Mr. Kimchi Korean BBQ, the all-you-can-eat Korean restaurant currently in Mount Prospect, is opening a new location at 164 Randhurst Village Dr.
Following the successful launch of the first location at 1747 W. Golf Road in 2017, owner Taikyo Park is getting ready to expand the business to a second location in Randhurst Village, according to the Daily Herald. The new Korean BBQ restaurant will move into the former home of Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill next month, hopefully by mid-February 2023. Customers can expect a much larger space than the original, with 30 different meat options available for only $34.95. Village trustees recently approved the liquor license, showing support for the business.
“I think it’s going to be a wonderful fit for you,” Trustee Michael Zadel tells the Daily Herald. “My grandson just loves everything that you have to serve.”
This is a massive achievement for Park, who came to the U.S. from South Korea as a teenager. He developed a passion for cooking from his mother, Kyung Cho, who specialized in kimchi. Together they opened Cafe Mylife in Chicago in 1996 before Park went on to open his own restaurants, Wildfish and Nikko Sushi, in Arlington Heights, as well as Zen Sushi & Grill in Beloit, Wisconsin, and I Luv Sushi in Rockford.
“Kimchi is one of the healthiest foods in the world,” Park tells the Daily Herald. “People loved my mom’s kimchis.”