Korean food has a rich, illustrious history – arising from ancient semi-nomadic traditions, flourishing in royal houses and temples, transforming over centuries of social and political change, and finally culminating in the many varied, flavour-imbued dishes served in Korean restaurants today.
And as we all know, the best way to enjoy history is by eating it.
The good news is that London’s blessed with a growing number of amazing Korean restaurants, and we’ve taken the liberty of detailing our favourites below…
–
JUMP TO: KOREAN BBQ | TRADITIONAL RESTAURANTS | CHEAP EATS | KOREAN STREET FOOD | KOREAN FINE DINING | KOREAN BARS
KOREAN BBQ RESTAURANTS
Chungdam | Soho
Any how-to-do-Korean-BBQ-right manual will say consume as much meat as you can, and then do the same for soju. Chungdam gives you the full, undiluted experience, as if you were in its Seoul neighbourhood namesake… but in a sleek Soho dining room with marble tables and eggshell walls. Order everything from the A5 Wagyu to the Angus ribeye and either grab the tongs and cook it on the grill yourself, or let the staff takeover and give you a helping hand. The latter may be the necessary option if you are indeed on the soju. And on that note: yes, there’s a private karaoke room as well…
Details: 35-36 Greek St, W1D 5DL | Book here
–
Koba | Fitzrovia
Paul Winch-Furness
This sleek Korean restaurant in Central London has been hosting DIY diners since 2005. Spread over two floors, the basement holds a low-lit, moody space while upstairs you’ll find a slim but airy dining room flooded with light from the huge skylight overhead, and lined with industrial extractor fans hovering over each table’s integrated hob. The counter seating up at the bar – also equipped with mini burners – makes for a fun and intimate experience for two. Stews and noodles are prepped in the kitchen, but the vast majority is left down to you: order ox tongue, rib eye or the famous bulgogi (beef strips marinated in soy) to sling onto the BBQ and follow up with sides of miso sobaegi (pan-fried aubergine) and the calamari with punchy Korean dips.
Details: 11 Rathbone Street, W1T 1NA | Book here
–
Olle | Chinatown
Chinatown has changed a lot in recent years, with a wave of polished new eateries buoyed by major investment edging out some of the older, family-run institutions. Olle is a relatively new addition right on the corner, and while it’s sleek and polished in style, you can still get an authentic slice of Korean BBQ dining here. On entering, you’ll be engulfed by loud chatter, teal walls, bustling staff and the smell of Korean comfort food being cooked up on the grill-fitted tabletops. The kitchen rustles up dishes like Korean fried chicken (KFC) and dumplings, while you sling a selection of international ingredients such as wagyu beef and even Iberico pork onto the grills.
Details: 86-88 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 6LN | Booking recommended, call 020 7287 1979
–
Pochawa Grill | Chinatown
Recreate your own Past Lives scene in this cinematic Seoul-styled spot in Chinatown… with the added benefit of a DIY grill on every table. White tiles, neon signs, colourful murals and a K-Pop soundtrack commingle to make one of London’s buzziest Korean restaurants, where soju flows freely and guests jostle for elbow space as they toss slivers of pork belly and marinated bulgogi beef onto the grills. Don’t miss out on the starters, though, which include a powerful rose ddukbokki (rice cakes & fish cakes in a spicy Gochujang sauce) and moreish kimchi pancakes. Pochawa Grill’s highly popular, so expect to queue for a while – and be assured that it’s worth it.
Details: 29 Wardour Street, London W1D 6PS | No bookings
–
The Petite Corée | West Hampstead
The Petite Corée was once known for its unique fusion dishes, combining Korean flavours with seasonal European ingredients. It’s since pivoted to become an exclusively Korean restaurant, and is all the better for it. The classics are all pulled off with aplomb – lip-smacking gochujang fried chicken; flavoursome kimchi pancakes; hearty beef bibimbap – and the menu branches out with a wide range of veggie and vegan-friendly options, too. The recent addition of the tabletop BBQ is just the icing on the cake, really.
Details: 98 West End Lane, West Hampstead, NW6 2LU | Book here | BYOB Tues-Thurs & Sun, corkage £10
–
Sarang | Golders Green
Old-school decor – elegant lanterns and cabinets designed to look like traditional windows – is mashed up with a soundtrack of Blackpink and BTS in this family-friendly Korean restaurant just opposite Golders Green station. Service is warm and friendly, and the BBQ menu goes a little beyond the typical London offering – sliced beef tongue and spicy scallop appear alongside more standard options of sliced beef and pork belly. It’s all backed up by a solid selection of rice and noodle dishes, and some fiery kkanpunggi chicken.
