and a good location, which made the transition very smooth. He also said that the experience of the staff made the transition easier and that the new owners are grateful that they stayed and continued working at the restaurant.

“We had a great reopening because we didn’t really change anything,” he said. “We didn’t change the name or the website, we just changed the menus and the settings.”

They’ve added some new cuisines, including Fijian food, and have expanded the Asian and Korean menu. Although it’s currently open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Kim said they plan to open earlier and offer breakfast as well, and possibly expand into catering.

It was something of a turnkey experience, he said, and they didn’t have to do much. They plan to do a little painting inside, but they’re more focused on offering the food Bespoki Bowl is known for and complementing it.

The signature poke remained with both build-your-own and ensemble options, as did the non-poke main dishes, rice bowls and appetizers. The Korean shaved ice bingsoo also remained.

But they have added Korean ramen, kim-bob (Korean sushi), bi-bim-bop, Korean tteok-bbok-gi, and more. They have also expanded the drinks menu.

They’re looking forward to RPI students returning in a few weeks, Kim said, and their service and student discounts will remain as well. People are looking for healthy alternatives for their meals and poke, and Bespoki Bowl can provide that, he said.

“We wanted something in Troy,” Kim said. “We were looking for a store, a small store in Troy.”

“I wanted to accomplish something in this community,” he continued. “I like the city of Troy, especially this area.”