Arirang Restaurant

The food, service, and vibe here are great. Especially given the premise that my friend and I came here to celebrate her birthday, they even provided forks and plates for us to enjoy the cake. Besides they also gave us the additional fruit as gift. Overall it was a nice experience to eat here.

I really love the food there! Clean and cosy environment. All the staff are so nice! If you're looking for authentic korean food in London, Arirang is the best choice!

The food was delicious and the service was incredible. The staff were very kind and our food arrived quickly! Would highly recommend!

amazing food, we got soondubu chigae soup and teokbokki with cheese - both were super delicious. nice, quiet atmosphere. only thing is we were slightly overcharged for our teokbokki :(

I had an extremely enjoyable meal with my sister. The seafood pajeon was very crispy and cooked to perfection. The highlight was the rare beef bimbimbap which is rare to find. I enjoy the fact that the rare beef cooks in the stone bowl. The only con I would say is the rice did not crisp at the bottom of the bowl in the bimbimbap which I love the most. The tteokbokki was also delicious and the ramen noodles complemented the dish very well. I would recommend Arirang.

Had a quick dinner here and was genuinely impressed—the jukkejan soup and kimchi were delicious! Full of bold, comforting flavors that really hit the spot. If you enjoy rich, fermented dishes, I’d definitely recommend giving them a try. That said, the top floor wasn’t the best experience. It was quite smoky and had a strong smell, likely from the BBQ grill running without proper ventilation. It made things a bit uncomfortable, especially for a short visit. If you’re planning to go, I’d suggest sitting downstairs or asking for a spot with better airflow. The food is great, and with a few tweaks to the setup, it could be an even better experience overall!

Food is banging, super tasty and fresh. Service is beautiful and fast, very polite, friendly, and welcoming. 110% recommending and we'll happily return. We were happy Easter bunnies here. 🤣

Came accross this retsurant while shopping on Regent Street and we were so glad we did. We've had Korean food before but this was something else. We hadn't booked but as it was only 6.30pm they found us a table. Restaurant is small and a bit hectic but service was good and food is fantastic. We were served by Hyanjoo and she was really good at explaining the menu as my wife is vegetarian. We had kimchi and seaweed sheets to start followed by Tofu Twigim (stir fried tofu with vegetables) and Yookgae Jang (a really spicy, hot beef soup). Massive portions so we were really full and a good price (£50 for 2 meals and drinks). I tried the Cass Korean beer which isn't the best to be honest but overall we were really happy with our meal.

We got the A set for 3 people and it's definitely a solid korean place FOR London but it doesn't compare to anywhere in LA. You have to pay for the banchan separately which I thought was weird but it was included in the set I got. Everything was pretty average and the best thing was the korean fried chicken, but it tasted like orange chicken lol. The service was really good, everyone was nice and food came out in a timely manner. Overall, if you're really craving korean food you can get it here, but don't expect too much.

While it's nothing to write to Korea/LA/NYC about, it definitely satisfies the craving. It's annoying that you have to pay for all side dishes (which are traditionally free), but that seems to be the standard here in London. Overall, the dishes were on the sweet side, especially the tteokbokki and kalbi. This would be a nice intro korean restaurant, as the waitstaff will demonstrate how to properly cook/prepare the dishes. For example, they will add the red pepper paste and mix the bibimbap. For dessert, we got a one slice of watermelon and a half slice of melon each included with the meal.

I've been to a few Korean places in London and most places are very experience and small portions. This place however was true opposite. I'm still waiting for the day the sides are free like in America but I'm not gonna hold my breath. The service was a bit slow... We got sat down immediately but took them awhile to ask us for our drink order. Also, one waitress had tripped and spilled rice on two separate occasions when we were there. Maybe it was her first day? The galbi that I'm used to having is kinda char grilled and it wasn't cooked this way. Also, I'm used to having a bone in the meat but again it was missing. The bulgogi was the same. Pretty mediocre. We started with the Kim chi sampler platter and jap chae and the rice clear soup and sukjul namul. The best out of the three is the jap chae. Full of flavor, very tasty, and cooked to perfection. The soup was bland. The free dessert consisted of a slice of orange and honeydew. There is free wifi but the password is on a laminated piece of a4 and the text is like 30pt. A bit amusing actually. I would recommend going to Tottenham court road instead of here.

