Austin's best Korean Cuisine: Seoulju Korean Kitchen & Bar
- Lawrence Norento
- Jul 17, 2023
- 3 min read
In north Austin, about 5 miles south of Pflugerville, you can find the best Korean restaurant in the entire city - Seolju. The full name is "Seoulju Korean Kitchen & Bar".
This spot is owned by John Lee, who joined the family restaurant business in June 2018 after years of living in S. Korea and traveling throughout Asia. While living in S. Korea John developed a knowledge of the culture, taste, and feel and has the ambition to share that knowledge with Austin! He’s striving to share his passion for soju (Korean rice wine spirit) with all his guests.
Let me tell you how I found this spot. Originally, my family and I we're celebrating for a graduation of my two best friends. Both were graduating with honors. Originally, I had been chatting with the manager back-and-forth on Instagram. They were remarkably accommodating and considerate; very helpful.
We had secured reservations for 8:00 PM but we arrived a little early (about 7:45 PM). The entire place was buzzing with activity and the energy was amazing. This was not a dead restaurant with a few customers. It was packed. The food smelled great, too.
The owner, named John, walked over to our table and introduced himself. Very kind and very considerate. The entire table asked him questions, loved him. The man lives up to his reputation. We loved him. One of his parting comments was - "I will guarantee you a great meal and great service." That is exactly what happened. Phenomenal. You can tell that the entire staff at his restaurant works as a team. It really shows.
We were escorted to our room with a big smile; my friend had reserved the karaoke room. After we got situated and comfy, John (the owner) surprisingly treated us all (our whole group) to a round of shots! That put us all in a GREAT mood, let me tell you.
After he explained how the karaoke machine worked, we started our night. And like clockwork, he came into the room to check on us throughout the night. I am not kidding. He checked on everything! He kept feeding us with beers and free shots for about hours. This is a phenomenal guy. He knows that keeping expensive clients (I mean big groups) happy is the name of the game in the service world.
Anyway, eventually, we put our order in; ordering just about everything the menu offered. We even took the time to review the photos on Yelp, while in the room, to see what everything looked like from a customer's perspective. When our food arrived, we could not believe it. The staff opened the door to bring in our food and the energy from outside of our private room was so electric! So many people laughing, eating, talking, ordering...it was amazing! So many people!
Now a few important notes:
FOOD : their fried chicken definitely was good. Crispy and juicy. Their kimchi fried rice was good. The chicken nuggets with the cheese fondue is a must get. We had the army stew, also. Overall, the food isn't out of this world but it's good for a big group and to just have while drinking and singing. I'll be the first person to admit that this was my favorite dish. The fried chicken was incredible.
ATMOSPHERE: This is a small, basic spot. This is not luxury, it's really a hidden gem. Forget the stuffy atmosphere. This place is for regular folks. It's not your fancy-smancy Korean restaurant with a quiet, subtle atmosphere. NO WAY. It's a place to hang out where regular folks can get together and simply have fun! Like I said earlier - pure energy.
Overall, I definitely recommend coming here on a Friday or Saturday night. Again, thank you to the staff and John for taking care of us. I'm glad I choose this spot to go to on our first night in north Austin. Kudos to you guys!
A few final, quick notes about Seoulju Korean Kitchen & Bar:
If you're going to host a large party here, you may require a deposit.
Large parties are considered 7 people or more.
If you have any questions about reserving large parties, email them at: SEOULJUATX@GMAIL.COM
You can order and pick up your food online/phone at the Lamar location.
This location is at the intersection of Rutland/N. Lamar, across the street from Taco Bell.
On Fri/Sat, their kitchen closes at 1 A.M.
9515 N Lamar Blvd #230, Austin, TX 78753
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