우리의 이야기 · About So Seoul
A Korean street-food brand, built in Ahmedabad.
Founded by two women entrepreneurs, So Seoul began with a clear purpose: to give people a genuine and approachable Korean street-food experience.
Est. April 2023 · Mansi Circle, Ahmedabad
The food was everywhere on screen. But there was nowhere nearby to experience it.
K-dramas and Korean films were introducing a young Indian audience to the lively, everyday world of Korean street food.
Viewers regularly saw characters enjoying ramyun, tteokbokki, mandu, kimbap and Korean corn dogs. The names were becoming familiar, but experiencing these dishes in Ahmedabad was still difficult.
Popularity came before understanding.
Ramyun was often prepared like ordinary instant noodles. Kimbap was confused with sushi. Tteokbokki was served in tomato or pasta sauce — and sometimes even in butter-chicken or paneer-style gravies. Bibimbap was presented as vegetable pulao, while ordinary momos were renamed and served as Korean mandu.
Customers were becoming familiar with Korean names without experiencing the ingredients, preparation and flavours that gave these dishes their identity.
So Seoul was created to change that perspective.
The purpose was to bring the colourful, casual and approachable Korean street-food culture seen on screen closer to people in India — while preserving the character of the food itself.
Approachable for India, but still recognisably Korean.
The founders
Built by two women. Shaped by food, travel and experience.
So Seoul was founded by two women entrepreneurs — both passionate chefs with experience in the hospitality and retail sectors.
One of the founders had lived in Hong Kong, where she developed hands-on knowledge of Korean and Hong Kong cuisines. Her growing interest in Korean food later took her to South Korea on numerous visits, allowing her to understand its food culture, ingredients, recipes and preparation methods more closely.
Together, the founders combined culinary passion with practical business experience. Their objective was not simply to open a café. They wanted to build a credible Korean food experience that customers could trust and that could eventually grow beyond one location.
The women behind So Seoul
We didn’t begin with a menu. We began with the food.
The knowledge gathered through travel and culinary experience became the foundation for So Seoul.
Experienced Korean-food chefs were involved in the development process. Recipes were repeatedly tested, tasted and refined. Ingredients were studied, and sourcing decisions were made according to where the Korean identity of a dish truly depended on them.
Authentic Korean ingredients were selected where the flavour required them. Other components were carefully developed and sourced in India without turning the dishes into local substitutes.
The aim was not to reproduce Korean food mechanically. It was to understand every dish well enough to present it genuinely, consistently and confidently.
Understand the culture
We studied the food in its cultural context — not simply as a collection of trending dishes.
Develop the recipes
Recipes were tested and refined until the flavours, textures and preparation felt right.
Source what matters
Korean ingredients are used where the identity and flavour of the dish depend on them.
Build for consistency
Recipes, preparation methods, sourcing, training and operating standards were developed so that the experience could be repeated across locations.
In April 2023, the first So Seoul café opened at Mansi Circle, Ahmedabad — Gujarat’s first Korean street-food café.
What So Seoul stands for
Genuine Korean character
The flavours, ingredients and overall experience should remain recognisably Korean.
Easy to discover
Korean food should feel welcoming and approachable — even to someone experiencing it for the first time.
Consistent at every café
The location may change, but the quality, flavour and So Seoul experience should not.
The next chapter goes beyond the café.
So Seoul is being developed as a wider Korean food brand for India.
The next phase includes expanding into new cities through carefully selected operators, together with packaged, frozen and ready-to-eat products that can bring familiar So Seoul flavours into people’s homes.
Our ambition is to make genuine Korean food easier to discover, enjoy and share — inside the café and beyond it.
Eat it at So Seoul. Take it home. Make it your way.
Take the So Seoul story to a new city.
We want to work with entrepreneurs and strategic partners who recognise the opportunity in Korean food and care about building the experience correctly.