Our Story

Established in January 1988, Oriental House is a family owned restaurant that has been a staple in the Neosho community, specializing in an expansive buffet and full menu for dine in or carry out.

When Si Yean Cho and Soo Mee Cho started a restaurant in Neosho, they certainly did not expect to be celebrating three decades in business here. It was 32 years ago that The Oriental House first opened its doors in the City of Springs. For the first four years, The Oriental House was located on the north end of the boulevard in a small building. Then they built a new building and moved to its familiar location off South Neosho Boulevard, guarded in front by two locally iconic stone lions.

Si Yean and Soo Mee had already graduated from college in Seoul. Si Yean studied business, Soo Mee, food nutrition. And they both loved cooking. It made sense to open a restaurant. But Neosho was the last place they thought of. In fact, the Cho’s had never heard of it.

They had spent the day in Arkansas looking for a suitable location, on the drive back the couple happened to stop in Neosho for lunch. And began to look around. “We noticed it was very quiet and very peaceful,” Soo Mee remembered. By 1987, they were living Neosho. Shortly afterward, The Oriental House was born.

30 years later, the eatery has made a local name for itself in offering a buffet variety of oriental dishes. The Cho’s pride themselves on exclusively serving up only fresh meat and vegetables, which are cut up daily in the kitchen. According to Si Yean, it’s a big secret to their success. “Because we’re always here, we make sure to keep everything good quality,” he said. And as owners, the Cho’s are always there. Soo Mee said she works daily in the kitchen because it allows her to keep a finger on things and “see the big picture.” But that’s no reflection, she added, on her staff – some of whom have been here for 30 years. So have many of the Cho’s customers, people who have been patronized The Oriental House since the beginning.

The Cho’s said, “We’re lucky for the good customers we’ve had for many years. We really appreciate them. We were born in Korea, but we like to feel that Neosho is our hometown. Our kids grew up here. We feel a part of the Neosho family. We pray The Oriental House can keep making people happy and we learn more every year we are here. Hopefully, that will be a long time.”

Recently the Cho’s have stepped into the senior management position and are training Aaron and Chloe Yang to be the next successors. With the Cho’s guidance, the Yangs plan of serving Neosho for a long time to come.