Top 30 London Korean Restaurants by Category (Including Map of Places)

I went to almost every London Korean restaurants after living in the city for three years.

I know the food is nothing like Korea or even the States. BUT I think London is going through a renaissance with Korean food, and there are so many choices now.

I was asked to write an article on top 15 Korean restaurants in London for Hot Dinners.

But I thought I could add 15 more amazing Korean restaurants, but categorise it so you can go to restaurants that fits your taste and location. Because, it is not all about Korean BBQ anymore.

* I am filling more restaurants and updating every week, so bookmark for your information or sign up for the email list and I will let you know 🙂

Table of Contents

In A Nutshell

I know it can be overwhelming. So here is a short summery of where to eat what food.

Jokbal : Ktown BBQ
Street Food : Woojung or Seoul Bakery
Korean Fried Chicken : Chicken and Beer / CheeMC
Gamjatang : Kangnap Pocha
SoondoobuJigae : Tenmaru
Army Stew : ASSA
Korean Pub : Hongdae Pocha
Korean Bar : Ogam
Korean BBQ : Pochawa Grill
For First Time Korean BBQ : Koba
All You Can Eat Korean BBQ : K-town BBQ
Korean Chinese : You Me HweGwan
Jjampong : Jumak 39
Vegan : Mukbap (The Only Full Vegan)
Halal : Korean BBQ and Vegan (The Only Full Halal)

Best Korean Bars in London

Ogam Tapas Bar | Angel (N1 9EZ)
Korean Dinner Party | Carnaby Street (W1B 5PW)

Ogam Tapas Bar is a small bar that only has bar table and few outdoor seatings (only during summer)

Ogam Tapas Bar Is My Favourite Bar RN

It is currently my favourite bar/ restaurant. Not only the food is amazing but the owner / bartender / chef is the biggest reason I go here every week.

Mr. Kim is a national champion bartender in Korea, but also the only few who are nominated to be an ambassador of Korean traditional drink, makgeolli.

He even has his own 막거리 (Makgeolli) brewery in Finsbury park (which he sells it at his restaurant and online shop). He is also planning to do a tour of the brewery when covid ends (?).

Ogam Tapas Bar — Ogam’s Own Makgeolli (막걸리)

Also, surpringly as a cocktail bar, the food is amazing. Especially the spicy chicken is a must.

You can choose the spicy level on the chicken, and four was around buldak spicy level, and three is Shin Ramen spicy level. I had four and it was good enough for my nose to sweat lol.

You can read more about it on my detailed post.

Korean Dinner Party Is Great for a Date Night

Another new restaurant is Korean Dinner Party. They are inspired by the L.A. Ktown scene, but unfortuently it didn’t do well on representing L.A. The food is good but it doesn’t have that “it” factor to have that L.A. vibe.

But the drinks are great. Especially Yakurt Royale was an interesting twist on Korean drink and alchohol.

Yakurt Royale was fun and tasty! I would def come back for the drinks

I would say go for the drinks as a Korea cocktail bar, but don’t expect a meal like you had in L.A. Koreatown.

They are also following the trend in London and have Korean corndogs which was great.

Korean Street Food in London

Seoul Bakery : Soho (WC1B 3NH)
Woo Jung : Soho (WC1A 1DG), Below Centre Point Supermarket
Bunsik : Chinatown (WC2H 0BU)
On the Bab : Shoreditch (EC1V 9LA)

If you have been to Korea, you know street foods are on another level.

From Korean corndogs, potato twisters, Tteokbokki and Soondae, there are so many to choose.

So naturally I know you all are looking for something similar. And luckily there are few.

Bunsik Sells Korean corn dogs to Kimbap (More of Take Out Though)

First is the most popular street food shop, Bunsik.

They specialise in all kinds of Korean street food, but more specifically popular with their Korean corn dogs.

The restaurant is a bit more trendy and there is always a huge line. Personally, it is not the best hotdogs, and I didn’t like the food here, there must be a reason for the popularity…

Seoul Bakery and Woojung Is another Staple Street Food Restaurant in London Popular Among K-pop Fans

If you are looking for somewhere you can sit-down, and a bunsik food that is actually goo, I would recommend Seoul Bakery or Woojung (It gives you that Kimbap Heaven vibe in Korea).

Both of them have K-pop theme, but Seoul Bakery is a bit trendier and Woo-jung is just a hole in a wall street food restaurant.

Woo-jung where you can buy soju cheap at the supermarket above (Centre Point Supermarket), and drink at Woojung.

Both of them are quite cheap.

On the Bab Is One of the Very First Korean Street Food Restaurant in London and It Is Still Standing Strong

If you want another sit down with a trendy atmosphere, On the Bab is another great place to go.

