Power Bowls Is the Perfect Lunch Spot for Fresh and Flavorful Korean Food 

It’s Women’s History Month, and to celebrate, we’re highlighting a few women-owned businesses in the neighborhood. See the whole series here. 

It’s time to shake up your lunch routine and try something new. We have just the spot: Power Bowls (29 John St.), a Korean restaurant with a curated menu of fresh, flavorful rice bowls and other treats. 

Owned by Silvia Kim and Elisa Kim — who also owns d Elici, a sandwich shop just around the corner at 71 Nassau St. — Power Bowls opened last December. Silvia, who also works as a pharmacist, told the Downtown Alliance that she’d always wanted to open a restaurant, but never got around to it. Then, she said, she was diagnosed with cancer, and she decided to stop waiting.  

“I was out of commission for two years between operations, chemotherapy, and this and that. That was the most eye-opening thing that happened to me,” she said. “I said, you know what? I could have been dead. Let’s just open the restaurant.”

It was then that Silvia reached out to Elisa, a childhood friend of her sister’s, seeking her advice. Elisa has worked in the NYC restaurant industry for many years, first for her parents’ establishments and then her own. She knew a great opportunity when she saw it.

 “Silvia came in with a lot of passion,” Elisa said. “She had great ideas. I decided to partner up with her, and here we are.”

That passion is palpable at Power Bowls. The space itself is colorful, with cheerful teal walls, textured art pieces and plenty of seating for customers. The Korean snacks and drinks on display with colorful packaging double as decor in their own right. 

The food at Power Bowls is truly delicious. Rice bowls can be topped with proteins including bulgogi, spicy pork, chicken teriyaki and tofu. Customers can choose from a wide array of toppings, like pickled vegetables, kimchi, eggs, bean sprouts, eggplant, avocado, mushrooms and more. Unlike similar bowl meal spots, there’s no limit to the number of toppings you can add — as long as it all fits, it’s fair game. In addition to rice bowls, the menu also includes mandu  and kimbap. 

If you’re in the neighborhood, you’ll want to follow Power Bowls’ Instagram account to find out what specials are on the menu any given day and get a behind-the-scenes look at how dishes are prepared. 

In the next year, Elisa and Silvia hope to grow their customer base through word-of-mouth and relationships with other businesses and universities in the neighborhood. 

“We really want to be an inspiration for not only young women, but for middle-aged women,” Silvia said. “Anything is possible.”