Assa

I come here at least once a month because the food is delicious and priced well. My favourites are the beef bulgogi, the scallion pancakes and the boneless chicken in sweet and spicy sauce. Their drinks selection is really impressive as they have a wide range of flavours. I like the lychee soda personally. The service is very quick, I gave the atmosphere 3* as it's quite packed and loud in there but I guess that's what makes it so reasonably priced. Always looking forward to coming here ❤️

Popular Korean restaurant near Soho that did not deliver as I expected. I was expecting more based on the positive reviews, but I found the food was correct and not as good as other Korean restaurants I have been to. The Seafood Pajeon (seafood pancake with spring onions) had a great taste of spring onions, but there was no trace of flavour of the seafood, which was very chewy in texture. Also, the pancake was a bit soggy compared to other Korean pancakes I had that were crispier on the outside. The sweet and spicy crispy fried chicken wings were very tender and the sauce was good, but it over empowered the chicken flavour. The beef bulgogi had good rice but the meat was a bit dry in my opinion. Also the dish lacked the umami and flavour complexity that I have found in other Korean restaurants. Maybe today they had a bad day but I was not impressed with the quality of the food. Also, I felt a bit sick for the rest of the day after the meal so I am not sure I will come back to give it a chance.

Tasty Korean food. Outstanding staff (although few staffs ,the staffs were very attentive ,friendly and quick although they were very busy. Even the staff were busy,they managed to keep their calmness and enthusiasm. Bravo to them In other restaurants of London,staff/waiters are very lazy and often neglect the customers. The foods were great,but not like amazing. May be my tastebuds are hard to impress. Anyway,good Korean restaurant and I would recommend.

We went there twice during our vacation in London. Overall, the food is really good, probably the best Korean food I’ve had in London for the price. There’s also a lot of variety on the menu: the jajjang rabokki very tasty, the bibimbap is good, the jajjangmyeon is amazing and the budae jjigae was okay. The first time was great, we were seated quickly, and the noise level was moderate. But the second time was more chaotic, with a long queue. We waited around 50 minutes to be seated, and unfortunately, we were placed next to a loud group of young foreign visitors who shouted non-stop. It became quite bothersome, and the people sitting to our left were clearly annoyed too. Of course, I know the staff can't really do much about rude and uneducated customers, but I felt it was worth mentioning. So just be mindful of what time you go, as it can get crowded quickly. But honestly, the food is so good that it makes up for all the downsides.

If you're going to London and are looking for good value for money, this is a great option. Particularly, the fried chicken bibimbab and bulgogi kimchi fried rice were delicious and had a great portion size. The black bean fried chicken was okay, if a little strange in terms of texture. The location itself is also not the best atmosphere, especially if you were seated under a flickering light like we were!

I went to this restaurant for lunch and tried the noodles with beef — absolutely delicious! The beef was tender and flavorful, and the portion size was just right. Service was also excellent — friendly, quick, and attentive throughout. The only thing that could’ve been better was the ambience; it felt a bit plain and could use a little more character or warmth. But overall, great food and service — I’d definitely go back.

Absolutely delicious 🤤 I love their food, especially hot pots. And the service is great, staff is very friendly and quickly to serve. But the place is generally very busy and loud understandably, because the food as incredible. So it’s not a place to sit around and chat for hours. It’s a place to eat. Thanks guys for great food and service

Excellent Food and Outstanding Hospitality! After a disappointing experience at another restaurant, we came to this well-known Korean halal restaurant, and it was a complete turnaround. Despite the long queue, the staff were incredibly kind and welcoming. The waiter even went out of their way to help us carry our baby’s pram, which made us feel so cared for. Every staff member had a smile on their face, creating such a positive and pleasant atmosphere. Their professionalism and helpful attitude stood out. The food was absolutely delicious, with authentic flavors that we all enjoyed. The prices were very reasonable, making it an excellent value for the quality. We had a wonderful experience as a group of seven adults and a 5-month-old baby, and we couldn’t be more satisfied. Thank you for your outstanding service and hospitality – we’ll definitely be back!

