Sura Korean BBQ Gives South Bay Diners New Reason to Keep It Local

Sura Korean BBQ, a hybrid all-you-can-eat restaurant, is now open in Otay Ranch in Chula Vista.

The concept, from the team behind Common Theory Public House in the Convoy District and Otay Ranch, is based on an old Korean word meaning “king’s meal.”

Joon Lee and Cris Liang, along with their partner Andy Ahn, chose a 4,500-square-foot space, at 1960 Optima St. for Sura. It has 32 tables, each with a gas grill, and seating for 170 guests. There are three all-you-can-eat pricing tiers: classic, premium, and sura.

In addition to 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.

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, rib finger, jumuluk, 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.

Fresh meats at the cold buffet line include pork shoulder butt, pork ribs, pork bulgogi, terriyaki chicken, Hawaiian chicken and spicy chicken. The hot buffet line features mostly Korean items, with some Chinese- and Mexican-inspired dishes.

The cold line has kimchi, lettuce, pickled radish and pico de gallo, as well as tortillas for guests looking to create tacos.

“Our goal is to bring high quality Korean barbecue to the South Bay and minimize travel to the Convoy District,” Lee said. “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?”

Lee, of Korean heritage, attended Eastlake High School. Liang, of Chinese heritage, was born in Mexico, and after immigrating to the U.S. with his family, graduated from Bonita High School. Lee and Liang attended UC San Diego together.

Pricing for the tiers ranges from $37 to $57. Some kids eat free, while others receive discounts of 50% or more.

“It’s going to be a fun atmosphere watching our guests eat to their heart’s content as Sura will provide another option for those in East Chula Vista who want to save a little at the gas pump instead of making the roughly 50-mile round trip to the Convoy District,” Liang said.

The restaurant opens at 4 p.m. Monday – Wednesday and at 11:30 a.m. Thursday – Sunday. Parking is available in an adjacent dirt lot or on nearby streets.

In addition to dining in, Sura will offer to-go BBQ kits and bento boxes beginning in September via pick up, DoorDash and Uber Eats.