Jon Dunbar is a copy editor at The Korea Times, as well as editor of the Foreign Community page and curator of the Korea Times Archive. If you have suggestions for possible articles, or wish to contribute articles yourself, contact jdunbar@koreatimes.co.kr.
RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK Farewell, CALI Kitchen
Cali Kitchen's long-running burger of the month, the Bacon Western Burger / Courtesy of Cali Kitchen
By Jon Dunbar
One of the cornerstones of central Seoul's Gyeongnidan neighborhood is closing. California Kitchen & Craft Pub, or just CALI Kitchen to people whose mouths are already too full, announced last month that its U.S. Thanksgiving dinner would be its last. News of the closure hit the local community hard.
Reportedly, the plan is to close the restaurant, and replace it with Pineapple Express, a rice bowl restaurant located in a much smaller delivery kitchen downhill, which shares ownership with CALI Kitchen.
Opening in July 2015, CALI Kitchen has been a reliable place for craft beer, excellent burgers and various other food prepared with quality in mind. Located pretty high up the hill on Gyeongnidan-gil, CALI Kitchen has sustained customer interest over the years, receiving a few significant celebrity bumps. The biggest of these was probably in 2021 when celebrity chef Paik Jong-won tried a butter burger served personally by restaurant owner Chuck Chun.
CALI Kitchen distinguishes itself with its burgers, with some saying they're the best in Seoul. It also excels with its Mexican food, with tacos on special on Tuesdays. They even talked me into trying their Angus Flat-Iron Steak on a Thursday once when it was on special, and they didn't slouch in that category either. Also, the draft beer selection can't be beaten anywhere between Gyeongnidan and neighboring Haebangchon.
CALI Kitchen was previously our Restaurant of the Week in October last year, making it the first establishment to win that accolade for a second time. But it had to be done before it was too late. If you want to enjoy CALI Kitchen one last time, the clock's ticking. A closing date hasn't been announced yet, but it's expected to come before the end of the year.
Read More
Unlike other burger pubs, the business opens in the late morning, with doors unlocking at 11 a.m. every day except Wednesdays. It stays open until 10 p.m. except on Sundays, when it closes at 9:30 p.m. Visit @calikitch on Instagram for more information.
Jon Dunbar