Gogi En
Things are about to get hot — specifically the tabletop grills at Gogi En Korean Barbecue. Korean barbecue centers around do-it-yourself cooking of meat and is gaining popularity locally and nationwide. Gogi En’s Front House Manager Mark Chun says that’s because it’s not just a dining experience, but a social one, as well.
“Korean barbecue is a very personalized and very social experience,” he says. “It involves a lot of eating with your hands and cooking at the table, also, kind of forcing you to be present and take account of what you’re doing at the moment. It helps you reel in and not have your mind wander.”
Diners at Gogi En can choose from various bundles of marinated meats that they can sear to their own liking on tabletop grills. Sauces, garnishes, side dishes and lettuce and perilla (a Korean herb similar to shiso) leaves for wrapping the meats are provided as part of the meal. Chun says the ability to customize each bite is a big part of the appeal.
“At the end of the day, it’s just a style of food that highlights savory, spicy, sweet,” he says. “If you like those things — if you like cooking your food exactly the way that you like it, then it’s a perfect fit.”
The restaurant space, formerly home to Akira Sushi and Hibachi, is not large enough to accommodate dozens of grill tables, but Chun and his team turned that obstacle into an advantage by building out a bar area to showcase Korean appetizers and cocktails made with soju, Korean rice liquor. “People can sit down, have a few drinks and get, not Korean barbecue, but Korean food like kimbap,” Chun says.
Kimbap, a seaweed-wrapped rice roll stuffed with a combination of vegetables, beef and fish cake, is a ubiquitous convenience food in Korea that’s enjoying a viral moment in American food culture.
“The kimbap has become very, very trendy online all of a sudden, so we’re really hoping that takes off,” Chun says, adding that they also plan to add a small area where you can find Korean products, snacks and drinks, similar to a mini Korean convenience store.
6025 Kruse Drive
Yummus Mediterranean Food
Based on its moniker, one might surmise that yummy hummus is the star of the menu at this Mediterranean deli and market, and you would be correct. Behind the counter, you’ll find no fewer than 20 different spins on the dip, from standards like original and roasted red pepper, to unexpected flavors like hot giardiniera, everything bagel, turmeric-carrot and even chocolate.
But tasty chickpea spread isn’t the only thing on offer. You’ll also find everything needed to assemble a mezze platter of Middle Eastern nibbles and noshes that adds up to a satisfying meal. Stuffed grape leaves, beef and chicken shawarma, falafel, lentil soup and salads like fattoush and tabouli are also available, along with seven flavors of feta cheese, which, like the hummus, is sold by the pound.
Those who frequent Cleveland’s West Side Market might find the selections at Yummus oddly familiar. That’s because the deli supplies hummus and other goodies to the popular Jacob’s Oasis food stall. Just like at the market, though, you won’t be able to eat in at Yummus — the small storefront is carryout only.
33770 Aurora Road, 440-318-1975
You & I Tea Bar
Recent months have been an exciting time for local fans of bubble tea, the fruity dessert drink from Taiwan, as Solon is suddenly popping with cafés specializing in the pearly refreshment. You & I Tea Bar opened in July, offering teas in a kaleidoscopic assortment of flavors and varieties, alongside crispy, sweet and savory Asian-style crepes and decadently stuffed waffles.
For the uninitiated, bubble tea is a sweet, tea-based drink served cold, shaken with flavored syrups and, often, milk. Shaking creates a bubbly foam on the drink’s surface, providing its name. However, it’s the boba — marble-sized pearls of tapioca or gummy candy mixed into the beverage that imbibers suck up through a wide-gauge straw — that gives bubble tea its cult following.
You & I’s milk teas, fruit teas, smoothies and sodas are customizable. Guests can top their drinks with traditional black tapioca boba, clear “crystal” boba, an assortment of flavored jellies or fruity bursting boba.
Owner Sirima Krabnoi says setting up shop in Solon was a natural choice.
“Our family lives in Solon, both of our sons go to school in Solon, and our house is not far from the store,” she says. “It is a family business.”
Krabnoi says she looks forward to expanding the shop’s menu to include hot, fresh-brewed coffee drinks and Asian sandwiches.
33544 Aurora Road, 440-318-1788
Ming’s Bubble Tea
Slated to open this winter, Ming’s will bring even more flavor to the (bubble) tea party. The shop will be the third location for the mini chain, which launched in 2016 in Kent and opened a second shop in Hudson last year.
“We have a lot of fans living in Solon, and they have demanded a bubble tea place from day one,” says Owner and Founder Ming Xie. “I knew, in the back of my head ... that we should open another one in Solon, and after looking at some of the places, we found a spot, right next to Mitchell’s Ice Cream, and we were glad because it’s a pretty good location, and the time was right.”
Xie says the most popular beverage at the Kent location among the primarily college-aged clientele is mango-passionfruit green tea with popping boba — fruit juice-filled pearls that burst in the drinker’s mouth. The Hudson guests, on the other hand, gravitate toward a different product.
“We have a pretty unique category (that) I don’t see too many other bubble tea shops do,” he says. “We have a ‘snow’ series. It’s like a slushie type of drink. Our strawberry banana snow is the bestseller in our Hudson location.”
With an increasing number of people of all ages and backgrounds becoming familiar with bubble tea, Xie says he expects the Solon store to garner the same devoted following that his other locations enjoy.
“When we first started in 2016 in Kent, most people had no idea what we were doing,” he says. “Now, it’s getting a lot better.”
6130 Kruse Drive, Suite B, mingsbubbletea.com
X-Golf Solon
Sports, entertainment and dining go hand in golf glove at this multifaceted destination. Set up a tee time and whet your appetite while honing your swing in one of the venue’s eight state-of-the-art golf simulators. X-Golf offers individual and group appointments, league play and golf lessons, so there are plenty of ways you can sharpen your game. After getting your fill of the virtual links, head to the bar and restaurant to munch on classic sports bar snacks like loaded nachos, flatbread pizzas, barbecue brisket sandwiches and buffalo wings.
Open since March 2023, X-Golf Solon is one of the national chain’s eight locations in Ohio, and Derek Imes, one of the owners, says golf and food are only a few of the attractions.
“We have pool tables, darts, cornhole, Ohio Lottery,” Imes says. “We have a diverse and eclectic menu with seasonal rotations. Everyone loves the Large Triple Bogey Pretzel and all of our dipping sauces. Our food stands out because it is affordable and convenient.”
While restaurants of all kinds abound in Solon, Imes says X-Golf aims to fill a hole in the dining scene.
“We chose the Solon area because we saw a need for an entertainment venue and sports bar there,” he says. “We also love the tight-knit community.”
33615 Aurora Road, 440-318-1183, xgolfsolon.com
