Ji Hye Kim Opens Little Kim in Kerrytown With All-Vegetarian Asian Food and a Mini-Mart

Ji Hye Kim has opened Little Kim at 207 North Fifth Avenue in the Kerrytown area, and it is exactly the kind of move we expected from her. The James Beard-nominated chef behind Miss Kim now has a fast-casual, all-vegetarian Asian restaurant with a built-in mini-mart, and it fills two gaps at once.

The food menu centers on build-your-own bowls, kimbap, and fried tofu sandwiches. Everything is vegetarian, which is a commitment rather than a limitation. Kim's approach to plant-based cooking at Miss Kim has always been one of the strongest parts of her repertoire. At Little Kim, that approach becomes the entire identity. The format is quick and casual, designed for the lunch crowd and the grab-and-go customer that Miss Kim's sit-down dining room was never built to serve.

The mini-mart section is the other half of the concept. An Asian grocery counter offering pantry staples, prepared foods, and specialty items that are otherwise difficult to find without a trip to a larger market. Ann Arbor has needed something like this in the downtown area for a long time, and Kim is the right person to build it. Her sourcing relationships and her understanding of both Korean and broader Asian ingredients give the selection a point of view that a generic convenience store could not replicate.

This is Kim's third concept, after Miss Kim at 415 North Fifth Avenue and the broader vision she has been building around Korean food and Michigan agriculture. Little Kim is the accessible entry point: lower price, faster service, no reservation required. The mini-mart extends her reach beyond the dining room and into people's home kitchens.

We have been watching Kim build this ecosystem for years. Little Kim is the piece that makes the whole thing click.

Little Kim is at 207 N. 5th Ave, Ann Arbor (Kerrytown area). All-vegetarian menu with an Asian mini-mart. No reservations needed.