From BBQ to bibimbap: 14 of the best Korean restaurants in Sydney
Selection of dishes at Sang by Mabasa, Surry Hills
Crispy fried chicken, sizzling meats on the grill, funky fermented flavours – there's a lot to love about Korean cuisine. Sink your teeth into it at these Sydney restaurants.
- 5 min read
Soul Dining
Where: CBD
The first Korean restaurant in Sydney to be awarded a Chef’s Hat, Soul Dining paved the way for the new crop of Korean fine dining restaurants in the city. The menu changes seasonally, though you can always expect the signature claypot rice with Glacier 51 toothfish, which is cooked to order. If you can’t decide, the 10-course tasting menu will introduce you to the best dishes.
Soul Dining, Sydney - Credit: Jiwon Kim
Sang by Mabasa
Where: Surry Hills
Sang by Mabasa is all about simplicity. A tiny restaurant and bar in Surry Hills, it aims to give Sydneysiders a different interpretation of Korean cuisine, taking traditional recipes and refining them. Everything from the dining room itself to the cutlery and plating is simple yet stunning. Sang is a family-run affair and you’ll be made to feel like one of the clan as soon as you sit down.
Sang by Mabasa, Surry Hills
Allta
Where: CBD
Awarded two Chef’s Hats just weeks after it opened in late 2024, Allta is one of Sydney’s best (and most expensive) new restaurants. There are just 12 seats curved around an open kitchen, so you can watch the chefs creating mouthfuls of magic. The 15-course menu will set you back more than $300 per person, though for this you can expect elevated Korean gastronomy unlike anything else in the city.
Allta, Sydney - Credit: Nathan Page @nshot.creative
Hansang Haymarket
Where: Chinatown
It’s easy to find Hansang restaurant – just look for the huge queue out the door. The second outpost of this popular Korean diner (the first is in Strathfield) promises traditional, home-style cooking. The specialty is authentic sagol-gukmul, a rich soup where the broth is simmered for three days to create a incredible depth of flavour. There are more than 20 to try on the menu.
Hansang, Haymarket - Credit: Hansang Haymarket
King Clarence
Where: CBD
The Bentley Group is best known for its fine dining restaurants, but King Clarence takes a decidedly more relaxed approach. Blending Korean, Japanese and Chinese influences, the menu puts a fun spin on classic dishes (with the occasional touch of Vegemite) with share plates, dumplings, a raw section and live seafood from the tank.
King Clarence, Sydney - Credit: King Clarence
Janchi Korean Grill
Where: Narellan
The Korean word ‘jan-chi’ means a banquet enjoyed with family and friends, and that’s exactly what you can expect at Janchi Korean Grill, just 10 minutes from Camden. Wagyu, beef short rib, pork ribs, pork belly, lamb loin chop, marinated chicken and scallops are presented raw for you to grill on the traditional Korean barbecue. The sides are just as good: kimchi, shallot salad, corn cheese, radish wraps and seaweed rice balls.
Janchi Korean Grill, Camden
NeNe Chicken
Where: multiple locations
There are more than 1,000 NeNe Chicken stores in South Korea. They brought their beloved recipes to Australia in 2016 and have since expanded across the country, with eight stores in Sydney alone including on George Street in the CBD, Parramatta, Macquarie Park and Campbelltown. Crisp batter, saucy sauces and authentic Korean flavours (like bulgogi or snowing cheese) make it some of the best fried chicken you’ll ever eat.
NeNe Chicken, Sydney - Credit: Griffin Simm
Matkim
Where: CBD
With just eight seats, dining at Matkim is an intimate experience and guarantees a front row seat to the chefs at work. The 15-course omakase-style menu is divided into the four elements featured on the Korean flag (Air, Water, Earth and Fire) and uses the best Australian ingredients combined with refined Korean techniques. Expect exceptional service, theatrical flare (like selecting petit fours from an antique jewel box) and a night you’ll never forget.
Matkim, Sydney - Credit: Matkim
Jiho Hanbang Samgyetang
Where: Chinatown
There are at least 95 Jiho Hanbang Samgyetang restaurants across Korea and in early 2025 its first Australian outpost opened in the heart of Sydney’s Chinatown. Samgyetang is a restorative ginseng and chicken soup and there are eight versions on offer here. They are all packed with medicinal ingredients like jujube fruit, deer antler, goji berries, liquorice and black garlic, claiming to address everything from cancer to fatigue and even improve beauty.
Late Night Table
Where: North Strathfield
Authentic and unassuming, there are two house specialties at Late Night Table – makgeolli (rice wine) sweetened with chunks of honeycomb and daechang (grilled large intestine). If you’re not feeling brave enough for the intestines, the Korean fried chicken is also delicious. The restaurant is an icon amongst those in the know and you can expect a long line out the door most nights. And as the name suggests, you can grab dinner here until midnight.
Late Night Table, North Strathfield - Credit: Late Night Table
KOGI Korean BBQ
Where: Haymarket
Found in Haymarket’s bustling Market City, generous portions and an ever-changing menu of side dishes (meaning you can try something new each time you visit) make KOGI Korean BBQ a standout Korean barbecue option. That and its fascinating history: Donald Bae, the founder, was the first person to bring the concept of Korean barbecue to Australia in 1992. Highlight dishes include marinated beef ribs, spicy pork bulgogi, topokki and the seafood pancake.
KOGI Korean BBQ, Haymarket
Myeong Dong
Where: Strathfield
Banchan are delicious side dishes served with rice and an essential part of any Korean meal. Myeong Dong makes some of the best banchan in the business. There will be more than a dozen on the menu at a time and they rotate regularly, but expect things like radish kimchi, simmered lotus roots, mung bean jelly, soy bean sprout, fish cake slices and more. It’s cheap and cheerful eating you'll keep coming back for.
Manseok
Where: Lidcombe
Be transported to the streets of Korea at Manseok, a traditional diner specialising in classic pocha (street food) dishes like kimchi and seafood pancakes, pork bulgogi, beef intestines and, of course, KFC – Korean fried chicken. Bring a group so you can order a bit of everything, take a seat under the fairy lights and red sashes, and feel like you’re in Seoul.
Manseok, Lidcombe - Credit: Manseok
Sunday Seoul
Where: Chatswood
A little slice of Seoul on the North Shore, Sunday Seoul is a retro-inspired bar and restaurant decked out with kitschy decorations, antique furniture and vintage Korean magazine posters. There are just a dozen or so interesting dishes on offer, like the Korean-Italian fusion spicy tomato mussel stew with optional pasta, a whole deep-fried chicken and a gochujang soup with spam. After dinner, explore the excellent drinks list – it’s open until 1am on the weekends.
