Downtown Fort Walton Beach is getting a new Korean BBQ-style restaurant called Sura Korean Steakhouse.

• The new steakhouse will open in the old Bangkok House on the corner of Ferry Road and First Street.

Sura Korean Steakhouse is the brainchild of Ji Hoon Kim, a local, who opened up the super-popular Soi Bistro in Fort Walton Beach back in 2015.

Korean BBQ is a traditional Korean method that involves cooking marinated meat by placing it on top of an open flame and using a grill that is in the middle of the table to cook it.

However, for Sura…there is a twist.

“We’re trying to personalize the experience so that when you come into Sura with your family, the servers will take care of you,” said Kim. “They will take you on this journey with our food and presentation.”

Here’s how it will work:

The server will present the table with the steaks and meats that you can choose from the menu. There will be higher-end cuts available too like A5 Wagyu.

Once the table has selected the meats, everything will be grilled right in front of you by a server or front staff.

With their main focus being Korean cuisine, Sura will also offer Korean soups and Korean noodles. And while they will prioritize the meats, specifically, Kim says he does plan to have a seafood variation.

“I wanted to do more for the community.”

With a successful restaurant already with Soi Bistro, Ji says he saw an opportunity to do more for the community.

“I wanted to contribute a lot more to the community ever since COVID,” he said. “We all went through so much and then I saw an influx of the community coming together and everybody helping each other out. I wanted to do more.”

He also says he wanted to do more for the Korean community in the local area.

“The Korean community is so small in this area but I feel like we have a lot to offer too,” he added. “I wanted to bring Sura to the area to show the community what we’re about as Koreans and what we can do.”

Part of showing the community what Sura is all about will be defined in the style and vibe of the restaurant. Kim says that he’s designing the space to have a more upscale aesthetic where you can have date nights and a good time out with friends and family.

• “It’s going to be different than anything we have in this town,” he said.

Shooting for a July opening

Kim and his team have been working on the building for 9 months now and have torn everything out from the ground up.

Now, they have room for 24 grills, including a completely new bar area.

He will also takeover the old Mai Thai Lounge next door. Although he doesn’t have any immediate plans for the space, he did hint at the possibility of a “speakeasy.”

As of right now, he hopes to have a soft opening for Sura in late-July. The restaurant is located at 201 Ferry Rd SE, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548