Authentic Korean restaurant revitalizes building of former Macon fried chicken staple
Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing series where reporters Justin Baxley and Jenna Eason dine at local restaurants and review the food and experience.
The old Len Berg’s sign still stands on Walnut Street, a reminder of the former Macon institution, a restaurant beloved by many for its fried chicken.
A new sign sits atop the building as well, Kimchi Factory, a Korean restaurant that opened amid the COVID-19 pandemic last July.
The menu features various dishes from owner Miyang Kim’s birthplace in South Korea, including bibimbap, kimchi fried rice, appetizers like dumplings and Kimchijeon, a kimchi and green onion pancake..
From South Korea to Macon
When Kim arrived in the United States over 20 years ago, she had never really cooked before. She eventually landed in Macon to help cook for the Korean workers at the Kumho Tire factory in south Macon.
Kim learned how to make the various Korean dishes that she served the workers and now her customers by watching and memorizing things that her mother taught her. It is how she is imparting those same skills to her five daughters.
“My mother was always thinking about the balance of the food,” Kim said. “The food is like a story. We try to cater the food to your health.”
Kim began to pray to figure out what her next steps were and it led her to the old Len Berg’s location. It had been unoccupied for most of the 21 years since Len Berg’s shut down, with a few failed restaurants along the way.
‘I just kept praying and praying”
When COVID-19 hit in March, Kim was torn on whether now was the right time to push on with the business.
She was struggling to make ends meet and was unsure if her dream of opening the Kimchi Factory would ever come to fruition. In July, after a lot of prayer, Kim decided that she would open her doors.
“The virus was so bad. I just kept praying and praying,” Kim said. “The main thing is I just can’t give up.”
On the first day, when Kim opened just two customers came through the door, a probation officer from across the street and a repairman who came in to fix the air conditioning.
Word quickly spread across social media and the next day over 400 customers stood in line to get a taste. The officer waited for nearly three and half hours to place an order on the second day.
It was at that moment, with tired legs and no time for a break, that Kim knew that God had put her in the right place.
Since then she has built a loyal following and was recently featured in Garden and Gun magazine.
The authenticity of the restaurant and the woman who runs it brings a sense of home to the Kimchi Factory over 7,000 miles away from Kim’s birthplace. Kim’s ultimate goal is to turn the Kimchi Factory into a franchise.
Big portions and big flavor
For the meal, I decided to follow John T. Edge’s lead, the Middle Georgia native and host of SEC Network’s True South, and ordered the stone pot bibimbap.
The fried egg perched on top sets the tone for the dish that blends the tastes of the various veggies, rice and meat together. I ordered the beef version, but squid is also an option.
For our appetizers, we went with the dumplings and the kimchi pancake.
The pancake appetizer comes out looking more like a pizza but the crispy outer crust helps take this dish to the next level. It isn’t too spicy but Kim’s favorite dish, the kimchi, really takes center stage in this.
The veggie dumplings were one of the standouts of our meals as they combine tofu and oatmeal to get the color and texture of meat. It left us wondering how it wasn’t pork or beef inside the perfectly cooked dumpling.
I grab a bite of Jenna’s kimchi fried rice dish and the flavors hit slowly. It does have a kick, so its only for those who enjoy a little heat. The portion size of this dish was surprising. It filled up the entire plate and there was easily enough for two or three meals.
Overall, the experience at the Kimchi Factory left me wanting to come back again and again to try some of the other dishes like ramen or one of their bulgogi options.
Cost
- Stone Pot Bibimbap: $13.99
- Kimchi Fried Rice: $7.99
- Kimchijeon: $9.99
- Veggie dumplings: $6.99
Kimchi Factory
Location: 440 Walnut St., Macon.
Hours: Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday 3-9 p.m.
Price range: $8-20
This story was originally published February 16, 2021 at 3:30 PM.