Organization
Bong
Bong is a small Khmer restaurant on Sterling Place in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.[1][2] It opened in 2025, founded by chef Chakriya "Cha" Un and Alexander "Chapi" Chaparro. Its name roughly means "older sibling," a word also used in Khmer as a term of respect and affection.[1]
History
For about eight years Un ran Kreung, a roving pop-up named after the paste of lemongrass, galangal and makrut lime leaves at the base of much Khmer cooking. It appeared at places such as Rhodora and The Fly.[1][3] In early 2024 Un and Chaparro signed a lease on the former Ursula space in Crown Heights, and Un raised money online to make "a beautiful place for Khmer food in New York City."[1] Bong opened softly in June 2025 as a reservation-only "private event" space. By July, Bong had opened to the public.[1]
Bong was named to Resy's Best of the Hit List, Eater's Best New Restaurants and The New Yorker's The Best Things I Ate in 2025. In 2026 it received a Michelin Plate and was included in the Eater 38.[4][5]
Food
The menu of shared plates mixes Khmer classics with family recipes.[1][5] The signature Mama Kim's Lobster was developed with Mama Kim. It swaps lobster into a traditional Cambodian crab dish and is served over rice that soaks up the ginger sauce.[3][6] Mama Kim visited in the early days and helped refine several dishes.[1]
Golden Squid is fried and coated in salted duck egg yolk with scallion oil. The bone-in pork chop sits in tuk trey ping poh, a fish and tomato sauce made with cherry tomatoes, tomatillos or sungold tomatoes as the season allows.[1][3] The crispy whole fish, often dorade, is coated in toasted rice powder and ground lime leaves and served over chilled vermicelli with green mango sauce, lettuce and herbs for wrapping.[3][5][6] Other dishes include plea satch ko, a beef salad of razor-thin meat; clams machew, with water spinach and celery in a sour tamarind broth; n'gom, a salad of cabbage, peppers, cucumbers, radishes, fried peanuts and crispy shallots in a vinegary fish sauce; Cambo Corn in coconut milk with fish sauce; fried shrimp with mango dressing; and hanger steak under tuk prahok.[5][6][3][1] Desserts have sometimes come from Mina Park of the dessert studio 99.[6]
Visiting
Bong is at 724 Sterling Place, just west of Bedford Avenue, on a residential block.[1][4] The room seats about 20, mostly on low backless wooden stools at seven tables, with a table or two on the sidewalk in warm weather. The walls are lime green, the kitchen is open, and friends of the owners made much of the decor. The owners painted the blacklight mural in the bathroom, and an altar by the front door lets guests offer blessings to the space.[1][3][6]
Tables are booked through Resy.[1][3]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Brooklyn Magazine, Bong is serving some staggeringly good Khmer food (July 2025)
- ↑ Bong, website
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 The Infatuation, Bong (January 2026)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 En Primeur Club, Bong (March 2026)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Michelin Guide, Bong (April 2026)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Postcard, Bong