Somaek

About

Somaek is a Korean restaurant on Temple Place in Boston's Downtown Crossing, opened in March 2024 by chef Jamie Bissonnette with partners Babak Bina and Andy Cartin, and it takes its name from the soju-and-beer boilermaker of the same name. The kitchen works from recipes Bissonnette learned from his mother-in-law, Soon Han, who consults on the menu: banchan, dumplings and noodles, ojingeo bokkeum of stir-fried squid with rice cakes, jogae jeon studded with clams and finished with chive salad, and doenjang jjigae in a soybean-paste broth with pork belly, soft tofu and potato. The drinks list runs parallel, pairing the house somaek with Korean-leaning cocktails such as a ginseng tonic. The restaurant carries a Michelin Selected distinction.