Two Penn State Students Opened a Cheesesteak Spot in Seoul South Korea Featuring House Made Rolls

Every morning Penn State grads Henry Jeong and Adam Choi bake rolls for their cheesesteak stand.  Sounds like a typical day of a Philly cheesesteak spot except this one is located on the other side of the globe. Jeong and Choi are owners of Philadelphia Garosu which roughly translates to Philadelphia Treelined Street or Avenue. Located in Seoul Korea (33-9 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul), their restaurant not only offers cheesesteaks but also an atmosphere that would make you think you were sitting in the 215.

Adorned with pro and college team banners, Philadelphia Garosu opened this past January to rave reviews. “Last month we opened it in Seoul and people are going crazy about it. We bake our rolls every morning, trying to keep everything authentic as possible and deliver Philly love to our Korean brothers and sisters,” states Jeong.

Inspired by a cheesesteak stand located just outside of Osan Air Base where the owner is a former Lansdale resident and former owner of a cheesesteak spot in University City, the duo decided to bring cheesesteaks to Seoul.

Considering that hoagie rolls are hard to obtain let alone provolone and whiz, their quest to make an authentic cheesesteak is admirable.  Jeong adds “People don’t even know what it is,” when referring to hoagie rolls and cheeses.  With more of a food truck style cheesesteak, Jeong and Choi, went with a no frills restaurant. “Nothing fancy. Just a local philly cheesesteak joint on the block but rather then just selling cheesesteaks, we are trying to spread love for the community. We try to give good vibes to everybody who comes by,” Jeong adds.

At the moment Philadelphia Garosu is only slinging cheesesteaks but Jeong states that they plan to expand the menu with even more Phillycentric menu items including soft pretzels, hoagies, water ice (wooder ice), as well as Philly brewed beers (hint hint to any breweries reading this).  “We have the lowest price compared to any other restaurant in our district. We only sell imported USA beers (also with lowest price),” adds Jeong. After all their slogan is “Good Food. Cold Beer, Loud Music.”

So if you ever find yourself wondering the streets of Seoul, South Korea and want a little taste of home, definitely swing by Philadelphia Garosu and start an Eagles chant while you’re at it.