Seorabol, one of Philly’s long-running Korean restaurants, is closing its original location
Kye Cheol Cho, Seorabol's founder and executive chef, plans to retire. His son Chris Cho says he will help him at the Center City location.
The Olney location of Seorabol, one of Philadelphia’s longest-running Korean barbecue restaurants, plans to close after business on June 25 with the retirement of Kye Cheol Cho, the founder and executive chef.
His son, Chris Cho, the chef and social media personality who operates the Seorabol location at 1326 Spruce St. in Center City, confirmed the impending shutdown, which his father advertised last week in the Korean Times, Philadelphia’s Korean-language newspaper.
“For the past 31 years, Seorabol has been a place where we laughed, cried, and shared countless memories with the Korean community,” Kye Cho, 67, wrote in his ad, according to a translation.
“However, due to unavoidable personal circumstances such as retirement, we regret to inform you that Seorabol Restaurant, located on Second Street, will be closing its doors after June 25. We are deeply grateful for the love and support you have given us, and we apologize for the sudden news that may bring disappointment.”
Seorabol — also rendered as “Seo Ra Bol” and pronounced “SUH-rah-pull” — opened in a strip mall at Second and Grange Streets in 1994. Previously, Kye Cho owned Sam Won Garden, also a Korean restaurant, in Northeast Philadelphia.
Seorabol, like the nearby Kim’s restaurant, has been a mainstay with the region’s Korean American community for its traditional menu. It also introduced many Philadelphians to tabletop charcoal cooking: At Seorabol, staff totes baskets of hot coals to the table, a practice that fire officials generally frown upon today.
In a 2019 review, Inquirer critic Craig LaBan praised the “carnivore pleasure” of the barbecue and deemed Seorabol “definitely still worth the trip.”
Chris Cho told The Inquirer that his father will help out at the Center City location, which opened in 2018 on the ground floor of the Center City One apartment building. “It will be his way of retiring from the 80-plus hours a week to 20 to 40 hours a week,” he said.