Korean cuisine manages to conjure up true wonders of flavour from simple ingredients such as rice, vegetables and meat. Kimchi, gimbab and Korean barbecue can also be found on several corners in Berlin - ideal for a quick lunch, as street food or as a luxurious fine dining experience with family and friends. Here are 11 recommended Korean restaurants in the city!
Tip 1: Small but nice at WaWa Korean Restaurant
In Korean, WaWa means "come, come" - and that's actually a very good idea for our first restaurant tip. Since its opening in 2014, this small restaurant in Schöneberg's Grunewaldstraße has established itself as one of the favourite addresses for Korean regulars and Berlin foodies.
The menu not only impresses with authentically prepared specialities such as bulgogi and the delicious, sweet cinnamon pancake called hotók, but also with loving watercolour illustrations and descriptions of the individual delicacies. The restaurant, decorated entirely in red, invites you to take a flavourful break from everyday life both inside and out!
When: daily from 5 to 11 pm
Where: Grunewaldstraße 10, Schöneberg
Tip 2: Open Minded Cuisine at Dae Mon
Stylishly furnished and ideally located on Monbijouplatz, Dae Mon stands for fine dining and a high-quality culinary programme. The hosts call it Open Minded Cuisine. This refers to an interplay of Asian culinary traditions, modern interpretations and Japanese and Korean preparation techniques.
The creative kitchen team with flavour artists from seven nations presents you with dishes that initially appear quite simple on the menu, but reveal a great deal of sophistication after the first bite. Even the Michelin Guide has been here - and is impressed.
When: Tuesday and Wednesday from 6 to 10 pm, Thursday to Saturday from 6 to 10.30 pm
Where: Monbijouplatz 1, Mitte
Tip 3: Street food with heart and bite at Son Kitchen
The founding trio Jeong Han, Johannes and Daniel from Son Kitchen attribute their success to the many cultural and culinary influences of the city - but above all to the cooking skills of their mothers and grandmothers. Because whether it's kimchi tacos, bibimbap or Korean curry - cooking like this needs to be learnt.
After the cookery skills of the three were well received at various Berlin parties, they decided to turn their hobby into a profession. Thanks to this brilliant decision, you too can get a taste for it today: At Son Kitchen Imbiss on Kantstraße, Potsdamer Straße or simply ordered and delivered to your home!
When: Kantstraße: daily from 11:45 am to 10:15 pm / Potsdamer Straße: daily from 11:30 am to 10:00 pm
Where: Kantstraße 46, Charlottenburg and Potsdamer Straße 107, Tiergarten
Tip 4: Korean fine dining like in New York at Kimchi Princess
Kimchi Princess in Kreuzberg offers an inviting ambience, an urban interior design and a Korean community feel reminiscent of New York Cosmopolitan films. The restaurant was founded in 2009 and has been catering to an enthusiastic audience with kitchen-style dining and Korean BBQ at its best ever since.
Kimchi Princess is ideal for large groups in particular, as the spacious rooms with their industrial brick walls offer plenty of room - both inside and out. We recommend that you make a reservation at Kimchi Princess.
Because it's not just the delicious food that attracts people to this "it" restaurant in droves: the film-like atmosphere of buzzing voices, laughter, sizzling barbecue plates and underground cars passing by on the elevated railway line also draws them to Kimchi Princess.
When: Tuesday to Friday from 12 to 4 and 5 to 11 pm, Saturday and Sunday from 3 to 11 pm
Where: Skalitzer Straße 36, Kreuzberg
Tip 5: Self-fermented delicacies at YamYam
Environmentally conscious, delicious and homemade - these three adjectives could be used to describe YamYam . Under the white and red striped awning on Alte Schönhauser Straße, you can expect more than just traditional Korean dishes and their vegetarian alternatives. Health-conscious additions to the traditional menu can also be found here.
Instead of wheat noodles, you can also order buckwheat varieties, the kimchi is fermented by hand and the water is prepared in an in-house filtration and treatment system and served to you at low prices. Look forward to colourful mixed plates, black mandu dumplings and ssam wraps to roll yourself!
When: Tuesday to Thursday from 12 pm to 11 pm, Friday and Saturday from 12 pm to 11.30 pm and Sunday from 1 pm to 10.30 pm
Where: Alte Schönhauser Str. 6, Mitte
Tip 6: Taste the flavours of nature at NaNum
Former opera singer, ceramic artist and organic visionary Jinok Kim has created NaNum , a small temple to the appreciation of natural foods . The Seoul-born hostess swears by a return to the simple things and traditional methods of preparation.
