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A fierce battle has erupted within the vibrant hospitality and dining scene in Koreatown, Los Angeles, pitting some of the biggest culinary figures against each other. Among those entangled in the dispute are renowned chef Nancy Silverton and her business associate, Joe Bastianich.
At the heart of this conflict is Robert Kim, an ambitious figure in the nightlife industry. Over the past nine years, Kim has been instrumental in launching a series of prominent restaurants and bars along Western Avenue. These establishments represent the evolving identity of Koreatown, a three-square-mile neighborhood in Mid-City that boasts the largest population of Korean Americans in the United States.
One of Kim’s most notable ventures is Lapaba, an upscale pasta bar he opened last year with Silverton and Bastianich—arguably Los Angeles’ most influential culinary partnership. Besides co-owning several of Silverton’s establishments, including Osteria Mozza, Chi Spacca, and Mozza2Go, Bastianich is also a co-owner of Eataly, where he collaborated with Mario Batali.
Kim’s endeavors in Koreatown extend well beyond Lapaba. He co-owns Norikaya, a sushi restaurant led by Michelin-starred chef Akira Back. Additionally, he is a partner at the trendy lounge/bar Mama Lion, where patrons frequently line up around the block at Western Avenue and 6th Street. Moreover, Kim was recently involved in the creation of Club Hue, a forthcoming private club in Koreatown’s Chapman Plaza, which aspires to become a Soho House-style destination for the area’s elite.
However, Kim’s burgeoning hospitality ventures are now embroiled in controversy. A key business partner has accused him of fraud and embezzlement, alleging a complex scheme to sustain his empire. Another partner has confided to Page Six Hollywood that he has also sought legal counsel due to concerns over Kim’s financial management within their joint venture.
On Wednesday, Kim’s longtime business partner at Mama Lion, Robert Ahn, who owns several businesses in Koreatown, filed a lawsuit in California State Superior Court alleging breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, civil theft and fraudulent transfer among other charges. The 35-page suit alleges that Kim embezzled millions in company funds.
“From at least 2021 through 2025, Kim embezzled approximately $3,131,517.97 or more in Company funds through unauthorized personal credit card reimbursements, unilaterally burdened the Company with at least 2 high-interest debt[s] without authorization or disclosure in the amount of $236,600 and has refused to account for the use of any portion of the loan proceeds,” the court docs read.
The suit also alleges that Kim diverted “labor, resources, and funds” from Mama Lion to benefit his other businesses including Norikaya, Lapaba and Club Hue — meaning the blast zone from this suit could extend to multiple establishments. In fact, the holding companies for Norikaya and Lapaba are listed in Ahn’s suit as ‘nominal’ defendants which means they have a connection to the dispute, but are not the true target of the legal filing.
When contacted by P6H a representative for Lapaba declined to comment.
When contacted on Wednesday evening, Kim noted that he filed his own lawsuit against Ahn last week in California State Superior Court. In that suit, he alleges slander and negligent infliction of emotional distress among other things. “I need to see it before I comment,” Kim told P6H of the suit against him when reached by phone.
In Kim’s suit, filed last week, he claims that his business partner had spread “malicious and unsubstantiated claims” about him to other ventures including what his suit refers to as “a project that is slated to open June 2026 (the ‘JUNE PROJECT’).”
Club Hue may be the highest-profile venture in which Kim is involved. As P6H’s Katcy Stephan recently reported, a team of investors is set to launch LA’s newest private club at Chapman Plaza — the 1929 landmark which is in many ways the beating heart of Koreatown — this summer. The investors spared little expense. Club Hue, which is shooting for slightly less than 1,000 members, boasts a main bar area with vaulted wooden ceilings, industrial lotus-shaped chandeliers and a mural by Michael Haight.
Throughout Club Hue’s pre-launch over the past few months, Kim’s name was central. A March Time Out article, one of the earliest about the venture, said: “The project comes from hospitality entrepreneur Robert Kim,” and he was quoted throughout the story. But in recent weeks, Club Hue has distanced itself from Kim. One spokesperson for the club told P6H that it was a shift in the club’s PR strategy. Efforts to reach Club Hue’s PR team were unsuccessful on Wednesday.
In November of 2021, Thomas Park came on as a silent investor in Norikaya, the Japanese hand roll bar and izakaya. By the summer of 2025, Park had become more involved with the business. When P6H reached out on Wednesday over the lawsuit, Park issued the following statement: “Given recent events I have retained legal counsel. I have uncovered the misallocation of funds and I intend to investigate Norikaya’s finances further.”
This is all happening as Koreatown is rapidly changing. According to Mark Hong, founder of Korus Real Estate, which specializes in Koreatown, the shift started to occur about 15 years ago. “That’s when we started seeing younger people become attracted to Koreatown because of new residential projects and so much nightlife. No other place in LA has as many ABC [Alcoholic Beverage Control] licenses as Koreatown,” he said.
“Korean food is becoming mainstream and has become very popular. We’re seeing a different profile of restaurants. International restaurants are coming and in some cases they have institutional money or celebrity chefs, it’s a different profile than the last cycle and that’s due to the demographics.”