K-Bop now open on the Delmar Loop

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Courtesy K-Bop

Hye Keeley knows that now is not necessarily the best time to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant, but then again, it’s not exactly the best time to be in the food-truck business either.

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Courtesy K-Bop

“When COVID started, our food truck business was gone,” Keeley says. “We tried to do online ordering out of our partner sushi restaurant in the Central West End, but it wasn’t great. Summer is supposed to be our busiest season, so when we didn’t get enough business, we decided that maybe it was time to think about something else.”

Keeley, together with business partners Dae Yeol Lee and Yu Duck Lee, have been running their food truck, K-Bop STL, since 2015. They've amassed a legion of fans for their casual Korean street fare. As Keeley explains, the idea of a brick-and-mortar version of their popular brand has been on their radar for a long time—almost as long as the truck has been in operation—but the pandemic gave them the push they needed.

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Courtesy K-Bop

This summer, they began their search for the perfect spot but didn’t feel like anything was the right fit. That changed when they happened upon the former Guerrilla Street Food location in the East Loop, a storefront that was just the right size, basically turnkey, and set up exactly as they needed. After minimal work to transform the space into the K-Bop STL brand, Keeley and company opened the doors on December 9.

The restaurant is the realization of a longtime dream for the co-owners. The three have been in the restaurant business together for several years, first working together at Kampai Sushi Bar in the Central West End and its now-shuttered Chesterfield location. Though the three had found success in Japanese cuisine, they felt a calling to bring St. Louis diners a taste of the cuisine of their Korean culture.

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Courtesy K-Bop

Beef Bop, aka Bulgogi beef, one of the most popular dishes in Korea and the best seller at K-Bop, here served with mandu (Korean potstickers)

The team had two impressive resources. Yu Duck Lee had been cooking for 17 years and exuded talent and creativity; Dae Yeol had an impressive career in Korea, working as a cook for generals in the Korean military. Drawing upon these experiences, the team created a menu of simple, well-executed dishes that showcased their Korean culinary heritage. The feedback they received from their guests made them realize they were on the right track.

“We didn’t expect people coming up saying how good we were,” Keeley says. “We didn’t know how we would be received, and we got so many good comments on the food that we decided to get a second truck. When we did that, people kept asking when we would have a brick and mortar.”

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Courtesy K-Bop

The storefront represents more than expanded hours and a steady location. The trio has expanded the menu to include additional dishes, such as tteok-bokki, a Korean spicy rice and fish cake (pictured above), and they have plans to offer more items in the future. Keeley is also happy that the brick-and-mortar location allows them to prepare dishes to order, something that was impossible to do on the food truck.

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Courtesy K-Bop

Spicy Chicken with mandu and egg roll

K-Bop STL is currently open for dine-in service and carryout. Though Keeley admits that the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic is not ideal, the team remains committed to pushing through in hopes that better times are ahead.

“We were worried to open a brick and mortar during these hard times, but we can’t just look at this situation as being the only situation,” Keeley says. “We are thinking of the time after COVID.”