Mimi Lee couldn’t sleep Thursday night even though the past two weeks had been very busy, with only she and her husband, Chang Lee, running Cypress Cafe, the restaurant they opened 24 years ago.
Friday would be their last day in the basement of the H-E-B Cypress Tower building downtown, a place she considers “home.”
The restaurant owners received an eviction notice from H-E-B in May. The San Antonio-based grocer wanted to limit entry to the building to H-E-B employees only.
When word spread that the restaurant was closing, Lee’s customers came in droves during its final weeks.
“Don’t worry, we’ll follow you,” she said they assured her. In exchange for their patronage and loyalty, some lucky customers also walked out the door carting a piece of restaurant decor — knickknacks Lee handed out as parting gifts.
After all, she won’t need them in the next location.
The popular Korean restaurant is moving one mile west to the Lombrano Food Hall at 427 Lombrano St. where Lee will cook for takeout and delivery orders. There is no dining room.
Married 34 years, the Lees’ story began in their home country of South Korea where Lee said she was a “housewife” and learned to cook from her North Korean mother-in-law.
After visiting Lee’s sister in San Antonio in 1999, the couple emigrated to the United States with their two young sons in 2000. They bought Cypress Cafe, a sandwich shop at the time.
But because the office building was sparsely occupied, the Lees needed to attract more customers to their restaurant.
Lee steadily began adding traditional Korean dishes like bulgogi, bibimbap, fish dumplings and chicken gangjeong to the menu, then making and selling jars of kimchi. The couple also started a delivery service.
When H-E-B took over the building, their business grew and Lee said she’s grateful for their support. Customers also appreciated the homestyle food and location.
“It was a hidden spot for good, affordable food and a quiet place for a lunch meeting,” Teresa Talerico said.
John Peña used to eat at Cypress Cafe during his lunch break when he was a student intern at Opportunity Home San Antonio. “I didn’t know of the place … but my co-workers at the time put me on the Korean food trend,” Peña said.
At first, Lee was “shocked” to get the eviction notice only a few years ahead of when the couple planned to retire. But she said she understood H-E-B’s decision.
Her husband worried. But Lee told him, “God has another plan … geogjeonghajima,” or “don’t worry” in the Korean language.
Cypress Cafe customers suggested new locations for the restaurant. But most were too expensive to rent, Lee said. The food hall is the least costly option and it also simplifies things.
“Over there, it’s just the kitchen,” she said, and no dining room with tables to serve. Customers order online and retrieve their food from a locker.
The Lombrano commercial kitchen is large with a dozen other restaurants and has a walk-in freezer. Lee can focus on what she loves most: cooking. “I’m so happy,” she said.
The H-E-B Cypress Tower location closed for good on Friday.
The Lees plan to start serving food from the food hall in about a month, offering lunch and dinner, takeout and delivery. Lee said she will post to Instagram when the new Cypress Cafe opens for business.
