Asadal

Wonderful experience. I made a meal out of four appetizers. Excellent dumplings. Perfect Korean Fried Chicken. Kimchi! Soup and Hite beer. It could have fed two very easily.

A RESTAURANT THAT DOESN'T WANT CUSTOMERS... This was definitely my guests choice and not mine (I preferred to try Hibiki down the road but she didn't fancy anything on the menu). I'm always extremely fearful of restaurants that have out of date reviews plastered all over the outside. In this case it was a Time Out Review 11 years old. If you've done nothing worthy of getting a write up in 11 years you probably shouldn't be putting anything outside your venue. As we descended into the restaurant there was a sense of a lack of cleanliness, things that were old, torn and worn. Even though the sign outside clearly stated that last orders were at 14:30 at the restaurant closes at 15:00 our arrival at 14:20 was greeted with a "Kitchen's closed". I protested and another waiter asked how many of us were there (I wanted to make a gesture of shouting upstairs and saying come down everyone, as it was clear there was only 2 of us) and miraculously upon stating the bleeding obvious the kitchen reopened. "You better be quick, I'll give you 3 minutes before I come and take your order" was our waiters receptive greeting. As it happened we knew what we wanted, having selected our items from the menu outside, so was well prepared when he came back within the allotted time. We had tap water to drink and she ordered the Bokum Myun £8.50 and I the Tofu BiBimBap (which came with Miso Soup & pickles) £9.80. The dishes were brought with haste 5 minutes later. They looked fine, but not particularly appetising. They tasted ok. The hot stone bowl had over cooked the rice on the base. We were engrossed in conversation when the waiter came back a few minutes to tell us they close at 15:00 and we'd need to hurry up. Normally when a restaurant closes (like a pub) you usually have 30 minutes afterwards to clear out. Not here. The pressure to get us out became so much that I asked for a take-away container to take nearly half my dish as I wasn't prepared to rush it. This didn't seem to bother any of the staff, though first they bought a container & a bag and I had to ask for disposable cutlery and was expected to transfer the food myself (not an easy task from bowl hot enough to burn fingers). The restaurant was literally dead when we arrived and at 3pm on the dot we were the last leaving. So definitely won't be back. The food is adequate and nothing more. The ambience stilted quiet and worn at the edges, the Michelin & Time Out Reviews long since lost to the annuls of time and the service totally unacceptable. Wouldn't go as far as steering away at all costs but with a better Korean (see above) just a few steps down the road it would be impossible to suggest even a try. Overall: Long since passed its sell by date.

Absolutely loved this "hidden" restaurant, very quick and attentive service and the seafood dish I had was gorgeous. Very generous serving, and affordable too. I will definitely be back as I want to try all the dishes on the menu!

I wish I could give this a higher rating, because the food was really quite good, but unfortunately I have to agree with most reviews here in saying that the service is poor. The staff were actually mostly okay, but the restaurant's owner is terribly rude and comes across as an arrogant jerk. We didn't want to order dessert because we'd eaten a lot of food and were honestly quite full. This wasn't to the owner's liking and he immediately brought us the bill, even though we still had half a bottle of wine to finish. We left the bill lying for another 15 minutes, since there were no people waiting for a table (it was 10.30pm and at least three tables were empty at this point) and we wanted to finish our wine. After those 15 minutes, he stomped back over to our table, with the card terminal in hand, saying (and I quote): "sorry, you'll have to leave since we need the table." Again, there were empty tables and no people waiting. He actually threw my friend's credit card at her instead of politely handing it back. I don't know what was going on, but that was the poorest I've ever been treated at a restaurant. If you can get past that, though, then this is worth a visit cause the food is nice.

I am pretty sad. Because of the resturan... I am Korean, but I don’t want to recommend here. Small plate, tasty isn’t good. Other Korean restaurants are better. Hopefully, they improve the service about food. Have to have good quality. There are many people who want to try Korean food!

Went there for a birthday party on a Sat Had private room, it was a really nice restaurant & but too busy that night, so services was poor, plus they ran out of rice so we only had 1 bow of it between 7 of us. At least the Food was well presented & tasty. It's not cheap either as we didn't order much drink or food & it came to £35 per head, I had to eat again when I got home.

Wow what an amazing place would 100% reccomend the customer service was absolutely great thank you to Joe and Megan for giving us a special birthday treat to our friend Winnie. We are so grateful. The food was so delicious and thank you for also helping us the the bbq, would definitely recommend to anyone who wants to have Korean food. Been to many Korean restaurants but this is hands down the best!! Thank you again for a great night will definitely be visiting again.

Very decent price for the lunch menu. £8.50 for this whole plate of Korean style fried chicken, rice and salad. Lunch time is always quite busy. Service is okay. Just outside Holborn station.

This is the worst restaurant I have tried in London. Overpriced Korean and it's not even authentic. Owner is rude, blunt and no courtesy at all. You don't get thank you when paid the bill. Please take your money somewhere and stop coming here. I will give zero star if it's available!

