LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Chef Edward Lee has brought a taste of Korea to downtown Louisville with his nationally recognized restaurant, Nami Modern Korean Steakhouse. Nami is one of 47 restaurants in the U.S. named to the USA Today best restaurants list for 2024.  

“It’s been a great week. Listen, it’s just a testament to the hard work that every single person here gives every day,” said Lee. 

Nami offers modern interpretations of traditional Korean dishes hoping to ignite culinary curiosity.

“Restaurants are a lot about timing. And I think with the explosion of Korean food and culture and K-Pop and movies, that I felt like it was a good time to open a modern version of Korean food restaurant,” said Lee. 

The Louisville restaurant has been open less than a year, but its food and atmosphere has put it on the map serving full dining rooms every night. 

“We’re not a stuffy, fancy restaurant. The most fun part is that we have a private karaoke room upstairs. It fits about 12-15 people. It’s private, so no one can hear you sing. You can order food and drinks and just sing your heart out to your favorite songs,” said Lee. 

But Lee tells us what makes Nami so special is the people who work there.

“We uplift each other, we challenge each other, we look forward to the daily challenges of making our service better every day and so we each find ways to improve upon what we do every day and when you have a team that truly believes in that it a joy to work,” said Lee. 

Nami is one of only two restaurants in the Louisville area selected for the USA Today list.

Barn8 at Heritage Farm in Goshen also made the list.