Want to sample some seriously good Korean dishes without leaving the comfort of Berlin? Look no further. From sizzling, spicy barbecue joints to cozy, no-frills eateries, and even a few vegetarian and vegan options (which are pretty rare in Korean cuisine!), we’re taking you on a culinary journey through Berlin’s diverse Korean dining scene.
Pu:m
Hera Hwang is a chef and researcher who’s dedicated her life to studying and perfecting her home country’s cuisine – whether at the canteen of the Korean Embassy, or at her solo venture in Charlottenburg. Get the yangnyeom gejang, an entire blue crab hacked into pieces, marinated in a chilli-garlic-ginger blend and eaten completely raw. If you forget to order it in advance, there’s always crisp-skinned samgyeopsal, pork belly squares drizzled in a nutty soybean sauce, or any number of other mains and off-menu specials. All are served with soup and a veritable galaxy of banchan (side dishes), which vary near-daily depending on season and chef’s whim.
- Pu:m, Knobelsdorffstr. 27, Charlottenburg, details.
Dal Tokki
With a single daily set menu made of 100% vegan Korean classics, Dal Tokki is all about simplicity and doing the basics right. Start your meal off with a savoury brothy soup, followed by a hearty main like crispy mung bean pancakes served with rice and kimchi. This isn’t your typical hyped up, trendy Korean fried chicken spot. Instead, Dal Tokki is serving up unpretentious, home-style vegan Korean comfort food, all for a pretty affordable price.
- Dal Tokki, Prinzenallee 83, Wedding, details.
Dotori
Looking for a cosy new spot for a bite and a beverage? Consider travelling out to Weißensee for a table at Dotori, Berlin’s first Korean anju bar. Be warned, though, this isn’t your average Kneipe. Here, the food holds an importance that equals – if not surpasses – that of the drinks.
- Dotori, Gustav-Adolf-Str. 159, Weißensee, details.
NaNum
Right across the road from the Jewish Museum, NaNum feels like an art installation where the atmosphere – along with the food and the plates you eat it from – is crafted by Jinok Kim. The former classical singer approaches both fermentation and ceramics with a playful sense of experimentation; her fresh, effervescent cabbage kimchi, for example, contains fermented apple juice from her Brandenburg Kleingarten. Try it with bibimbap or stir-fried sweet potato noodles at lunch, or spend a few hours for a multi-course dinner made with local ingredients and Korean techniques, optionally paired with natural wine.
- NaNum, Lindenstr. 90, Kreuzberg, details.
Crazy Kims
Hea-Yung Kim has overhauled the menu of her Kreuzberg restaurant a few times since opening in 2018, but a few things have remained constant: that beautifully patinated copper bar, for one, and food that’s just as gorgeous as the interior. The set menu – which must be booked in advance – includes a main like bibimbap or kimchi stew as well as a rainbow of homemade banchan, from fried tofu to egg omelettes to the traditional cabbage kimchi.
- Crazy Kims, Muskauer Str. 13, Kreuzberg, details.
Choi
Sooyeon “Sue” Choi wields expertise (and recipes) passed down from her mother, once a professional chef back in Busan. She also has a keen instinct for wine pairing. Both are apparent at her intimate subterranean restaurant, where just a dozen or so diners gather around for refined six-course meals centred around meat, veggies or fish. Who knew the beef stew galbi jim went so well with Argentinian Malbec, or that kohlrabi “water kimchi” could be chased with a sparkling Kerner from Thuringia?
- Choi, Fehrbelliner Str. 4, Mitte, details.
Hodori
When it comes to classic, Schöneberg’s Hodori tops any list as the go-to restaurant for any Korean in town. But be aware: you don’t go there for top-quality ingredients, inventive cooking or chic ambiance; you go with 10 or so pals (or Korean family members) to absolutely house a huge portion of tabletop bulgogi and ketchup-smothered fried chicken, and stagger out smelling like grilled meat, garlic and booze. The same applies to Hodori’s even more stripped-down sibling Arirang, tucked away on Warschauer Straße.
- Hodori, Goebenstr. 16, Schöneberg, details.
