Dosi, a tapas-style Korean restaurant and soju bar, will open soon in the former Toyama space on Shepherd. Owner An Vo, who previously managed buffet restaurant Kpop, tells CultureMap that Dosi will be Houston's first restaurant to serve infused soju, a Korean alcohol typically made from rice, wheat or barley.
"No Korean meal is complete without soju," Vo says.
Set to open in April, Vo says the restaurant resembles Momofuku in New York and will serve a similar style of fusion-Korean cuisine including a version of that restaurant's signature bossam, a roasted pork shoulder eaten in lettuce wraps. Additionally, Dosi will offer Korean fried chicken, banchan and steamed buns.
"Houston is open to new concepts. I've seen the changes all up and down Kirby."
While Houston's few soju bars reside near the Korean restaurants on Long Point, nothing quite like the concept has been tried inside the Loop. Recently opened Nara serves Korean fusion cuisine but lacks the soju component that Vo hopes will define Dosi. Still, Vo thinks the time is right.
"Houston is open to new concepts," Vo says. "I've seen the changes all up and down Kirby." He cites Nara's success as one sign that diners will embrace Dosi, although he emphasizes that Dosi won't serve Japanese dishes like Nara does.
To appeal to the young professionals who he thinks will make up the majority of his customers, Vo says Dosi will keep late night hours. It will stay open until midnight Mondays through Thursdays and until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
When it opens in April, Korean restaurant Dosi will serve fusion cuisine and infused soju.
