Tasty Trend Arrives in Chinatown: Korean Hot Dogs

Rodeo season is just around the corner, but for those who can’t wait, a new spot in Chinatown is serving up all kinds of fried dough on a stick – Korean style. 

At Bing Su (9798 Bellaire Blvd.) – a husband-and-wife owned operation that held its grand opening Saturday afternoon – customers can order Korean hot dogs, made with rice batter and served in a variety of flavors. There’s the classic hot dog on a stick, plus specials like the dog wrapped in mozzarella cheese or fried potatoes, or even topped with crispy ramen. Vegetarians can indulge in meatless options like the sweet potato mozzarella, essentially batter-dipped cheese sticks topped with sweet potatoes and coated in sugar or drizzled in ketchup or mustard. 

While not new to Korea, hot dogs have become all the rage in Korea’s street food scene over the past year. And YouTube videos of hot dog preparation have popularized the item worldwide. 

“It’s gotten so popular on YouTube, so I was so excited to hear it was coming to Houston,” said Lauren Tran, who enjoyed a hot dog – and had a bag full to take home – at the grand opening. 

Sunny Park and her husband Steve Hong are the owners of Bing Su. (Photo: Pooja Salhotra)

In addition to hot dogs, Bing Su serves up Korean-style shaved ice, a popular, creamy dessert topped with various toppings like fruit, Oreos, nuts or sweet red bean. The name “shaved ice” is a bit a misnomer, for the dessert is made with milk and sweetened condensed milk. It’s made using a special contraption that freezes the milk, rolls it, and then shaves it into small flakes that have a snow-like appearance. 

Bing Su’s Houston location is the restaurant’s second outpost. Owners Steve Hong and Sunny Park first opened Bing Su in Katy in 2018. The couple had previously operated a Japanese restaurant (Sushi Nikko) for nine years but were forced to close it down after Hurricane Harvey caused significant damage. 

“Just like that we lost everything,” said Steve. “After the hurricane, we were kind of lost. Luckily, with the help of disaster loans we were able to open Bing Su in Katy and it did really well.”

Bing Su serves up Korean shaved ice with a variety of toppings including fresh mango and whipped cream (left), green tea powder, sweet red bean, rice cake, sliced almonds and walnuts (middle), and taro powder, coconut flakes, ice cream, rice cake and almonds. (Photo: Pooja Salhotra) 

Bing Su, which literally translates to shaved ice, originally served up only their namesake. They added the hot dogs from franchise Chung Chun last year. 

“Shaved ice is seasonal – people don’t want to eat it in the winter – so that’s why we wanted to add on the hot dogs,” said Steve. “My wife practically begged [Chung Chun] to join us. She’s very aggressive,” he added with a laugh. 

Through Sunny’s persistence, Chung Chun signed on and made Bing Su the first Greater Houston location serving Korean Hot Dogs. 

The Korean-style hot dogs run from $1.99 to $4.99. (Photo: Pooja Salhotra) 

When Steve and Sunny secured a spot in Houston’s Chinatown, they were eager to open an outpost there. But over the past few weeks, that eagerness turned to nervousness. Since a rumor of a possible case of coronavirus in Houston spread online earlier this month, Chinatown has turned to a ghost town. Though the rumor was false, business has slowed dramatically, and Steve says many people advised him to delay Bing Su’s opening. 

But with employee training already underway, Steve thought it was best to move ahead. The restaurant held a week-long soft opening before Saturday’s grand opening. Business has been slow, Steve admits, but he is hopeful it will pick up soon. 

Bing Su’s Chinatown location is open Sunday-Thursday, 12 p.m.-10 p.m. and Friday-Saturday, 12 p.m.-11 p.m.