Spicing up South Lamar

Spicy new Korean restaurant pops up in Austin with signature dish

The spicy Korean soup is available for lunch, beginning this week.

Photo courtesy of Choga Soondubu

A new Korean restaurant with a spicy specialty is ready to make its Austin debut — in pop-up form.

Choga Soondubu, from the CKN Hospitality team behind Jjim BBQ and Donkey Mo's, will launch a limited-time lunch engagement at Jjim on South Lamar Boulevard, beginning Tuesday, June 22.

The concept specializes in soondubu, a spicy Korean soft tofu soup for which the restaurant is named. And, according to a release, it's the first spot in Austin to specialize in the dish.

"Choga is the next step in CKN's mission to bring authentic and traditional Korean cuisine to Austin using a modern approach to culinary techniques," notes the release.

Choga will serve up four varieties of the silken tofu soup: ribeye beef; seafood, with calamari, clam, bay scallops, shrimp; a combo of seafood and beef; and "Army," with ham and sausage. Each soup also includes mixed vegetables and poached egg, and prices range from $15-$17.

Also on the menu will be a selection of bibimbap bowls, grilled beef short rib and grilled pork collar, and shareable items like Korean fried chicken and potstickers. All soups, bowls, and grilled items will be served with kimchi, pickles, and a rotating daily banchan (Korean side dish).

The Choga Soondubu pop-up is open Tuesday-Friday, noon-3 pm, and is slated for a 12-week run. After it wraps on September 10, "the team hopes to open the restaurant in a permanent location in Austin."

news-you-can-eat openings

Beverage news

Austin-based Poppi acquired by behemoth soda brand for $2 billion

Facebook/Poppi

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PepsiCo is acquiring the Austin-based prebiotic soda brand Poppi for $1.95 billion.

The acquisition, announced Monday, March 17, gives PepsiCo a fast-growing brand in the popular functional beverage category.

“More than ever, consumers are looking for convenient and great-tasting options that fit their lifestyles and respond to their growing interest in health and wellness,” PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta said in a statement.

PepsiCo said the transaction includes $300 million of anticipated cash benefits, bringing the net purchase price to $1.65 billion.

Allison Ellsworth, the Austin co-founder of Poppi, said the combination with PepsiCo will expand Poppi’s reach.

“We can’t wait to begin this next chapter with PepsiCo to bring our soda to more people — and I know they will honor what makes Poppi so special while supporting our next phase of growth and innovation,” Ellsworth said in a statement.

Ellsworth developed Poppi — then known as Mother Beverage — in her kitchen in 2015 because she loved soda but was tired of the way it made her feel. She mixed fruit juices with apple cider vinegar, sparkling water and prebiotics, and sold the drink at farmer's markets.

The brand took off in 2018 when Ellsworth and her husband pitched it on Shark Tank. An investor on the show, Rohan Oza, took a stake in Mother Beverage and undertook a major rebrand. Poppi, with its brightly-colored, fruit-forward cans, was born.

“We’re beyond thrilled to be partnering with PepsiCo so that even more consumers across America, and the world, can enjoy Poppi,” said Oza, the co-founder CAVU Consumer Partners, which has also invested in beverage brands like Oatly and Bai.

But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for Poppi. Last summer, multiple class-action lawsuits were filed against the brand by consumers who said its products don’t improve gut health as much as their marketing suggests.

Poppi denied those claims, and noted that it removed references to “gut health” from its packaging in late 2023. But according to a court filing last week, Poppi has agreed to a settlement that includes an $8.9 million fund for payments to consumers. A hearing on the settlement is scheduled for May 8.

PepsiCo shares rose nearly 2 percent in morning trading Monday.

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