Korean Restaurants in Melbourne Korean Restaurants in Melbourne

Head out and try K-Pot or ramen and tteokbokki stew at Melbourne's best Korean restaurants.

Melbourne's unofficial Koreatown is on Healeys Lane, Melbourne | Map

Korean Restaurants

Hansang
Hansang means "a table full of food" in Korean. Its philosophy is to give our customers a table full of healthy, clean and homely authentic Korean food to enjoy. ***** July 2023
349 King St, West Melbourne. (03) 9995-0867

Chimac
Like LA's Kogi Food Truck (started by Roy Choi) phenomenon, Chimac offers Mexican-Korean mash-ups. A ''Ta-Kor'' (Korean taco) may come filled with bulgogi and a quesadilla with kimchi. Other good drinking food includes K-classics like fried chicken and seafood pancake.
Shop 1, 39-47 Peel Street, West Melbourne, 9939 5916

Gami Chicken & Beer
Like it says on the can, there's chicken and there's beer. Most people come after they've been sinking soju. Then, after a cleansing beer and half a crisp-fried chook (the Korean equivalent of a late-night souvlaki), they sing their hearts out at a nearby karaoke bar.
Shop G, 535 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, 9671 3232. Also at 100 Little Lonsdale Street & basement, 26 King Street, Melbourne.

Joomak
Barely signed and hard to find, Joomak is a den of good times. ''Team Joomak'' staff rush rice-wine or soju cocktails to gangs of young (mostly) Koreans perched on industrial-reel stools or bunched into booths. Gnocchi-like rice cake with seafood, cheese, and more cheese, is a gloopy godsend after the fifth cocktail. Or have your share of pancakes (including a crisp, tasty kimchi version), soups and spicy pan-fried pork or squid.
Basement, 407-409 Swanston Street, Melbourne, 9663 7123.

Guhng
Also known as ''the Palace'', Guhng has four distinct levels. From the padded booths at lower-ground level through the more formal main dining area at ground and above, Guhng is more special than everyday. Its speciality is tabletop charcoal barbecue (maybe Australian wagyu) and traditional dishes like beef rib stew with house-made soy sauce and soybean paste hotpot with vegetables.
19 McKillop Street, Melbourne, 9041 2192.

Chick-In
Hunkered down a narrow walkway, Chick-in is younger sibling to Richmond's Seoul Soul. It's all share tables, concrete walls, loud music and Korean-fusion food. As the name suggests, fried chicken is its thing - crisp, boneless morsels that go down like popcorn. Have it with a basket of fries topped with braised chicken, kimchi, cheese and sour cream. Have it late; with beer.
G23, 620 Collins Street, Melbourne, 9973 6244.

Melbourne Bornga
This traditional restaurant represents the cuisine's many guises. Formerly Myeong ga-Madang, Bornga has the same owners, same chef, but a slightly different menu including some Chinese dishes. Bornga has crisp, savoury pancakes, mandu (dumplings) and table-top cooking. There's a karaoke bar next door.
Level 1, 258 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne 9663 1112.

Gangnam Pocha
An innocent night out could easily turn into a party at Gangnam Pocha. It's open till 2am every night, fizzes with K-pop, and has a liquor list that's almost as long as its hours. The drinks are sometimes in the food as well, like a rice-wine sorbet. Otherwise, the menu's mostly traditional Korean; there's bibimbap with a crunchy base, crisp pancakes, and budae jjigae - kimchi, ham, cheese and noodle stew - a result of US Army influences since the war.
141 Bourke Street, Melbourne, 9078 8882.

Paik's Pan
Tucked away in Melbourne's unofficial Korea town on Healeys Lane is Paik's Pan - an authentic Korean joint that packs quite the punch. The hero on the menu is dakgalbi - a spicy chicken stir-fry dish - but there are plenty of other options to choose from. Go for soupy shabu shabu or rabokki - a hearty stew with ramen noodles and tteokbokki (rice cakes). This is a hands-on dining experience, so roll up your sleeves and get cooking. Hot tip: order a round of tangy and slightly sweet makgeolli cocktails to quench your thirst.
15 Healeys Ln, Melbourne, 9738 9058

Khaosan Lane
Named after a popular street in Bangkok, new Thai bbq joint Khaosan Lane is the place to go for steaming seafood hot pots, sizzling cook-your-own meat and giant fruity cocktails served in jugs. Stretching down a hidden laneway and lined with rainbow-coloured string lights, the atmosphere is more South East Asia than it is Melbourne. To add to the party vibes, live music kicks off at 8.30pm every night.
Enter via Postal Lane, 350 Bourke St Shop G25 Melbourne, 9121 8089

Khao Man Gai
A new family-run Thai chicken rice shop has just opened on one of Melbourne's most iconic foodie streets. Head to Khao Man Gai on Hardware Lane for an authentic South East Asian street food experience. Choose from eight super aromatic chicken rice dishes - either fried or steamed. Each one is lovingly served with fermented soybean sauce, chilli and broth. Don't forget to add a Thai milk tea on the side for a sugar kick.
Shop AB, 389 Lonsdale St, Melbourne, 9600 640

One Point
If we're to give you one piece of advice before visiting One Point, it's to come with a hefty appetite. The portions are more than generous at this Hong Kong-style hot pot restaurant so rally up the troops for a dining experience like no other. Choose from fish, chicken or mushroom broth then add your vegies, tofu, seafood and meat to your simmering pot and dig in. Feeling fancy? Treat yourself to perfectly-marbled Wagyu or spanner crab.
3-5 Waratah Pl, Melbourne, 9663 3210

