Chae

[Timshel]

Then the bibimbap came out; holy s%#&! We definitely ordered too much food. It was a huge bowl; hence the $25 price on it.

A tip for anyone interested: Chae will serve a half-sized version of the bibimbap, which is still plenty big but a bit more manageable for two people when both are wanting appetizers, buns, etc. Though I completely agree that the bibimbap makes great leftovers.

[Pete]

Reminder that Daniel Chae will be opening a Korean buns location in the Tower Theater.

Work should start soon.

[Timshel]

Reminder that Daniel Chae will be opening a Korean buns location in the Tower Theater.

Work should start soon.

I asked a bartender at Savings and Loan about this last week and he had no idea what I was talking about. Glad to hear this is still moving forward.

[Roger S]

Reminder that Daniel Chae will be opening a Korean buns location in the Tower Theater.

No reminder needed for me.... Can't wait for them to get that place open! I may put myself into a pork belly bun induced coma the first week it opens!!! lol

[JarrodH]

Reminder that Daniel Chae will be opening a Korean buns location in the Tower Theater.

Work should start soon.

The soft shell crab bun is absolutely to die for! I cant wait for more options.

[soonermike81]

And if the owner so happens to frequent OKCTalk, our server's name was Augustina and she was great! Very sweet, attentive, and helpful with the menu. Just came across the receipt while cleaning out my wallet.

A Korean bun place sounds awesome! There's a place in Houston called Fat Bao, that we absolutely love.

[2Lanez]

This place is really one of the consistently best restaurants in town. The food is phenomenal.

[John Knight]

Went here on Tuesday night for the first time. The food and atmosphere was great! Can't believe it took me this long to make it over there, but I'll be back.

[Pete]

The location is a bit odd as for some reason people tend to overlook or forget about it.

But in actuality, it's close to the rest of Uptown and The Plaza. And I agree with everyone that it's pretty great.

[Okcdiner]

I am such a fan of this place. It usually seems to be busy which hopefully means it will be sticking around for a long time. I love the diversity in restaurants that we are starting to see in our city!

[jrod]

Paper is up on the windows of Urbun. Opening "Spring '17" per Chae's IG. So excited about this place.

[Pete]

Talked to Daniel Chae yesterday and he said they are aiming for early April.

[sooner88]

I can eat very spicy food, and typically order as hot as they can make it at Thai places, etc.... So ordered their bulgogi extra spicy tonight. Hands down the spiciest food I've ever had. When I asked our waitress what they used, she said capsaicin extract and "Death Dump" which was a fermented chili paste they make in house. If there are any other chiliheads out there give it a try, but it was the first dish I've not been able to finish.

[Jeepnokc]

We ate lunch there the other day. Service was great and the food was excellent. Kim chi eggrolls were fantastic. The loud rap type music coming from the kitchen/bar area was a little off putting and out of place but food and service made up for it. Will go again.

[FighttheGoodFight]

Ate lunch there a few weeks back as well. Holy cow it is good. Convincing the family to go again soon. 10/10 for me.

[sooner88]

Just saw that Chae is closing at the end of the month with some of the popular items coming to Ur/Bun and brunch at All about Cha. This is another place for me, similar to Guernsey, that I liked a lot but it fell off the radar with all the other restaurants opening nearby.

[Urbanized]

Bummer. Another place where the location seemed to be a bit of a stretch. Also I won't lie; I didn't go often myself because of the oddly (excruciatingly) loud interior. And I go to a number of loud places and overlook it, so it is probably a combination of that AND the just-beyond-my-bubble location. The food and service were fantastic on the times that I went. Hopefully it won't be the end of new concepts for Daniel. Ur/Bun is killing as far as I can tell.

[Timshel]

I have a very hard time believing they're closing due to a lack of business (haven't read their reasoning on why they're closing). They always seem to be doing a brisk business whenever I go, which is a decent amount. Not always easy to get a reservation on the weekends and I even went for lunch at like 1:00 pm the middle of last week and there were probably 8-10 full tables and multiple people picking up to-go orders. Very sad to hear this as we rode our bikes there for dinner quite often.

[Pete]

Here is what Chae posted on Facebook.

It sounds like Daniel Chae -- the proprietor -- just has too many things going on to continue to oversee a full-scale restaurant.

***************

Chae
37 mins ·
It’s a good day to announce that CHAE will be closing at the end of April. I’m 35 today, and as I reflect on where I’ve been and where I’m going, I’m humbled and shocked by how much CHAE impacted not only OKC’s food scene, but also our side of 23rd street. Even this month, we won 405 Magazine’s Best Asian Restaurant, won OpenTable’s Diner’s Choice award, and ranked 5th in Yelp’s top ten OKC restaurants. And we’re still fully booked out every weekend. This decision, in other words, comes at a high note.

I love CHAE. I also love UR/BUN and All About Cha (Nichols Hills). And if we’ve ever met at any one of my restaurants, I most likely asked for your name and your story. It’s because I love connecting with my guests, many of whom continued on to become my closest friends. Genuine service with real connection has always been our strength. But at this point, I’m stretched thin: one full-service restaurant demands a whole lot more than two half-service restaurants. And it’s why I’m shifting focus and resources to my half-service, fast-casual concepts.

CHAE’s small plates and a few other strong items are going to UR/BUN. UR/BUN’s one-year birthday is coming up in May, and it’s about to start off with a bang. Follow @urbuneats for more info!

CHAE’s brunch is going to All About Cha (Nichols Hills). Western Ave is about to get hit with some of the most delicious breakfast items in town. Follow @allaboutchaokc!

In closing, I have an important note: be nice to servers. I can’t tell you how many times I hear guests just straight up be disrespectful to my team. Something on the menu not available tonight? It’s not the server’s fault. Temperature on the food off? It’s not the server’s fault. Someone made something special for you before and you can’t have it tonight? It’s not the server’s fault. Be nice!

As for me, I’m not going anywhere. In fact, you’ll be seeing a lot more of me at my other joints. I also have a personal announcement to make that’ll come in due time. Stay tuned. And forever, GUNBAE!

[Pete]

Just talked to Daniel...

He is now looking to sell that property, so really good purchase opportunity for someone.

[Ginkasa]

Sad news, but I'm glad to hear its not due to a lack of business. At least Urbun will still be around for those pork buns.

[HangryHippo]

Any chance Chae's oxtail soup makes the move? Because that stuff is delicious!

[FighttheGoodFight]

I'm heartbroken. I love the place.

[TheirTheir]

One of my favorite restaurants in the city. Their brunch menu that they recently added was exceptional. Very, very bummed about this.

[BridgeBurner]

Huge bummer, I really hope something cool goes into that location but wouldn't be surprised if turns into another chain or just sits empty like the Big Lots right behind it that's been vacant for years. Definitely the coolest restaurant on the west end of the NW 23rd st corridor, everything turns into chains after Chae.