Korean Restaurant College Roadhouse Reinvents Itself as a Soju Bar

Beloved North Lamar Korean restaurant, bar, and karaoke spot College Roadhouse is undergoing major changes. The 9515 North Lamar Boulevard address is now called Seoulju, with more of a focus on the clear Korean spirit soju (hence the name), and Korean bar food, though many of its previous popular dishes will remain on the menu.

College Roadhouse’s last day was on Sunday, August 25. The restaurant is currently closed for renovations through Wednesday, August 28, reopening on Thursday, August 29, though without the new menu described further below for the time being.

New owner John Lee bought College Roadhouse from his mother and her team of partners, who had opened the restaurant in 2015. Lee began managing the restaurant in 2018, and decided to take over when the last partner retired. His mother will stay on as the restaurant’s chef. As the new owner, Lee “wants to introduce Korean culture and K-pop subculture to the Austin community,” as a rep for the restaurant told Eater.

A lot of College Roadhouse’s popular Korean dishes — like the Korean fried chicken and budae-jjigae (the military hot pot consisting of a mix of ground beef, ham, bacon, sausages, tofu, kimchi, ramen, and vegetables) — will stay on Seoulju’s menu. Newer dishes, with more of a bar food angle from the East Asian country, will include dak galbi (a spicy dish of chicken, napa cabbage, and rice cakes, which will be stir-fried tableside), soondubu (a Korean soft tofu stew); and Korean fried chicken with cheese.

Seoulju will still hold its open-mic karaoke nights. There’s a grand opening party planned for Friday, September 13 with a dancing talent show and prize giveaways.

Seoulju’s hours will be from 5:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and then from 5:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

• Seoulju [Instagram]
• All Coverage of College Roadhouse [EATX]