Very nice atmosphere and interior design. I was jot really impressed with the flavours. I often eat korean food but for my taste this was not very tasty. However the portions were right and the price too. Good customer service

Avoid at all costs. I'm saying this as a Korean British. I know how expensive food can get in London. Nevertheless, this place serves the worst Korean food ever. 1 person portion bulgogi(£9.5) is the size of my palm, the texture was stringy and tasteless. I'm convinced that the meat's been in the freezer for a very long time. Bulgogi can't taste bad. But Asadal proves it can. A small sized stone bowl of Sullongtang(£10.50 + £2 for another tiny bowl of rice, which usually comes with the soup without extra charge) contained 4 slices of another bad quality meat in it, the broth is obviously not done right either, it lacked in depth of flavour(but it's a beef bone broth). Never have I tasted such low-quality Sullongtang in my life. It's too generous to call their dishes 'overpriced', they are tricksters. It gets even better with the quality of service. Never ever been treated like that in my life. The critiques of this restaurant aren't exaggerated. This business is still up and running by ripping off non-Korean customers & tourists. During the meal, I complained to the owner's wife and waiter but they really couldn't care less. Lazy, unenthusiastic and grumpy as hell. + Ended up complaining again before asking for the bill cause I genuinely felt scammed and there's no way I'd pay over £22 for such nonsense. This time, I asked if I can talk to the owner himself. Not only was he in denial the entire time, but he also interrogated me to find out where my father runs his business(are you freaking out of your mind?) after asking him to run a business with a conscience when I really had enough with his rudeness and irresponsible attitude. I asked him to get rid of bulgogi in my bill but he insisted he wouldn't and instead gave it a 50% off. Even that, he tried to trick me to charge a little bit more extra. What a joke. Heard you mumbling 'don't pay then' as I walked out! I don't care how shameless you are but you gotta stop mocking Korean food and close down already.

What?? A Korean restaurant in London that actually serves side dishes with your meal?? That really deserves a star on its own... seriously. Came here during lunch time and ordered one of their bento boxes. Pretty pricey for galbi at about 15 pounds but at least you get some free side dishes (that's right... plural). Pretty good food, and the restaurant looks very traditionally Korean. I have yet to try their KBBQ so I'll have to put that in the books since this restaurant is relatively close to my school adjacent to Holborn Station.

Good quality meat, nice setting. Tables not crowded at all unlike some restaurants can be. Good for dinner out with colleagues or friends alike.

Went back to the stylish Asadal buried deep underground by Holborn station. To the untrained eye this has all the hallmarks of being a hidden treasure but sadly, it isn't. I ordered the following: - Oxtail soup - Kimchi The dishes arrived in a timely manner and look the part. The soup, a cream coloured cloud devoid of any impurities floating on the surface and the kimchi, a wrapped up ball of reddened Chinese leaves. The appearance comfortably outdoes the flavours however. The oxtail soup, which is meant to be on the subtler side lacks the richness that bone boiled soups need. As a lover of things such as congee, I know how to appreciate delicate flavours but this tasted of water. I've been in situations such as this before and often even a touch of table salt can improve things, bringing out the tastes that are there but the tables have no salt. The dish also comes with three paltry, plain pieces of beef and no oxtail which is unforgivable. The kimchi, while not a disaster is distinctly average and thoroughly lacking in spice. It also felt as if it had been served prematurely as if not fermented long enough which was a shame. One other comment relates to the customer service. I'm not a believer in the notion that restaurant staff have to be friendly or put up a false front of happiness, of which neither could be found in the numerous staff who served us. The problem however is that none of the people serving were good enough at their job to justify the frostiness they projected all night, with mistake after mistake being made with our orders. You can either be rude and abrasive or bad at your job, but you can't be both. This restaurant has so much potential and some of the other dishes are better than the ones I ordered but I would advise going to one of London's many other Korean spots.

I'm not sure why the ratings are that low at this restaurant as each and every time I have been here, I have always enjoyed the food and the service is excellent. I live very close to New Malden (Zone 5, about 15 minutes from Waterloo) and for those of you who don't know, this is Korean Town of UK (in fact a little Birdy told me that it houses more Koreans than any other places other than Korea itself) where you'll definitely find the most authentic Korean dishes at amazing prices. That being said, Asadal is definitely the best Korean restaurant for me outside of New Malden and in London itself where the consistency of great food is always on target. Now, onto the food - I highly recommend #77 - I do believe that this is the spicy beef soup, filled with vegetables and rice inside (Yuk Gae Jang). It is always so good for someone who likes tasty and heart broth with spice for warmth. I have a very high tolerance to spicy food and although this wasn't spicy to me, it's comparable to having Extra Hot in Nandos (sorry - can't think of a better example!). So good, in fact, that I still wanted more! The dishes are reasonable and while not being ginormous will fill most people up. The price is a little more expensive than those in New Malden but you'd expect that for being in London. This restaurant is a short walk away from The New London Theatre so highly recommended if you're in the area. I am due another Asadal meal very soon!

Woah, the review list on yelp is incredibly hit and miss! Some folks seem to HATE the service and food, while others love it. Is this restaurant some sort of Jekyll & Hyde-like experience!?! I just popped in here with some colleagues for lunch and it was excellent... (I suppose we visited on a "Dr Jekyll" day.) We all tried different things from the lunch menu and all of us left stuffed and happy. - I had the yukhoe bibimbab (it had raw beef on top, but this was cooked perfectly by the hot stone bowl.) - I love that it came with soup and three side dishes (namul, kimchi and some spicy tofu.) - My colleagues had japchae and pork and kimchi rice. They both looked happy too. - The staff were sooo friendly! They even persuaded me that I should go snowboarding in Korea with my husband. - We were all really full, but they still brought us fruit at the end of our meal. I've been here of dinner before, and remember thinking it is slightly overpriced...but for lunch it is really, really good.

So i've tried quite a few Korean places in London, and I have to say that this is probably the worst out of all of them - even when comparing it to the chain Korean restaurants that have popped up around the city. When you step into the restaurant, it looks pretty authentic and beautiful - so I had high hopes for the place (which obviously were not met). I came here for the lunch special. First of all, it didn't come with Kimchi or any side dishes - which is to be expected in London. I always love Kimchi no matter what so I paid for it - but I really wish I hadn't. The cabbage pieces were HUGE and impossible to eat without awkwardly biting pieces off (which you really don't want to do for a side dish that is to be shared...). It was also bland, and didn't really taste of anything at all. I ordered the bulgogi beef rice, which was 9.5 pounds. The bulgogi was quite abysmal. The beef was dry, not tender at all (I think it must have been either cooked from frozen, or EXTREMELY old), which bulgogi is supposed to be. The marinade was not authentic at all, either. I asked for some gochugang (korean chilli sauce) which never came. I also asked for a glass of water twice, which was never refilled over the course of one hour. I have never seen broccoli with my bulgogi, and there were random vegetables thrown in there (e.g. bell peppers). Overall a pretty horrendous experience. Wouldn't come here again. You'd expect a LOT more from a place that charges this much.

Amazing Korean BBQ place! It really reminded me the restaurants I've been in the Korean district of Tokyo. The place is pretty quiet and comfy. You feel good and it doesn't seem over crowded which makes the place really nice. The service is good, staff members are friendly and pretty fast with the orders (and can give you really good recommendation) We ordered several meals to share: Kimchi set, moo seng che, beansprout na mol, tteokbooki, ya chae bokum with some drinks (ginseng tea for myself and it was really good) Everything was good and really authentic according to my former Korean experiences. Then we ordered different types of meat (beef bulgogi, pork belly, rib eye, ox tongue and some mixed vegetables). The meat was delicious, my favorite one was definitely the beef bulgogi (good flavored and very fine pieces) The place is a bit expensive, in my opinion but, it seems fair enough for London average prices. I totally recommend it for a dinner with friends, colleagues or family. The Korean BBQ is the perfect place to share nice moments and good food !

The short of it is a place worthy of your visit if you like Korean food. However nothing particularly special if you can't picture what Korean food looks like when you're confronted with the term. If you're looking for the BBQ menu, this is only served during dinner service. Korean food is something of a mixed bag. It's lumped together with Japanese food, likely due to the recognition of most Japanese items. Korean food has some similarities but where it diversifies, it becomes a marmite type moment where you're either on-board or on an express train out of that cuisine, only to sample when no choice is offered I'd say I'm of the third route. Not quite a fan, but still willing to give it shots every now and again. Upon arrival I know instantly this is a place where service isn't going to be good. Within eyeshot I see about 5 members of staff, but nobody actually tending to anyone waiting at the entrance at the bottom of the stairs and even the bartender trying to avoid eye contact. After spotting my party and sitting myself down, we'd already ordered so I just sat back to munch. Note we were here for lunch and unfortunately they close quite early. At 3pm, so really only time for a single sitting so you'd want to get here by at least 1.30pm or don't bother. As the starters arrived, we tried to order our mains. However unfortunately it's one of those places where the person bringing you the food isn't allowed to take orders. I'm seriously not a fan of places like this. After a little while a gentleman comes by to take our mains orders. The food is perfectly decent and if you are a fan of Korean pancakes, rice bowls and the like, even pretty good. The gyoza which I consider more Chinese was very nice, but the accompanying sauce not great. The raw salmon excellent. The salad, liberally coated in a spicy sauce but I believe this was more to disguise the fact the salad was starting to brown (indicating not the freshest stock) So in all service wasn't stellar, pricing was a little high, but given the portion size of a few of the dishes, still okay value. I'm probably a little bias as I'm not a big fan of Korean so if you are a fan, perhaps add a star.

Superb Korean barbecue, excellent service (very accommodating for a Korean barbecue newbie, such as myself). Don't be put off by the odd sounding dishes on the menu. I am a relatively picky eater and enjoyed every dish ordered, and having it barbecued on your table is the icing on the cake - or the egg on your noodle in this case.