I used to go there after feeling hangover, cause their army stew is just heavenly. But after the pandemic they took it off the menu.

They are known for their fried chicken and it was voted to be the most delivered restaurant in Shoreditch from Deliveroo.

Best Korean BBQ in London

Jin Go Gae : New Malden (KT3 4NL)
K-town BBQ : New Malden (KT3 4QE)
Jumak 39 : Covent Garden (SW1Y 4EA)
Arirang : Soho (W1F 8QT)

There is a saying in Korean, 정 (jeong). It basically means “affection” even towards people we don’t know really know. For example, a waiter at a restaurant could give abundant side dishes (which is always free in Korea) to a hard working student cause the waiter has jeong (affection).

So, if you charge for side dishes we would say “정 떨어진다” which basically mean “you cold hearted bitch .” OK. why am i saying this?

There Are Many Korean BBQ Restaurants in London, But They Don’t Appreciate the Korean Culture cause they Charge for Side Dishes (In Korea It IS Free).

There are so many Korean BBQ restaurants in London. but I think most of the Korea BBQ restaurants have similar meat quality and taste.

So what makes the Korean BBQ restaruants I chose make it special? Cause they are not just serving Korean food, but also did not ignore the Korean culture.

AKA. In Korea, those side dishes are absolutely free and if you charge for it, they would never survive.

Gin-Go-gae is in New Malden and the only Korean BBQ restaurant where they don’t charge for side dishes like lettuce and Garlic

Gin Go Gae Is my favourite Korean BBQ restaurant in London.

They are a proper Korean BBQ restaurant where they don’t charge for side dishes. It is a place where I can order scallion salad several times with no stress.

They also have fermented raw crab (gajang). The sauce is good, but crab was not the normal crab you eat. Normally we use blue crabs, but at Gin Go Gae, they used a hard shell crabs.

Ganjang Gejang in London (Jin Go Gae New Malden)

Ktown BBQ and Jumak 39 Are All-You-Can-Eat Korean BBQ Restaurant in London

Ktown BBQ is probably the best All-You-Can-Eat Korean BBQ restaurant in London. The only problem is that it is in New Malden.

But they have a lot of meat cuts and pretty good fried chickens. There is ALWAYS a line, so be ready to wait on line.

Jumak 39 is in city centre and it only cost 30 pounds which I think it is a bargain. Less choice the Ktown BBQ, but I think it is a pretty good deal being in the most expensive neighbourhood.

Also, they are known for their Jjampong.

Arirang Is the Very First Korean Restaurant in U.K.

Arirang does charge for side dishes, but I want to give credit to Arirang for being the very first Korean restaurant in London, and still going strong.

All the Al-La-Carte dishes are good but the most famous dish is Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup).

Best for Korean Hot Pot(Joengol) London

ASSA : Soho (W1D 5AQ)
Kangnam Pocha : Covent Garden (WC2B 5QF)

Korean style hot pot is a communal hot pot where you share with at least two people. Normally raw ingredients are prepared in a big pot and broth is poured over and cooked.

You can have army stew hot pot to vegetarian mushroom hotpots.

ASSA Is The Best Restaurant for Korean Hot Pot in London

And the best place is ASSA. They specialise in Korean style hot pot, and it is especially perfect for cold winter. There is always a line so be prepared to wait a little bit.

There are few things you need to know before you order Joengol, and you can read about it here.

My Favourite Korean Hot Pot Is Back-Bone Rib Hot Pot & Kangnam Pocha Does It The BEST

Another great place is Kangnam Pocha. This is where a lot of study abroad Korean students come to eat.

Most of the foods are amazing, but the most popular dish is back-gone rib hot pot (Gamjatang). It is hearty and the meat is so tender it just falls off.

I will write about it more details soon and update my blog, so bookmark it!

Fancy Korean Restaurant for Your Clients

Flat Three
Olle : China Town (W1D 6NH)
Koba : Fitzrovia (W1T 1NA)
Han : New Malden (KT3 4DQ)

London Korean Restaurants are evolving, and people are understanding Korean food is not just about Korean BBQ or bibimbap.

You can now find Korean fine dining restaurant like Flat Three. They offer course menu with wine pairing.

This kind of restaurants are already booming in cities like New York and Seoul, but to see a Korean fine dining restaurant in London is making London the centre of Korean food in Europe.

If you are looking to introduce Korean BBQ to your friends or colleague, here are few good choices that has a luxury vibe to the restaurant.

Olle Is Where All the Korean Celebrities Come from BTS to Heng Min Son

Olle is one of the fanciest London Korean restaurant. This is where Son Heng Min, BTS comes when they visit London city centre.

You can see it on the right side. We just put it aside as it was so dry and meh.

