HYU Korean Restaurant
When it first debuted, this restaurant really rocked the Korean foodie scene, and for good reason. It even underwent a transition. Many of the regular customers followed HYU when it moved from its original location in Oud Metha to JLT, which is a testimonial to the restaurant’s great food and attentive service. This restaurant is not to be missed, with everything from its tofu soup and kimchee pancakes to its bulgogi and crispy chicken. Additionally, each table has its own grill, which is ideal for sizzling that beef. The portions are sizable, and the value is superb. We adore the restaurant, particularly the pan-friend dumplings.
Open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Cluster O, O2 Residence, and JLT (050 227 3004).
K-Pop Chicken
Could there possibly be a finer name that encapsulates Korean culture? This Korean restaurant is designed with a playful, youthful aesthetic, with interior accents of acid green and dishes bearing the names of K-Pop music icons. The fast food restaurant has a wide variety of Korean favorites on its menu, but its signature dish—and it’s extremely good—is Korean style fried chicken.
Open Sat-Wed 11am-11pm, Thu-Fri 11am-midnight. Indigo Icon, Cluster F, JLT (04 434 0096).
Korean BBQ at Koryo
Fast food with a Korean healthy spin so we won’t feel too bad about it? Count us in. Here, it’s all about combining tasty foods for quick meals on-the-go, like Korean vegetables and BBQ favorites. When we can, we’ll always get the bibimbap, which is topped with a delectable fried egg beneath a bed of vegetables, and its barbecue seafood selections, like the salmon bowl, are a delicious delight. Here, you can’t barbeque your own meal, but you may anticipate eating it quickly.
Open daily 9.45pm-midnight. Various locations including Mall of the Emirates, Sheikh Zayed Road (04 341 1154).
Kimpo
Anyone up for some hops and kimpo (Korean-style fried chicken)? This Korean noodle shop is calling your name if that sounds like the perfect match. Kimpo offers an authentic chimaek experience—a coupling of fried chicken and hops that is very famous in Korea—and is managed by chef Sung Choul Lee, a South Korean native with more than 15 years of experience. Kimpo is located at Conrad Dubai. Aside from fried chicken, the menu offers a variety of East Asian specialties, all of which have been given a unique spin. Examples include a bulgogi sloppy joe served with kimchi and a homemade barbecue sauce, an east-meets-west twist on tacos made with slow-cooked minced meat, pickled onions, kimchi mayonnaise, and lettuce, and a pizza topped with salmon, kimchi mayonnaise, yuzu.
Open Tue-Sun 5pm-2am. Conrad Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road (04 444 7444).
Kung Korean Karaoke
What more could you want from a night on the tiles than delectable Korean cuisine and the chance to sing your heart out? Before moving into one of the private karaoke rooms to shout out some K-Pop standards (along with the regular (Gloria Gaynor/Elvis/ACDC karaoke classics), the menu is comprehensive and provides a selection of Korean favorites in the restaurant area. We never get tired of picking up some delectable seafood dishes, going back to sing some Celine Dion, and picking up more kimchi.
Open daily 10am-1am (karaoke starts at 7.30pm). Byblos Hotel, Barsha Heights (04 432 7966).
Manna Land
A short distance from 2nd December Street, this relaxed Korean eatery in Dubai never fails to impress. Excellent choices include the flavorful japchae glass noodles and meat, the tender yachae bulgogi marinated beef, which you may grill yourself at the table’s cooking station, and the substantial kimchi ljigae stew. Everything is incredibly fresh, even seafood dishes like the fiery grilled jjim mussels. It’s about time you tried the fantastic and authentic Korean food that this restaurant has been serving for well over a decade.
Open daily 11am-11pm. Shop 5, Al Ketbi Building, Satwa, www.mannalandkorean.com (04 345 3200).
Sobahn
With a Korean grill, a Japanese station, a Thai station, and a dessert area during the buffet lunch, this restaurant offers a tasty combination of popular Korean and Japanese dishes. On Fridays, there is an unlimited menu that includes food from a buffet with 99 different dishes. Yes, please continue to serve the marinated beef. Furthermore, Sobahn also hosts fantastic Korean BBQ events, where ribeye, wagyu, marinated beef, and of course kimchi are all ready to be sizzled and devoured. Dubai is home to some of the best Korean barbeque.
Open daily noon-3pm, 6pm-10.30pm. Sobahn, Matloob Building, Sheikh Zayed Road (04 380 7888).
Sonamu
a magnificent setting for superb Korean cuisine. Despite clichés, entering this shimmering golden room with its high ceilings and amazing large ornamental trees in the bonsai style will truly make you gasp for air. On its upper level, the restaurant also has a number of private dining rooms.
Open daily 6.30am-10am, noon-3pm, 6pm-11pm. Asiana Hotel, Salahuddin Road, Deira (04 238 7777).
Korean restaurant and bar The Sky
Homey Korean cuisine is served at The Sky, which complements the setting. There are plenty of staff members available, and they respond quickly to the surprisingly sizable Korean visitors’ groups. Try the filling seafood pancake or a hefty dish of bibimbap from the extensive menu (meat is served over squishy rice and combined with sweet and spicy sauces). There they are—your customized order of authentic Korean food.
Open daily noon-3pm, 6pm-11pm. Golden Tulip Al Barsha, Al Barsha (04 341 7750).
Sumibiya
This is the perfect example of a gathering. Korean barbeque is made exactly as you like it at Sumibiya—by yourself. This is the place to come all your friends and family to just relax and enjoy delicious cuisine as soon as it’s cooked because there is such a wide variety of different meats, vegetables, fish, and everything in between that you can throw on a grill and watch it all sizzle as you marvel at it. Additionally, the views of Dubai Creek that are just a short distance away make it much better.
Open daily 7pm-11pm. Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek (04 205 7033).
Shogun
You might be unsure about what to get from the Korean menu at this restaurant, but all you need to do is order the ingredients for the bibimbap, bulgogi, and hotpot, and you’ll be good to go. Those who venture out may, of course, also be pleasantly surprised by its assortment of Korean cuisine. It’s conveniently located in Dubai Media City and is a terrific option for locals who are craving Korean BBQ dishes, including beef brisket and short ribs. Who knows, you might even begin combining Thai and Japanese cuisine.
Open daily 11.30am-3pm, 5pm-10.30pm. Office Park Building, Dubai Media City (04 447 4899).
Kung Korean Restaurant
What: The adjacent karaoke lounges at Kung Korean Lounge and Restaurant offer rowdy entertainment together with tasty, authentic Korean cuisine. Enjoy your favorite foods, but don’t overindulge to the point where you can’t sing along to your favorite K-Pop songs later.
Where: Byblos Hotel, Barsha Heights
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