Bab Café, a Korean spot, opens in South Reno

The bibim-bab has gone south.

And it's free today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.at the new Bab Café in the Summit center in South Reno. The new Bab occupies a storeront next door to Century Theatres. The first Bab opened a year ago in downtown Reno.

Folks can order the free bibim-bab with chicken, pork, beef or tofu.

"Bab Café brings a new taste and cuisine to the center," said Greg Eroe, Summit general manager, in a recent announcement.

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BAB CAFÉ

Address: 13967 S. Virginia St., suite 910, in the Summit next to Century Theatres

On the web: Click here

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Like its downtown sister, the South Reno café offers bibim-bab, the essential Korean dish in which a bowl of warm white rice is topped with vegetables, various condiments, raw or cooked egg, and sliced meats.

The menu also features Korean fried rice, Korean-style rice rolls, and appetizers like kimchi and japchae (a stir-fry with Korean glass noodles).

In Korean, the term "bab" refers both to "rice" and to  "family meal."

Heading east

Jay Ryu, a University of Nevada alum, owns the Bab Cafés. There are also several cafés in Seoul.

Ryu ran the Seoul restaurants before returning to live in Northern Nevada and open the first Bab Café on the ground floor of 3rd Street Flats, the sleek refashioning of the former Kings Inn in downtown Reno.

Ryu said the plan is for the new Bab Café to offer its menu not just for in-house dining, but also for take-out and for delivery via Uber Eats. He added the next Bab would be in Sparks.

Get ready for the bibim-bab to head east.

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Johnathan L. Wright is the food and drink editor of RGJ Media, part of the USA Today Network. Join @RGJTaste on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.