Sweetgreen ups its steak game with Michelin-starred chef
The KBBQ Steak Bowl brings Korean barbecue flavors without the need to cook meat at the table. | Photo courtesy of Sweetgreen.
Sweetgreen is taking its move into steak up a notch.
The fast-casual chain on Wednesday unveiled the launch of a partnership with one of the most celebrated steakhouses in the country: the Michelin-starred COTE Korean Steakhouse, which has locations in New York City, Miami, Singapore, and, soon, Las Vegas.
COTE is owned by Gracious Hospitality Management, founded by CEO Simon Kim, who is also known for the acclaimed restaurant Coqodaq in New York. Sweetgreen has worked with Kim to develop three new limited-time entrees for the fast-casual chain, launching May 13, which will for the first time bring Korean flavors to the menu.
The dishes include:
The KBBQ Steak Bowl featuring grass-fed beef with a savory-sweet Korean barbecue glaze, layered with romaine, white rice, apple kimchi sauce, spicy roasted broccoli, cucumber kimchi and pickled cabbage.
The KBBQ Steak Plate has similar ingredients but built as a more dinner-worthy plate, hold the lettuce.
The Cucumber Kimchi Crunch Salad is a lighter, vegetable-forward option, with romaine and spring mix, layers of roasted sweet potato, spicy broccoli, cucumber kimchi with the KBBQ glaze, apple kimchi sauce, pickled cabbage and crispy onions.
It’s not the first time Sweetgreen has worked with high-end chefs. Over the past decade or so, the chain has tapped the likes of Momofuku’s David Chang, Osteria Mozza’s Nancy Silverton and Blue Hill’s Dan Barber, for example.
Kim of COTE said he has long admired Sweetgreen’s dedication to sourcing and their “ability to bring joy to a broad, national audience,” he said in a statement. “At COTE, we live by a beef-and-leaf philosophy—serving steak alongside pickled vegetables. It’s all about balance, the yin and the yang. This collaboration brings the spirit of Korean BBQ to a whole new audience in an unexpected way that feels both authentic and accessible.
“It’s rare to find a partner who shares our values and standards,” Kim added. “But with Sweetgreen, the connection was immediate—it felt organic, like we were speaking the same language.”
Sweetgreen loyalty members can try the LTOs first on May 12 by ordering through the app or online.
Sweetgreen, which reports first-quarter earnings later this week, has promised more menu innovation this year, following the launch of its new-and-improved loyalty program in April.
The chain has rolled out air-fried Ripple Fries, for example, as a permanent item, and the chain has hinted that new hand-held options might be coming later this year.
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