Affordable Korean restaurants in London
We have you covered for your next Korean craving, no matter your budget!
Delicious Korean meals can be found in London eateries like Seoul Bakery. Image: Seoul Bakery
Imagine this; you’re watching a K-drama and are envious when you see the main characters eating delicious dishes like ramyeon, tteokbokki, and KBBQ. You can almost taste it through the screen — it's torture!
So, you search for some Korean restaurants, but many are outside of your budget… But never fear. We’ve tested several Korean restaurants in London, and are here to recommend some of the best places to eat that’ll be worth your buck.
Seoul Bakery
Just a five minute walk from Tottenham Court Road Station, you’ll see a little restaurant, likely with a queue. It’s a small eatery full of character, with markings on the wall.
Seoul Bakery specialises in Korean street food — from its tteokbokki to its cheesy ramyeon to its bibimbap, it’s all affordable! By sharing tteokbokki, bibimbap, cheesy ramyeon, and other side dishes, it ends up costing around £12-15 a person.
Images: Seoul Bakery.
We talked to the co-owner of Seoul Bakery, Jisu, about the business — it's a mother-and-son family-run establishment.
He says: "It was always such a delight when customers would have a heartwarming meal without having to fork out too much of their hard-earned cash.
“It also goes hand in hand with our street food inspired menu, since Korean street food is supposed to be affordable. So, those things combined are why we've decided to keep our prices reasonable and affordable.”
He adds: “Although keeping our prices low is a constant challenge, it is something we try to uphold."
Location: 14 Great Russell St, London WC1B 3NH
WooJung Restaurant
Another great find near Tottenham Court Road is Woojung Restaurant. Just a six minute walk away from the station, you’ll find a Korean convenience store.
The location of Woojung Restaurant is more obscure because it’s difficult to know whether it’s actually a Korean restaurant or not. Underneath the Korean convenience store lies a restaurant in the basement, specialising in ramyeon, kimchi fried rice, Korean fried chicken, and jajangmyeon (Korean black bean noodles).
You’ll not fork out too much money going here; on average, a main meal costs less than £10.
Our favourite here is the Haemul sundubu-jjigae, the spicy soft tofu stew with seafood — especially when it's cold outside, it’ll warm you up in no time.
Location: 73 New Oxford St, London WC1A 1DG
Seoul Bites
Another great place; this time in Richmond. You can get a tray of food with side dishes like you’re in a South Korean school canteen for less than £11!
From beef bulgogi to katsu curry to kimbap, there’s a variety of food for you to choose from.
Location: 4 Eton St, Richmond TW9 1EE
Affordable KBBQ?
Here are some bonus KBBQ suggestions that are affordable if you’re in a group of 4-5 people.
Bari Bari: We highly recommend the KBBQ beef with the KBBQ set. (Location: 24 White Church Ln, London E1 7QL)
Korean BBQ House: This restaurant has a set KBBQ menu that costs £90, which is around £18 per person. They also have to-die-for Korean fried chicken. Our favourite is the garlic and honey. (107 Whitecross St, London EC1Y 8JD)
Edited by Gabii Rayner.