BAB Korean Restaurant reopens for dine-in

BAB Korean Restaurant started welcoming back dine-in guests this week. (MARK RABAGO)

Now you can enjoy Cup BAB inside the air-conditioned comforts of BAB Korean Restaurant, where the WiFi is strong and the ambiance exquisite. The Korean restaurant welcomed back dine-in guests this week and will initially only serve items from its affordable Cup BAB menu.

After 11 months of being closed due to COVID-19, the restaurant’s reopening is another step toward operations going back to normal, said restaurant staff Dante Conlu. However, due to social distancing restrictions, the restaurant can only accommodate 45 dine-in guests for now.

Conlu said they were prompted to open the restaurant’s doors to diners due to the clamor of loyal customers who have missed the dine-in experience. “They’ve been asking us for the longest time to reopen and after months of planning we’re finally able to welcome them back and enjoy the full restaurant experience.”

Just some of the more popular dishes in Cup BAB’s 16-item menu include tteok (rice cake and fish cake in spicy sauce), galbi soup (boned beef, radish, rice), dak-gangjeong (sweet and sour chicken), LA-BBQ BAB (beef short rib, kimchee, noodles, lettuce, rice), and volcano BAB (spicy pork, noodles, lettuce, rice). As always, dine-in customers can quench their thirst with Cup BAB’s homemade blends like Hawaiian iced tea, cinnamon/ginger tea, and iced coffee.

The Cup BAB menu will initially be served at BAB Korean Restaurant. (MARK RABAGO)

“We’ll be essentially serving our very popular Cup BAB menu to dine-in guests at our fully functional BAB Korean Restaurant. It will be the same taste and same price as the take-out and drive-thru menu but served inside our restaurant,” said Conlu.

As for the Catholic faithful who are observing Lent and foregoing meat dishes, they can order Shake BAB (rice topped with vegetables), Squid BAB (spicy squid, noodles, lettuce, rice), and Ocean BAB (fish, kimchee, noodles, lettuce, rice), Conlu said.

Those pining for BAB Korean Restaurant’s signature dishes like jeyuk-bokkeum (stir-fried squid) served with rice and vegetables, dolsot bibimbap (hot stone pot bibimbap), bulgogi hotpot, japchae (mixed dish of boiled bean threads, stir-fried vegetables, and shredded meat), dak-bokkeum-tang (braised spicy chicken), and budae jjigae (army stew) won’t have to wait long, as Conlu assured that bringing them back in the regular menu is already in the works.

BAB Korean Restaurant is open Monday-Sunday from 11am to 8pm. For reservations and for more information, call 233-4222 or contact them on their Facebook page: BAB Korean Restaurant.

Cup BAB’s ever popular Combo BAB will now get the BAB Korean Restaurant treatment. (MARK RABAGO)