What to Expect as Sooki & Mimi Converts to New Korean American Restaurant, Kim’s

When James Beard Award-winning chef Ann Kim opened her Uptown restaurant Sooki & Mimi at a storied address in 2021, the biggest revelation was that Kim was taking a dramatic turn away from pizza. Two-and-a-half years later, the chef continues to surprise, announcing plans to convert Sooki & Mimi to a Korean American restaurant called Kim’s.

Here are four key things to know about the changes ahead:

• Sooki & Mimi will be closing in early October and will remain open, business as usual, until then. In fact, the restaurant just added several new dishes to the menu that will be served through early October, a representative for the restaurant tells Eater.
• In early October, the restaurant will close for at least a week to become Kim’s, a Korean American restaurant that will open in mid-October. Kim tells Mpls.St.Paul Magazine that a Korean-American muralist is on board to help “freshen up” the building and that Kim, along with “a handful of friends” will manage the transformation.
• According to a representative, Kim’s will be “deeply rooted in Chef Ann’s heritage and personal culinary journey.” Chef Ann has wanted to open a Korean American restaurant for a long time and feels like now is the right time for her to do so. That same Mpls.St.Paul Magazine article states that the timing was partly inspired by a new stage of life the chef is sharing with her mother: Kim has been cooking more for her mother, who has Parkinson’s, and has received rave reviews for her dishes.
• While full menu details for Kim’s won’t be available until closer to the opening, Kim tells the magazine that the basement bar is also getting a revamp and will now serve food. It will serve mostly bar bites and finger foods that will also be available for takeout, like buckets of Korean fried chicken and chive biscuits.

Stay tuned for more details as the opening of Kim’s approaches.