The best Korean restaurants in Hong Kong

Best for: Casual bites with free eye candy

This casual bistro in Fortress Hill has been making waves in Hong Kong, not only for the dashing oppas who will grill meat tableside, but also for its authentic Korean offerings. One of our favourites includes the soy-marinated raw seafood platter, which comes piled high with crabs, shrimps, salmon, abalone, octopus slices, and whelks. Another must-try dish at Antidote is marinated pork ribs, which are grilled tableside by the hunky staff, before being served with sour and spicy bean sprouts. In the mood for some tipples? Antidote’s menu also offers a selection of original cocktails and drinks like honeycomb-flavoured or fruit-infused makgeolli, which will pair wonderfully with your Korean bites.

Best for: Sharing a hearty stew with friends

Jjimdak, or Korean braised chicken, is a dish that originated in Andong, a city just three hours outside of Seoul, though it has been popularised in the Korean capital too. This is a large dish that is meant to be shared and features chicken that has been simmered in a soy-based sauce with vegetables and glass noodles. Rich, slightly sweet, and most comforting during the colder months.

Best for: Pregaming before a night out in Lan Kwai Fong

Head to Staunton Street to find Busan Night, a vibrant eatery that offers a drinking and dining experience that’s as close as you can get to a suljib, or Korean-style pub found in Busan, one of Korea’s popular seaside cities. Dig into dishes like giant kimbap, fish cake stew, corn cheese kimchi pancake, and grilled beef tripe platter – all of which go great with tipples like soju, beer, or the restaurant’s makgeolli punch bowls. In addition to its buzzing dining venue, Busan Night also has a private karaoke room on its second floor where you can dine, drink, and let loose as you sing your heart out to your favourite K-pop anthems and ballads.

Best for: Comforting home-style Korean fare

Named after traditional earthenware pots used to store sauces and ferment kimchi, Danji is a modern Korean venue located in Wan Chai’s Star Street precinct. Founded by Jennifer Kim, the owner of the Korean food concept Seoul Recipe, Danji presents traditional and home-style Korean cuisine – think grilled pork ribs, spicy tofu seafood stew, and their signature oven-baked chicken. Wash your meal down with Danji’s collection of makgeolli rice wines and Korean liquor to make for the perfect experience.

Best for: Authentic Korean barbecue from Busan

Busan-based Korean barbecue restaurant Dong Baek has finally arrived in Hong Kong. The store's interior combines traditional Korean elements with modern design, offering diners a sleek and spacious environment to enjoy their meals. Try their signature flower pork belly slices, which are thinly sliced to ensure they cook quickly and are rich and fatty with a touch of sweetness. As for other pork cuts, be sure to leave room for the Jeju Iberico pork butt (shoulder), which has a perfectly even ratio of fatty to lean meat.

Best for: Modern Korean dishes

This Korean eatery in Sai Wan Ho is the latest addition to Censu Crew – chef Shun Sato’s collective of restaurants in Hong Kong and Japan. Led by Censu’s former head chef Nigel Kim, this eatery whips up contemporary fare such as its signature crispy pork knuckles paired with fresh lettuce and pickled daikon, drunken prawns in Shaoxing wine and beer, and Angus beef short rib marinated in Korean galbi sauce. 

Best for: Elevated Korean fare

Hansik Goo is Chef Mingoo Kang’s first dining venture outside South Korea. As the chef behind the two Michelin-starred Mingles in Seoul, he aims to bring the essence of refined Korean flavours such as royal cuisine and home cooking to Hong Kong diners. What’s more, the restaurant has recently launched a late-night menu with elevated takes on classic bites like grilled gochujang pork belly or braised beef ribs with ganjang; as well as alcohol options such as Korean craft beers, takju (aka makgeolli) by the glass, champagne, and wine – all the better to wrap up your evening with.

Best for: Premium Hanwoo beef at affordable prices

This laidback Korean restaurant in Wan Chai offers high-quality Hanwoo at affordable prices. Hanu’s menu offers various meal sets with premium beef cuts such as ribeye, striploin, or chateaubriand. Each set also comes with a daily soup and unlimited portions of appetisers and rice. Alternatively, diners can opt for the restaurant’s Korean pork belly set, which offers rich and fatty slices of grilled pork belly. From 6pm onwards, diners can also order à la carte dishes such as cold noodles, fried chicken, braised beef salad with fermented yuzu, or ginseng oxtail stew.

