It appears the new year will bring some new restaurant options to the Tri-Cities. 

Three new eateries have applied for liquor licenses, according to state records. 

Gang Nam BBQ is set to open at 1275 Lee Blvd. in 2024, hopefully in January, said owner Dong Min Won. The building used to hold a bank and is next to Arlene’s Flowers. 

Won also is the owner of Gangnam Style BBQ at 7903 W. Grandridge Blvd. in Kennewick, and the two restaurants will be similar, he said. They offer traditional Korean tabletop barbecue. 

A new restaurant called Chicken & Bowl also is in the works in Richland, according to a liquor license application filed with the state. It’s owned by BK Hong and Yoori Nah, who also own Ara Sushi & Grill, a Richland restaurant that’s listed for sale.  

Hong and Nah, who were featured in the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business in November, said at the time that they were selling Ara Sushi to focus on other businesses. 

They couldn’t be reached to talk about Chicken & Bowl, which is set to occupy a former boba tea shop at 530 Swift Blvd., but they previously said that they love the Tri-Cities area.  

They met on a blind date in 2019 and opened Ara Sushi a couple of years later after relocating from the west side. “We love Tri-Cities so much. I think it is a good and beautiful rural-feeling city to raise kids and have a great retirement life,” Hong told the Journal of Business in November. 

A new café also is in the works in Kennewick. Mis Raices Café is set for 2521 W. Kennewick Ave., in space that formerly held Hot Tamales. The owners are Susana Montenegro and J. Felix Alvarez.