Help 626 Night Market Vendor Seoul Street Find A New Home

Seoul Street’s booth at 626 Night Market in Arcadia, California. Photo by @smellypanda.

Many of our attendees have fond memories chowing down on the infamous bulgogi fries from one of our most popular vendors, Seoul Street. Run by the Kim family consisting ofJonathan Kim, his parents and sister, the Kims have been in the food business since 1998. Jonathan’s parents started in retail before opening several Philly steak sandwich and ice cream franchises. He recalls that “when I got older I started helping and got inspired to do Korean food. Then the night market/foodie life boomed and I was able to find my niche here,” inspiring the beginnings of Seoul Street and their traditional Korean cuisine with a modern twist in 2008.

Hot Cheetos bulgogi fries with egg from Seoul Street. Photo by @eatwithkim.

Seoul Street gained a good following at festivals and events such as 626 Night Market due to word-of-mouth and drool-worthy photos of their food that went viral on Instagram. In May 2019, they achieved every entrepreneurial chef’s dream of opening their first brick-and-mortar location: “It was a small space in a commercial business center, but one we could call home.”

When COVID-19 forced restrictions on many restaurants, Seoul Street kept pushing through to continue feeding people thanks to lots of community support. Unfortunately, their lease renewal this year was denied despite their good business and on time payments. The location specifically did not want their cuisine anymore and this forced the Kims to search for a new home. They have not been able to find a new location yet, but please consider supporting Seoul Street and their GoFundMe! You can read more about their experience on their Instagram or GoFundMe page.

The money will go towards helping fund a new location or food truck. They would like to stay in Orange County particularly in the Irvine area as that's where they are known but are open to options.