Sura Korean BBQ, a concept from the team behind Common Theory Public House, is now open in Otay Ranch at 1960 Optima Street. An old Korean word meaning ‘king’s meal’, Sura is a hybrid all-you-can-eat restaurant created by Joon Lee and Cris Liang, along with their partner Andy Ahn. Lee is of Korean heritage, and he attended Eastlake High School. Liang is of Chinese heritage. He was born in Mexico, and after immigrating to the United States with his family, graduated from Bonita High School. Lee and Liang attended UC San Diego together.
The 4,500-square-foot space has 32 tables, each with a gas grill, and seating for 170 guests. There will be three all-you-can-eat pricing tiers: Classic, Premium, and Sura. In addition to the tiered meats being delivered directly to tables for grilling, each option includes access to the cold buffet line with more fresh meat and side dishes, the hot buffet line with various cooked dishes, and unlimited soda and soft serve ice cream.
“Our goal is to bring high quality Korean barbecue to the South Bay and minimize travel to the Convoy District,” Lee said in a statement. “Our hybrid system makes us unique with meat brought to your table, meat on the buffet line, and all the other great hot and cold options. We feel there’s something for everyone, and who doesn’t love ice cream?”
The Classic level features meats such as Top Blade, Brisket, Beef Belly, and Thin Sliced Pork Belly. Premium includes all Classic meats along with beef tongue, ribeye, tib ginger, jumuluk, (a traditional beef dish from South Korea), octopus, and shrimp. Sura includes all Classic and Premium meats, as well as prime ribeye, prime boneless short rib, prime jumuluk, prime New York steak, and more.
The fresh meats at the cold buffet line will have selections like pork shoulder butt, pork ribs, pork bulgogi, teriyaki chicken, Hawaiian chicken, and spicy chicken. The hot buffet line will feature mostly items of Korean influence, and it will also include Chinese and Mexican-inspired dishes. The cold line will have kimchi, lettuce, pickled radish, and pico de gallo, as well as tortillas for guests looking to create their own tacos.
For more information, visit www.surakbbqsd.com.