Dry a radish properly, ferment kimchi correctly - and you have an incomparable variety of flavours. At the weekend, you can choose between a purely vegetarian and a plant + fish dinner menu and savour NaNum 's natural wines . After dinner, a little art treat awaits you on the upper floor of the restaurant, where Jinok Kim exhibits her ceramic works .
When: Wednesday to Saturday from 7 to 11 pm
Where: Lindenstraße 90, Kreuzberg
Tip 7: Experience the sociable atmosphere of Korea at Han BBQ
The Korean BBQ is an absolute treat for the palate. But all the other senses are also catered for when the fresh combinations of meat, fish and vegetables sizzle away on the table right in front of you.
The community aspect of this barbecue method is at least as important: friends, family members or colleagues sit together at a table, enjoy starters and drinks and look forward to the main course.
Han BBQ in Kantstraße focuses on this traditional combination of socialising and barbecue enjoyment. Here you can enjoy the most delicious grilled dishes at large tables, just like in Seoul , accompanied by Korean soft drinks, Korean hits from the jukebox and plenty of hospitality.
When: daily from 5 to 10 pm
Where: Kantstraße 120/121, Charlottenburg
Tip 8: Firepot at Madang in the centre of Kreuzberg
Bergmannkiez rarely gets more charming than Madang : For over 15 years now, this small street eatery with a cosy outdoor terrace has been serving traditionally prepared fire pot, Korean BBQ and braised rice cakes made from exquisite ingredients - served on rustic wooden tables in an ambience that combines Berlin and Korea.
The simple interior of wooden floorboards, Korean art on the walls and small candles on the tables leaves room for the essentials. At Madang, extravagance can only be found in taste . And it is well known that this is always the case here: Madang is considered a secret favourite of the Korean community.
When: Monday to Thursday and Sunday from 5 pm to 11.30 pm, Friday and Saturday from 12 pm to 3 pm and 5 pm to 11.30 pm
Where: Gneisenaustraße 8, Kreuzberg
Tip 9: Spicy chicken wings at Angry Chicken on Rio-Reiser-Platz
Whether after a night out at the pub, as a snack between meals or because you just can't get the spicy chicken wings from Angry Chicken out of your head: the small bistro restaurant on Rio-Reiser-Platz is always there for you. You can choose between bone-in chicken wings and chicken bites, which are served in various degrees of spiciness - or rather, rage.
From Friendly Chicken to So So Angry Chicken and Furious Chicken, there are various sauces to try, which you can combine with side dishes such as kimchi, pickled radish or chips . And if you don't fancy the angry chicken, burgers and other small snacks will fill you up too!
When: Monday to Thursday and Sunday from 12 to 10 pm, Friday and Saturday from 12 to 11 pm
Where: Oranienstraße 16, Kreuzberg
Tip 10: Vegan soul food at Feel Seoul Good on Kollwitzplatz
The Feel Seoul Good restaurant is one of the most popular addresses for vegan Korean delicacies and Korean soul food in Berlin. Located on a lively corner in Kollwitzkiez , you can enjoy pancakes with peanut sauce, mandu kimchi and many different rice, noodle and BBQ dishes in the sunset.
Although there is not much of this to be seen inside the restaurant, the interior design is impressive with genuine Korean table ensembles. Instead of chairs, you sit comfortably on cosy cushions and, armed with chopsticks, immerse yourself in a vegan paradise of flavours.
When: daily from 12 to 11 pm
Where: Husemannstraße 2, Prenzlauer Berg
Tip 11: Minimalist fine dining at Choi Berlin
Our last tip is also located in the Kollwitz neighbourhood. But instead of an à la carte menu in a casual atmosphere, Choi Berlin offers a unique fine dining experience. With minimalist furnishings and small portions, the authentic flavours of Korea await you at Choi.
You can choose from three exquisite 6-course menus: The Sinseon menu is purely vegetarian, the Seonbi menu includes fish specialities and the Sura menu consists of fish, meat and vegetables. The special names of the menus come from Korean mythology and are lovingly explained in the menus. Look forward to an evening of culinary luxury and a unique wine selection!
When: daily except Tuesdays from 6 pm to 11 pm
Where: Fehrbelliner Straße 4, Prenzlauer Berg