Been a regular customer there due to their great price and food. However, the service is very poor, particularly by the owner. I believe the owner is rude because he knows he still has many customers coming. Who does he think he is? The only guy in the world giving us food? It's only a matter of time before regulars like me get sick of his rudeness. There is a reason why the service by the rest of the staff is poor too. They are quite frosty and not as friendly. This must be due to the vibe and attitude of the owner. If you are a regular to different restaurants, it's obvious how the owner-staff relations affect the whole service.

I've been told this is a great place to try out Korean food. I am a huge Korean food fan. As it's a recommended restaurant, I have to try it out. I was quite impress with the menu. Slight different to the other Korean restaurant I've tried out in the past. The service was however very slow. Where we were seated, it was even more difficult to get the waitress attention! The starters were what I expected. The bbq dishes were ok. When the main arrived, we were all very disappointed! As a restaurant specialised in Korean food, bimbimbap dolsot should be the most easiest food to make. It relies heavily on the chilli paste and core ingredients. Rather than a stone bowl full of beef, veg & rice, it was a bowl full or beansprouts & rice. We couldn't taste the beef, nor the veg! I make a better bimbimbap than Asadal! We ordered some fried seafood noodles as well... again where's the seafood but the plate was filled with beansprouts and a few strands of noodles. I'm really disappointed with this restaurant. I make a better Korean dinner party at home than this restaurant! I would not recommend anyone to go there. The 1 star is for the starters but otherwise, everything was a let down.

I just ate at Asadal. Unfortunately, I am now sick. I ordered Jap Chae (my barometer dish) and specified it be vegetarian. I ate some noodles and then discovered something unusual in my mouth-- beef! And there was plenty more in there. I'ts been over twenty years since I've eaten meat and now I have a sore gut and other intestinal issues. The table next to me had their oder screwed up, as well. The spinach salad was lovely!

I like this places becoz of three reasons. Firstly this Korean restaurant has a makkori moreover this is fresh one. Second they have nice side dishes like toppogi etc..finally I like an old madam staff is attentive and polite. I would prefer further if it has higher quality beef.

I swore to write a scathing review after waiting 45 minutes to ORDER after being seated. Do not go here if you have ANY time constraints or expect any service whatsoever. I ignored the other reviews on Yelp and paid the price. But just to begin, I walked in around 6PM on a Tuesday evening to find that almost the whole restaurant was empty. I asked for a table for four and was promptly asked if I would be leaving by 7PM. Rude. I was only seated after I agreed. Once all my friends arrived, I flagged down FOUR DIFFERENT WAITERS about six times in total and was told each time to "hold on a second" as if we were being impatient. There was one couple next to us that ordered and ate their whole meal in the time it took us to finally have our order taken. In the meantime, I watched other servers stand and hang around the open kitchen window when they easily could've just taken our order in 2 minutes even if they weren't firing up our plates. Clearly, this isn't just a general service problem on the part of the staff, but poor management. Look, the restaurant's in a convenient location, but they need to get their shit together and learn to behave like a proper restaurant in which CUSTOMERS CAN ORDER FOOD. DEAR GOD.

I LOVE Korean food. I dont, however, love this place, sadly, as I walk by it literally every evening. The food was fine, and the prices were a bit high. If the food had been better, or the pa-jeon been more plentiful, I wouldn't bat an eye at the prices. Example - they serve dalk-galbi with no sides - no lettuce, no garlic, no bean paste... I've often been in Japanese restaurants or even Chinese restaurants and picked up on detials in the food that made me think, "I bet this place is owned by Koreans." If the staff weren't speaking Korean, I'd have suspected this was the opposite, a non-Korean run Korean restaurant. If you just need a sun-dubu fix or are dying to drink soju and munch on Korean BBQ, it'll be fine, but moderate your expectations to avoid disappointment.

The 2.5 star rating for this restaurant (at the time of writing) is wholly unfair. I've had dinner here on three occasions, and all three visits were outstanding. The food is delicious, and judged to be totally legit in terms of authenticity by my boyfriend (who lived in Korea for a year). My favourite is the dolsop bibimbap for its hot beefy, ricey, eggy, cabbagey goodness. And the doenjang-jjigae is his - it's apparently a very traditional Korean dish rarely ordered by westerners, but very spicy! I really can't fault the food or the service at Asadal. Both have been very good on all of my visits. Plus, the place is always filled with east Asians, which surely says something. The only reason I can think that its reviews would be so bad is perhaps due to its very convenience. As if it's a requirement to travel outside of central London via National Rail to guarantee authenticity... or to add to the sense of exoticness. Thanks, but no thanks. I'll happily pay a bit more for my meal at Asadal and hop on the central line home, than travel for an hour to New Malden so I can bring my own cheap wine from the off-licence. Extra bonus points: Asadal has a private dining area for six that you can book ahead of time for an extra cost. Or sometimes they give it to you free.

Really, really good food. Best seafood pancake, tofu soup (and I've had quite a few tofu soups...), and Korean barbecue I have ever had. It converted even the pickiest of eaters among us. Unfortunately, it was rather on the expensive side, portions were small, and service was excruciatingly slow.

