Kim’s Bop Shop serves Korean food at the Hill Food Co. in south St. Louis

Kim’s Bop Shop opened April 5 as a cloud kitchen operating out of the Hill Food Co. at 2360 Hampton Ave. in south St. Louis. It’s owned by Nicole and Sean Kim, a married couple who have some interesting culinary credentials between them. Most recently, the couple worked at a high-end fly fishing lodge out in Montana, and both have done stints at Michelin-starred restaurants in different cities around the country. Having trained initially at the Culinary Institute of America, the couple seems poised for success.

“This will be a notch above the usual fast-casual restaurant,” Sean said. “Our focus is on fresh foods … new Korean rolls and bowls.” That means ingredients like grilled-to-order meats, bright vegetables, delicious sauces and fresh herbs grown in their garden in Valley Park.

Sean immigrated to the U.S. from South Korea when he was 9. The foods he ate as a boy – prepared by his mother – have now prepared him for this. 

Kim’s Bop Shop focuses primarily on Korean cuisine but fuses flavors, and melds ingredients to bring their own unique style to the table. District 7 Kimbop, for instance, is inspired by a town in Vietnam, and combines pork belly, lemongrass, honey gochujang, banh mi vegetables, sesame miso and pickles. Momma Kim’s Kimbop – a beef bulgogi seaweed-wrapped rice roll with pickled vegetables, omelet, green onions and Thai basil – pays homage to his mother.

Elsewhere on the menu are sides like honey butter tater tots, Korean fried chicken bites, and a gochujang-caramel cookie. Korean "milkies," soda, strawberry yuzu limeade and sparkling waters are also available.

Now that the Kims have decided to settle in St. Louis, which is Nicole’s hometown, they can begin to conceptualize their own brick-and-mortar. “Our dream location would be somewhere in West County,” said Sean, “But we’ll wait and see what happens.”

Food may be ordered on The Hill Food Co.’s website, Uber Eats, DoorDash and GrubHub, and on kimsbopshop.com.