Shin Myung Gwan Korean BBQ goes on 20+ years of serving authentic Korean dishes in Aurora With an army of nine women sous chefs and chefs, Shin Myung Gwan Korean BBQ creates food from South Korea with authenticity and a flair for family-style dishes. Tucked in a corner of a strip mall On Havana Street and Yale Avenue in Aurora, the unassuming, modest restaurant offers plenty of parking, huge tables for large gatherings, and generous portions for their entrees. Owner and restauranteur Hannah Cho enjoys sharing her love for Korean food to Aurora because “it’s such an amazing, diverse city.” HISTORY | Since 1998, Shin Myung Gwan has served Korean cuisine. Cho purchased the restaurant six years ago and continued the operations. “We proudly serve authentic Korean
2680 S Havana St, Aurora, CO 80014 Tel: 303.751.7787 Instagram: @shinmyunggwan
foods,” said Cho, who left South Korea to attend college in Colorado. WHAT TO EXPECT | This hidden jewel is not open during lunch hours. With an attentive wait staff, the restaurant opens at 4 p.m. and stays open until midnight. The busy season for the restaurant is spring and summer, especially during the weekends. Some of the tables show a grill sitting in the middle of the tables. Large tables without grills accommodate huge parties of six and more. The restaurant offers a button at each table, so diners can push it when service is needed to call wait staff. For those who prefer take-out, curbside pickup is also available. Korean music plays in the background, while the TV at the back of the restaurant shows Korean dramas or music videos.
In 2018, Denver Westword recognized Shin Myung Gwan as a top Korean restaurant in the Denver metro area. PRICE POINT | Menu items range from $9 to $12 from the appetizer selection. House specials can start from as low as $16.99 to $34.99, while combos range from $110 to $195. The BBQ combo set includes a selection of stew and a bottle of soju or soft drink. Korean side dishes are a feast in itself with varieties of fermented veggies and rice cakes. “We do our best to get high-quality seasoning and ingredients,” said Cho. “It is very challenging due to inflation, but I do believe that top-quality seasoning and ingredients make a huge difference.” Follow Shin Myung Gwan on Instagram @shinmyunggwan. To order online, go to ordershinmyungbbq.com.
What’s on the Menu? Diners’ favorites include marinated beef short rib, monkfish, marinated beef bulgogi and cheesy ribs. Most entrees are served in clay pots. With infused Korean spices, seasonings are perfect, especially for cold temperature during the winter months. Cho recommends the braised monkfish, a popular dish in Korea. The white flesh of the fish is tender to the bite with complements of crunchy soybean sprouts and an explosion of robust flavors. Served in generous portions, this is the dish most diners will take home as leftovers. Dipping sauces of sesame oil and salt mix plus fermented soybean paste accompany the meat entrees. If you like spicy food, this cuisine is perfect. But if you prefer By Mary Jeneverre Schultz
lower heat levels in spice, make sure you inform the staff. In fact, the owner purchases the hard-to-source spices from Korean markets in Los Angeles and/or small towns from Korea. Diners from the Korean community vouch for its authenticity in home-style Korean cuisine. Picky about rice? Shin Myung Gwan knows how to cook it well, according to numerous Yelp reviewers, who have commented on how the rice was perfect in every way. Side dishes include: spicy cucumber salad (oi muchim), spicy rice cakes (tteokbokki), sweet and sour radish salad, gamjajeon pancakes, and bean sprouts (kongnamul muchim), kimchi, spinach (sigeumchi namul), and Korean braised potatoes (gamja jorim). Restaurant Peek | Asian Avenue Magazine
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