The former JCPenney at the Serramonte Center will be reborn as the 75,000 square-foot Korean market, restaurant, and bazaar Jagalchi, a high-end offshoot of the Korean grocer Mega Mart, opening on Friday, March 28.  

Word bubbled up last spring that the long-deceased JCPenney department store space at the Serramonte Center would finally spring back to life as a massive Korean grocery market and restaurant complex called Jagalchi — comparisons were made to Eataly, and it's a sort of fancier venture from the folks behind the Korean market chain Mega Mart, which has locations in Sunnyvale and Fremont, and is reportedly adding more in Dublin and East Palo Alto.

KRON4 had word in January that the Jagalchi opening would be delayed and “pushed back to March” due to “recent construction issues.”


But this weekend on Instagram, the official Jagalchi account posted their Serramonte Center opening date was “anticipated end of March.” And today the Chronicle has the news that Jagalchi has an opening date of Friday, March 28, at which point they will introduce to the world their 75,000 square feet of specialty Korean groceries, a huge seafood counter and oyster bar, a massive restaurant, a bakery and two cocktail bars.


This news is confirmed by a Tuesday morning Instagram post from the official account. And as seen below, apparently their sign is already gracing the Serramonte Center marquee.


While the giant upscale grocery market will take up the lion’s share of square footage, the buzziest component to Jagalchi is its 160-seat Korean restaurant called Pogu, helmed by Tony Yoo (Aqua), who's hailed as the first Michelin star-winning chef in Korea. (Yes, soon people may be using the terms “Michelin star” and “Serramonte Mall” in the same sentence.) There will apparently be two bars, one adjoined to the restaurant Pogu, as well as an upscale Korean bakery and cafe called Basquia.

All of this is likely inspired by the local success of H Mart, the Korean grocer that opened to great fanfare in April 2021 at the Oceanview Village Shopping Center, soon expanded, and eventually bought the whole shopping center. And if giant Asian markets are how the Bay Area fills its cavernous, vacant mall spaces, then this is not a bad development.    

Jagalchi opens Friday, March 28, at 63 Serramonte Center in Daly City, and will be open daily 8 am - 10 pm.

Related: Popular Korean Grocery Store H Mart To Open First San Francisco Location on April 21 [SFist]

Image courtesy Jagalchi