Details: 887 Finchley Road, London, NW11 8RR | No bookings
–
Gogi | Maida Vale
Surprisingly vibey for its residential location, Gogi offers Korean BBQ in a low-lit, brick-walled space where industrial pendant lighting hangs alongside suspended extraction flues. Starters of dumplings, pancakes and glossy japchae (stir-fried glass noodles) set you up for the main event: platters of bulgogi, spicy pork, soy chicken and scallops to sizzle on the grill in front of you. Don’t skip the LA Galbi – beef short rib cut across the bone.
Details: 451 Edgware Road, London, W2 1TH | Book here
TRADITIONAL KOREAN RESTAURANTS
Lime Orange | Victoria
No wonder Queen Vic was not amused; her neighbourhood’s seriously underpowered when it comes to good (and not insanely expensive) restaurants. But Lime Orange isn’t just ‘good for Victoria’, it’s worth a trip in its own right. A family-run joint, this is a Korean restaurant specialising in bibimbap and bulgogi – the former available with plenty of different topping options and arriving in a hot stone bowl; the latter marinated in a formidable house sauce and pan-fried with onion and pepper. The drinks, too, are a cut above your usual – try the makkolli (a sweet, tangy, chalky-looking rice wine) or herbal baekseju.
Details: 312 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 1AA | Book here or call for same-day reservations on 020 8616 0498. Please note pre-theatre dining is particularly busy.
–
Imone | New Malden
One of many, many great options in London’s unofficial Koreatown, New Malden, Imone translates as ‘Aunty’s place.’ Home-cooked food is ostensibly the order of the day, but it’s one special aunty who can knock together dishes this delicious. Lunchtime set menus start at £11, or choose from the à la carte for treats like soondae (vermicelli noodle-stuffed sausage); flat, crispy wedges of mung bean pancakes; or the hearty, cockle-warming al tang (fish roe stew).
Details: 169 High Street, New Malden, KT3 4BH | Just turn up
–
Taeyang Pocha (formerly Paranhodu) | New Cross
This restaurant’s seasonal menu changes three times a year, showcasing the best available produce through the vehicle of classic Korean cooking. The decor’s relaxed and eclectic – it feels a bit like one side of the restaurant should be an outdoor patio and the other a 70s canteen – and the food is undeniably delicious, filling, and smacks of home-made care and attention. Having grown something of a cult local following, it’s best to book ahead – and arrive ravenous.
Details: 125 Lewisham Way, London SE14 6QJ | Book on 020 3573 8175
CHEAP EATS
Masigo | Angel
This no-frills spot is just a stone’s throw from the excellent Ogam cocktail bar on Islington’s Chapel Market (we feel a crawl coming on…). They offer BBQ here, but it would be a shame not to go for the hearty bowls of dolsot bibimbap served in sizzling hot stone bowls, the punchy kimchi & pork stew or hotpots to share (which feed two for about £20).
Details: 29 Chapel Market, London, N1 9EN | Just turn up
–
Dotori | Finsbury Park
Dotori offers both Korean and Japanese dishes on its vast menu. You might wonder how they could possibly do both so well, and you’d be right to – the answer is that the Japanese side lags somewhat behind its Korean counterpart. Come here for brisk yukgejang beef stew, pliable seafood pancakes, and kkanpungi chicken that grabs you from the first bite. And don’t expect to stay much longer than an hour.
Details: 3 Stroud Green, London N4 2DQ | No bookings, cash only
–
GoGo Pocha | Waterloo
Nestled on Waterloo’s Lower Marsh, GoGo is a brilliantly authentic Korean restaurant. Elbow to elbow with other diners, you’ll find yourself in a buzzy, crowded eatery surrounded by steaming bowls of hotpot and bibimbap. It’s a good spot for both connoisseurs and first timers, serving everything from dumplings and kimchi to spicy fried chicken gizzard.
Details: 30 Lower Marsh, SE1 7RG | Book on 07787 414249
–
Zipbab | Holborn
Lunchtime favourite Zipbab is unpretentious, speedy and will fill you up for a tenner. Hefty portions of bibimbap, ramen and BBQ’d pork belly hit the spot, but if you’re bringing friends (and with four types of soju on the menu, why wouldn’t you), boost the mains with kimchi pork jjim (a slow-cooked broth) and crispy chicken poppers.
Details: 51 Red Lion Street, London WC1R 4PF | Book here
KOREAN STREET FOOD
On The Bab | Old Street
On The Bab is a more casual, street-food oriented spot from Koba founder and chef Linda Lee, and it’s a move that’s paid off. There are now three outposts of this Korean restaurant in London – plus another in Paris – all of which are perennially bustling. It’s a spot that’s just as good a choice for a solo lunch as it is for rowdy after-work beers alongside gargantuan bao; KFC; heat-packing pork noodles and kimchi fried rice.
