Kimchi fries forever
Austin's Korean food truck sensation adds Mueller restaurant to empire

Since launching in 2010, Chi’Lantro has become an Austin sensation with a fleet that now includes four brick-and-mortars and two food trucks. Now owner Jae Kim is rolling into a new storefront in the Mueller development.
According to a release, the new outpost will open at 1202 Barbara Jordan Blvd. Ste. 1460 on September 17. Like the other locations, the menu will focus on Korean barbecue-inspired dishes such as tacos, salads, and customizable rice bowls.
Customers can also expect the mini-chain’s popular Korean fried chicken wings and, of course, its famous kimchi fries. All items will be discounted 20-percent during the grand opening week of September 17-23. The space, most recently the home of Vietnamese restaurant PhoNatic, has been completely renovated in Chi’Lantro’s signature colorful style. A mixture of wood planking and subway tile wraps the walls and penny tile spelling out “Hi Mueller” provides the flooring.
The new eatery is the second brick-and-mortar location Kim has opened since securing a $600,000 investment from Barbara Corcoran on Shark Tank for expansion into the Houston and Dallas market. In January, a new Chi’Lantro food truck also took over the spot formerly occupied by Via 313 in front of Violet Crown Social Club.
Coincidentally, Kim is not the only Shark Tank alum to operate at the Mueller address. Brothers Yuen and Peter Yung have the distinction of losing their funding for fast-casual sushi joint How Do You Roll? after appearing on the show in 2013. The fiasco contributed to the closing of their Austin stores in 2016 and eventually to the chain folding in 2017.