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The new restaurant in Bergen County serves up both award winning coffee and Korean fried chicken. Located at 544 Livingston St. in Northwood, Tasting Notes celebrated its grand opening on Friday, June 2.
Christina Lee, who runs Tasting Notes with her fiancée Ujae, initially was planning to just open a café. But the spot she picked was previously home to Marinade, which was known for its Korean fried chicken. Not wanting to upset customers disappointed by its closure, Lee decided to pivot and serve Korean fried chicken with their coffee and pastries.
"There's no real concept like this anywhere," Lee said.
What makes Korean fried chicken stand out is the sauce, Lee said. Using different types of spicy soy garlic and Gochujang chili sauce gives it that special kick. They also make their chicken extra crispy. Lee said customers have been happy to still have a go-to spot for Korean fried chicken.
"Once they found out we kept the chicken, people started coming in," Lee said. "Customers tell us they love coffee and chicken, it's the best combination said."
The Korean community has responded positively to the chicken, telling Lee the fried chicken tastes like the chicken they had back in South Korea, which was welcome news to Lee, who is not a Korean native.
"I didn't know what the chicken was supposed to taste like," Lee said. "But our chicken tastes very clean. It is very crispy and juicy.
Aside from the chicken, customers have also enjoyed the coffee, which is roasted in Williamsburg at Partners Coffee. Ujae won an award for his lattes in 2018 at a championship competition in Los Angeles.
Lee, a Palisades Park resident, has really enjoyed running a business in Norwood, where there is lots of foot traffic and lots of people who moved there from New York City during the pandemic.
"We wanted to introduce people to specialty coffee," Lee said. "And a lot of people from New York City have been looking for specialty shop like this."
Tasting Notes also aims to be a meeting place for the community, Lee said she plans to feature artwork from young artists in the area.
"We're selling chicken and coffee, but we also want to make this a place for people to display their artwork and show it to the community," Lee said. "We're not just a business, we want to do something for the community."
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