What an amazing little find!!! I'm so glad that we decided to give it a try despite the poor reviews - they had amazing ddukbokki and yookgaejang and seafood pancakes. We were all thoroughly impressed by the dishes!

An amazing Korean restaurant with excellent high-quality dishes including exceptional jja-jya meong, seafood noodles, seafood pancakes, fried chicken, beverages like pear juice and more! Very good service and the interior atmosphere is spacious with plenty of tables. Highly recommended!

What a great, casual korean lunch spot. No frills interior that was super clean and spacious. My friends and I were sat in the back corner wooden table immediately. Service was prompt and the lunch meal deal options were plentiful. The kimbap was extremely fresh and a good portion size. The tteokbokki was the real standout dish however. We did one with cheese and ramen and one with fish cakes and sweet potato noodles. The consistency was perfect and the spice level was even more perfect. I normally can't finish these because they are too spicy. The chicken bibimbap stone pot was just alright. A lot of the veggies stuck to the side of the bowl and the chicken was a bit dry. Overall would return!

Whenever I come to London, I will forever be making a stop here EVERY time!! I'm from LA and while I've been traveling, I've been trying to find amazing Korean food and this place takes the #1 spot! Great food - lovely service that's fast and pleasant - waiting in line was no big deal at all - and the restaurant has great energy and good vibes. I dined alone and didn't feel out of place or awkward. My meal was fantastic. I recommend the Mandi and kimchi jjigae!

It was so hard to try and find a restaurant with spots in London - luckily Assa was not the case the Tuesday night we dropped by. Assa was recommended to me by a friend - and woo did it deliver! We came on a weekday night where there was a lot of open seats - we ordered the hotpot (which reminded me of budae jjigae - army stew) which came out with one of the portable stoves. The stew was amazing, and I love how you could customize the options. The portable stew definitely gave me homey vibes. We also got the seafood pancake and some stir fried udon as a compliment to our stew which also delivered. Amazing Korean place for my Asian fix in London! I've never had Korean bugae hotpot style, and Assa definitely delivered and hit the spot for me and my party!

Overall great dinner! I've always had a lot of Chinese hot pot, so I was curious when my London friend told me to try the Korean " hot pot ". It's kinda like stew but with a lot of ingredients. It's definitely a cool experience! The vibes were good but hard to get hold of the waiters since its so busy. Come early to avoid long queues!

Great place for Korean food. The dishes were delicious and there was a huge queue to get in. It took a while, but once you get seared, the service is quick and the food did not disappoint. It is cramped, and obviously very busy due to it popularity. Many customers seem to be young students. I could not manage to use the toilet as there was no more paper in the stalls, and the place was a bit messy.

TLDR: Great crowded vibe and hotpot. Not blow out of your mind food but ambience was very cool. It is crowded and there is a wait line starting around 6pm Food: 4/5, We ordered the Chicken Hotpot w/ extra ramen for two people. Normally, this pot came with half a piece of ramen, so we ordered an extra side for 3 pounds to split. The broth was decently flavorful. My taste bud showed the broth was a mix of Tom Yum and maybe something Salty (fish sauce?). My SO stated she didn't notice anything sour from it. The chicken sausage tasted great as well as the ham. The chicken thighs were average, not well marinated but that didn't matter. It was a big hot dish. It comes with two sides: bean sprouts (classic) and kimchi (did not taste like kimchi, it was the harder white green with a less sour taste) Ambience: 5/5, this is not for those in a rush. I'm a tourist. I was enjoying the line (10min) and the small cramped room.

Probably the most authentic Korean restaurant I've found so far in London which is surprising because it's located in the tourist areas. Was able to find a table easily even though it was a weekend which I was really happy about. - Complimentary Banchans - Honestly these weren't that good. I feel you can tell if a restaurant is good based on their kimchi, which was actually quite tough to chew on and didn't have a lot of flavor. My worries we're quickly assuaged as the rest of the meal turned out to be pretty good. - LA Galbi - Weird how galbi is associated with Los Angeles but anyways, I thought this meat was okay. Could skip because not as tender as I hoped. The weakest dish out of the three that we ordered. - Seafood Soondubu Jiggae - Actually very solid tofu soup, such comfort flavors! There was a ton of seafood in there and the soup was quite rich. Would highly recommend and its also not too spicy which is nice for people who have low spice tolerance like me. - Naengmyeon - I've never had Naengmyeon before and honestly didn't know how much I was missing out on until now. The noodles were super chewy but also very flavorful dipped in the slightly spicy "soup". I was always turned off by this dish because there's just a huge ice cube sitting there, but I'm actually so glad I ordered it because it was delicious. Overall, very satisfied with my experience here and will definitely come back to try their other dishes like the hot pot which it seemed like every other table was ordering.

