Arirang Restaurant

I've been coming here since 2022; it's that good. It's the perfect spot for a girls' night out, hanging out with friends, and dates that don't mind the price tag. The food is amazing and doesn't leave you full or asking yourself "why did I eat?". The portions are big but reasonable, and there is even some to share. The owners are always there. They are very friendly, and if they are not too busy, they will even talk with you about the food, and are even helpful enough to show you how to debone a fish, as well as what's most popular to eat if you can not decide for yourself. I've included a photo of the food eaten at my last visit. * Banchan - side dishes, kimchi, cucumber kimchi, fish cakes, etc.. *Japchae with bulgogi (beef meat), a sweet potato glass noodle stir-fried with julienned vegetables (carrots, bell peppers, etc.). *Tteok-bokki, which is chewy rice cakes simmered in a sweet and spicy sauce customized to their specifications. *A grilled Mackerel- fish. *Drinks are water, Sprite, Korean beer, and not pictured was a bottle of soju.

Absolutely amazing!!! The food tasted fresh and full of flavor. The owners are nice and will show you how to eat certain food. I will definitely be coming back here!!

Been eating here for over 10 years now. If i lived closer I would come more often. Really good traditional Korean food. Owners are very nice and helpful with the menu.

The food is amazing. Every dish was extremely delicious as well as the Korean ice tea. I highly recommend everyone to come here. You will not regret a single bite. The atmosphere is nice and quiet dinning. A perfect place to enjoy something new and open yourself to a new world of flavors.

This place is amazing! The service is wonderful and the food is so delicious and authentic. What a great place to come and have a drink and eat!

This is a hidden gem of Korean cuisine in San Antonio✨ If you’re ever craving jokbal (braised pork) in San Antonio, this is THE place to go! 🐷💯 It tastes just as good as the famous jokbal restaurants back in Korea, maybe even better!! Also, don’t miss out on the spicy whelk salad (골뱅이무침) and be sure to add somen noodles (소면) 🍜🔥 it’s seriously amazing. But what makes this place even more special is the super kind and welcoming owner 🥹💖 Everything is so, so delicious you have to try it at least once. Jokbal lovers, this place is heaven!! 🙌🇰🇷❤️

Visiting San Antonio and was in need of some Korean food, and then, bam! Ahh what a great jewel! They stay open late which was good also. Not hard to find, and right off a main street.

I absolutely love this place when you find it it’s like you’ve found a hidden gem. The food is wonderful. It feels like a restaurant that I went to when I was stationed in Korea. Authentic food great atmosphere and the staff was fun!

Dear Arirang you were the one who introduced me to Korean food for the first time years ago! I believe you are one of the oldest Korean restaurants in town! Everything I have eaten at this restaurant has been solid 5 stars! From flavors to ambiance and even the owner who is playful and strict all at the same time. No messing around with her lol if she ask if you are ready to order you better be ready to order! I keep on returning to this restaurant even though we have many choices for Korean now in town.

Authentic, fresh, hole in the wall. The ambiance was very homey but dark and very clean. We were greeted and seated as soon as we got in. Staff were extremely friendly and checked on us multiple times. Food was so flavorful and hot.

We were craving Korean food and found this restaurant online. It was very tucked away off the side of the road and honestly a bit hard to find at first. The sign isn't too big and it was right off the busy, fast moving road, which made turning into the parking lot a little difficult. We came around 8PM and they were not very busy. The actual surrounding area was also a bit sketchy to me- lots of businesses had bars on the windows. The interior of the restaurant was similar to a log cabin with lots of wood paneling. They waited on us quickly and brought the food out. They brought 7 options for banchan and unfortunately I didn't like any of them. I love gochujang cucumbers but their cucumbers tasted limp and soggy. We also ordered the bulgogi and beef tofu soup. I wasn't a fan of the bulgogi- my friend ended up eating pretty much all of it. There wasn't much flavor and it just didn't taste very good to me. The tofu soup we ordered mild but they brought it out with no spice at all (hence the weird watery color). We ate a couple bites, which wasn't good, and ended up asking our server to add some spice to it. They complied and it completely changed the flavor of the dish. I will say it made it just a touch spicy for me but it definitely enhanced the flavor.

