This new restaurant serves food Boise needed ‘desperately.’ Next? DIY ramen machines

After moving to Boise from California less than two years ago, James and Mina Kwak have enjoyed dining out occasionally.

Still, there’s always room for improvement in the local dining scene. Something a little different, maybe?

“There is good food,” James Kwak says with a friendly laugh, “but every time we go out to eat, it’s like a couple hundred dollars later we’re like, ‘Ahhh, we feel like we could do better.’ ”

So the husband and wife put their money where their mouths are.

Serving Korean street food and boba, the Kwaks launched Seoul Street Cafe recently at 624 W. Idaho St. Stylized as “Seoul St. Cafe — K-Food & Boba,” the restaurant opened its doors Jan. 16 in the former home of Liga sports bar.

Both Korean-born, James and Mina moved to America in their late teens before meeting in New York City. Neither intended to be restaurateurs; she was a fashion designer, he worked on Wall Street. But after eventually relocating to California, they opened a now-defunct Japanese-fusion tapas spot in West Hollywood. Their next venture was Prima Cafe, a coffee and boba shop that they’ve sold.

‘A niche’

In Boise, Korean street food was an opportunity, they figured. “We saw a niche,” James Kwak says. “I think just the Korean cultural explosion right now happening all over — we’re just trying to ride the wave.”

During its brief existence, Seoul St. Cafe has racked up 16 reviews on Google and eight on Yelp — all 5 out of 5 stars.

“Boise desperately needed some Korean food downtown,” declared one Google reviewer.

“I’m Korean,” wrote another. “... Excited that I can have a real Korean food in Boise.”

The menu offers 10 entrees ($8.99 to $14.99), five combination meals ($14.99) and four premade lunch specials ($10.99).

Entrees include favorites such as kimbap ($8.99), which is your choice of bulgogi or kimchi with egg, carrot, sweet radish and cucumber rolled with rice and seaweed. There’s also tteokbokki ($12.99), rice sticks and odeng with sweet, spicy Korean chili sauce. Unsurprisingly, customers love bulgogi ($14.99) — Korean marinated beef sauteed with veggies and glass noodles, served with a bowl of rice.

Tired of the same ol’ bird? Try Seoul St. Cafe’s Korean fried chicken ($13.99), boneless thigh covered in sweet and spicy gochujang sauce. It’s been a quick hit, Kwak says.

That chicken doubles as one of the main combo meal options, too. Others include kimbap, ramen, tteokbokki and fried rice (choice of beef bulgogi or kimchi fried rice). Sides include odeng soup, joomukbap, tteokbokki, fried dumplings, musubi and instant cup ramen.

Drink options range from iced teas and milk teas to lemonades, smoothies and coffee.

Photo booth, ramen machines

If you’re in the mood for fun, check out the Life 4 Cuts Korean photo booth inside the restaurant. You pop on colorful fashion accessories, cram into a booth and — voila! Photos. Or choose to have K-pop idols magically inserted next to you in the photos. The Kwaks previously operated a Life 4 Cuts booth at The Village at Meridian. “The response has been good,” James Kwak says.

Another new-to-Idaho concept planned at Seoul St. Cafe within weeks? Ramen machines. “In Korea, it’s getting popular all over the place — these do-it-yourself ramen machines,” Kwak explains. “The kids will go into these ... unmanned stores, all these machines lined up. They select the instant ramen they want, then they cook it to their choice, whatever they want. It’s very popular. We have a couple of those ramen machines coming.”

Take-home meal kits also are part of Seoul St. Cafe’s future plan, Kwak says.

In the future, they’ll consider adding food specials — say, a Korean corn dog, perhaps? If an item is extra-popular, it will be added to the permanent menu.

But for now? The current menu is looking solid.

“We’ve had really great feedback for everything, pretty much,” Kwak says.

▪ Seoul St. Cafe’s hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m Tuesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. It’s closed Mondays. Online: seoulstcafe.com.

This story was originally published January 24, 2024 at 4:00 AM.