Sevenstar Pocha Chinatown
True K-food heads will be thrilled to see heaping bowls of seafood stew, spam-loaded dishes and spicy chicken feet. Not so game? Fried chicken, Korean BBQ and fun butter beer cocktails are on the menu, too.
Shop h/535 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne, 0433 770 642

Cambodia's Kitchen
Wander in after work for hearty beef broth stew, served with melt-in-the-mouth brisket and chewy egg noodles. Or try the signature 'ka thiew' - a clear bone broth with rice noodles and tender pieces of pork. Planning a fun date night? The Cambodian-style hotpot is a no-brainer. Feast on juicy sliced beef, fish cakes, lush leafy greens, bean curd, enoki mushrooms and more for just $45 per couple!
175 Russell St, Melbourne. 7003 4349

Paik's Noodle
Iconic South Korean chef Jong-won Paik has opened his first Australian outpost of the hugely popular Paik's Noodle franchise. It's right near Sukbong, Sinjeon and Kono Karaoke in what's fast becoming Melbourne's own Korea-town. Try flaming 'gochu jajang', a chilli-spiked black bean broth rich with umami flavour. Or slurp up bowls of jjamppong, the cult-status seafood noodle bowl you would have seen on countless K-dramas.
470 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne. 9583 3999

One Plus Piece
After all, why shouldn't there be an oddly chic, anime-themed burger and milkshake bar hidden in Melbourne Central? One Plus Piece is the name of the treasure, and the menu is a certified banger. Try sushi burgers stacked with fried chicken, maple bacon loaded fries, black sesame mochi milkshakes and so much more. Including unique drops like cheese coffee!
Shop17, LG, Melbourne Central, 300 Lonsdale St, Melbourne

Lim Kopi
Melbourne is made for noodles, and no new menu is more promising than Lim Kopi. Classic dishes like char kway teow and laksa are served in huge steamy bowls, with juicy blood cockles an authentic optional extra. Chewy steamed rice noodle rolls and fried chicken nasi lemak are also in high supply. Treat yourself to a fan-fave iced coffee with condensed milk (Kopi Peng) for the full Malaysian diner experience.
542 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne. 0452 642 883

Out of town

Heartling
Melbourne's most exclusive dumpling restaurant has arrived. With space for just eight diners, you'll feel very special when you nab a seat at Heartling. The focus here is on 'slow' dining - a meditative food experience that allows you to savour every flavour. Choose the seafood or plant-based menu, then indulge in a series of hand-crafted, heart-shaped dumplings. Splurge on dessert, you won't be disappointed.
32 Tom Thumb Lane, Docklands. 0414 329 327

Towoo
Traditional Korean barbecue meets modern Melbourne. Family owners include an interior designer, an artist and a chef, who have combined to create a sleek space where individual hwaros (little footed coal-carrying grills) are brought to the table, and your choice of marinated meat sizzles. The pork set is the go-to, with six curls of differently marinated belly, plus tasty fried starters, and banchan.
603 Whitehorse Road, Surrey Hills, 9846 0445.

Woo Ga
Woo Ga is one of a handful of traditional barbecue restaurants opposite Queen Victoria Market - perhaps Melbourne's closest thing to a Koreatown. It's wall-to-wall wood-panelling, with black exhausts to whisk away any sauna sensation. Set-meal ''combos'' offer full-immersion with at least three cuts of beef, rice, soup and sides.
270 Victoria Street, North Melbourne, 9328 1221.

Bistro K
A contemporary restaurant-bar in an accessible, industrial, bare-brick setting, Bistro K fuses Euro and Korean. Expect things like sous-vide pork belly with soy-citron sauce, served with apple and kimchi chips, and salmon bibimbap topped with a poached egg. At the bar, soju-based cocktails, and beers.
366 Smith Street, Collingwood, 9973 6055.

Mrs Kim's BBQ
Each table at Mrs Kim's has its own gas grill. Staff spark 'em up and when the grill is hot, sizzle and turn various cuts of meat for you. The kalbi (beef ribs) are traditional long strips of rib meat (no bones) marinated in soy and garlic. Other menu items (smoked salmon salad, tomato and avocado salsa) are more modern-Melbourne in style.
136 Koornang Road, Carnegie, 9563 4424.

Moroccan Soup Bar
Don't cry because it's over, laugh because it's reopened in North Melbourne! This vegetarian dining icon is back with new digs on Boundary Road. And all your foodie faves are still on the menu. Like chickpea bake, harissa sauce sensations and minted yoghurt drenched zucchini pilaf. Finish on a sweet note with the lightly scented orange and rose cake.
47-51 Boundary Rd, North Melbourne, 0403 315 559

Cassette
On a quiet Kensington corner is where you'll find Cassette. Designed by Six Degrees Architects, the light-filled space is a glorious mix of terrazzo tile, raw metals and chic furnishings. But it's not just a pretty face. Cassette is a zero waste venue that uses GreenPower energy and an onsite bio-composter. So feel good about feasting on coffee bacon steak, kimchi and potato rosti, labneh granola and deli sandwiches.
399 Macaulay Rd, Kensington. 9070 0999

Glossary

Bap - Cooked rice and other grains

Doenjang - A pungent brown paste made with fermented soybeans

Dubu - Korean tofu

Gochujang - A thick, red paste made with chillies

Jjigae - A stew with vegetables, meat and tofu, in a broth usually flavoured with gochujang or doenjang

Jorim - Vegetables, meat and tofu simmered in a seasoned broth

Kimchi - Spicy or sour fermented vegetables, such as cabbage and radish

Namul - Lightly cooked and seasoned vegetables, such as spinach and bean sprouts

Ssam - To be wrapped, usually in leafy greens

Ssamjang - A mixture of doenjang and gochujang pastes, used in wraps

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