I'll start off by saying that I grew up in southern California, USA, where (delicious) Korean restaurants abound, so my standards for Korean food are probably higher than the average UK resident/Londoner. It's not bad, and the smells sure are great in here. However, in general, I found the food to be oily and overpriced. The japche was given to me with meat when I asked specifically for a vegetarian version. I don't mind if they tell me they can't do it that way, but they just took my order, my money and left me with a meat filled dish (takeaway, so I couldn't do much about it). I had the bimbimbap, which I love, but found to be average in taste. And you have to pay for every side dish!! I know this is standard in the UK, but it's difficult to justify paying for dishes that I've become used to always having alongside my meals. Then again, it's probably one of the better Korean restaurants here in London, so if you were to try Korean food for the first time, this might be all to try.

I love korean foods and like always, I ordered galbi, bulgogi, soon tofu chigae, and cold noodle to finish with 2 friends of mine. Food quality was OK but service was not good at all. I had to keep asking additional plates, menu, sauce.. and only this lady keeps coming back and asked us 20 times if we want more beer and when we asked something rather than beer, "oh, other lady comes back to get your order..". I guess I will try once/twice more to be fair because I love korean foods.

Here's the thing - the Bibimbap is really excellent here (chicken or beef plus fried egg is great, I will dream about it). Even the course menus are more than decent (although pricey at £20-30 and basically 1-2 meat/fish courses). The thing preventing me from giving five stars is that the service is officially terrible. Been here three times and it was equally terrible all three times, so it's not a fluke in my mind (and if you read the other reviews I'm not alone). If you can stomach a little bit of extra wait time trying to get a waiter's attention, this place does have great Korean food. Worth a visit.

Nice food with poor service. I quite liked the food - we ordered Korean BBQ (pork and beef), noodle, etc - every dish was tasty. The service was not really great - it was a bit difficult to get their attention. Staff came to our table and helped us to do BBQ but I felt it is because they wanted us to finish dinner as quietly as possible so that they can accept more customers. There was an error in the bill (It happens quite often here) but they corrected it when asked so it was OK. The thing I feel I need to share with everyone is very unpleasant experience I've had on the following day. I noticed I had left my phone there and I visited the restaurant again to ask if they had found my phone. I told a male staff that I may have left my phone. He told me 'no, no phone'. I asked if I can get his name as I thought it may be useful to have his name when reporting lost property to the police. He refused to tell me his name, so I asked if I can get manager's name - Then the man went to staff room and came back with the manager, and the manager told me he actually had my phone! I do appreciate the fact that my phone has been back, but I was wondering what would happened if I didn't ask their names - Why the male staff said 'no phone' at first (and then he talked to the manager after hearing the word 'police')? I think they could have treated me in a better way - hope they would improve their service. Again the food was very nice, just the service is not really great and I wouldn't be happy to pay 10% service charge.

I really don't know what to say about this place. I went there last night and had the seafood set menu, and it had no redeeming features. And why did I have the set menu? Because even though the rest of the place was empty we had a booking for 20 people and they insisted we could only order from the set menu. Yes that's right; rather than put more staff on, knowing we were coming, they instead chose to prepare our food in advance. They needn't have bothered really. None of it was nice anyway. Some weird soup with small pieces of scallop in it constituted scallop soup. Some sushi shared on 2 plates for a table of 7 people, making it impossible for everyone to try what was on it. Kimchee that seems to have been made in a hurry with giant leaves rolled around each other, and isn't that nice anyway. Mixed seafood again on a shared plate, and about as far from fresh as you can imagine. In fact it was so poor I couldn't bring myself to eat it. And what was for dessert? Some slices of fruit, again not enough to go round. And how much did we end up paying for this rubbish? Close to £40 each once the cost of a small bottle of beer each and a service charge was added to the bill. If you want Korean food in Holborn, go round the corner and queue up for Kimchee instead. This place is best avoided.

Expensive small portions! While the food is pretty good, you'll be hesitant to order enough to keep you full, because it's so expensive. A small meal cost me £20, and it was just white rice with some bulgogi. Also, the servers didn't seem to talk much. For my bulgogi, they set up the portable bbq grill on my table and with the food, then just left. After about 5 minutes, I started to just cook the food myself, and they rushed over saying "Nonono," and started cooking for me. Very awkward. More awkwardness: after I paid, they gave me back £15 worth of coins, because they said they ran out of bills.

I am surprised the reviews are so bad. I went there about 6 times now. I think its great. Really good atmosphere. The service is great. Food tastes great (even though I have no idea how it is supposed to taste) Prices are very reasonable. I like the place. Also there are always many Koreans so I am guessing they serve genuine and good Korean food. Everybody who went there with me also really liked it.

I love Korean food and everything I've had here has been at least better than the average place in London, no complaints if nothing exceptional. However, the service is very slow, we were waiting a long time to order and things seemed to turn up by chance rather than when we'd actually want them. Also, for a bit of barbecue and a bit of kimchee, rice and tofu, it came to £28 even though I didn't drink anything beyond green tea. If you still fancy it despite the price and service then you'll have a nice meal, but I'd really recommend taking the trip to New Malden instead for *amazing* Korean food.

I wanted to grab dinner that was on the way home, starved I thought it would be a good idea to grab some Korean food since it would be too late to try to make anything at home. I should have just skipped dinner. I'm new to London and still looking for a few good restaurants out there but this was the worst, not only because of the food but the price as well. We started with the spicy wings and then naeng myun (cold buckwheat noodles) and soon dae gook (Korean version of boudin in a broth). The wings were pretty bad, I mean it was an infantile effort and replicating something that is so easy to make. Both the mains have a broth and amazingly though the colour and taste were worlds apart. They were both extremely watered down and tasteless. It's really embarrassing to think so many people might be introduced to a Korean meal at a place like this. It really is a disgrace and I wish the owners and chef would take a lot more pride in what they serve to people. I'm extremely grateful I'm not sick after eating there but that is the only positive that came out of that place. Please save your money and walk 5 minutes to the other Korean place very close to Holborn station.

Wonderful place if you like korea. Here you can eat perfect bulgogi and kimchi pancake and you will love it. I went to eat there about 6 or 7 times. You have to try it.

I organised a Korean bbq dinner for a bunch of my friends. Overall, food was solid, but I didn't think it was special in any stand out way relative to other bbq restaurants I've been to. Galbi was marinated well, but I felt like the portions were really small. The soups we ordered were all very flavourful and satisfying. Service is a big reason why I'm giving it only three stars. They took a while to get my reservations properly, and I felt like the staff were a bit curt. Having said that, it was still better than an average service you'd get in London in general. Just don't expect the usual super nice Korean customer service. Finally, ambience was good, but I felt like it was a bit dark. Nonetheless, clean and posh enough.

Most of the reviews on here are years and years old so maybe things have changed. I'm shocked by the low rating because this place is alright! I didn't know about this place until I got off the tube at Holborn but I'm glad I found it. I ordered the soondubu chigae and it was pretty good! A great balance of spice and flavor - sometimes things are spicy to mask the lack of flavor. The only option for the soup is seafood but it comes with quite a bit of meat in it. At lunch time the plates come with banchan included. I'm not sure if this is the case at dinner time. Some reviews say they charge for each one. They have a full bar available. They have table top grills and I will be back to try the bbq! The service is honestly a bit better than typical British restaurants but it's more like a typical Asian restaurant. You will have to wave down the servers to order, get refills, or get the check. The staff was really polite and I was greeted as soon as I walked in. Also don't be put off by the yelp price of £££. Lunch for one was less than £10. Overall, I am glad I found a decent, affordable Korean place. I'm from Southern California and that's one of the things I miss the most! Highly recommended for those looking for good korean fare

Ever since the owner of a Michelin starred Central London restaurant referred Asadal to me, I've been a fan! This Korean restaurant is one of my top choices for spicy East Asian cuisine. The kimchi here is delicious as a side dish or as an ingredient to kimchi chi gae (kimchi and pork in a spicy broth with rice for £9) or kimchi bokum bab (fried rice with kimchi and beef for £7.50). The bokum bab is especially tasty and (as are all the dishes here) is served as a massive portion. Of course, with gorgeously presented dishes such as the sizzling, cook-at-your-table bi bim bab, there are plenty of other tempting options if you're not up for such a kimchi-centric meal. Now, to be honest, I haven't been to very many Korean restaurants in London, but this one's the best I've come across so far. Asadal's menu seems pretty authentic too. There are always plenty of Koreans dining (in fact, they usually make up more than half the patrons). That's gotta say something about the quality and authenticity of the food, right? Asadal is a cool place for a meal as well. Down a long set of stairs on the side of Holborn Station, it's the sort of hole in the wall establishment you can walk by a million times before noticing. Once inside, Asadal's huge dining space provides a dark and fairly swank oasis from the hustle and bustle above. Service can be frustratingly variable here, but I must say that when they get it right the food is served incredibly fast and the staff are more than willing to make up for any mix ups. If you're up for some Korean spice, you can't go wrong with Asadal.

Korean BBQ is always a treat, and Asadal seems to be a popular place to indulge in the tasty, marinated meats and other tasty Korean dishes. Even though this place is located extremely central, it's easy to miss since it's down a narrow staircase located between a coffee shop and a small newsagents just out from the ever bustling Holborn tube. It's a lot bigger than you'd imagine as the restaurant opens up into a dining area, divided into different sections by a number of screens, some sections more private than others. The menu is pretty standard with lots of the usual Korean dishes. I thought our pajon (seafood pancakes) was a very generous serve with probably eight or nine different sections, although I wasn't a very big fan of the dumpling soup probably because I had expected more like a wonton soup, but obviously Korean dumplings aren't exactly like that. They brought a portable cooker to the table, and as great as it was watching and smelling the meats cooking, it was a little bit too close to both of us dining, and the short sleeves shirts we wore did little to protect us from the sizzling nature of the dish. It doesn't help that having the cooker on top of the table means that the splatter goes everywhere. I have to say that one small room for improvement these guys should do is to heat up the cooker before they place the meat on the grill as it's really unappetising to see meat just stewing when it really should be grilling nicely. A nice place that I'd probably go back to but I still prefer Ran over these guys.

