The best Korean restaurants in Beijing

The best Beijing spots to grab a slice of Korean action

Korea is a land known for pickles, the most famous being kimchi and the other the North-South war situation. Recent news indicates that the latter may be on the way out, so we reckon there's no better time to celebrate the former and all its culinary brethren. Have your pacifier of choice at the ready – things are about to get spicy.

WANGJING

Vons Chicken

This rowdy chicken and beer joint in Wangjing’s Kirin Place serves no fewer than six types of Korean fried chuck. Although plenty of the menu is suited to late-night munching and mirth, Vons is also a stalwart lunch option for nearby office workers. Aside from chicken, which starts at 85RMB a platter, the menu also features standard Korean classics such as stir-fried pork and kimchi (38RMB) and various soups. With less of the fanfare associated with bibimbap or barbecue joints, Vons is a reliable destination for a Korean nosh.

Vons Chicken 104, Kirin Place, 11 Futong Xi Dajie, Chaoyang district (5738 9653)

Mawang Pork

Decked out with neon red devils, Mawang Pork is a buzzing place to get down to some serious BBQ action. The décor seems designed to bring out your inner carnivore and it’s just as well, seeing as Mawang Pork specialises in all things porcine. Main meals include pork trotters, pork shoulders, pork barbecue platters and... well, you get the picture. Expect meat sweats, which calls for at least one of the refreshing iced beers they have on tap.

Mawang Pork 103, Kirin Place, Futong Xi Dajie, Chaoyang district (5738 9816)

Pork Fusion Restaurant

This friendly barbecue joint opens proceedings with one of the most generous arrays of banchan, assorted pickles, in town. The ensuing grill sesh is pretty basic, and all the better for it, as the meat of your choice is chopped onto the wide tabletop burner, with commanding waiters happy to take over the tonging when you inevitably start to get a bit hot and bothered. Tucked into the second floor of an unassuming commercial block, the familial atmosphere at Pork Fusion is worth coming back for.

Pork Fusion Restaurant 402, 2F, 4 Wangjing Xiyuan, Wangjing Jie, Chaoyang district (6479 3363)

Mei Dou Bo

Image: Saechang via Flickr

Although in a rather grey and grisly shopping mall in a quiet corner of Wangjing, this popular barbecue restaurant manages to establish a warm atmosphere, not least because of the roaring coal burners that are sat on each table. The range of cuts is impressive, with items such as 'snowflake sausage' (148RMB) and 'snowflake ribs' (138RMB) calling out to the inner millennial in us all.

Mei Dou Bo F106, Leke'an Mall, 6 Huguang Zhong Jie, Chaoyang district (6471 8778)

SANLITUN

So Joy Bibimbap

This speedy street-side stop in Sanlitun doesn't look like much, but the flavours pack a punch. A plate of eight crispy chicken wings in a gloopy sweet 'n' spicy sauce will set you back a reasonable 48RMB, while a whole bibimbap (pictured), sizzling hot and packed with veg and juicy beef, is an even more reasonable 20RMB. We love that the gochujang, fermented rice chilli sauce that’s ubiquitous in Korean cuisine, comes here in a diner-style dispenser that allows for a much more generous splodge than is usually permitted in polite company.

So Joy Bibimbap Sanlitun Nan Lu (opposite Beer Mania), Chaoyang district (133 1113 4870)

LIANGMAQIAO

Pia Barbecue

Popular with nearby office workers in Liangmaqiao, Pia is primarily a barbecue joint but serves a good offering of other Korean classics as well, such as cold noodles (28RMB). The vast metal bowl of chilled buckwheat noodles in a sweet soy broth, topped with slices of beef and a boiled egg, is a light but filling alternative to liangpi for the summer months. It is also perhaps a more suitable lunch option than a roaring barbecue being shoved in your face when it's 30 degrees outside.

Pia Barbecue 45 Xinyuan Jie, Chaoyang district (6466 8190)

WUDAOKOU

All Kill

We're not sure about the rather hostile choice of restaurant name, but we are sure that this popular student hangout serves up a mean beer-and-bites offering. Located in the basement of the Tsinghua Tongfang Technology Plaza, you'd be forgiven for thinking that all that All Kill kills is lunchtime hunger pangs. But it's actually better suited to evening revelry, with deliciously sleazy menu items like the chicken pieces slathered in chilli sauce and cheese (58RMB) and various platters of Korean fried chicken that simply demand a glass or five of ice-cold Cass to wash down that grease.

All Kill Basement of Tsinghua Tongfang Technology Plaza, Wangzhuang Lu, Haidian district (150 1153 8894)

DONGZHIMEN

Saveurs de Corée

Don't be fooled by this cosy bistro's French name, the food here is resolutely Korean, with a menu that includes bibimbap and kimchi pancakes. The star of the show, however, is the bulgogi (79RMB), which features finely sliced rib steak stir-fried to tender, juicy, light perfection, and served with a generous side dollop of gochujang. For our full review, click here. 

Saveurs de Corée 2F, Rum Coabana Hotel, 22 Dongzhimen Bei Xiaojie, Dongcheng district (5741 5753) 

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