Find premium meats, fermented flavours and comforting dishes at vibrant Korean spots around Melbourne.
Nicole de Souza – Staff Writer
Follow the smell of a smoky charcoal BBQ, find warmth in a hearty bowl of noodles, spice up your taste buds with a side of kimchi, and dive into the wonders of Korean cuisine in the city. From sizzling barbecued meats to comforting street food like gimbap and tteokbokki, Melbourne is full of Korean restaurants that will satisfy your cravings. Find complex flavours and fiery heat at bustling eateries around town. Here are some of our favourite Korean restaurants in Melbourne to get you started on your flavoursome journey.
A post shared by Melbourne Hwaro Korean BBQ (@hwaro)
Step into a chic venue at Hwaro Korean BBQ and satisfy all of your meaty cravings. This restaurant first came to Melbourne in 2006, introducing hungry foodies to the wonders of Korean charcoal BBQ. Order individual meats, like Wagyu beef, galbi and pork belly, or choose a set to try a bit of everything. On top of the BBQ, there’s also classic dishes like kimchi pancake, bibimbap and army stew to enjoy. Pair it with soju, makgeolli, wine and more for a good time. Hwaro is open seven days a week. Learn more here.
๐562 Little Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000
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Feel transported to the bustling streets of Seoul at Namsan Korean Restaurant. This cosy establishment is filled with a delightful menu that’s all about flavoursome street food. Feast on tteokbokki, japchae, fried chicken, army stew, seasoned rice ball and much, much more. On top of the street food, you’ll also find some delicious fusion, like Korean fried chicken served with chips and carbonara sauce. Sit indoors, or dine in the outdoor seating area. Learn more about Namsan here.
๐Lower Shop 3, 200 Queen St, Melbourne VIC 3000
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Journey through the oversized, wooden arch doors and enter a world of flavour at ChangGo Korean BBQ. Enjoy generous portion sizes with a vast range of meats, including eight kinds of marinated pork belly. Indulge in shared dishes like cheese tteokbokki and crunchy kimchi seafood pancake, and stay warm with a wide range of soups. Vegans can also join in on the fun, with a Vegan BBQ Combo that includes marinated plant-based mince to grill, veggie tofu soybean hot pot and rice. Sip on soft drink, soju, rice wine, beer and more while you’re there. ChangGo only accepts walk-ins, so if you’re keen for a feed, be sure to show up early!
๐70 Little La Trobe St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Acclaimed Korean chef Paik Jong-won has brought his famous noodles to Melbourne. Discover a harmonious blend of fermented Korean flavours and Chinese-style stir-fry at Paik’s Noodle. Slurp your way through dishes like like jajang-meyon (black bean noodles) and jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup). If you don’t feel like noodles, there’s also sweet and sour pork, fried chicken and beef fried rice. This Korean venue has restaurants in Melbourne CBD, Glen Waverley and Caulfield. If you’ve got a hankering for rice, you can also find Paik’s Bibim in the CBD.
๐470 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000
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ษชแด + แดสแดแดแดษขสแดแดสแดส (@kimmyyliew)
Dine like a king at Guhng The Palace. Tucked between Little Collins Street and Bourke Street, this sophisticated space stretches over four levels. Cook high quality meat, like wagyu cube roll, bulgogi and marinated chicken thigh fillets, on the charcoal BBQ, enjoy stone-bowl bibimbap with fragrant purple rice. Feast on Korean fried chicken, kimchi stew and japchae, or opt for a set meal for an unforgettable feast. On top of the beer, wine and spirits, there’s also soju cocktails for you to try. Bookings are highly recommended. Learn more here.
๐19 McKillop St, Melbourne VIC 3000
‘Mansae’ comes from the Korean equivalent of ‘Hip Hip Hooray!’, and that sense of joy is exactly what you’ll feel at Mansae Korean BBQ. Feast on Australian wagyu beef and free range prime pork at this casual restaurant. The wagyu beef belly and thinly sliced ox tongue are standout options, exquisitely prepared and packed with tantalising flavours. Of course, you’ll also enjoy a spread of banchan, or small side dishes, to go along with your meat. Add on dishes like tteokbokki, corn cheese, naengmyeon and more for a hearty feast. Find Mansae in the CBD or in Burwood East.