Came here at 12:45 in the morning after a late flight arrival. The staff were friendly. The portions were generous. The taste was authentic. It was late and they needed to close so I got the rest of the food To Go. The older gentleman told the waitress to pack an extra bowl of rice and gave me various banchan To Go. This gesture did not go unnoticed by me as I hit the 20% tip to support the local business with a heart of gold.

A Korean spot. In San Antonio. That closes at 2AM. The KITCHEN closes @ 2AM?! Dude. This place deserves more love. To be able to get yummy Korean @ 1AM is impressive. The service is great straight forward what you want to eat. It's a cute little hole in the wall on the road. You get bonchan and rice and whatever entree you choose. I just moved from DC where Korean food is abundant. This was very good.

Came in on a rando Thursday evening (semi-early in the evening as we were famished). Saw this in an Express News article "Visit these 10 Asian-owned eateries for AAPI Heritage Month" so thought we'd give it a go. Blink and you'll drive right by. Located on Austin Hwy almost catty corner from the Dollar General Store. If you get to the VFW you've gone too far. Very nice and friendly server (adult and not a kid). Pointed out and gave several recommendations from beer to food. We started with the Goon Man Doo (fried dumplings). They were a hearty serving and fiery hot (temperature not spice) and came with a tasty dipping sauce; perfect combo of chewy inside and sharp, crunchy outside. Hubs had the Terra Beer (a big beer). He ordered the Bul-Go-Gi (a heaping serving of beef) which he really enjoyed. Tasty meat and a great sauce; a little on the sweet spice with a medium heat (he asked for). I thought it was a mild heat myself. I ordered the Korean BBQ ribs and man, a TON of meat. Even while sharing the meals I still asked for a to-go box. Meal Came with steamed white rice and bowls and bowls of sides (all cold) ranging from kimchi to pickled cucumbers and more. The sauce on the cold brocccoli was so tasty! Some I couldn't really identify, and all of them varied in the spice/heat levels. As we were finishing a party of four came in and then a single diner came in so it was picking up for the night. (We overhead the larger party say to him, "we're happy to be back again". Definitely 5 for the food. The place itself is dated and a little sad looking inside. The ladies bathroom left something to be desired but hey, you're there for the food right? 3 for the interior. A homeless, looked like Jesus man wandered in and was immediately asked to go. Several security cameras on the perimeter and are on full display on a large screen so they can see who's coming and going. Safety is a +. So many more choices to try. Will return and bring a friend as well.

Best Korean food I've had in San Antonio! Very great service and excellent food! Plus they are open until 2am!!! Can't beat it.

Hidden in an unassuming building, is some of the most authentic & delicious Korean food you can get in San Antonio! It's so incredibly delicious it will be knock your socks off!! On top of that, their high quality doesn't just stop at their food, it also is extremely welcoming & makes you feel at home! This place should definitely be on your list of places to try if you haven't already!!

Authentic Korean food at a reason price. They served food extremely fast. Definitely recommend this restaurant. It's hidden on Austin street. Owners are extremely nice people.

I've been here twice now and both times I've been incredibly impressed. Their food is absolutely delicious, from the side dishes to the main courses. Everyone is friendly and the restaurant itself is a lovely hole-in-the-wall type spot has a pleasant atmosphere. I'd highly recommend this to anyone who loves not just Korean food, but yummy food in any way.

Amazing authentic Korean food, kind and attentive service! And the menu is quite large! Absolutely come here if you're craving good quality Korean food! (:

The food was really really tasty and this place is great for a late night meal! My friends and I went after the 4th of July and were pleasantly surprised to find this small restaurant on the side of the road. Safe to say we will be coming back!

Food is top notch. Although the price and the serving is not it. BE AWARE!!! Make sure you ask for receipt because they will Add extra charges on your total and they dont give you the breakdown of your order. The guy will harass you and get mad when we tried to split our check and when it comes to tipping.

Potato and beef soup wasn't spicy or good . Covid fried rice was too sweet and it had corn in it .I've lived in South Korea to know what's authentic Korean foods . This isn't it !!!! The side dishes are good but that's can't be it !!

