Actor Lee Jang Woo has officially closed his curry specialty restaurant, Garae, after just nine months of operation.
The restaurant ceased operations on September 1, and a notice on map platforms read, “We are closing as of September 1. Thank you for visiting.”
Opened in December of last year, Garae drew attention even before its launch as Lee Jang Woo’s curry restaurant. However, it faced criticism for its relatively high prices and small portions. A standard curry was priced at 10,000 KRW (approximately $7.5), while curry with an added egg yolk cost 10,500 KRW (approximately $7.9), accompanied only by a side of seasoned cabbage.
Customers could pay an additional 3,000 KRW (approximately $2.3) for extra curry, but many reviews pointed out that, compared to the base price, the dish felt sparse and the taste was ordinary.
Lee Jang Woo had previously built a reputation as an ambitious restaurateur, opening udon shops, sundae soup restaurants, and walnut cookie franchises, earning him the nickname “Prince of the Food Industry.” Yet his establishments have received mixed reviews, and some netizens criticized his aggressive expansion as a “business obsession.”
Acknowledging the criticism, Lee Jang Woo appeared on fellow entertainer Jung Jun Ha’s YouTube channel late last year, openly admitting the restaurant’s shortcomings. He explained, “At first, business was booming. But then it started to decline because the taste changed. The staff were exhausted. They boiled 100 pig heads a day, peeled them, discarded the bones, and washed all the ingredients. Systematically, it was too much, so the quality kept dropping. Even I found it tasteless when I tried it.”
He added confidently, “When I read comments saying, ‘The taste has changed, are you running this business just because you’re a celebrity?’ I thought, ‘Okay, I admit it. Let’s start again.’ We’ve been making changes recently, and now the quality has returned to its original taste.”
Meanwhile, Lee Jang Woo is set to marry actress Jo Hye Won, who is eight years his junior, on November 23.
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