DaBangg
Never had Hadong green tea? There’s no better place to sip this traditional royal delicacy than in the warm wooden interior of the Friedenau hidden gem DaBangg, surrounded by delicate ceramics, tchotchkes and the strains of (occasionally live) classical music. Hye-Soon Park’s food is as homey as the atmosphere and includes a very decent stone-pot bibimbap, fresh (and free) banchan, and homemade rice cakes for dessert.
- DaBangg, Hedwigstr. 18, Friedenau, details.
Cafe Ogam
Neukölln hot spot Ogam may not look like much – or even have a liquor license – but if Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis (value for money) is what you’re after, look no further than the humble yet delicious dishes served within its bare white walls. The chilled naengmyeon noodle soup rescued us from an August heatwave. For the colder weather, there are stews served on personal hotplates. Here’s your chance to have the American GI-inspired budae jigae, a don’t-knock-it-till-you-try-it mix of instant noodles, kimchi, canned beans and Spam.
- Cafe Ogam, Emser Str. 40, Neukölln, details.
Kokio
Craving fried chicken, Korean-style? At the vibe-y gastropub of Prenzlauer Berg’s Kulturbrauerei, you’ll be promptly served huge platters to share (XXL portions are for two minimum, including fries, pickled radish and shredded cabbage). For the vegetarians there’s fried tofu, and for the brave at heart – golbaengi (sea snail) salad. The latter is appreciated by Kokio’s many Korean hipster patrons, who wash it down with Hite bier or a shot of the many soju and other rice alcohols on offer.
- Kokio, Hagenauer Str. 9, Prenzlauer Berg, details.
Gokan
This Schöneberg spot serves excellent BBQ made from quality ingredients. Be it Iberico pork, traditional bulgogi (cooked yuksu-style with broth, scallions, and glass noodles), here it’s the meat, not the seasoning, that’s given the spotlight – though you might need some home-mixed gochujang-garlic dip to punch up the glutamate-free feast. This is also the place to try makchang, a pungent dish of pig intestines that are marinated for five days, then chopped and sautéed with scallions and rice alcohol… at the table.
- Gokan, Leberstr. 9, Schöneberg, details.
Kochu Karu
A decade after its opening, Prenzlauer Berg restaurant Kochu Karu – brought to us by a Korean soprano-turned-sommelier and a Spanish chef with a yen for Brandenburg produce – is still going strong. You compose your own four-to-seven-course meal from a selection of “small” and “not so small” plates, which might include Iberico sausage with tteok rice cakes, grilled mackerel with marinated apricot or dumplings with mountain herbs and wild Brussels sprouts.
- Kochu Karu, Eberswalder Str. 35, Prenzlauer Berg, details.
Fräulein Kimchi
Remember Korean tacos? Lauren Lee of Fräulein Kimchi still does. Though her Prenzlauer Berg restaurant was short-lived, you can still find the dirndl-clad Korean-American fermented cabbage enthusiast serving corn tortillas full of gochujang-marinated pulled pork and braised bulgogi-style beef at street food fairs and special events. Other specials include burgers, rice bowls and kimchi Käsespätzle. Follow the Fräulein on Instagram to see where her food truck will pop up next.
Lia Ppang
Owner Lia Hong used to supply homesick Koreans with traditional walnut cookies, called hodugwaja, at the Kulturbrauerei food market. Now, sweet-toothed locals of all ages swing by her café for a soybean dacquoise, her take on the classic macaroon, or a large slice of the cakes du jour. Our favourite: the matcha roll cake, a fluffy, swirled affair filled with whole red beans and matcha cream. As the sign on her door cheekily explains, it’s not vegan, gluten-free or lactose free, but it’s certainly very good.
- Lia Ppang, Choriner Str. 45 (ground floor left unit), Prenzlauer Berg, details.
YamYam
Opened a little over ten years ago, the Mitte lunch stalwart Yam Yam turned bibimbap into a household name among the artsy crowd. Its signature mung bean kimchi pancakes and the jukgaejang beef soup are still among our favourites.
- YamYam, Alte Schönhauser Str. 6, Mitte, details.