This place was such a let down. Having lived in Korea for 6 years I feel confident that I know what Korean food is supposed to taste like, and my dear Assa, this ain't it. The "kimchi" was nothing more than seasoned raw cabbage. Even a quick fresh kimchi is more wilted than whatever it is that they served us and called "kimchi". I ordered the dooboo kimchi, one of my favorite drinking foods and the pork , if you could find any, was cut so small, and sautéed with another disappointing kimchi ( this dish is supposed to be made with very fermented kimchi) that it lacked the beautiful depth of flavor this dish was supposed to have. At least the prices were decent. There are way too many other Korean spots in the area to waste your precious stomach real estate (and money) on this place.

This place is super popular with young people! Most people come here with a group, so if you wanna eat with 3+ people, expect for a really long queue. Overall, the food was pretty good (the hot pot was hot and spicy!!) and so was service :)

Meh. I've had Korean food from all over, and this was so mid. Everything my group ordered had a taste of "fakeness" to it as if the owners used packaged noodles and sauces in the back and doctored it up to make it look authentic. We are Korean and have tried every packaged food so we can taste it right away (we even knew the brands they were using). I was shocked to see that even the army stew had no real ingredients for the soup. Normally, if you order army stew at a restaurant, you will see garlic, crushed red pepper, etc when they bring it out. Here, they will bring out the pot of the cheapest ingredients in a pot of soup made from packaged soup base! (They try to hide the fact by mixing the soup base in hot water in the back, doctoring it up a bit, and bringing it out in pitchers.) All our other dishes were the same. Our meal was not cheap either. This is the only Korean restaurant I tried in London so I can't compare it to any other place. Maybe this is as good as it gets in London? Two TINY banchan for a table of five too and no refills. Also, the banchan of kimchee was cabbage kimchee which is usually known to be the cheapest and easiest to make. I gave 3 stars because the waitress who helped us was friendly. Also, it seems like a fun place for young people to gather and hang out. It was bustling with younger groups and all looked like they were enjoying and having fun. ** Also, it was busy but I don't think the waiters and waitresses should be running around (like literally running) from table to table. It made me feel a little uncomfortable as if I couldn't enjoy my meal! It was not relaxing to see someone so stressed and with a worried look on their face.

I've come here multiple times with friends and we've been happy with the experience every time. The waitstaff are very helpful and efficient. A couple members have made (great) recommendations based on what else we ordered, we've been warned that certain dishes weren't halal, and they're very polite and attentive. The food comes out in good time and hot, their korean fried chicken is a firm group favourite especially with the tartar sauce and the fried chicken and udon noodles dish is top tier. The last time we went was for iftar and we arrived a little late and we were fully prepared to break our fast late due to timing. However, we were seated, our order taken and our food and drinks served within 20 minutes! (I'm pretty sure the staff mentioned it to the kitchen). The wait staff even bought us water instead of the usual tea without us asking and a couple members wished us "ramadan mubarak". It was small but it is what has meant we're already planning on returning and what has us recommending it to friends. IDK if the staff will see this but thank you!

This is a great place for authentic Korean food. The food is yummy and the service is fast. The hot pots and seafood dishes are fantastic. It's a regular haunt of mine in London when I'm in the mood for some good Korean food. Portions are good. Prices are reasonable. Location is great. FYI: there does tend to be a queue at dinner times but it does move quickly and I do think it's worth the wait.