The majority of our group wanted Fish and Chips while I did not but we somehow came to an agreement on having Korean for dinner. We walked in without a booking and was seated immediately as we made it before the place started filling up at dinner. Fun fact. This is the first Korean restaurant in all of Britain as it first opened its doors in the mid 70s. I learned that tidbit inside as it was printed somewhere on the menu, if I'm recalling correctly. Service was friendly. The staff engaged in some small talk to find out where we were visiting from. Prices seem fair but portions are a lot smaller compared to what you get in the States (I guess that's always usually the case, isn't it). And what was surprising to me (shocking, really) was that you'd have to purchase the banchans separately as side dishes which is the first I've ever seen anywhere. Perhaps this establishment has learned food was being wasted and the average diner here does not require so many variety of dishes for their meal. Who knows what their reasoning behind that one, though? I've been to a few Korean restaurants here in the UK and found the spicy flavors purposely played down to accommodate the average local's spice tolerance and this place was no exception. I can understand why they do it but this, to me is a huge disservice to some of the dishes that are usually prepared in a bolder flavor. A better approach, in my opinion is to leave it up to the diner to decide the level of spice they prefer for their order. I can't say I have strong feelings about this restaurant (Yelp really needs to introduce half star ratings. 3 seems a bit harsh but a 4 seems high in many situations) but if I'm craving something with strong Korean flavors, this place certainly isn't going to do it for me.

This was the first Korean restaurant I'd been too, brought here by friends who highly recommended it! I was blown away with the food! Unsure what to expect we the boys ended up with the usual Hite beer while I had green tea. Service was great, they were busy on a Saturday evening but saw us to a table immediately after walking in without a booking for a table of 4. Very friendly and welcoming! We had about 8 dishes between the 4 of us ranging from kimchi, beef bulgogi, dumplings, tok pokee (rice cakes), squid and some others. Some dishes were cooked on the table in front of us, some cold and some arrived sizzling. I thought the price was very reasonable considering the drinks and reordering of our favourite dishes! Food was served quickly without feeling rushed. I've seen some bad reviews on here but I think they were a result of not knowing how to order Korean food. It's not so much a place to order your own, eat your own and finish. Order a handful and share everything! I'll definitely be back to show more friends!

Arirang is a decent option for Korean food in Soho. The menu is a mix of semi-authentic Korean and Japanese food. To start, we ordered several dishes including the cucumber salad, kimchee, kimchee-pancakes, and dumplings etc. The only real standout was the kimchee pancakes. The others weren't too memorable and I thought the dumplings were overly deep fried. A nice aspect of Arirang is that they grill your meats right at your table. I had the marinated beef and the short-ribs. Both were tasty though nothing special. Portions were a bit small, so while everything is relatively inexpensive (most grilled meats were £6-8), it quickly can add up. We wound up spending about £35 each for a handful of starters, mixed grilled meats, and a few hites (Korean lager style beer). The set menu probably would have been a better option but it looked too be too much food, although had I known about the small portions I wouldn't have hesitated and done a la carte. Service was prompt though not exactly friendly. All in, Arirang is a good but not great option for Korean food in soho.

The place is nice and small. There is no lift to go down. The portions are children's side. Only Korean restaurant I tried without bon Chon. Bon Chon is separate with a fee. The food is typical of Korean standard.

The food here is very good, but a little pricey. The staff are a little frosty, but nothing unbearable. However, ignoring the price and staff, the food is so good. The kimchi pancake is legendary, and if you like spicy food the bibim naengmyeon is fantastic! If you like good Korean food and don't mind spending a little more than usual then visit here! I will have to go back and try the BBQ, as the table next to us had some and it smelled heavenly.

Arirang is pretty easy to access from Oxford Circus (head toward Tottenham Court Road) and quite simply, the food is fantastic! There is a plethora of Korean restaurants around this area in general - all with a similar menu, prices and decor; but Arirang without doubt flays the competition. There are more pricier Korean places that would be put to shame by Arirang. Sokoghee dob-bap (rolls of the tongue eh) is my reccomendation if you order a meal alone. There are great set menus and personally, I found it a very balanced set (containing a clear egg and spring onion soup, a range of side, pickled numbers and dessert in the form of fresh fruit). If in a group, try the range of BBQ (cooked at your table). Okay look,meat is always great, but the best thing to compliment it is the sauce. Arirang have pulled off a great mixture that singles this place out from the others. Pricewise, extremely reasonable! hmm..? What's that? ..So why a four-star rating you say? The staff are truly AWFUL! Okay, I am NOT being sexist here, but for some reason, it appears amongst the female staff only - and I have been here a zillion and one times. The male staff (very few) are fine. I mean, I have had extremely dirty looks thrown at me for daring to bother them with such dastardly acts such as ordering food.. or.. Or is it just me? You will almost always digest your food before leaving the restaurant - that's how long it takes to be seen to make a payment. Also, my Korean friends always let me in on some of their mutterings.. lol Anyway, eat there! You'll not be disappointed by the grub! Ash

Arirang is a great place for Korean food in London, located near the Oxford Circus underground station. The main eating area is on the 1st level and there is additional seating in the lower level. A single order of galbi is half of what you would get in LA, but then again it's half the price (2 orders in London = 1 order in LA). The meal comes with 2 side dishes, but it doesn't include kim chi. I recommend that you order the variety kim chi side dish, bap and sang choo, which all cost extra. The gook bap was bland, but it was nice and hot. The price was reasonable. I ate here twice during my vacation in London and wished I found this place sooner.