There seems to be quite a few Korean barbecue places spotted around London so you definitely have a wide choice should you have a craving for barbecuing some raw meats. I've walked past the sign for Asadal numerous times when heading in and out of the Holborn station but because it looked a little discrete (basically just a door leading down to the basement restaurant) I was a bit hesitant to try it out not having much to go on (like the look of the restaurant.) I'm glad I've tried it out though if only to satisfy my curiosity about the place. Its menu offerings are pretty typical and therefore probably, to the inexperienced, a little baffling in just what to order, how much etc. If you have a good waiter they will explain the concept to you, if not you could be left floundering. We sampled a wide variety of dishes including dumplings, pancakes, some stir fry dishes and most importantly the barbecue. We made sure to choose marinated meats and they were pretty good though I felt that because it was up to the waiters/waitresses to cook the meat they should have really explained what they were doing, how long we could expect to wait for the meat, whether we could help ourselves and turn over the meat/cook it (as for a bit of a stretch of time I could see the meat over-cooking when they left us alone for a bit.) Overall I would say I was fairly satisfied with the meal though not excited.

While the food was good, the service was extremely slow. My friend and I had to get up numerous times to physically find a wait staff to 1) order the food, 2) ask for the bill, 2) pay. We were not in a rush but waiting over 30 mins just to order the food was a bit absurd.

It does seem a bit daunting to go downstairs, but once you enter the restaurant, the atmosphere is really nice. Friendly and polite waiters. They're quite attentive and help you cook the meat as well. I wouldn't say totally delicious, but I think it's worth the money for the vibe and everything included. The lunch set meal is a better deal, I think. Right next to Holborn station. You wouldn't miss it.

MARCH 2011 Whenever I've called (usually very hungry and after a film screening), they've always accommodated me with a table within 15-30 minutes of calling. That is pretty good, but we usually are a small group of 2-4 and it's a little later in the evening. The location is right next to the newspaper 'closet' which is next to Holborn station. You descend down the stairs, into Asadal. We had a dinner meal here after watching The King's Speech (Q&A) last week. Friends and I have had the tofu soup, the kimchi, the three pickles dish, the cook-it-yourself beef (bbq) and various other dishes. However regardless of the amount of other dishes, I've always ordered the Jap Chae (Korean stir fried noodles - vermicelli, vegetables, rice). It's never failed me so far - this dish was the least expensive edible looking dish we came across on our first visit/stumble into Asadal. In terms of service yes, this is not the quickest getaway food place. There is a sequence to it. Best to book earlier if you can. The waiter/waitress does come to you but it is usually the elder lady who takes the order. I've had not so good experience with Korean food places in London so this has actually been ok and has decent food. Maybe on the slightly pricier than an average 'Oriental' restaurant. There is already a service charge so we rarely tip. I usually check my bill, so far so good no mistakes. We will still go back until proven otherwise. Or until we find another decent Korean place.

I don't want to be a picky vegetarian (occasional fish eater, but prefer not to), but seriously how hard is it to leave out the seafood or egg in your soon tofu stew! The server acted as if this was an outrageous request and guffawed in my face. I was a bit hungover and when so, i only want some spicy Korean food, so I bit the bullet and ordered the dish as is and spooned out the shrimp to my friend. Service is crap here--unfriendly, unattentive waiters--and portions are small. No banchan is packed in your take out. The only saving grace may be the nice smelling tissue packs they include with take out.

It's based underground; right next to Holborn station, which makes it an ideal location to meet people as it's easy to find. The lunch menu price was about average for table service in the area but I felt the quality of the food was lacking somewhat. Service is also a little slow. I wouldn't come back unless someone else had made plans to eat here and invited me along.

Horrible service, mediocre food and bad value for money. Would have given 0 if i could. Came here to meet a friend for dinner on a Friday night. We ordered a few meat bbq dishes and a fried rice to share. First, the meat portions were really small for the price, and the quality was just mediocre. The sirloin was way too salty, and while the gal bi was better, it still didn't worth half the price we were getting charged for it. The fried rice tasted ok but again not worth the price. I know that sometimes, the price you pay do include the rent and atmosphere that the restaurant offer, and i really could have forgiven the mediocre food if the service wasn't so bad. First, this lady gave us attitude when we asked if we could keep a menu so we could order more. We were refused, and brushed off like we were asking her for free appetizers. When the food came, the waiters and waitresses dropped by whenever they liked and prodded at our food with zero care. I know it's busy, but could they at least try not to throw the tongs down after they're done prodding? The horrible service continued consistently until the end when we got our bills. The 3 of us were paying by cash, and we each put in a 20 for a bill that came to 39. We thought it was obvious that we needed some change, but nope, after 2 minutes, we got one of the 20 back. When we asked for change, the guy gave us a very nasty look and muttered something audible but korean that I'm sure was inappropriate.