Found this because my sister just wanted Korean food. We took the risk and walked there. The line was crazy. We waited about 20 minutes, although gotta give the waitresses here props for being super duper efficient so the line moved quicker than it would've. First of all, this place is known for its Korean hot pot, but we were rebels and didn't have any. Although all the hot pots looked super good! We had dol sot bimbimbap and my sister says it was good! I had the pa jeon (scallion pancake) and it was GOOD. Highly recommend, and if I go back, definitely having that again. I also had the ramyeon tobboki and when I first saw it I thought it was kind of small portions (it's a very shallow dish) but honestly, it was just enough. Any more and my mouth would've caught on fire! The entire experience was amazing. The waitresses wasn't just efficient in seating but even once we sat down they were efficient in bringing everything we asked for. It was kind of funny seeing them run around trying to put out "fires" from those hot pot plates. Definitely recommend coming here, and I will be back again!

Food was amazing, just nice and hot, perfect on a cold autumn day. However, staff was not polite nor willing to come to your table to help. Top TIP: get there at 6pm or before otherwise it is crowded af and you have to wait in the cold. If staff were better, I'd definitely give a 4.5/5 stars. Food was pricey but still affordable, a typical hot pot you can share costs £26, and that's without ramyeon, glass noodles, rice or tteok (rice cakes).

This is the perfect place to have dinner on a cold winter day. Assa has a good selection of Korean hot pot and you're definitely going to break a sweat from the spiciness - we're talking about Asian level spiciness here. Assa is known for their Korean hot pot options and it's conveniently located minutes from Chinatown. If you arrive after 6PM, be prepared to wait though it's generally shorter for pairs than groups. My friends and I came on a Friday night around 6:45PM and waited about 15-20 minutes for a table. These are the items we shared: beef budaejigae with added cheese and ramyeon, spicy pork belly, seafood pancake, cheese tokpoki. Everything was delicious. The seafood pancake is a classic starter. It was served crispy and hot here which I like. My favorite was the cheese tokpoki. It's super cheesy and comforting with a spicy kick. The budaejigae was spicy and incredibly flavorful. Each hot pot comes with a combination of toppings but there's an extensive selection of extra toppings you can add to your broth! One thing I probably wouldn't get again is the pork belly. I felt that it was a little over cooked making it slightly dry. Overall, some really solid Korean food in Chinatown and the best I've had in London so far. I highly recommend this place!

This was our 3rd Visit. And, it was ruined totally by 2 factors. 1. The kitchen was operated by the Chinese Staff who did not know what they were doing. They did not know what meat they have to pick for our dishes. Instead of the regular diced Pork, they used Pork belly of 3-4 inch long and 1 inch thick and deep fried it without much of the batter. The Korean Waiter apologized profusely. The replaced Garlic Chicken (Kkanponggi) was not battered properly again, and, instead of Sweet Garlicky sauce for seasoning, the lazy kitchen guys poured the soy sauce onto the fried chicken. And, the same Korean Waiter was called in. I insisted he should try it, and, he did. Apology followed again. 2. Unlike last time we were here in July, I noticed there weren't any Korean customer but Chinese. And, a large group of 10-12 were behind us and 2-3 of them were way too much wasted. And, loud and started to throw food at each other. And, the Korean Staff asked them to be quiet but they couldn't stop, not wouldn't stop. 3. When I asked why the restaurant was falling apart like this all of sudden. I am told that the owner is in Korea for a medical condition. For the worse,the Korean Chef is now taking his break as his wife just had a baby. But this was new year's Eve and the whole Kitchen was left to the non-korean staff who don't know how to prepare for the Korean dishes. absurd. 4. I advised them to tell the owner to shut down the restaurant to save the rating decline, or, change the menu only to serve the easy dish that Chinese Staff can prepare, without much trouble. 5. There is no one responsible for this disappointing nightmare we had to experience. But, the Korean Waiting staff is still polite and well-mannered. I hope the owner reads this review and learn to leap. Quite lacking the leadership at the moment. When the kitchen is all shakey, it will go down south fast.

