From sizzling barbecues to savoury stews and spicy kimchi, Abu Dhabi’s Korean restaurants offer a cuisine that’s steeped in tradition and innovation.

Whether you’re craving the fiery heat of gochujang or a comforting bibimbap, these 10 eateries promise a meal you won’t easily forget.

Time Out Abu Dhabi reviews anonymously and pays for all its meals. For more on the review process click here.

These are the must-try Korean spots, as revealed by the Time Out Abu Dhabi Restaurant Awards 2024.

The best Korean restaurants in Abu Dhabi

WINNER

NURI Grill & Bar

Perhaps the finest Korean restaurant in town for you to salivate over, Nuri is a sizzling Korean steakhouse that offers prime cuts of meat, chic interiors, a stylish bar and even karaoke rooms where you can sing to your heart’s content after a few mixed drinks.

Before that you’ll want to get stuck into its highest quality, and ethically-raised, cuts of meat, with an emphasis on wet-ageing to really make the meat stand out from the crowd. Order à la carte or opt for the omakase menu which will leave the selection up to the chefs. The choice is yours.

Licensed. Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island, @nurigrillbar (054 211 5151).

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Hansik Korean Restaurant

For reliable, tasty and casual Korean food at excellent prices, be sure to add Hansik Korean Restaurant to your must-try list. Popular with both residents of Al Raha Beach and those who come in from further afield for a mid-week meal or weekend catch-up with mates, the kimchi is a particular stand-out dish, as are the bulgogi and the dumplings.

Licensed. Al Raha Beach (054 767 3797).

Mr Kim

The perfect spot to grab something delicious before a show at Etihad Arena or after an action-packed day at Yas Island’s many theme parks, Mr Kim is Yas Mall’s first fully licensed restaurant, so it’s already off to a great start.

Specialising in steak, it’s a bit of a no-brainer why this is such a popular dining spot with its selection of fine Wagyu cuts – from the impeccable Japanese A5, Australian MB9+, to the robust USDA prime. There are non-Wagyu cuts for those on a smaller budget too, as well as other dishes inspired by chef Kim’s nostalgia of his youth spent in the Kangnam-gu neighbourhood of Seoul. Definitely worth the hype.

Licensed. Yas Mall, @mrkim.ae (050 977 2772).

SHORTLISTED

BonGa Restaurant

With Korean food a growing commodity in Abu Dhabi, it’s no surprise that everyone is hotfooting it to BonGa right now. A casual and cosy eatery with few frills, emphasis here on good food and great service, with friendly waiters serving everything from beef short ribs and hot pots to Korean fried chicken and bibimbap – a delicacy involving a meat or vegetable base with rice, a cracked egg and finished off with some spicy chilli paste.

It also happens to be located just across the road from a Korean supermarket so if you’re feeling inspired, you can take some bits and bobs home with you too.

Unlicensed. Mussafah, bongauae.com (02 558 7743).

Hankook Korean Restaurant

The enveloping smell of smoky Korean flavours at the door of Hankook Korean Restaurant is enough to seduce you immediately. With a prime downtown location, getting here is a piece of cake, yet even if it was on the moon we reckon we’d make the effort for its delicious noodles, kimchi and the like. Base yourself in a private booth, on the floor with friends or in the main restaurant and prepare to be blown away.

Unlicensed. Al Nahyan, @hankook_restaurant (02 642 3399).

Korean Bowl Restaurant

Home of bulgogi and bibimbap, kimchi and tteokbokki, Korea is quite the foodie hotspot. You can find it all and then some at Korean Bowl Restaurant, a laidback spot that gets rave reviews from its regulars.

While it may not be fine dining, chefs here are extra passionate about their work, resulting in dishes that come packed with flavour and won’t have you living on beans on toast until payday. We highly recommend coming with all your friends and ordering everything on the menu to share.

Unlicensed. Al Danah (02 675 2562).

Korean Kitchen

It will be love at first scent as soon as you step inside Korean Kitchen in Najda, a fast food joint that tastes anything but. Run by Korean entrepreneurs who want to recreate and introduce locals to some of their favourite native dishes, everything from the fried chicken to the spicy chicken rice packs a decent punch, which should definitely be enjoyed alongside an order of glass noodles. You heard it here first.

Unlicensed. Najda, @koreankitchen_abudhabi (02 444 4898).

Madang Korean Restaurant

A culinary journey right into the heart of Seoul, K-food lovers will swoon at pretty much everything on the menu at Madang Korean Restaurant. Found down at Al Ghazal Golf Club, it has built an impressive reputation as the place to go for authentic Korean food without pretence, with a lovely outdoor terrace that gets packed in winter.

Dive straight into some Korean fried chicken before ordering different meats to cook on your very own barbecue. It’s a communal and humble experience, and one you could easily find yourself returning to time and time again.

Unlicensed. Al Ghazal Golf Club, @madanguae (056 327 5999).

Mukbang Shows Restaurant

All-you-can-eat Korean buffet? You don’t have to tell us twice. Fill your plate with all the Korean grill classics like marinated beef, chicken, shrimp, squid and fish, with plenty of other seafood dishes that also hit the spot. There’s an à la carte menu too, as well as lots of sides and sauces to choose from, but just make sure you leave room for bubble tea and bingsu – a shaved ice dessert that lives rent-free in our minds.

Unlicensed. Electra Street, mukbangshow.ae (02 564 0446).

TAON

Flaunting an effortlessly cool and contemporary interior, TAON was one of the first fine dining Korean restaurants to hit our sandy shores.

Traditional to a tee – so much so that staff even come dressed in traditional Korean hanbok garments – the menu here is as exciting as it is vast, with top recommendations including the tangy and spicy kimchi, bulgogi, Korean fried chicken and a whole range of barbecue, plus what is up there with our favourite bibimbap in the capital. Trust us, that is no easy feat.

Licensed. Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche, taonkoreanrestaurant.com (058 682 0030).