Durham is getting Michael Lee back on the block, and he is not coming quietly. The Triangle chef behind the M Restaurants group is planning a new Korean fine-dining spot called M Hansik, slated to open in May 2026. The restaurant is set to fill a renovated, roughly 4,100-square-foot space in the Wye Junction development, with a tasting-menu-style approach meant to deepen the city’s already busy dining scene.
Lee has spent the past several years rolling out a slate of M-branded concepts across the Triangle, and M Hansik is positioned as his next downtown Durham move.
As reported by The News & Observer, M Hansik will take Suite C at 501 Washington St., the renovated former Plum Southern Kitchen & Bar space. It will land alongside other food and drink tenants at Wye Junction, including Timber Pizza and Atomic Clock Brewing. The reporting notes that the team is targeting a May 2026 opening and framing the project as Korean fine dining in a formal setting…