FIRST ON RADAR: 70’s Kimchi closes for good after more than 50 years

Iconic Korean food stall ends frozen goods business after closing its pioneer Shangri-La Plaza branch in April.

After more than five decades of serving Korean food in the Philippines, iconic Korean food stall 70’s Kimchi is closing for good, ending its frozen goods business after shuttering its pioneer stall at Shangri-La Plaza in April.

70’s Kimchi will cease operations after remaining supplies run out at partner sellers, said owner Bry Abengoza on October 4.

“It has been very challenging to sustain the business that I have decided to bring this journey to a complete close,” Abengoza said.

After 70’s Kimchi closed its Shangri-La Plaza stall, which stood at the mall’s food court for over 24 years, the chain sold hot meals at its office in Parañaque City and frozen food packs at Eastwood, Quezon City, and Tanza, Cavite.

Beginning as a humble stall simply named “Kimchi,” the store was founded by Bernard Kim in 1973. 70’s Kimchi, as many have come to know it, formally started in 2002, when Kim gifted the Shangri-La Plaza stall to longtime cashier Erlinda Ramirez after he could not offer separation pay.

The stall eventually rebranded as Honey Kimchi under Ramirez, who is Abengoza’s mother, and the 70’s Kimchi name came later.

At its peak, 70’s Kimchi had eight branches across Metro Manila, spanning all the way to Tagaytay. However, the post-pandemic landscape and the soaring costs of mall retail in 2026 have led to a strategic “consolidation.”

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