David Chang’s Momofuku group has opened Kabawa, its first full‑service restaurant in years and a direct successor to the acclaimed Momofuku Ko. The East Village venue replaces the intimate tasting‑menu format Ko was known for with a three‑course, Caribbean‑inspired prix‑fixe menu that aims to capture the adventurous spirit of its predecessor while taking a different culinary direction.
Kabwa, located at 8 Extra Place, is led by chef Paul Carmichael, who once worked at Chang’s Ma Peche. The restaurant offers a $145 prix‑fixe menu with optional supplements that can substantially raise the bill; among the add‑ons are a roughly $75 meat platter and a $50 caviar upgrade. The room retains a hard‑edged downtown loft feel softened by brighter colors and mosaic touches, and the main experience centers on a three‑sided counter that places diners close to the open kitchen.
The menu draws on flavors from Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad, Martinique, Puerto Rico and other Caribbean locales, but avoids broad “pan‑Caribbean” claims in favor of Carmichael’s personal takes on dishes he grew up with and admires. Bread service features Trinidad‑style flaky roti and Jamaican cassava cubes served with pepper jelly, plantain‑ginger chutney, curried chickpeas and mango chutney. A next‑door bar, Bar Kabawa, offers à la carte small bites and patties with fillings such as goat, shrimp and crab.
Carmichael, who was born in Barbados, told a newsperson that traditional island fare informed the menu, and he noted changes in Caribbean food culture since his childhood. “We have real Bajan food festivals now,” he said, evoking the region’s evolving culinary scene and its broader visibility in New York.
Dishes described by reviewers and visitors emphasize concentrated flavors and restraint rather than heavy handed tropicality. A minimalist plated black sea bass was served beside a small pool of woodsy Trinidadian‑style curry. Breadfruit tostones, presented with rings of tender octopus and a piquant "dog" sauce of parsley, lime and habanero from the French Caribbean, were compared favorably to pizza‑like flatbreads for their toothsome texture and balance. A raw seafood course began as pepper shrimp from Montauk dusted with hibiscus and fermented Scotch bonnet peppers and has since alternated with mineral‑rich ocean scallops.
Other highlights include plantain‑scrambled egg paired with salt cod; reviewers noted the dish’s creaminess and suggested skipping an optional caviar supplement to enjoy the base preparation. A pork platter called chuletas can can — comprising rib, belly and loin seasoned with recaito, a Puerto Rican sofrito — was singled out as ambitious but uneven: while visually striking and generous in portion, it emerged drier than expected and with limited textural contrast among the cuts.
Kabwa’s beverage program includes a reasonably priced wine list and an emphasis on high‑end rums; a Cuban‑inspired daiquiri made with shaved ice was mentioned as a standout cocktail. The counter seating fosters communal interaction and places the kitchen’s aromas and heat at the center of the dining experience, a layout that reviewers said channels Ko’s theatrical intimacy in a more casual, convivial register.
Kabwa is the first sit‑down restaurant venture Momofuku has opened since Chang began winding down many of the group’s full‑service locations roughly two years ago to focus on branding and consumer products. Momofuku Ko, once famed for long waits and a multi‑course tasting menu, closed earlier this year; Kabawa occupies Ko’s former space and represents a recalibration of the Momofuku brand toward shorter menus and regionally focused cooking under experienced chefs tied to Chang’s restaurant history.
The main restaurant appears intended as the primary showcase for Carmichael’s cooking, while Bar Kabawa provides a more casual entry point to his flavors. Early coverage describes the food as largely successful in delivering “tropical” intensity without leaning on trite sweetness or overused tropes, with occasional missteps in execution on large, shared meat preparations. As with many openings, menu items have shifted between service previews and regular service.
Kabwa’s opening signals Momofuku’s return to more traditional dining formats while maintaining the brand’s appetite for risk and close‑quarters hospitality. Reservations and prix‑fixe availability will determine how broadly the restaurant’s counter‑centered format can accommodate the neighborhood and Momofuku’s existing following as the group balances sit‑down ambitions with its expanding consumer products and branding efforts.