They have the top quality meat and the service is top notch. When you look at the marbling, you will know how good it looks.

The only issue is the quality of the meat can be whack sometimes. O.K. Let me correct this.

My friend used to work for Olle and he told me the meat quality is normally excellent. But there are many times when they also bring out just ok meat quality.

So if the meat quality doesn’t look like this, make sure you complain!

Also, the downside is that the other food like fried chicken is horrible.

I Personally Prefer Koba Which I Is UNDER-HYPED

Koba is another great Korean restaurant to bring clients.

Koba London's Steak Tartar — Koba London’s Steak Tartar

The restaurant has the modern / upscale Korean restaurant vibe and it is by the people behind On the Bab. So they know how to run a restaurant good and tasty.

Korean Butcher

Tree Stone : New Malden (KT3 4BT) | Golders Green (NW11 7PT)

Did you know Korean butchers normally have 100 different meat cuts compared to around 20 – 30 in U.K.

Yes, so if you want a specific cut like Chadol Baegi (차돌박이, thin sliced brisket), you will not find it at a normal butcher.

So you have to go to New Malden Tree Stone butcher for these cuts.

The awesome part about this butcher is that there is a BBQ restaurant next door. So you can buy your meat and go to the next door and cook it yourself.

In Korea, having a butcher with a restaurant is a new and trendy concept right now, and seeing London Korean Restaurants following this trend is making me smile.

This way of Korean BBQ is really popular in Korea right now and I am so glad to see something like this in London.

Because of its popularity, they opened a second branch in Golders Green (Only a butcher though).

Korean Pubs in London

Hongdae Pocha : Soho (W1D 5AJ)
Hankang : Fitzrovia (W1T 1UE)

Korean pubs are where you drink soju with a side of food. Among all the London Korean Restaurants, I prefer to go to Korean pubs where we can drink and eat.

The only difference between U.K. pub and Korean pub is that you have to order food because the soju normally is cheap in Korea (not in U.K. though).

But the main focus is to drink.

Hongdae Pocha Is a Great Korean Pub with Kpops (Younger Crowd)

For that the best place is Hongdae Pocha. It got that 70s hole in a wall style Korean pub with Kpop blasting.

Hankang Is Great for Older Crowds

Another place is Hankang (2nd floor). It is the oldest Korean pub in London and it is where you can see a lot of Korean salaryman.

Korean Cafes

So I don’t like sweets or desserts or teas, so I don’t go to Korean cafes in general.

I will go to these places for you to fill in the blank, but for now here are some of the recommendations from my friends.

Cake & Bingsoo Cafe : New Malden (KT3 4BY)
Be-oom (비움) : Exmouth Market (EC1R 4QL)
Gaza Cafe Soho : Soho (W1D 4EE)

Cake & Bingsoo Cafe is probably the most famous Korean Cafes in London. Not only they serve the most popular dessert, Mango Bingsoo, in Korea rn, but also

korean fried chicken london

CheeMC : Elephant & Castle (SE17 2NA)
Pelicana : Fulham (W6 9YD)
Wing Wing : Chinatown (WC1H 0JR)
Little Korea : Chinatown (WC2H 7BG)

There are many Korean fried chicken restaurants, but barely any good ones. So here are the ones that I approve as Korean who grew up eating fried chicken in Korea.

CheeMC Is THE Best Korean Fried Chicken in London No Doubt

CheeMC is the best Korean fried chicken restaurant in London. They always bring the latest fried chicken trend from Korea.

The owner learnt how to cook Korean fried chicken in Korea and you can feel his magic hand.

Pelicana Is One of The Oldest Fried Chicken Joint In Korea

Pelicana is the second best choice. It is one of the biggest fried chicken franchise in Korea and also the oldest. They have mastered how to make fried chicken so we know it is going to be good.

Like we know whereever in the world we go, Mcdonalds is going to be good.

But it has limited menu compared to Korea, but still pretty good.

Little Korea Is Bad, but their Fried Chicken is Awesome

Little Korea is my third choice. This is coming from the waiters from Korean restaurants in Soho and Chinatown.

My friends who work as a waiter told me, if they want fried chicken they would always go to Little Korea. The food in general is bad, but one thing that is good is their fried chicken.

Halal London Korean Restaurant

May Korean restaurants actually are halal friendly. But there is only one restaurant that is fully halal.

Korean BBQ and Vegan is the Only Full Halal Korean Restaurant in London

Korean BBQ and Vegan is the only Full halal restaurant. Also very vegan friendly.

Most of Korea food includes fish sauce so it is really hard to make vegan food, but they even have vegan kimchi as well.

There are few others that have halal options like Bari Bari, Myunga, Arang or Lime Orange.

Every restaurant has different options, so you can check my related post on more detailed list.