The interior of Funk Seoul Brother, the new cafe on Scarritt Place
Funk Seoul Brother — the latest food-truck-turned-restaurant — is now open for lunch at its Vanderbilt-area location. The new restaurant is serving daily from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.; it's expected to add dinner hours (extending to 9 p.m.) very soon, possibly as early as next week. The Korean- and Japanese-inspired menu includes the popular sushi burritos, which contain sticky rice, proteins, and veggies rolled into nori (seaweed) and served burrito style. Along with sushi burritos, there are poke bowls (chunks of sushi-grade fish or vegan fried tofu, served salad-style with rice and fresh vegetables) and several other Korean- and Japanese-inspired dishes such as bi bim bap, Korean barbecue tacos, and kimchi fried rice with bulgogi (“crack rice”), and boba tea drinks, such as those made with milk flavored with popular cereals.
Inside, there is seating for 45; takeout and delivery options are also available. The interior features a centerpiece hot pink table as well as a street-art-inspired mural, a selection of Korean and Japanese treats for sale and a soundtrack of K-pop playing from flat-panel monitors. The service is fast casual; patrons order at the counter and the staff delivers the food to each table.
Funk Seoul Brother is the creation of B.J. Lofback of Riffs and is part of the Riffs Hospitality family of restaurants and catering, which also includes Riffs Cafe at Highland Ridge along with food trucks. The restaurant is a partnership with Mark Rubin, whom Lofback met through Second Harvest Food Bank, as well as Leo Rubin and Jeff Fisher. Rubin operated the Go Go Sushi restaurant that formerly filled the space that Funk Seoul Brother now occupies.
The restaurant is located at 2057 Scarritt Place, right off 21st Avenue near Vanderbilt with free parking (up to an hour) available in the adjoining garage. Follow @funkseoultruck on Twitter for more information or on Instagram for pictures.
