A suburban favorite returns with Korean fried chicken and doughnuts — and it’s gluten-free
With double-fried chicken sandwiches, pork belly bao, and chili noodles, a much-missed Montco Korean restaurant has been resurrected in Chester County — with a different name and doughnuts.
For more than two years, David Backhus had been hearing the same question from customers at Bloom Southern Kitchen, his restaurant in Chester Springs: When was he going to bring back Oori?
The Korean-inspired restaurant just outside of Pottstown, known for its fried chicken and noodle dishes, had closed in late 2023, but its fans hadn’t forgotten it.
“I’d walk into Bloom and we’d hear it probably two or three times a week: ‘Hey, we really miss Oori. Are you ever going to reopen it?’”
The answer is Maru, which opened in late August in Ludwig’s Corner in Glenmoore, Chester County. Backhus and partners Tim Cone and Meredith Jacks converted their Collective Coffee & Bakery into an all-day cafe serving bubble-style gluten-free doughnuts — a new attraction — along with breakfast sandwiches, toasts, pastries, and specialty coffee in the morning, followed by double-fried Korean chicken sandwiches, bao buns, wings, tenders, and noodle dishes in the afternoon and evenings. It’s BYOB.
Backhus said the team spent about a year refining old recipes and developing new ones while retaining the coffee-and-bakery business. Most of the menu is gluten-free or can be prepared that way.
Backhus also saw an opportunity to address a weakness of Oori, where he and former chef and partner Michael Falcone had struggled to attract lunchtime business. At Maru, sandwiches, espresso drinks, and doughnuts give customers reasons to stop throughout the day in the busy courtyard of shops.
The name Maru, he said, refers to a gathering space in a Korean home, reflecting the communal nature of traditional Korean meals.
Oori regulars will recognize the crunchy, rice flour-coated fried chicken, though the kitchen now soaks the chicken in buttermilk rather than dry-brining it, producing more tender meat.
The dan dan noodles have been reworked, too. The kitchen increased the heat and changed the preparation to keep the oil, chile, and sesame paste from separating, producing a punchier, more cohesive sauce.
Backhus credits Falcone and former colleague Matt Florentine for much of the food development. “It’s their recipes and their life on the menu, too,” Backhus said.
The kitchen is now led by Jorge Lima; the chef spent about 12 years at Han Dynasty in Exton, where Backhus is a regular and had gotten to know Lima and his family over the years before recruiting him for Maru.
The other major undertaking was the doughnuts, developed with longtime pastry chef Kortney Hails, who has worked with Backhus’ restaurants for about six years.
Hails helped create a gluten-free dough using rice flour and other ingredients, with eggs added for structure. The doughnuts have a delicate exterior crunch and tender interior, without the dense, gummy texture that can undermine gluten-free baked goods.
The yuzu doughnut, with its bright citrus flavor, has become the bestseller. Traditional glazed and cinnamon-sugar varieties are also popular, and a pumpkin spice version recently joined the lineup.
The gluten-free emphasis is personal. Backhus said his son has Hashimoto’s disease, and accommodating his dietary needs became a priority when planning the restaurant.
That commitment extends to the kitchen setup. Maru uses separate pastry-preparation tables and equipment for gluten-free products, a dedicated doughnut fryer, and fryers reserved exclusively for gluten-free foods. Potato starch replaces wheat flour for dusting during preparation.
For Backhus, Maru is a chance to bring back the food Oori customers missed, “and we’ve created something broader for everyone, including our son.”
Maru, 2922 Conestoga Rd., Glenmoore, 484-558-0988, marueats.com. Hours: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Thursday; 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday; 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday; and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Full menu from 11:30 a.m. to close.