I'll just get out the way that the service was a little poor, as was the allergy advice, but assuming that's fine, the food and drink were tasty and offset most of the negativity. A member of our group had an egg allergy, and despite asking if the Bimibap had egg, and whether we could have it without egg, we were assured that it did not have egg. So imagine our surprise when it came with just an egg yolk on top. Luckily we fished this out, allowed our friend to take the bits that hadn't touched this, then went to mix it, hilariously we then found egg white at the very bottom of the dish. Noting that our companion had already started eating this and not triggered his allergy, we did kind of laugh this off... Anyway, the rest of the food was great. We ordered Soju and a plum wine, and note eating is a lot more fun with drinking games and shots during random intervals. The pancakes were filling, the kimchi, just spicy enough without requiring a light cool tea which is helpfully provided for free. The chicken soba noodles were good, as was a broth made from a lot of Korean red pepper paste, with pork, peppers and other vegetables. The only thing I could fault were the ribs, that were extremely small and bony. At the end of the meal, it was strange, as we opted between ourselves to split the bill onto our 4 cards, only to be told the place has a policy where only 2 cards could be used. Trying to ask why explaining that the fee Assa pays from 4 cards would be just the same as from 2 cards, was just met with uncomfortable silence, at least the way I understand credit companies to work. So just note this when you try to pay. Anyway, that failed to spoil a brilliant experience and I'd be back, just hopefully they don't remember me as the guy that tried to argue about % fee on credit card payments... :D

I first knew of Assa when I was walking past that part of soho one evening and saw droves of Asians (Koreans) braving the cold to line up in wait. I did my own version of them this very month, waiting patiently for 20 minutes. A member staff actually kept us informed quite well and once in you realise it's a big restaurant. Not many tourists inside which was good sign. We of course ordered the Korean hot pot, with beef and tofu. I love this process though it is always a bit funny that they give you the ingredients and you have to cook. But it's authentically Korean. I liked the broth a lot and the marinated beef was tender. The vegetables good too. All in all I quite like it. Compared to Seoul it of course isn't the best as and this is what frustrates me about Korean food here is that you have to pay for the sides (kimchi etc) when normally they should be free. Pity.

PROS - Delicious seafood pancake! We also ordered the kimchee and pork stew hotpot with ramyeon on top - very good, more flavor than I anticipated. CONS - Long queue time for dinner (about 20-25 mins for a group of three), the hotpot containing the stew was dirty from previous use but I guess the high boiling temperature kills all the bacteria anyways so it's not a complete dealbreaker. CONCLUSIONS - Would come back again, maybe try their lunch and hope they wash the hotpots really good this time.

Great Korean place The food is authentic ;) (If you want to eat out at a restaurant and wondering if it's authentic then look around the restaurant for other asians, we only spend our money on deserving food ;p) this place is always busy which is a good indicator the second is it's mostly full of Koreans ;) The portions are a great size to share The average price is £6-10 for a main They have a great choice of dishes I have ordered the Kimchi Rice cake and noodles the bibimbap meat and rice dishes rice noodle dishes great for small groups, just be ready to have to que for a table

Loved the food, as well as the service. We had the pork hot pot, deep fried chicken with spicy sauce, plain rice, and three of the traditional Korean juices to share among the three of us. Although the food was spicy, it was lovely and kept hot on the heater. The food did take 10 minutes to be ready to be eaten after being served, but that just gave it an even more authentic feeling. You won't see the entrance easily, however it was a diamond in the rough. Especially the deep fried chicken was delicious. For £20 on a Saturday evening, and a filled belly, and 2 hours of laughter we were truly satisfied. Tip: ask for instructions since the hot pot was a new concept for us

Very little portion of food, dissatisified! We went this restaurant to celebrate my friends birthday. When I asked the waitress whether we can eat our cake after the dinner, she said no, it is not allowed, ok thats fine. Then after our food was arrived, the portion of all food was too little, comparing to the other tables with korean customer. We ordered the pork and kimchi stew hotpot, kimchi pancake and the noodle and rice cakes with spicy sauces. It is even not enough for us to share!!! Very disappointed and will not back to this restaurant.

Really enjoyed the food here, service was very fast and there was a nice atmosphere. Would definitely visit again although it's a bit pricey.

