Along with the recent Korean Wave – the K-dramas and K-pop, Korean food has also garnered a lot of attention and gained significant popularity. Little do people know that there is a relatively large population of Korean expats here in Malaysia (especially around Ampang and Mont Kiara areas). To save you from the inconvenience of trial and error, here are 8 most authentic AND delicious Korean restaurants in KL that you absolutely cannot miss out on.
1. Seoul Korea Restaurant, Taman Danau Desa
source: kampungboycitygal
This restaurant is so popular that you would often have to wait in line for a solid hour before getting a seat. Though, the wait is certainly worth it. This restaurant, unlike many, provides a significantly LARGER variety of banchan (small side dishes) that are refillable.
source: food 2 buzz
Their specialty is none other than the barbecue. The samgyeopsal (pork belly) and galbi (ribs) will leave you asking for more. They also offer other ala carte dishes like the tteokbokki or japchae that tastes finger-licking good too! To top it all off, this restaurant is fairly reasonably priced.
Address: No 1-1, Plaza Danau 2, 2, Jalan 4/109f, Taman Danau Desa, 58100 Kuala Lumpur
2. Chung Gung Korean Chinese Restaurant, Ampang
Yes, Korean Chinese food! The fusion is a completely different set of cuisine as compared to our local Chinese food. Their most popular dishes are the jajangmyeon (black soybean paste noodles), jjambbong (spicy seafood noodle soup) and tangsooyook (fried pork with sweet and sour sauce).
source: city lights
source: malaysian foodie
Chung Gung specifically sells these Korean Chinese dishes and they sure are DAMN GOOD at it. They probably have one of the most authentic delicious jajangmyeon you can ever get in Malaysia. Their dishes are heavenly AND at a great price too!
Address: C6-, C7-, D.E Malaysia, 1, Jalan 1, One Ampang Avenue, 68000 Ampang Jaya
3. Sae Ma Eul BBQ, Solaris Mont Kiara
This outdoor restaurant is always packed to the brim, for good reasons of course. Their most popular barbecue orders are jjuggumi sutbul galbi (baby octopus), mok sal (pork shoulder) and gochujang samgyeopsal (gochujang marinated pork belly) which you can barbecue yourself. Another signature of theirs is also the jumoekbab (rice balls), where you will be given a large portion of ingredients along with a pair of plastic gloves, and you are expected to roll these rice balls yourself.
source: spicy sharon
source: gwendaline
Food here tastes absolutely delicious and also very reasonably priced. Their baby octopus barbecue is a must try! Unfortunately they don’t do reserves as there are always way too many customers. So come early to save yourself a spot!
Address: 1, Jalan Solaris 4, Solaris Mont Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur
4. Gangnam 88 Korean Restaurant, Solaris Mont Kiara & Sunway Giza Mall
source: lurvethelife
With a cool, young and lively ambiance, this restaurant doesn’t disappoint. Their signature dish is certainly the beer chicken which you are advised to reserve beforehand as it takes about an hour to prepare.
Some of their other popular dishes are the rabbokggi (tteokbokki with ramen), naksam bulgogi (baby octopus and pork belly) and samgyeopsal (BBQ pork belly). Order any meat dishes and you will get a complimentary steamed egg too!
Address: No 1-1, Jalan Solalis 3, Solaris Mont Kiara Off Jalan Kira, 50480 Kuala Lumpur
5. Hanwoori Korean Restaurant, Ampang
source: eatisdaisai
With its bright, chic, wooden and white interior, Hanwoori is always packed with hungry patrons. They are most well-known for their variety of barbecue meats which you get to cook yourself, for instance the delicious Jumulleok (marinated beef steak), samgyeopsal (pork belly) and other marinated pork.
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Though slightly pricier than others, this place is certainly worth its price.
Address: 1, Jalan Ampang Utama 1/1, Taman Ampang Utama, 68000 Ampang
6. Jung Won Korean BBQ Restaurant, Jalan Ampang
If you’re looking for a nice affordable Korean BBQ place with a beautiful ambiance, Jung Won is highly recommended. They have lovely traditional-looking outdoor seating – perfect for a nice chill for dinner. With a good amount of banchan served and a complimentary Korean rice barley drink, this restaurant serves a wide variety of barbecue meats, one of their signatures being the duck barbecue.
Source: tripadvisor
source: queeniequinz
Definitely try their popular haemul pajeon (seafood Korean pancake) too!
Address: 255, Jalan Ampang, Ampang Hilir, 50450 Kuala Lumpur
7. Kyochon 1991
Kyochon is one of South Korea’s biggest fried chicken chain and has conquered many other countries like U.S., Indonesia and China. They offer Korean fried chicken with various flavors – Soy Sauce, Honey, Red Spicy and many more.
source: 猪仔食记
You get to choose the size of your chicken, and whether you want it boneless or otherwise. Their fried chicken tastes nothing like others, ultra-crispy on the outside, and perfectly tender on the inside, Kyochon offers fried chicken that are tastily marinated with various sauces. Definitely a must try.
They have various outlets throughout KL so you can find out where they are here.
8. Paniya Korean Restaurant, Solaris Mont Kiara
source: taufulou
Usually visited by Korean customers, this restaurant is popular for their stir fry dishes, for instance the kong sam (pork belly and bean sprouts on griddle), oh sam (squid and pork belly on griddle), and dak galbi (pan fried chicken with cabbage).
source: malaysia most wanted food
You get to choose to add cheese or ramen sari or rice in it to stir fry. They would usually come with a free flow of seaweed soup. Plus, the prices here are fairly reasonable too.
Address: Jalan Solaris 2, Solaris Mont Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur
