If Korean cuisine is your scene then you need to visit these 9 eateries

This modest, yet popular small Korean restaurant in Vienna’s 2nd district will have you chowing down on Kimchi and grilling up your own meal on a table-top grill, while loving every minute of it.  Seekers of Korean kitchen know this little family-run restaurant as one of the go-to places in the city for the all-round dining experience of the Korean-style BBQ.

Almost elbowing fellow eaters, we find ourselves staring hungrily at the plain, gray table and desperately waiting for someone to take our order as we watch the delicious and exotic looking array of barbecued dishes, stews and stir-fries being served by the smiling, warm staff. The unfamiliar menu may seem rather strange to those uneducated on the Korean kitchen, but the staff here are happy to walk you through it. For us, the choice is simple – the gogigui (Korean BBQ) for two. You’ll most probably start here with a bowl of kimchi (sour and spicy pickled cabbage drowned in chili sauce) and a pickled turnip, just as spicy. These are the garnishes that belong to every Korean meal. Then after a Miso and a few  golden gyozas, a gas cooker and grill is placed in front of us. In between, our waitress is adjusting the gas to the grill, someone from the kitchen keeps handing her more plates, starting with salad leaves, garlic, chilies, mushrooms, onion rings, and finally, the thin slices of marinated beef. All raw…until we start grilling it all, that is. Korean BBQ is also a great social dining option for a meal with a group of friends. The leftover zing from the spice on our tastebuds that are sizzling remains long after the grill is turned off. Read our full review of Seoul restaurant, here.

We recommend… that you explore when it comes to what to drink here. Besides Korean beer, they also serve specific drinks like the Makgeolli (a slightly sweet, milky alcoholic beverage made of rice) and Ginseng Schnapps. The non-alcoholic list surprises with ginseng and genmaicha tea (a Japanese sort of green tea prepared with roasted brown rice)!

From student to master is the path taken by the owner of Modern Korean. Danny Kim, the owner of the Korean restaurant, is a former employee of the famous Austrian-Korean chef, Sohji Kim. He has been transforming Korean dishes according to his own interpretation since 2015. The focus is on using regional products to give a subtle European influence to the Korean dishes served up at Modern Korean. That’s where the ‘modern’ enters into the name, we guess.

Meat and fish dishes dominate the menu, and it’s all served up by a friendly staff in a rather casual and elegant atmosphere. Still, you can also opt to go for the Kim a carte blanche option, and have the kitchen create something according to your preferences.

The menu changes with the seasons, with stuff like Korean hot pots, soups and stews turning up in winter, and more salads in summer. Meanwhile, the Korean favourites you’ll always find in the menu.

You can watch the chef prepare your dish, with the kitchen neighbouring the dining room and only separated from it by glass.

You should definitely try the Gun Mandu, buns filled with vegetables and peanut sauce, as a starter. The secret sauce recipe is made with lots and lots of time and consideration, and some coriander root and peanut butter, the chef tells us. You can order anything you like on the menu (obvs.), but make sure you try that sauce.

For Korean fans, we’re not telling you anything new when mentioning Kim kocht as one of the best Korean restaurants in the city. Sohyi Kim has held status as a local celebrity chef in Vienna for a while now, and Kim Kocht (which has since its beginnings moved location) was her first location. And while the prestige (she’s won awards, written cookbooks and has a cult following of such) of her and her restaurants has risen, the same humble and authentic methods in the kitchen are applied. Kim’s kitchen secret is actually no secret – stay true to the five colours, elements, and phases of Korean (and Chinese) cooking, but be inventive with traditional dishes. This leads to a magnificent balance in flavours turning up in every dish served up at Kim Kocht. If we had to pick the best dish on the menu, both in appearance and aroma, it would be her interpretation of a green curry. There aren’t many seats in the place, making it an intimate experience, but one glorious one for your tastebuds. And 9 times out of 10 you’ll have Kim cooking for you.

Mandu & Co is small and modest. There’s no frills – really, we mean none. The small room has 3 small standard metal tables and a bench. Apart from some magazines in the corner, a coat rack and a small laminated picture of what looks like a Korean rice field, there’s no fancy stuff adorning the place. Don’t bring your next date, or organise a client meeting here! But if you’re looking for an affordable lunch spot where the focus is on well-made, traditional Korean food then Mandu is your BFF!

We ordered the vegetarian Mandu & Co-Menu – a plate of traditional Korean dumplings (mandu) and some Kimbab (Korea’s answer to Japan’s sushi). The fresh vegetables in the kimbab were fresh and the pan-fried mandu were deliciously crunchy. We dipped everything in their fiery home-made hot sauce, much to our tastebuds’ delight. Go for the noodles, or the rice dishes if you want something more filling, but be confident most on the menu is reasonably priced and delicious.

Yori is a large, low-lit Korean restaurant in Vienna’s first district that has been a go-to for quality Korean cuisine for a while. The atmosphere is chilled and the interior takes care of setting up a special kind of mood (wood latticing is a big thing here).

In our opinion, their Bulgogi is one of the best in the city and their barbecue dishes are impressive throughout the menu. The Korean classics (kimchi, glass noodles, bibimbap) are all here, along with the steaming stewy bowls of Jjigae, which are full of flavor.

But something you can’t forget is the Korean BBQ they are serving up in different sets. Naturally, everything contains beef. (duh.) All that makes up the social experience of Yori. So, if you’re into grilling some nice high-quality meat on the table with your friends, this might ignite a new fire that has been on the down-low the past year.

Sang Sang opened its doors on Gumpendorfer Straße late in 2019 in the site that used to be known as the Korean–Japanese restaurant, Hanil. But its a fresh start, with a new look and new crowd huddling around their tables. The opening of Sang Sang was very well received, meaning it can get very busy, so be sure to make a reservation. To get warmed up, we’d recommend going for one of the Kimbap Korean rolls, which are like sushi, but with a twist. And as for mains, well, it depends on what your Korean cravings are as they’ve got all the favourites – stews, the Korean pancake dishes, Jeon, spicy Korean BBQ ribs, Bulgogi and the list goes on.

Also, two big bonuses to expect here – super friendly service and the place is damn good looking.

This is one of those restaurants that took over an old Austrian Beisl at some point and haven’t changed the interior at all, creating some kind of bizarre parallel universe in which authentic Korean food is served up in a setting more fit for Rostbraten and Knodel. But that’s part of the charm, we guess. Bibim is a popular place and you’ll arrive to find it often full. When you get anything on their menu into your mouth, you’ll understand why. Service is both gracious and informative. At weekends, the restaurant is full of families sharing communal dishes, and we suggest you do the same with whoever you go with.

Their soup game is strong, and if you like pungent and flavour-packed soups, give the fish soup here a try. Meanwhile, you won’t be disappointed when coming here for the authentic flavours of Korea – Bibim will deliver.