Details: 305 Old St, EC1V 9LA | No bookings
–
Bunsik | Leicester Square, Embankment & Camden
Along with K-pop, K-beauty, K-drama and er, K-quarantine, Korean street food has become pretty zeitgeisty recently. And undoubtedly the star of the show (on the London restaurant scene at least) is Bunsik’s corndog. The American snack has been firmly adopted into the Korean street food vernacular, and Bunsik was the first to specialise in the dish over here. It’s essentially a pork sausage dipped in sweet batter and panko breadcrumbs, fried, dusted with sugar and lavished with ketchup and mayo – with its most popular version containing half sausage, half melted mozzarella. Other twists include crispy potato cube coatings, beef sausages and a meat-free version, and its presentation – on a stick – make this a supremely portable snack option.
Details: 62 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0BU | No bookings, prepare to queue
KOREAN FINE DINING
Sollip | London Bridge
Deserving of its own category is Sollip, a boundary-pushing spot for fine dining that fuses traditional Korean influences with French culinary technique. This unusual combination is thanks to the background of the owners, husband and wife duo Woongchul Park and Bomee Ki who met while training here at Le Cordon Bleu. Now, they’re pouring their heart and soul into creative dishes like daikon tarte tatin and soybean paste gougères – justly winning a Michelin star for their ingenuity.
Details: Unit 1, 8 Melior St, London SE1 3QP | Book here
GREAT PLACES FOR KOREAN DRINKS
Ogam | Angel
This Chapel Market bar is a feast for the senses – or, in Korean, ogam. Reigning champ bartender Taeyeol Kim left his 12-year career in South Korea to strike out in London, where he faithfully combines traditional alcohols with novel ingredients and evocative names, like the Milky Way (with rice wine, yuzu syrup and blue curacao), or the Night Emperor (whose yaguanmun-infused gin promises to aid ‘men’s stamina’). Drinking-food like KFC, deep-fried dumplings and tteogkkochi rice cake skewers add a little ballast, and with all-counter seating you’re guaranteed a good view of the theatrics.
Details: 10 Chapel Market, London N1 9EZ | Book via instagram DM
–
be-oom | Exmouth Market
A great place for your little black book when you need to unwind, day or night. 비움 (be-oom) means ‘to empty’, and this tea-shop’s philosophy is all about emptying and refilling your mind while emptying (and refilling) your cup. They work only with organic, small-scale tea farms dotted across Korea, serving everything from sparkling malcha (matcha) to wild magnolia petal tea from Boseong, alongside traditional snacks. Come evening, that tea gets infused into creative cocktails, or you can sample their tea and wine pairings.
Details: 27 Exmouth Market, London, EC1R 4QL | Book here
–
Korean Dinner Party | Carnaby Street
Korean Dinner Party is inspired by the restaurants of L.A.’s Koreatown, with its marvellous confluence of Korean, American and Mexican cuisine. That delicate fusion balance is kept weighed towards innovative rather than gimmicky thanks to KDP’s founders, Ana Goncalves and Zijun Meng (the brains behind the much-loved TĀTĀ Eatery). There’s corndogs here too, naturally, but also bacon ‘mochi’ (rice cakes wrapped in bacon with gochujang caramel); 48-hour slow-cooked beef short rib tacos to build yourself; and chicken nuggets drizzled with garlic sauce. But top billing here should really go to the creative drinks menu: experimental combos include the Yakult Royale (with soju and Champagne) and the Burnt Rice Old Fashioned – and the old-school hip-hop soundtrack takes things from dinner to party.
Details: Top Floor, Kingly Court, Kingly St, Carnaby, London W1B 5PW | Book here
–
Hongdae Pocha | Soho
Hongdae Pocha may only have been here since summer 2021, but step inside and you’ll find yourself, somehow, in 1970s South Korea. ‘Pocha’ gets loosely translated as pub, but really ‘dive bar’ feels more appropriate – there’s a thumping soundtrack, twinkly fairylights, booths, disco balls, and walls that are rapidly becoming entirely covered with messages scrawled in marker pen (you’ll find one attached to your menu). The food’s fun, interactive and loaded with heat (hotpot arrives with its own gas burner) and the drinks will set you up for a properly raucous Soho night – featuring ice lollies dipped in cocktails, highballs and giant soju toads…
Details: 26 Romilly Street, W1D 5AJ | Book on 0207 287 1585
Like discovering the best of the city? Peruse our guide to London’s best cocktail bars