Make a reservation or come really early otherwise it might take a while for you to be seated. Real Koreans working in this place and a lot of Asians trying to get a seat hence the food must be good. Went for BBQ option. I was surprised there was no ventilation installed above the grill which is a little bit surprising. I was a little disappointed that the side dishes had to be ordered which is at least unusual in Korea. Kimchi was good. The meat quality was good too but hoped for bigger portions. It is a more up scale since the waiting staff would do the grilling for you hence higher prices. I am more used to grill myself. :) It is the closest to the Korean BBQ in Seoul. Really nice waitresses when you talk some Korean even is it is just food talk and some holiday phrases. :P

Heard this was the oldest Korean restaurant in London . Came dinner with a tour so we got the set menu . We had the bean paste soup which was good not to salty just the right amount of taste. We had the fish with daikon which may or may not be on the menu. It was ok my friends enjoyed it. The pan chan was decent for Korean food on London, I guess it had a European touch to it . I

I have such mixed feelings about this place. I have heard that it is opened by the same person who opened Arang and feel that Arang is so much better than this place. Why I don't like it: I feel like the waitresses have something against non-Koreans here. Me and my friend sat next to a Korean couple and we could totally see that their free appetisers were so much better than ours. We had a few beansprouts but otherwise nothing good but they had kimchi etc. Service to say the least was not up to any decent standard where trying to wave a staff down is like trying to get the Titanic to stay afloat! The only redeeming factor is the food. It is authentic Korean food and quite tasty, but as another reviewer has said, the portions are not that big, the food is not that memorable other than it was decent, so if you are thinking of coming here I would recommend Arang instead.

Very yummy meal! We had the standard seafood pancakes (crispy and soft on the inside, nice seafood-y taste!) and jap chae ( slippery and tasty). The highlight was a rec from our waitress which reminded me of twice cooked pork belly. The pork belly sliced and tossed in a spicy red sauce with onions and peppers. This was delicious!!! Good Korean in Soho. Definitely worth checking out. They have Korean BBQ too which other tables were having. It smelled great!!

Bulgogi Bulgogi! Bulgogi! What else can I say about this fine place. When you go into a restaurant and you find that first generation immigrants are eating there in droves you know there is something good about it! This was one of the first Korean places in London and I was first brought here far too long ago when I was student. My first reaction was Korea and BBQ? Was there a secret Ozzie colony in Seoul? And with sushi, this place is messing with my mind! It turns out the food was and is wonderful. You were able to very eat well for not much, though perhaps they have reduced the complimentary starter portions. The whole place is clean and beautifully presented and the tables have a little BBQ hotplate; a wonderful centrepiece especially with BULGOGI :D Always remember to ask for wonderful wonderful kimchee; fermented and pickled vegetables sound as if my mind is being messed with but good god I think I'm starting to enjoy the feeling. The sushi was, from what I remember, pretty good but I'd suggest you dive into the Korean food, your eyes will be opened! Generally the food is amazing just a pity the service can abrupt and so so. We still go there regularly and the place isn't too far from oxford circus, most definitely a recommendation!

Doing a great selection of modestly priced Korean dishes, this place is fantastically situated although certainly far from remarkable. When I visited, it was infiltrated with yabbering Russian tourists and a clique of giggling Korean schoolgirls which made for some entertaining people watching. Round off your meal with nearby bar Amber serving up some 2 for 1 midweek cocktails.

This is probably my favourite korean restaurant in London. The food is just so good and we come here every time we go into London. The staff are also super nice. We love the tteokbokki and the beef bone soup. The kimchi is also amazing and the pancake is exquisite.