We came after spending the whole day in Seaworld. We were looking around for a restaurant still open around 10 pm and saw Arirang open till midnight. Perfect as we were in the mood for Korean food. When we arrived, only one other couple eating and we were seated promptly. Place is dark. Guess that's the ambiance they are going for. We ordered Tofu soup and Galbi bbq (short ribs). It came with a number of panchan (side dishes) including kimchi, fish cake, etc. The tofu soup came out piping hot the way we liked it. Galbi was tasty and had a decent amount for the price. They other items like Galbi Jim. Place is authentic. It is located near a mobile park. They have cameras everywhere and we can see our car outside from the TV. This is the second time we have been here. We will be back whenever we start craving Korean in the San Antonio area.

Delicious seafood pancake and japchae. Dark cozy atmosphere and fast attentive service. Seafood pancake had calamari, scallops and shrimp , highly recommend.

Had an amazing dinner here. It was about 1 AM and I was in the mood for a gem and found this place.

In a sentence: solid hole in the wall Korean joint. Its not fancy, but it gets the job done. Lots of sides / bon chon. Gamjatang was good flavor, though pork could have been more tender. I wouldnt compare it to LA or northern VA Korean restaurant quality, but solid for San Antonio.

Sweet hole in the wall restaurant. Honestly you're not going to get better than this here in SA. The quality of food is so good, they give you so much. Pls check it out and support your local!!

Discovered Arirang last night with a cool group of jazz musicians who gathered to partake after a show. Off the beaten path, this unassuming place has legit authentic korean food in San Antonio, AND is open until 2 a.m., which we stress tested. I had the Korean ribs, which were delicious... and everything around me looked great. Plenty of culinarily challenging dishes for the more adventurous as well!

Place: The place was so dim which I think was fine, it strikes as if it's a bar dim. Service: The ladies who assisted us was nice and straightforward and even provide recommendation. Food: It was fine, I did not really taste any special on the food. I might need to check the other menu to have a full understanding of the signature of this Korean restaurant. Overall, it was fine but not something I look forward to get back if there will be other option.

Perfect late night spot! We ordered the fried dumplings, chicken bulgogi, and the ramen (which was only $8!) everything was fresh and delicious! It came with all the accoutrements that you would expect. The layout of the restaurant is odd but the service was good!

opens late til 2 AM. pretty healthy late option depending what you order. I got the beef bulgogi which came with lots of sides. the beer was great.

We came here at 11pm at night. Super convenient because they close at 2am and everything else was closed. This was my first time here and they offered unlimited food option and also karaoke! We weren't too hungry so we decided on some classic Korean dishes. The seafood soup hit the spot. It had a nice spicy kick to it. I wish they added clams and shrimp to this dish. The tteokbokki or spicy rice cake also had tofu bits and glass noodles. Chewy and fun to eat. The service was outstanding. Very attentive staff. Would come here and bring lots of friends to sing karaoke and try their unlimited meats deal!

horrible service waited an hour for our food and just for them to mess it up and have others around us who got seated AFTER us. they got their food first.. such a disappointment.

I'm VERY disappointed with this restaurant. I was craving Korean food late at night and figured to give this place a try to pick up and take home. I had placed a food order and asked multiple times if a plate had a certain ingredient that I am allergic to in it. The lady on the phone assured me it did not. It did. The food is heavily overpriced as the japchae had maybe 5 strips of beef in it and I was charged $15. Not happy. The foods was FAR too oily and made me sick. My wife ordered just the rice cake meal and it had no mention of it having fish (she is allergic to seafood), so she didn't even eat that night. I was furious. Don't even get me started on the ordeal to find this place. The sign dimly lit and upon asking the lady on the phone where the place was, she was unhelpful and simply told me across the street from Dollar General and hung up on me. I heavily considering just leaving and not getting my order. If you're coming from Converse or nearabouts, the GPS will lead you through the unmaintained part of San Antonio. In the daytime, I'm sure this is nothing, but the restaurant is only open from 4pm to midnight. At night, this is terrifying, as the streets you go on are barely lit, everything is tagged full of graffiti, the buildings you cross are poorly maintained and dilapidated, and it gives you an air of uncertainty. I'm not coming back here. It's not even to say I would doordash or ubereats this place. The food was just plain awful and overpriced.

