
The official designation of Melbourne’s own Koreatown simply confirms what any local foodie could tell you: there’s a truly spectacular lineup of Korean restaurants in the city that’ll feed any craving. Whether you follow the smell of a smoky Korean BBQ down a hidden laneway, or find warmth in a hearty bowl of noodles with a side of kimchi on a cold winter’s day, we’re here to help you dive into the wonders of Korean cuisine in the city. Melbourne’s array of Korean restaurants that will fill you with heaps of barbecued meats, gimbap, and tteokbokki, and crank up the heat if you so desire. Here are some of our favourite Korean restaurants in Melbourne that serve proper Seoul food.
1. Hwaro Korean BBQ Restaurant
Hwaro Korean BBQ first came to Melbourne in 2006, introducing hungry foodies to the wonders of Korean charcoal BBQ. Order individual meats, like Wagyu beef, galbi, and pork belly, or choose a set to try a bit of everything. On top of the BBQ, there’s also classic dishes like kimchi pancake, bibimbap and army stew to enjoy. Pair it with soju, makgeolli, wine and more for a good time.
📍 562 Little Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000
⏰ Open 5:30-10pm (Sun-Thu), 5:30-11pm (Fri & Sat)
2. Hansang
Another great Korean restaurant in Melbourne’s CBD, Hansang boasts great side dishes and a braised pork dish that keeps visitors coming back for more. A stylish yet simple spot, imagine your friendly neighbourhood ajumma cooking up a feast, and you’ll have a decent idea of what to expect.
📍 347/349 King St, West Melbourne VIC 3003
⏰ Open 11:30am-3pm & 5:30-9:30pm every day
3. ChangGo Korean BBQ
Journey through the oversized, wooden arch doors and enter ChangGo Korean BBQ, where generous portion sizes await you. This Korean restaurant serves a vast range of meats, including no fewer than eight kinds of marinated pork belly. Indulge in shared dishes like cheese tteokbokki and crunchy kimchi seafood pancake, and stay warm with a wide range of soups, whilst a Vegan BBQ Combo features marinated plant-based mince to grill, veggie tofu soybean hot pot and rice. ChangGo only accepts walk-ins, so if you’re keen for a feed, be sure to show up early for some of the best Korean BBQ in Melbourne.
📍 70 Little La Trobe St, Melbourne VIC 3000
⏰ Open 4:30-11pm (Mon-Thu), 11:30am-3pm & 4:30pm-12am (Fri & Sat), closed Sundays
4. Paik’s Noodle
Acclaimed Korean chef Paik Jong-won brought his famous noodles to Melbourne, and now operates Korean restaurants in Melbourne’s CBD, Glen Waverley and Caulfield. Discover a harmonious blend of fermented Korean flavours and Chinese-style stir-fry at Paik’s Noodle, and slurp your way through dishes like like jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles) and jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup). If you don’t feel like noodles, there’s also sweet and sour pork, fried chicken and beef fried rice. Just around the corner from the CBD venue is Paik’s BBQ, where you can grill up a storm.
📍 470 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000
⏰ Open 11:30am-3pm every day, and 5-9pm (Mon-Thu) or 5-9:30pm (Fri-Sun)
5. Guhng The Palace
Dine like royalty at Guhng The Palace. One of many excellent Korean restaurants tucked between Little Collins Street and Bourke Street, there’s four storeys of charcoal BBQ grilling to experience here. Diners can cook wagyu cube roll, bulgogi and marinated chicken thigh fillets on the sizzling grill, and enjoy stone-bowl bibimbap with fragrant purple rice. Don’t miss their Korean fried chicken, and for drinks, there are cracking soju cocktails on top of the beer, wine and spirits to try. Bookings are highly recommended.
📍 19 McKillop St, Melbourne VIC 3000
⏰ Open 5:30-10pm (Sun – Thurs), 5:30-10:30pm (Fri & Sat)
6. Mansae Korean BBQ
‘Mansae’ comes from the Korean equivalent of ‘Hip Hip Hooray!’, and that sense of joy is exactly what you’ll feel at Mansae Korean BBQ. Feast on Australian wagyu beef and free range prime pork at this casual restaurant. The wagyu beef belly and thinly sliced ox tongue are standout options, and pair great with the spread of banchan — small side dishes — to go along with your main. Add on dishes like tteokbokki, corn cheese, naengmyeon and more for a hearty feast. Mansae has two Melbourne Korean restaurants, one in the CBD and one in Burwood East.