๐Shop 9/120 A’Beckett St, Melbourne VIC 3000 or Shop 12/2 Burwood Hwy, Burwood East VIC 3151
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You can find this hidden gem in a laneway just off Chinatown. By Korea is a small and bustling venue serving up generous and well-priced dishes that will get you through the day. Enjoy value meals that come with side dishes, like beef bulgogi or stir fried kimchi and pork. There’s also bibimbap, fried chicken, stew and tteokbokki. Vegetarians can enjoy options like mushroom japchae.
๐7 Tattersalls Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000
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Find authentic Korean cuisine made with homemade recipes at Jang Gun CBD. Located on Healey’s Lane, this popular and inviting space has generous serving sizes that will satisfy your cravings. Warm up with their tantalising yukgaejang soup and feast on Korean fried chicken. Choose your spice level in dishes like chicken bulgogi, and go for the tofu bibimbap if you’re vegetarian or vegan – just remember to ask for no egg. This venue accepts walk-ins only. Learn more here.
๐3/21 Healeys Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000
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At Yoon’s Kitchen, they boil beef bones for hours to create a hearty bone broth. So, you can’t miss their signature spicy beef soup and beef bone soup. If you don’t feel like beef, there’s other soups available, like spicy seafood tofu soup, ginseng chicken soup and hot pot. If you’re not craving soup, opt for fried chicken, noodles, tteokbokki and more. For something interactive, order the DIY rice balls to shape your own snack.
๐205-207 Russell St, Melbourne VIC 3000 and 552 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000
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Nestled in the heart of Chinatown, you’ll find Bornga. This incredible venue first opened in Gangnam in 1993, and is now delighting Melburnian foodies with an authentic Korean dining experience. Make sure you try their signature dish, the Woo-Samgyup, beef brisket sliced against the grain and lightly marinated with a special sauce. Other top dishes include pork belly with traditional fermented sauce, wagyu chuck roll, kimchi stew and seafood pancake. Explore their menu here.
๐Level 1/178 Little Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000
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Are you craving gimbap? Visit Jang Go Mama, a family-run venue, for all your Korean street food needs. There’s heaps of premium gimbap for you to try, with flavours like ham, kimchi, tuna, vegetable, chicken, spicy dry squid and more. There’s also kimchi dumpling soup, tteokbokki, cold noodles and more to enjoy.
๐147 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000
A post shared by Woodo korean BBQ (@woodo_melbourne)
If you’ve got barbeque cravings, you’ve got to visit Woodo Korean Barbecue. You can order BBQ set meals, which come with rice, grilled vegies, slow cooked egg, and for some sets, your choice of soup. You can also order juicy, tender meat on its own, like wagyu scotch fillet or marinated premium Black Angus beef rib. If you don’t feel like barbeque, you can always order dishes like soup, cold noodles and kimchi stone pot rice. For bookings and details, see here.
๐179 King St, Melbourne VIC 3000
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Find high quality, premium meat and seafood at the industrial-chic venue, G2 Korean BBQ. Try an array of dishes, like fried chicken, crispy beef intestines and kimchi pancake, and sizzle your way through their range of meat. Pair your BBQ experience with authentic ssamjang sauce or homemade sweet sauce, as well as flavoursome kimchi and seaweed salad. Make a booking and find more info here.
๐301 Elizabeth St, Melbourne VIC 3000
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This vibrant eatery near Southern Cross is perfect for lunch or dinner. Indulge into a lunch box of Korean fried chicken, and enjoy perfectly seasoned, crispy goodness with the right amount of heat. Delve into a bowl of flavoursome noodles, feast on bulgogi, warm up with their range of soups and stews, and more. Spicy Korea is open from Monday to Friday.
๐1/601 Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000
A post shared by CHAE ่ก (@chae_melbourne)
As far as Korean restaurants in Melbourne go, this one is the most intimate. Jungeun Chae changed the Melbourne foodie scene when she opened a six-seater restaurant in her Brunswick apartment back in 2019. With a focus on traditional fermentation techniques, this tiny establishment quickly grew into a phenomenon, with a waitlist of thousands. Now, CHAE has moved to a cosy property surrounded by hills in Cockatoo. Staying true to the original concept of intimate dining, this venue continues to have a limit of six guests per seating. Every month, guests are chosen through a lottery system. Relax and unwind among nature, an the menu changes every two months using seasonal produce and handmade condiments. To learn more about this unique dining experience, click here.
๐33 Mountain Rd, Cockatoo VIC 3781
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