Best for: Fuss-free K-BBQ

Head to one of Jeonpo Meat Shop’s locations around Hong Kong for an authentic Korean barbeque experience that you won't forget. While their interior design may seem simple, Jeonpo's atmosphere is warm and welcoming to all diners. K-BBQ fans are sure to love Jeonpo's hearty barbeque sets, which offer generous portions of cuts like pork neck, beef loin, and grilled beef short ribs served with a giant bone intact. Be sure to pair your barbecued items with bowls of chewy buckwheat noodles tossed in chilli sauce or served in an icy broth, as well as beef chapaguri, the iconic noodle dish served in the 2019 Oscar-winning Korean thriller film, Parasite. And if that's not enough, Jeonpo's menu also has classic Korean side dishes like green onion pancakes, soybean paste stews, and japchae.

Best for: An innovative Korean fine-dining experience

Located within M+, this dining venue is Hong Kong’s outpost of Korea’s three-Michelin-starred restaurant, Mosu, created by Judge Anh Sung-jae from Netflix’s popular cooking program Culinary Class Wars. If you’re lucky enough to snag a reservation here, don’t forget to try the restaurant’s signature dishes such as ember-roasted acorn noodles, or the abalone taco topped with shisho, seaweed, and sweet mustard.

Best for: Creative takes on Korean classics

This stylish little hub, located just across the road from PMQ, offers inventive Korean cuisine with an Italian accent. The chewy rice cakes are a must-order and are tossed with sauces such as carbonara and pesto, but if that’s too adventurous for you, Moyo offers a conventional Korean version made with gochujang instead. Be sure to try their truffle-topped specials like egg tofu toast or beef tartare too.

Best for: Good ol’ fried chicken

Nene is popular in South Korea for good reason and can be found all over Hong Kong. The portions are big, the chicken is crisp (even with all the sauce poured on top) and the prices offer value for money, what’s not to like? Here, you can order your choice of crispy fried chicken and select your preferred flavour such as original, cheese, sweet and spicy, and many more. Perfect for when you have a hankering for some fried chicken and beer.

Best for: Dining while being tucked away from the crowds

While OBP might be hard to locate, we promise it's worth the hunt. Located in the alleyway behind Old Bailey Street in Central, this Korean drinking and eating joint aims to bring the classic Korean drinking experience to Hong Kong. In addition to familiar Korean entrees like fried chicken and tteokbokki, OBP's menu also provides hearty stews like their drunken clam pot, slow-cooked USDA prime beef flank and shank in bone broth; and big hearty bowls of jjambbong which pair wonderfully with their selection of soju and makgeolli (raw rice wine).

Best for: Comforting Korean entrees

Located in Sai Ying Pun’s Water Street, Oppa Chicken boasts a wide variety of comforting Korean dishes on their menu such as bibimbap served in sizzling stone bowls, budae jigae (army base stew), or bulgogi over rice. However, the crowd-favourites here are the rolled omelette with cheese and crispy fried chicken – which either comes plain or slathered in your choice of sauce such as honey soya, Korean-style sweet glaze, or a fiery and spicy coating.

Best for: Bouncy al-dente noodles

If you couldn’t tell from their name, Seoul Noodles specialises in churning out hand-cut noodles. To make their signature hand-cut noodles, the chefs here use dough that’s been fermented at a low temperature for 24 hours, before kneading it until the dough reaches a bouncy, al-dente texture. Be sure to try the restaurant’s noodles served in an umami-rich broth with toppings like clams or chicken. Alternatively, try their rice soup and side dishes like bossam – slices of boiled pork topped with green onions – and hand-wrapped dumplings with fillings like kimchi and pork.

Best for: Irresistibly crunchy fried chicken

The walk to Uncle Padak in Sai Ying Pun might be a bit steep, but it's worth the hike. If you can't make your mind up on which fried chicken option to get, this venue offers a half-and-half combo, allowing you to select two out of the range on offer. Aside from the classic original, this Korean joint also offers chicken flavours like sweet and spicy, soy glazed, as well as their signature 'padak' which sees boneless chicken piled high with shredded leeks, rice cakes, and dumplings served alongside a sauce of your choice.