Seoul Food Meat Co. is at 1400 S Church St. in South End and 421 E 26th St., near Optimist Park. Photo: Courtesy of Tim Chun/Seoul Food Meat Co.
Seoul Food Meat Co. recently added bulgogi burgers to its menu at both locations.
Why it matters:Seoul Food has offered BBQ on its menu for over 10 years, owner Tim Chun tells Axios. Bulgogi burgers aren't new, but the Korean dish is becoming increasingly popular in the United States, he says.
Dig in: Unlike regular burgers, which are seasoned with salt and pepper, the beef in bulgogi burgers is marinated in a sweet bulgogi sauce.
In addition to six-to-seven signature bulgogi burgers, the menu also has tacos and wings, plus patty melts served on house-made Milkbread toast.
In Charlotte, Chun and his wife (who is Japanese) have contributed to that popularization by bringing Asian flavors to growing neighborhoods — like Korean BBQ at Let's Meat in South End and Soju at Urban District Market, to name a couple.
"When I first came to Charlotte, opening a Korean restaurant involved a lot of education," Chun tells Axios, adding that he had to combat a lot of negative stereotypes. But he says it's exciting to see his culture reflected in mainstream media and the trickle-down effect happening in cities like Charlotte.