Still my favorite Korean in San Antonio. Definitely a hole in the wall but worth the drive. We have always taken to go so first time eating on site! Kinda hot inside with a wall unit a/c. Waitress is kinda forgetful and service is generally not fantastic. However, I come for the food, so.... Bulgogi, galbi, kalchi gui(basically fried beltfish) kimchi stew and hot stone bibimbab. I generally get the cold bibimbab since it is easier to eat because it is on fire heat hot and takes forever to cool down.

The service was amazing there was big portion plates and the cucumber kimchi ,you guys must try this place !!!

cute little spot with delicious food! coming from california, i don't expect much from korean restaurants in texas but this tasted so authentic and the ambiance of the place reminded me of my favorite place in sacramento! loved the tteokboki and galbi, and especially the fact that they have boricha !! i had it iced but i think they offered it hot too, it's so good and i never find it at korean restaurants here. the samgeopsal was a little dry but still good. parking was easy and the place was easy to find. overall very good, and i look forward to coming again:)

Food service is quick, pricing is a reasonable for the amount of food given to you and waiters are attentive when taking your order. Overall, a nice place to sit down quietly and enjoy your meal.

Best Korean Restaurant in Central Texas!! Lots of options to choose from and great service! Great extended hours into early mornings!! I might just go there right now!

I like the cozy atmosphere and some food are spot on good. However im disappointment with their costumer service (specially the lady server) I complained about one dish (octopus) that I can't even bite into feels like leather. Instead of accepting the feedback, she responded with her rude tone "stating no one has complained about that dish before!!!" Well I'm also a costumer (1st time costumer who pays for the food I ordered and my opinion matters!!!) I'm not ordering for free!! I disdain places like this that has very poor costumer services and makes a paying costumer feels that their opinion doesn't matter.. (maybe its a language barrier thingy but body language and tone of voice says a lot!!!). well for me this might be the last time il go to this place.. pls learn to accept feedback from a paying costumer and don't make them feel their opinion doesn't matter !!

Lovely staff, great rooms for karaoke, and delicious authentic food !! My friends and I have come here several times for fun and to celebrate special moments and birthdays ! Can't wait to come back.

I am a huge fan of Korean food and to be honest, there are not too many places/ options here in San Antonio. First of all, the restaurant location isn't too good. I don't want to say this, but the area is a little bit shady. However, they do have cctv cameras around the perimeter (which you can see once you enter the restaurant). They operate at odd hours but that's what makes this place so great! They are opened from 4 pm until 2 am. This is the place you go when you are so hungry late at night and do not want pizzas or fast food. The food, however, is so good! I love everything I've ever order here. They have a wide variety of Korean dishes, including late night dishes you would want to eat after a session of Korean karaoke. My favorite dish from here is the Ttook Bulgogi. It's a version of beef bulgogi but in a sizzling stone pot with soup and clear noodles and some vegetables. It is amazing with rice! Their Dolsot Bibimbap or korean hot stone pot rice is also very good. I'd say, it is the best in town (portion, flavor and ingredients!). They also have Bing Su or Korean shaved ice as well!!! Super yummy! The service is slow though. It is run by the wife and husband I believe. And so they don't pay too much attention to you once you order the food. But I don't mind since the food is so good here! All in all, I love this place and I always go there to satisfy my korean food cravings!

A little hole in the wall that does NOT disappoint. The food is absolutely delicious and worth the price, the traditional free sides they provide are enough to fill anyone up alone, but the food is just too delicious to miss. I am a little confused at the negative reviews based on the customer service; this is a small restaurant run by individuals who work hard and have been doing this a very long time. This is obviously not a big restaurant with bells and whistles like those Korean BBQ places that focus on the 'experience' of the theatrics more than the actual food itself. If you are someone who is willing to focus on the food more than the glitz and glamour, THIS will be your next favorite place.

Order combination fried rice. What a joke. They didn't fried the rice. $14 plus tax. They put it in a Styrofoam plate. It was only half of the of that plate. Very stingy people. I don't mind paying a lot of money for fried rice. But, please, make it Worth of my money.

Average food, but "extraordinary" charge 3.50 for a tea bag with a mini pot of hot water, easy money uhh? the beer is charged for 6.99, shame on Arirang!!!

Do yourself a favor and find somewhere else to eat. Food was mediocre and overpriced plus service was lacking to say the least. All In all really disappointed I spent money here.