I agree with the previous diners that the alacarte menu for dinner is pretty small and expensive and not really good value for money but the lunchtime menu is pretty reasonably priced actually. I'm just going to judge it on that today! (my previous trips for dinner left me not full! LOL) I took my cousin and 2 family friends to try korean fare since it was a chilly day. It was a friday and lunchtimes was surprisingly busy, mainly filled with asian clientele, which is definitely a good sign. The waiter was very efficient, taking the time to listen to us because we couldn't decide. we eventually ordered 2 kimchi jigae, 1 yukhwei bibimbap, 1 spicy pork dish and some pajeon-korean pancake. I love that the banchan comes with the lunch price, and had a lot more selection in comparison to assa, down the road. The kimchi was very nice and so was the kelp. Seasoning was quite good on all the side dishes. The kimchi jigae was very filling, and it was very flavourful so that was a win. the bibimbap was massive, my cousin couldn't finish it all, but she loved it. If you're not a fan of the sight of raw meat. don't order this. But if not, try it, because the stone pot really cooks it and it's delicious. The spicy pork was massive, and my friend really enjoyed it. Bill came to about £15 a head including drinks and we just had tea. There is also complimentary fruit after your meal which is a nice touch! I realise now that £15 a head for lunch is pretty expensive, but the dishes were massive, they filled you up for about £10 and that's pretty good value to me. I've been an occasional customer of theirs for 5 years and i have to say, the most recent has been one of my better trips. Another plus point, its right next to the tube station and its a great spot to take overseas visitors to lunch because you can get the tube straight to oxford circus/leicester square/marble arch etc.

Poor services, bad attitude, long waitings. We wait for 45mins and ask for a side dish for compassion, they are very mean. We are so sad that decide never visit it again.

DO NOT GO TO ASADAL!!! I had the misfortune of dining at Asadal many times over the years, and I am severely disappointed every time for their horrible, horrible customer service. Yes, it's true that Asian restaurants in general tend of provide poorer service, and restaurants in central London tend of provide poorer service. But Asadal is something else. EVERYONE in the restaurant - the managers, the servers, the cooks - treats customers like dirt. They have no idea how to treat valuable customers, and they apparently don't want your repeat business. The food is okay, but it definitely does NOT compensate for the horrible customer service and for the incompetent, downright evil staff. AVOID ASADAL AT ALL COSTS. There are better Korean BBQ restaurants in London.

This restaurant was kinda pricey in my opinion. I had the spicy tofu soup with rice and it honestly wasn't that good. There was a surmountable of tofu which did not make it a "soup". I've had better korean food in London. Also, when I left the aroma in the restaurant caught onto my clohthes! :(

The food was decent. Probably one of the better Korean Restaurants I've been to in London. It still fails to meet my expectations. I ordered dolsotbibimbap. Honestly, it's hard to mess up on this dish so I can't really judge based on this visit. The service was decent. Portions seemed pretty reasonable. Overall...an okay experience. Not sure if I'm going to come again. I have had too many terrible Korean restaurant experiences here. Might as well just wait to go back home in a month.

I was looking for a Korean restaurant to eat at and read some reviews for ASADAL. Some good, some bad. Overall the reviews were good so I decided to try it. I ate here for lunch on a Sat. and ordered one of their boxed lunch meals. I ordered the spicy pork bulgogi. It came with Korean white rice, 2 fried dumplings, 2 fried butterfly shrimp, moo kimchee, side salad, and Meso soup. The meal was fantastic. The pork was very tender and well cooked, with a lot of flavor. The shrimp and dumplings were also very good. The lunch meal was 12.50. I also ordered a side dish of Kimchee. 6 pds extra. It came with Cucumber, moo, & cabbage kimchee. The moo and cucumber kimchee was very good, the cabbage kimchee was ok. I prefer it a little sweeter than what they served, but I still ate it all. The decor was very pleasing and modern. Very clean. I rated it a four due to the price. 18.50 for lunch is a bit pricey. This place is right outside the Holborn tube station on the High Holborn side. I walked right by it the first time. I would definitely return.

If you have had really good Korean bbq before, then stop reading and just don't go here. If you've never had Korean bbq, then you will like this place. I had their £18.50 set meal (BBQ set II) Kye Ran Soup (Egg soup) - like homestyle chinese egg drop soup Buh Seot Tang Su Yook (Sweet & sour deep fried mushrooms) - I love mushrooms so this dish was good. BBQ: Bool Go Gi (specially marinated cuts of topside beef) - wasn't marinated well enough, but still good Ban Chan (selection of varied vegetable side dishes) - kimchee, the cucumber in kimchee sauce, bean sprouts, some other asian vegies. Sang Chu (fresh lettuce) - put the brown sauce and the meat on the lettuce to make an asian taco and eat. Bab (steamed white rice) Dessert: Fruit and Korean dessert drink (ginger is one of the ingredients which is very good for digestion) www.anitaeat.com

I think for Central London, this restaurant is quite decent. If you want better, even more authentic Korean food, you have to go to New Malden!