Very nice foods and service. Just a strong smell inside the restaurant. Everything is so nice. Glass noodle is good too

Great Korean food in Soho, very affordable and popular among Koreans with queues at certain times of the day. You have complementary Korean tea in every table. We had prawn rice, squid and sweet potato noddles and all was good.

Fortunately, I didn't read the bad review of this restaurant on another website before going here as my experience of this branch of Assa was pretty good. The banchans were free, as one should expect in a Korean restaurant - the seaweed was moist and tasty, the beansprouts and carrots were perfectly good. They brought new ones when the previous two plates were gone too. And all for free. The tea was also refilled for free as many times as we required. Whilst the white rice wasn't the greatest we've had, the spicy grilled mackerel was awesome. The spicy beef dish was okay, a bit more like Chinese than Korean, though the amount of beef was a bit stingy. The kimchi pancake more than made up for that, however. And the spicy fried rice, with vegetables, and egg on top, was very nice too. Many people had a hot pot on the table (about £15) to share between two or three people. Which I am looking forward to trying on my next visit. If you're not familiar with Korean food and want to try a variety of dishes it is perfectly okay to request small clean plates so your party can choose a number of dishes for the table to be shared out amongst yourselves. The fact that 95 per cent of the diners on this Saturday night were actually Korean (most of them young - I imagine the older people dine more during the week) suggests that this restaurant is doing something right. The surroundings were pleasant; the service was prompt and the staff approachable (even though their English speaking ability seemed to be somewhat limited); the prices were extremely reasonable (the bill between four of us came to less than £8 per head). I'd have no hesitation in recommending this restaurant to friends (and strangers). And, in fact, I am looking forward to visiting Assa again with other friends. It is easy to find - between Shaftesbury Avenue and Old Compton Street - ideal for eating before a show or other night out in the West End.

"Meh" It was exactly how I felt! The story was, a friend was in town so we went out for dinner with a few friends and her cousin (who suggested Assa). He obviously went there more than one time. He lead us there and I didn't even know there was a restaurant, because it was completely dark outside, no lights, no nothing. We walked in and I thought, "It might be some home style hidden gem!" There were some customers there but it wasn't full. They got us a table with no problem. The place was quite shabby, dirty walls with holes here and there, not really clean at all. All waiters/waitresses were some young teens, I guess they were so bored, they just chatting, eating, checking their mobiles most of the time. Service was basically very minimal, they weren't nice or friendly, just blank. They offered us a bottle of iced tea and some kimchi, the bottle was so dirty, it never been cleaned I supposed. The kimchi was very minimal as well. 2 small dishes in tiny portion for 5 people. OK, the size of the menu was decent, however, the price was a bit high (we thought the portion maybe be bigger) in that kind of environment. The food came not too long after we ordered. It was not bigger than any other Korean restaurant, and it was just edible. Honestly, we ordered rice cake soup with dumplings, some fried noodle with pork and rice dish, spicy noodle, spicy tofu soup, kimchi pancake... It was such a surprise to see such good reviews in here. Was it because we were just bad luck or what? I could wait to leave after we finished our food, oh, even the bill presenter they used was so old and really dirty... I am not going back~!

[Ambience] * Ambient Volume: B. Reasonably loud; the restaurant was crowded and everyone was talking, but it was possible to maintain a reasonable conversation without shouting. * Decor and Lighting: B. Simple modern decor; dark theme. Lighting was a little dim -- extensive use of directional lights. There were many diners in the room, but it did not feel cramped. Tables were big enough but not so big as to make conversation difficult. * Cleanliness: A. The room was sufficiently well-ventilated to prevent your clothes from smelling like Korean steamboat after your meal. Generally clean floors. [Food] * Deliciousness: B+. The steamboat tasted alright, and the soup was sufficiently spicy. White rice was served instead of the traditional brown rice. Sundubu jjigae (seafood tofu stew) was good -- very tasty. Fried sweet and sour chicken with onions provided a refreshing contrast to the other soupy dishes, but was a little too oily. Banchan dishes (side dishes) were just okay. * Freshness/Cleanliness: B. * Presentation: B. Nothing unusual there. [Service] * Attentiveness: B+. There were many servers, and it was not difficult to get one to come to you. Orders were taken promptly. * Friendliness: B. * Time to Order: A. Despite the dinner crowd and the large order, food was served promptly. [Value] * Portion Size: B. Sundubu jjigae was smaller than normal. Steamboat had lots of meat, cabbage and soup. An extra bowl of rice was provided, and they did not charge for it (we had a party of six). * Prices: B+. Good value considering the quality of food, and that complimentary banchan and tea were provided -- as should be the case in a good Korean restaurant. ** Overall Score: 3.25 (B/B+) {Scoring Guide: A - Outstanding; B - Average; C - Below Average; D - Terrible}

