Even if you live in the Excelsior, you may have yet to hear about Hwaro, the new Korean restaurant at 4516 Mission St. That's because owner Jung In "Ina" Lee has intentionally stayed below the radar. Instead of hosting a grand opening, or even a soft opening, on August 22nd, Lee and her family decided to do a "secret opening"—which meant opening the front door and seeing who walked in.
The under-the-radar approach is new for Lee, who also owns the Financial District's busy Bibimbar, a Korean-style take on the Chipotle model that allows customers to build their own rice bowls, with a choice of rice, vegetables and meat.
Hwaro is a family affair. Lee, an Academy of Art grad, first came to San Francisco a decade ago. After getting her first restaurant up and running, she began bringing the rest of her family to the United States, starting with her mother and brother.
Her older brother Ryan, a chef, found work in the Korean and Japanese food scene in San Francisco; her mother also has culinary experience, having run several restaurants in South Korea. After bringing her dad to the States (his move was finalized just last week), Lee finally had all of her family members together in one city, and they decided to go into the restaurant business together.
Lee and her family have created a lunch and dinner menu that combines traditional Korean food (like "hangover soup") with contemporary and modern dishes. So far, says Lee, the most popular dishes have been fried chicken, rice cake skewers, Korean BBQ, and anything kimchi-related.
Unfortunately, Hwa hasn't received its liquor license yet, but Lee says it should be coming within the next two weeks. In the meantime, those who want to drink while eating their fried chicken are allowed to bring in their own booze—just make sure to have your receipt on hand.
Lee told us that as soon as her family walked into their Excelsior storefront, which used to be a Filipino bakery, and saw the kitchen, they knew this was it. Lee had to work out of a separate kitchen for her first restaurant, and having a big and open kitchen was her first priority, she said.
While Lee told us she and her family had never been to this part of the city before opening Hwaro, they've already amassed a crowd of regulars. Lee's goal was for the restaurant's design to give off a warm, welcoming vibe; hwaro, the restaurant's name, is Korean for a hearth or fireside that many people use to either keep warm or to cook their food.
Hwaro will be holding its grand opening tomorrow, Sunday, September 25th, from 3-9pm. There will be a tasting from 3-4:30pm, and then the restaurant will resume its regular business hours for dinner.
For those who are unable to make it to the event this Sunday, regular lunch hours are 11-2pm, Monday-Friday. Dinner is served 5-10pm Monday-Friday, 4-10pm on Saturday and 4-9pm on Sunday.
