Best Korean restaurants in Sydney

Korean eats go way beyond just BBQ joints

You can easily go weeks eating nothing but Korean food in Sydney without ever repeating a visit to the same restaurant. One night it’s a twelve seat chef’s table quietly reworking a childhood memory into six courses, the next it is elbows on a hot plate at eleven with soju going round the table. And, yes, both of those are well worth visiting, and both make this list.

From chic tasting menus to sizzling barbecue tables and homestyle hansik diners, these top Korean restaurants spread from Sydney’s CBD to the suburbs.

As much as we love a good Korean BBQ, the city has stopped treating Korean food as this single category. Some of the best eats outside of Seoul now cover fine dining, all you can eat and everything loud and smoky in between.

Book ahead for the smaller rooms and bring an appetite for the rest of these Korean spots in Sydney.

Sydney’s next viral food spot Hongdae Pocha is all about soju, street food, and big KBBQ energy.  Opening Friday, June 27, Hongdae Pocha is the latest concept from the team behind Funda and Buttered (Vuza Hospitality). Think: sizzling Korean barbecue, icy beers, and a loud, neon-lit space that feels like stepping into the streets of…

Good for
Cocktail Bars Restaurants After Work Drinks Group Booking Late Night Casual Late Night Lively

SYDNEY

Butchers Buffet skips the menu altogether. Pay one set price, then work through unlimited pork belly, duck, prawns and scotch fillet at your own table, backed by a fried chicken, salad and dessert buffet on the side. There are other outlets too, in Strathfield, Blacktown, Eastwood and Cabramatta, so pick whichever is closest.

Good for
Restaurants Family Friendly Group Booking Casual Lively

GLEBE

It’s modern fusion mixed with traditional recipes and cooking from the heart. Picture this: you’re savouring a tangy kimchi-wrapped burrito and bulgogi tacos that are flavour packed with every bite. It’s an unlikely pairing, but Mexican-Korean fusion is precisely what you’ll find at Vecino, merging two distinct cultures (and flavours) together to form one delicious…

Good for
Cocktail Bars Restaurants After Work Drinks Group Booking Casual Lively Neighbourhood Local

SYDNEY

Matkim takes its name from the Korean words for entrust and table, and that is exactly the deal here. Sit at the counter for a Korean barbecue chef's table experience where the cuts are chosen and cooked for you, course by course, with nothing left to guess.

Good for
Fine Dining Restaurants Date Night Special Occasion Hidden gem Tasting Menu Upscale

EDMONSON PARK

BOM is redefining the late-night Korean BBQ experience with a contribution of dazzling proportions.  Now open in the heart of southwest Sydney’s Ed. Square, is a Korean BBQ experience like no other. To BOM, KBBQ is about more than smokey meat and Soju shots (although both of which play a key role), instead, the dining…

Good for
Cocktail Bars Restaurants Date Night Group Booking Late Night Late Night Live Music Lively Upscale

SURRY HILLS

Sáng by Mabasa is the tiny, family run Fitzroy Street diner from Seung kee Son and Jin sun Son, the second act after their original Mabasa in Balmain. Expect refined takes on Korean staples, from crackling fried chicken to the gu jeol pan wrap platter, all served in a room built for close company.

HAYMARKET & CHATSWOOD

Kogi in Haymarket and Chatswood has one of the longest track records in Sydney Korean barbecue, with a management team whose experience in the craft stretches back decades. Come for glossy marbled cuts cooked table side and a self serve banchan bar that rewards going back for seconds.

NEUTRAL BAY

K-Town BBQ House brings a family friendly, communal spirit to Korean barbecue on Sydney's north shore. Head chef Jay draws on years spent living and eating in Korea, and with over 150 seats across indoor and alfresco areas, it is built for big group bookings and birthdays alike.

HAYMARKET & RHODES

Bornga is the polished end of Korean barbecue, an international name with locations in Haymarket and Rhodes and a fit out that nods to a Korean temple gate. The woosamgyeop, thin sliced marinated beef, is the dish to order, backed by a generous self serve banchan and salad bar.

SURRY HILLS

Allta is Sydney's two hat destination for Korean fine dining, tucked into Surry Hills rather than the big end of town. Executive chef Jung-Su Chang runs a tight, intimate tasting menu that treats Korean tradition as a starting point rather than a theme, in a room built for occasions you plan ahead for.