Previously, the business operated insoutheast Portland'sRichmond neighborhood in 2022.[3] Plans to expand with a stall in thefood hall atBlock 216 did not come to fruition. Kim Jong Grillin' has also operated abrick and mortar restaurant inHappy Valley, but the location closed permanently in March 2025.
Kim Jong Grillin' is owned by chef Han Ly Hwang.[4] The food cart caught fire in 2011.[5] The business began operating again in 2014.[6]
According to Chad Walsh ofEater Portland, Kim Jong Grillin' sold 60–80 pounds of short ribs, 130 pounds of bulgogi, 470–500 pounds of meat, and 250 pounds ofkimchi per week as of mid 2016.[7] In June 2016, the business confirmed plans to close on Alberta and collaborate withMatt's BBQ.[8] Kim Jong Grillin' was burglarized in December 2016.[9]
In 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic, Kim Jong Grillin' served free meals to unemployed restaurant workers.[12] The business planned to operate a stall in the food hall atBlock 216, as of 2023.[13] However, the project did not come to fruition. Kim Jong Grillin' moved to theCart Blocks in downtown Portland and announced plans to operate a brick and mortar restaurant inHappy Valley.[14][15] The Happy Valley location closed permanently in March 2025. The Kim Jong Grillin' food cart operates onWest Burnside Street, as of 2025.[2]
In 2016,Eater Portland described the restaurant as "enormously popular".[16] The restaurant was named in multipleEater Portland lists in 2021, including Nick Townsend's "15 Restaurants Worth Visiting on SE Division",[17] Nick Woo andBrooke Jackson-Glidden's "15 Outstanding Portland Food Carts",[18] and Jackson-Glidden's "The 38 Essential Restaurants and Food Carts in Portland".[19] The website's Nathan Williams included Kim Jon Grillin' in a 2023 list of the city's "snappiest, juiciest" hot dogs.[20] Brooke Jackson-Glidden included the KJG Hot Dog in a 2024 overview of "iconic" Portland dishes.[21]
Katherine Chew Hamilton and Nick Campigli included the restaurant inPortland Monthly's 2021 list of 7 "must-try hot dog hotspots", writing: "The KJG hot dog is a must-have if you're looking for mild heat and Korean American flair. The spicy daikon, kimchi mayo, and pickled mango are excellent additions to the longstanding American tradition of putting meat (in this case, Zenner's sausage) inside a bun."[6]
In their bookRaw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs, journalist, TV writer and comedianJamie Loftus included Kim Jong Grillin's hot dog in their top five favorite hot dogs in the United States.[22]
^abHamilton, Katherine Chew; Campigli, Nick (July 9, 2021)."7 Must-Try Hot Dog Hotspots".Portland Monthly.Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. RetrievedOctober 16, 2021.
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