Went last night and I have to say it was some of the most incredible food I've ever had. We went as a group of 6 and shared bites of each one and every dish was better than the last, including the vegetarian and pescatarian dishes. Don't sleep on this place! I saw reviews saying the staff was rude, but that was not our experience. They are very hospitable, and warmed up as we started asking questions and joked around with us. My only word of advice is that they don't bring the bill to you, so when you're ready you go to the register to check out. Also, don't forget to try the Korean beer!

It is an incredibly authentic experience. The woman who I assume runs the restaurant is very knowledgeable. The food was incredible. I got the beef Bulgogi and a soup I had never tried before. There are lots of toppings that come to the table. Overall, the vibe is super chill.

This gems is on Austin highway in San Antonio. To enjoy korean food to the fullest i think you need to come with friends to enjoy everything in the menu. This restaurant close at 2am. Don't get stop by the interior design, it's a family restaurant, big portion and food is so TASTY.

Bulgogi was good and flavorful but short on portion. Ban Chan was also minimal. Not like last time. Customer service needs works.

Great mom and pop homestyle Korean restaurant with lots of traditional meat, rice, and noodle dishes. Seafood pancake was immensely appetizing, followed by the chap chae noodles and the pork bulgolgi. Definitely a great hearty Korean meal when you're in San Antonio!

As a full Korean, I know what good Korean food is. This place has good side dishes (less sodium flavor). We had the pork belly here. The thickest pork belly ever! The portions fill you up. All though the lady forgot to give us rice by the time we ate everything we couldn't imagine eating anymore rice. The seafood pancake was our appetizer. The batter was delicious, but I like mine a little more crispier. There wasn't really a wait for a Saturday night and it's really a small, quaint spot.

Eat here!!!! Open till 2am and the food is fresh a so so good. Place looks super sketchy from the outside but by FAR favorite Korean food I've had and they definitely have me as a regular now.

Zero stars. Never had a chance to try their food as we left due to extremely poor service. Now I read a review where they stated they were getting yelled at because they didn't leave enough tip. We were getting yelled at because we asked to leave one ingredient out. We had just recently moved to the area and wanted to find a good Korean restaurant we can call our go to for Korean food. We go in and ask the man for to-go menus. He turns around and directs the lady who gives us the menu. After deciding what we wanted, we looked at the lady ready to place our order. She THEN tells us no to-go orders. No one had mentioned we could not place to-go orders. We decided to stay. When the man takes our order my bf asked for no onions on his. No problem. I asked him for the topokki what vegetables were in it, he starts to list "green onions, white onions" and then starts to mention some others in Korean. I ask him can he make it without any onions. I can tell he becomes angry and starts talking in Korean. Not sure if he thinks I'm Korean and understood, but I'm not. I didn't want any problems so told him fine it's OK I will take as is. He walks back and throws the menu on the counter. I started to contemplate whether or not we should stay. After a minute or two, we decided to leave to avoid any further confrontation. As we're heading out I tell the guy it's okay, thank you. My bf who was behind me politely informs him we were just going to go. He then starts yelling at us in Korean! For the way we were being treated, we could have easily left without saying anything. I asked to customize the order and he gets bent out of shape?! Just say no, I would have been perfectly fine! This place really needs to work on their service. We will never go back again.

This is the worst korean restaurant i've ever been to. There are many reasons so let me list them. 1. They place was extremely dirty. The tables were laced with grease. When I laid my elbows on the table my elbows were stuck to the surface. 2. I ordered the tofu seafood soup. When I told the owner that there was no egg in the soup, he literally took the soup and DUG around to show me the egg--- but here was NO EGG. He kept insisting there was an egg. It is korean tradition to give you the egg separately so you can put it in yourself. How was I suppose to continue eating the dish after someone else touched it? Disgusting and Rude. 3. The korean pancake was soggy in the middle. Don't order it unless you want to completely waste your money. 4. This place is for people who want to drink and have no standerd for food. Eat here with caution!

Wow, simply delicious food! I came in here late after a slew of unfortunate events, and having this home cooked feel just makes it so extra good!

Me and my boyfriend went and he ordered a ramen which they served in an old aluminum pot it was literally a maruchan / nissin soup like the ones you buy at Walmart for .10 cents and then the lady knocked down his beer to which she did say sorry but didn't offer another one and still charged us for it.