Bayside’s Mister Seoul serves up soulful Korean barbecue
BY TAMMY SCILEPPI
Are you yearning for some
Korean soul food?
Then take the family, or
go on a date, to Mister Seoul
– located at 39-35 Bell Blvd. in
Bayside – for a heapin’ helping
of their authentic, mouthwatering
Korean barbecue.
“We wanted to create a
menu that you can actually enjoy
its true authenticity, without
having to travel all the way
to Korea — hence the name,
‘Mister Seoul,’” said owner
Chris Kim, who currently lives
on Long Island.
“We have a wide variety
of dishes, from our barbecue
to japchae (glass sweet potato
noodles with sauteed vegetables),
and tofu stew, to Koreanstyle
pancakes and more. We
use high-quality meat and have
servers who are truly amazing,”
Kim said. “And there’s
really no other Korean barbecue
spot that can match our
ambiance in Queens.”
It’s no wonder why Mister
Seoul — which is located in a
storefront that was previously
an Italian restaurant — made
Eater’s hottest new restaurants
in Queens list.
While Kim’s sleek, modernlooking
restaurant, launched
in early December, he said
they’re still in the soft opening
phase.
“Many customers came to
support and show their love
and we had a lot of great feedback
on our dishes,” Kim said.
Try the meat combo – aptly
called “Mister Seoul Large
Combo,” consisting of ribeye,
boneless fresh short rib, marinated
short rib, and bulgogi
(marinated thinly sliced beef).
Other dishes include their
tteokbokki (spicy Korean rice
cake).
Customers sit at tables
set around grills, where they
can roast an array of meats,
served up with vegetable and
rice sides, as well as alcohol, if
desired.
You wouldn’t think that
a bagel guy would suddenly
go rogue and start thinking
Korean barbecue, but that’s
exactly what happened when
Kim — who used to own Bergen
Bagel on Flatbush Avenue
in Brooklyn — decided to take
his entrepreneurial skills in a
totally different direction with
Mister Seoul.
That said, Kim never lost
his love of bagels. After selling
Mister Seoul is located at 39-35 Bell Blvd. in Bayside. Photos by Nicholas Persaud
that bagel business several
years ago, he opened another
Brooklyn eatery, called The
Gourmet Bagel Shoppe.
“I was always in the bagel
business, but my passion was
always to open a Korean barbecue
restaurant, and when the
opportunity was there, we went
for it,” Kim said.
Kim said his cousins are his
partners in the business venture.
Korean barbecue holds a
special place in their family’s
traditions.
TIMESLEDGER | Q 2 NS.COM | FEB. 4 - FEB. 10, 2022
“As a Korean family, our
outings were always at a Korean
barbecue restaurant, and
growing up I would be amazed
how my mom would marinate
the short rib, and how much
effort goes into actually making
the beef taste good,” Kim
recalled with a laugh. “I would
spend a lot of time in the kitchen
with her, trying to help, but
she would tell me I’m always
ruining her recipe.”
With Mister Seoul, one
could say Kim has proved his
beloved mother wrong.
So, what combination of ingredients
make for a successful
restaurant?
“It’s definitely taste, location,
ambiance, great customer
service — but most importantly,
you need a very good team,”
Kim said. “We have servers
who are extremely experienced
and attentive, a manager and
chef, who both total over 40
years of experience.”
Kim compared running a
restaurant to playing in a band.
“If the guitarist is off-chord,
then it can ruin the vocalist,
and everything will be out of
sync. Same applies to a restaurant,”
Kim said.
When it comes to Mister
Seoul, the reviews are in.
“Came in as a party of six
and ordered a large ‘Mister
Seoul’ and large ‘Gangnam
Style,’ which was just a little
too much for us, but a good
combination of beef, pork,
chicken. Will definitely come
back,” one happy patron wrote
in a review.
Another had this to say:
“Best Korean BBQ restaurant
in the NY/NJ area. Hands
down best tasting, best service
and best vibe. Go give it a try,
you won’t regret it. I made the
trip all the way from Northwest
NJ to try it.”
Seems like Queens can’t be
beaten when it comes to its diversity
of global food offerings
and great restaurant options.
Mister Seoul offers delivery
and takeout, and is open
Monday through Sunday from
11:30 a.m. to midnight. There is
outdoor seating that is covered
and heated, and the space can
accommodate large parties.
Prices for dishes range from
$13 to $45 (for prime beef), with
premium sets, which consist
of four different cuts, priced
higher.
Japchae, glass sweet potato noodles with sauteed vegetables, is on the menu at Mister Seoul.
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