Korean food is one of my favourites!! But it's so hard to find good for value ones in Central. Assa is one of them. It is located near Chinatown. It gets busy at night time so make sure you go earlier. Staff are pretty tentative and friendly. I went with a friend and we ordered a marinated beef and kimchi hotpot, best during the cold season. We added a ramen and a bowl of rice to go with it. They give you complimentary side dish such as seaweed and bean sprouts. Also, make sure you ask them to add water throughout the night of you order the hotpot or the food could stick to the pan and burn. The hotpot would be enough for 2-3 people, so the two us was totally stuffed at the end of the night. The hotpot cost £22 of you don't add toppings which I say is pretty good value. Although, Korean food is still not as tasty as New Malden but I would say it's still pretty good and the location is convenient!

Assa reopen again...it is busy as usual.we ordered a stir fry sweet potato noodles with vegetables. It was very tasty. And squid chili with rice is also highly recommend dish here. Absolutely yummy. Free bottle of tea is always serve on the table. It won't disappointed you. But advice to bring your earphone as the korean music is as loud as night club.

Cannot speak highly enough of this place, was saving my self for another place only to find long queue so despite not being my first choice on the night I was absolutely delighted when the food arrived at this place. Good ole no messin around comfort food here. Kimchi was so so, but don't be put off by that. The mains were gorgeous. Quite an informal affair but this one of those places where the food does all the talking. This will now be a first place choice on another night out. I was so satisfied.

Today is the second time I've visited this branch of Assa and whilst the food is incredibly tasty, and pretty reasonable, I do have a few qualms about the menu. My Cousin and I arrived around half two and were promptly seated, which is pretty standard for a Tuesday Late Lunch and we ordered the Spicy Tofu broth and the raw fish roe stonepot rice from the lunch menu. We also tried the Kimchi Pajeon (Pancake). My qualm begins here, the menu states that it comes with two side dishes and obviously, we thought it was per dish, so two of us would mean four side dishes. Sadly, this was not the case. I felt conned, if i had entered solo, i would still have gotten two dishes. You don't get a choice of which side dishes either. Not to say the two side dishes weren't good though, they were ok, if a little underseasoned. we had to order another side dish from the menu which was a reasonable £1.50. Im just a little surprised that Kimchi wasn't included in the two dishes since, it is a Korean staple. It's not Korean without Kimchi! The soft tofu broth was tiny for lunch but it was still pretty filling especially because it came with a massive bowl of rice, which was pretty standard, if on the wet side. I only managed half a bowl. I love soft tofu broth, i really do and this was one of the spicier ones I've tried. My cousin ordered the fish roe bibimbap which was massive in comparison and the taste and the fish roe texture complemented each other nicely. The kimchi pancake was very filling and also quite burnt on one side. Service was quick and very friendly, only two staff members were waitering and it was very efficient. Our bill came to £20 and if you're looking for a cheaper alternative to the Higher priced restaurants such as Asadal, this is the place to go.

Do you think you can start to do halal options, so like just change beef chicken lamb to halal meats, you can just change to halal butchers, and from that a lot more customers might decide to come!

The hotpot is on POINT at this place, highly recommended. Spices on point on majority of the dishes, 10/10 would go again. Service is very good as well!