Talked bad right in front of me when I walked in for dinner. Didn't realize I understood Korean pretty well and they were saying pretty bad things about me like to go away or who is this weird person in their shop? Oops?! Anyways, horrible service, don't service 1 person and tried to kick me out asap. Maybe better for lunch when not busy, but don't expect anything spectacular and expect them to be saying not nice things right in front of your face. =/

This place is very average! For the price you're paying, you get small portions. If you fancy coming out of the restaurant smelling of grill and fried food, go there! There are fan extractors but they don't seem to do the job properly. The seating areas are way too small and the food was nothing to write home about. We went for the BBQ and some of the meat such as beef or pork was literally unseasoned thin slices placed on the BBQ, no sauce, nothing. Some other BBQ options were very flavoursome though and the Kimchi was fresh. Was very disappointed for a first time Korean experience but undeterred, I will try again, just somewhere better!

Get the Kimchee Pancakes! They are AMAZING! Love this place..Yummy

A pleasant combination of Korean and Japanese dishes, we went for the BBQ (of course), tonkatsu, onion pancakes and kim chee. The dishes were a bit small for the price and the restrooms needed more attention, but otherwise a fine dining experience.

Don't bother setting foot into this restaurant if your friend(s) have not arrived with you. The staff were very rude, especially the man that was working last night. My sister and I (also my baby) were waiting for our partners to arrive outside the restaurant. We actually wanted to go to a different Korean restaurant, Nara, but unfortunately it was closed when we arrived there. We knew our partners were close by so my sister asked for a table. The man rudely said 'We can't serve you because not everyone has arrived, so we won't seat you. It's first come, first serve'. What a load of rubbish this was! Never in my life have I heard such a thing. We were astonished with this remark. Our partners arrived within minutes and we all decided that we would not be spending our money there. I am extremely disappointed we were treated in this way as we had high hopes for this place.

About 8 years ago this place was my first introduction to Korean cuisine, my suite-mates and I literally followed our noses to the front door. Incredible food, a welcome repast from the rain we'd gotten caught in. If I am ever in London again I will definitely stop back in, their bi bim bap was exceptional.

Really terrible service! Stood at the entrance for 10 minutes and was constantly ignored despite asking for assistance. Then the owner came and said no tables today-- presumably because I was one person and they didn't want to give up a table for only one.

Service was good conveniently located but the food I had was sub par I had the bolgoogi beef and beef tongue both lacked in flavor and tenderness would not come here again but I guess the other stuff on the menu might be okay but not what I had

2015/12/27 I went to this restaurant and waited outside for more than half hour. As me and my friend started to wait, we already let them know that we had two people and we were waiting in line. When it's our turn to get in the restaurant, they told us they didn't accept two people today. They didn't let us in (though there was enough space for us) and kept the seats for a 7 people family which was waiting behind us. It feels like, they gave up on us for making more money. THAT FEELS REALLY BAD. If they told us at the first, it would be fine. However, making us waiting in really cold night and ended up with no seats for us, that's not the way a restaurant treats its customers.

Located right off Oxford Circus this place is pretty darn good for korean food in London! As a freshly arrived study abroad student from the US I was DYING to eat some korean food. I yelped it and came. I fell in love with this place because the food was sooo good and impressive for korean food in london!! I always came for their lunch specials so it was about 7-8 pounds for a bulgogi or dwehji bulgogi meal! This was the first korean restaurant I went to in London so I realized for the first time here that koreans in London don't give out side dishes at all. Maybe one or two plates of bean sprouts and marinated cucumbers. But as I went to other korean restaurants in London, I found out that it's all like that. Everywhere you go you just get 1 or 2 side dishes. The waiters here were super friendly and they always gave us a plate of fruits after our meal. SO korean. haha but this place was pretty good. I think I literally came to this place about 5x while I stayed in London. I couldn't stay away for long because this place was the best compared to the rest!

I ordered the Bulgogi when I came here and it was pretty good. The banchan (sidedishes) that Arirang gave out were plentiful with a lot of variety and flavor. It is comparable to many of the restaurants in Koreatown (Los Angeles). My only complaint is that the server wasn't exactly friendly and didn't seem to want to check up on us at all.

Great with the kids - 9yo and 5yo liked the yakitori and sushi set. All of loved the crispy, briney pa jeon. Will try bbq table top next time when I'm sure the little one can handle it, too.

good value korean bbq set meals compared to some of the other places and it's always a surprise which vegetable extras you will get free. Not as much meat as some of the other bbq places but SO much food in the set meal that you might not care.

Love this restaurant. Been here twice and their service and food always really good and nice. Always busy over the weekend so remember to book before you go. Do recommend this :)

It used to serve good quality good but not any more. All interior was dated to start with. We ordered two set menus plus a meat dish. Meat was full of fat, low quality. Two set menu came with three side dishes between us. The rice was not sticky korean. It came £38 all together. Very very disappointed. The owner was only interested in money not to serve good food. I will never go there again and do not recommend to anyone. I will go to McDonald for better food!