Seoul House , Where Korean Tradition Meets Jerusalem's Ancient Stones

Beneath one of the Old City's ubiquitous ancient archways, on a narrow street just above the Cardo in Jerusalem's Jewish Quarter, Seoul House occupies a unique position in the global kosher dining landscape: it is quite simply the world's only kosher Korean restaurant. Since chef-owner Tzipporah Rothkopf first opened this intimate Korean café near her home in 2014, the restaurant has endured closures, relocations, and a recent two-year hiatus before triumphantly reopening on September 9, 2025. For those seeking authentic Korean flavors within the constraints of kosher certification, Seoul House represents not just a dining option but a singular culinary phenomenon, a bridge between two ancient cultures built by one woman's remarkable journey from Seoul to Jerusalem.

The story begins with Tzipporah Rothkopf herself, born Kim Bongja in Seoul and a convert to Judaism since 1980 following her immigration to the United States. Her personal narrative infuses every aspect of Seoul House's identity: the carefully transliterated Hebrew-Korean signage, the traditional recipes adapted for pescatarian kosher preparation, the exuberant welcome she extends to each guest while managing the kitchen with her assistant chefs. This is not corporate ethnic cuisine but rather deeply personal cooking, the kind that can only emerge when a chef brings the flavors of their birthplace to their adopted religious community.