When we see words like Benton’s Ham, Duke’s Mayo, and crispy pig ears on a menu, traditional southern fare is the first thing that comes to mind.. But Joaquin Baca’s new Greenwich Village izakaya spot Būmu, which translates to the word “boom” at least according to the Internet, is dropping familiar associations with a thud. Instead, Baca’s passion for cooking Asian inspired mixed with his Texas roots has created a cuisine we can’t accurately describe. Well, we can try, hence the point of this post, but really this is a restaurant you’re best to define after dining there yourself. For now, we’re going to call Baca’s menu an example of Izakay’all, which we’re defining as traditional Japanese style izakaya reimagined with southern ingredients. But really all you need to know is whether or not it’s DELICIOUS. And from an initial visit, we’re excited to see that wherever Baca goes, there’s a good reason the crowd follows.

Būmu's current menu is broken down conveniently into sections like “Raw”, “Yaki”, “Plates,” and “Noodle” which is helpful because you’ll want to try eating dishes from different categories. Dishes get progressively larger by the time you hit the end of the Plates section, so be cognizant of loading up skewers or raw fish before hitting the big stuff. Highlights for this writer during my first visit included the chicken skin yaki served with buttermilk and sambal, the rabbit tsukune with carrot bbq sauce and a quail egg (that’s the dish you’ll be in Instagramming we’re sure), and a scallop with bacon jam and pickled onion petals.

One of the best features of Būmu is its giant wrap around bar, which gives guests access to Baca and his staff artfully plating dishes. The view creates a meaningful connection between the kitchen and dining room. We think it enhances the dining experience, especially if you’re someone who loves dining alone or engaging with restaurant staff. For drinks, Chris Johnson offers a mix of sake, beer, wine, and soon to come, cocktails. Though there’s no current dessert offerings, we’re sure if Baca and his team put their mind to it, we’d get some inventive sweets too. Take a look through a few additional menu items that await at Būmu below.