I have been to this branch of Assa a few times but prefer the one on Tottenham Court Road as the service there is a lot better. Firstly, if you come here for lunch you will usually find this place deserted. The staff are Koreans and their English are quite poor so sometimes you will have to repeat yourself a few times to be understood. I introduced my boss to this place and when they went at lunch time the staff tried to charge them for the "free" starters i.e. the beansprouts and kimchi etc. which should have been included as part of their set meal so this spoiled their experience and caused me a lot of embarrassment for recommending this place. Dinner is more lively here and their food really is great and they have great variety on the menu. The price is not too expensive for the quality of food. We notice Koreans often come here for karaoke downstairs. It is prudent to book a table for dinner time, as they really get packed. Service is a 3 but food is 4*!

Really great korean place in London! We had a mini college reunion here and ordered a few korean dishes- all of which were pretty great! I would highly recommend the Japchae and the kimchi fried pancake!

My friends and I got in after 15 minutes of waiting time on a Saturday night in Soho. As one of my friends pointed out, it was one of those places which would make your hair reek - one would inevitably leave the restaurant smelling like a walking Kimchi stalk. Nevertheless, the place was filled with the warm, happy and comforting aroma of Asian food which only served to entice our appetites. Like many other cheaper Asian restaurants in London, you are there for the food, and not the atmosphere. The tables were small and rectangular, and the place was noisy and busy - not an ideal place for long conversations or catching-up, something in-common with most Asian restaurants in London. You are rushed in, you are served, you are shoved out via implying stares from waitresses. A must-try in Assa is the Kimchi fried rice. (Kimchi 'Bokumbop') We had two plates of those but I would've been happy with two more. It is served with a fried egg atop, yolk still runny, and sigh-inducing when leaked and eaten with the fried rice. The rice was made tasty with the kimchi, and had a lovely smoky taste that all good fried rice dishes have. Then we had Kimchi noodle soup and a Kimchi hot pot which seemed like nothing but a whole lot of Kimchi to me, but filled me up decently. We then got a Kimchi pancake, (kimchijeon) which was Kimchi and who-knows-what-else deep fried in a golden tempura-like batter served with tempura sauce. (Or the Korean equivalent) It was crispy, warm, tasty and absolutely yummy.

I actually like this Korean restaurant with the best rice cake I had so far. also that the songs are all my favourites.

Impolite ane unfriendly staffs. We were asked to wait outside and then share the table with others when many tables were available. I give it 2 stars because the food is OK, but we will never come again

What a fantastic find...Korean hot pot at its finest. We knew that it was going to be good right from the start as we were the only Americans in the place. Had some delicious Korean beer and sake and tried several dishes. Although not easy to find you will not be disappointed and and very reasonably priced as well.

Decent food here! We had kimchi jigeh and rice cake dumpling soup. They should give better bancha (side dishes though). Will have to try their grilled meat and hot pot next time.

The service is absolutely bad. The waiters and waitresses are not nice or helpful. They really need to learn how to serve. Place is not clean and the toilet is very filthy. The food were fine and nothing special.

Good place, authentic Korean food, price was reasonable, it can get quite busy in the evenings.

Authentic Korean food!! Hot pots are quite delicious. They charge for kimchee, but I guess most Korean London restaurants do that.

I was there before and liked the food and came back with my family. It was Sunday and we Were waiting outside in the queue and I just went in to ask how long it's gonna take, first of all, all the waiters and waitresses ignored us when they can see that customers are waiting at the door and when one waitress quickly pass by, I was about to ask her how long it's gonna take, suddenly she shouted at us saying we have other customer waiting outside and we need to go out. The way she said it and the way her hand poster us towards outside was sooooo rude. Plus there were like couple of tables empty inside yet they are customers waiting outside. The waitress was so rude. Even when I told her that she doesn't need to shout at us like that, instead of apologising, she went on and on. Now I will never ever come back to this place. That one star is only because I came back to this place after visiting this once before

A great impression from the outside, friendly polite staff on the inside and prompt service. However, the quality of the food was just average and contained lots of extra oil. I doubt weather this is the best representation of South Korean food and will check out some others to see how they compare. There was one dish where they bring it to your table to finish the cooking process on a single burner; I think that this idea should be scrapped immediately as there is a serious safety issue when the restaurant gets very busy and only one exit. A few simple tweaks with the decor and some traditional Korean music would make the entire experience much better.