Do you like your gimbap to go? How do you take your tteokbokki? Do you prefer a long, sizzling, sit-down session by the grills at your local Korean barbecue? The buzz around Korean food just gets buzzier in Melbourne, and not least thanks to the city’s recently appointed Koreatown, Healeys Lane.
Options? You want ’em, Melbourne’s got them. Here’s some of the city’s best Korean restaurants to get you started.
Sogumm
Sogumm is the antithesis to Melbourne’s hustle and bustle, where traditional slow Korean food is what makes this spot unique. Their meticulous fermentation process and thoughtful cooking results in a menu that moves from gang-doenjang jerusalem artichokes to a wagyu brisket galbijjim. But their plant-based gang-doenjang bibimbap is the dish that really captures Sogumm’s soul: quiet, patient and full of heart.
466 Church St, Cremorne, Victoria
Jang Go Mama
The spotlight’s on the humble kimbap at this intimate diner, where you’re always two steps away from the team handmaking each roll. There’s 20 different filling options, from spicy chicken to garlic and cheese. Take in or takeaway – the choice is yours at Jang Go Mama.
147 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Han Guuk Guan
Expect fried pork en masse, big bowls of kimchi stew, plus bowls of noodles that will ruin portion sizes everywhere else for you. Bigger is always better at one of the city’s lesser known Korean spots.
13A Victoria St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Hansang
Head to Hansang for a bounty of banchan – these unlimited side dishes would take centre stage if the kimchi pancake wasn’t so damn delicious.
2/349 King St, West Melbourne VIC 3003
Ondo
Ondo wants to bring the lesser known flavours of Korea straight to you. Don’t skip on the crowd-favourite yukhoe bibimbap, a knock-out combo of raw beef tartare, rice and gochujang. There’s plenty on their beverage list worth talking about, too, including a date latte you won’t find anywhere else.
115 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Mr Lee’s Food
Pork soups, radish kimchi and steamed rice are king at Mr Lee’s Food. If you’re feeling adventurous, order up on their combination soup featuring intestines, pork slices and soondae, their housemade Korean blood sausage.
5 Old Lilydale Rd, Ringwood East VIC 3135 and Shop 1/535 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Seven Star Pocha
If you want reliable Korean street food that transports you to the busy streets of Myeongdong – Seven Star Pocha does it. Bubbling pots of army stew to morsels of raw marinated crab squeezed direct from the shell are great places to start at this restaurant in the heart of Melbourne’s Koreatown.
Shop H/535 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000 and 113 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Charm Melbourne
If you’re on Instagram and you like Korean food, there’s a good chance you’ve come across Charm’s lunch sets. You know the one, where you pick your main and the team handle the rest. Delicious side dishes and snacky plates are decided for you, and might or might not include raw marinated salmon and prawn, dressed seasonal vegetables, or pudding puddings on any one day.
146 Toorak Rd, South Yarra VIC 3141
Migak
Step into this Oakleigh hotspot and square up with Migak’s takeaway fridge. That’s how it usually goes here: you walk in for a meal, and then you walk out arms full of banchan. There’s mayak eggs, pickled Korean mountain garlic leaves, raw salted squid, eight kinds of kimchi – and a fridge full of Korean delights that you might not have heard of before.
3 Eskay Rd, Oakleigh South VIC 3167
Surasang
‘Surasang’ refers to the food served to royalty, and that’s what the team brings to the table. It’s Korean soup galore here – and if you’re only ordering one, make sure it’s their spin on a big, brothy bowl of soondae soup.
55-59 A’Beckett St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Chae
If you’ve been trying to get a reservation at Chae for years, you’re not alone. The two-hatted Korean fine dining spot is famous for a reason, where chef Chae highlights traditional Korean fermentation methods to make her own condiments like doenjang and gochujang. It’s homestyle Korean cuisine from the comfort of her Cockatoo home.
33 Mountain Rd, Cockatoo VIC 3781
Doju
At this Korean fine diner in the city, lights hang alongside blocks of fermented soybean from the ceiling. At Doju, dishes hum with patience, pride and serious umami. The proof? It’s in the pudding, or at least in the black garlic and mushroom tteokbokki with black truffle.
530 Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Wagyu Table
It’s no surprise that there’s wagyu on the table at this Lygon Street barbecue – it’s their specialty, after all. Wagyu Table’s all you can eat affair is all yours starting at $44.90.
121 Lygon St, Brunswick East VIC 3057
Bornga
Celebrity chef and noodle mogul Paik Jong Won has restaurants all around the world, so it’s no surprise he’s backing Bornga, too. This Korean barbecue heavyweight is known for their specially marinated sliced beef brisket, woo-samgyup, that revolutionised Korean barbecue everywhere – order it direct from the source at this Little Bourke Street locale.
Level 1/178 Little Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Mansae
“Mansae” is an exclamation of joy and celebration in Korean, and you’ll be celebrating the quality and value of meats and dishes at this spot. This Korean barbecue restaurant does things a little differently to most and grill everything for you. Right now, they’ll grate truffle on almost anything you order – best taken with their yukhoe, and surprisingly, their cheesecake.
12/2 Burwood Hwy, Burwood East VIC 3151 and 16 Dhanga Djeembana Walk, Melbourne VIC 3000
By Lauren Liao