📍 16 Dhanga Djeembana Walk, Melbourne VIC 3000 & Shop 12/2 Burwood Hwy, Burwood East VIC 3151
⏰ The CBD venue is open 5-10pm (Sun – Thurs), 5-11pm (Fri & Sat), whilst Burwood is open 5-10pm every day except Tuesday, and also from 12-3pm on weekends
7. By Korea
You can find this hidden gem in a laneway just off Chinatown. By Korea is a small and bustling venue serving up generous and well-priced dishes that will get you through the day. The beef bulgogi or stir fried kimchi and pork come well-recommended, but there’s also bibimbap, fried chicken, stew and tteokbokki, along with the excellent vegetarian mushroom japchae.
📍 7 Tattersalls Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000
⏰ Open 11:30am-10pm (Sun – Thurs), 11:30am-10:30pm (Fri & Sat)
8. Jang Gun CBD Korean Restaurant
Find authentic Korean cuisine made with homemade recipes at Jang Gun CBD. Located on Healey’s Lane in the city’s Koreatown, this popular spot is known for generous serving sizes that will satisfy your cravings. Warm up with their tantalising yukgaejang soup, and choose your spice level in dishes like chicken bulgogi. Jang Gun CBD accepts walk-ins only, and since it’s open until 2am on weekends, it’s one of the best late-night spots for when hunger strikes after a night out.
📍 3/21 Healeys Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000
⏰ Open 5pm-12:30am (Sun – Thurs), 5pm-2am (Fri & Sat)
9. Yoon’s Kitchen
At Yoon’s Kitchen, chefs are known to boil beef bones for hours to create a hearty bone broth. So, it stands to reason that you can’t miss their signature spicy beef soup and beef bone soup, whilst the spicy seafood tofu soup, ginseng chicken soup and hot pot will suit you nicely too. If you’re not craving soup, opt for fried chicken or tteokbokki, and get a little more hands-on by ordering the DIY rice balls to shape your own snack.
📍 205-207 Russell St, Melbourne VIC 3000 and 552 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000
⏰ Open 5:30-10pm (Sun – Thurs), 5:30-11pm (Fri & Sat)
10. Bornga Korean Restaurant
Nestled in the heart of Chinatown, you’ll find Bornga. This storied venue first opened in Gangnam in 1993, and is now delighting Melburnian foodies with an authentic Korean dining experience. Make sure you try their signature dish, the Woo-Samgyup: beef brisket sliced against the grain and lightly marinated with a special sauce. Other fan-favourite dishes include pork belly with traditional fermented sauce, wagyu chuck roll, kimchi stew and seafood pancake.
📍 Level 1/178 Little Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000
⏰ Open 4:30-11pm (Mon, Weds, Thu), 4:30-10:30pm (Tue), 11:30am-3pm & 4:30-11pm (Fri), 11:30am-11pm (Sat), and 11:30am-10:30pm (Sun)
11. Jang Go Mama
Craving gimbap? Visit Jang Go Mama, a family-run venue, for all your Korean street food needs. There’s heaps of premium gimbap for you to try, with flavours like ham, kimchi, tuna, vegetable, chicken, spicy dry squid and more. There’s also kimchi dumpling soup, tteokbokki, cold noodles and plenty more, and since it’s centrally located and open during lunchtimes, it’s a great Korean restaurant for those working in the CBD.
📍 147 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000
⏰ Open 12-4pm & 5:30-9pm (Mon-Sat), closed on Sundays
12. Woodo Korean Barbecue
If you’ve got barbeque cravings, you’ve got to visit Woodo Korean Barbecue. You can order BBQ set meals, which come with rice, grilled veggies, slow cooked egg, and for some sets, your choice of soup. You can also order juicy, tender meat on its own, like wagyu scotch fillet or marinated premium Black Angus beef rib. Happy grilling!
📍179 King St, Melbourne VIC 3000
⏰ Open 5-11pm every day, except Tuesdays
13. Spicy Korea
This vibrant eatery near Southern Cross is perfect for lunch or dinner. Lunch-seekers should make a beeline for the box of Korean fried chicken, and enjoy perfectly seasoned, crispy goodness with just the right amount of heat. Spicy Korea is open from Monday to Saturday, and since it’s around the corner from Marvel Stadium, it’s a flavour-packed spot for feeds before a big sporting event.
📍 1/601 Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000
⏰ Open 11am-9pm (Mon-Fri), 9am-9pm (Sat), closed Sundays
14. CHAE
As far as Korean restaurants in Melbourne go, this one is the most intimate. Jungeun Chae changed the Melbourne foodie scene when she opened a six-seater restaurant in her Brunswick apartment back in 2019. With a focus on traditional fermentation techniques, this tiny establishment quickly grew into a phenomenon, with a waitlist of thousands. Now, CHAE has moved to a cosy property surrounded by hills in Cockatoo. Staying true to the original concept of intimate dining, this venue continues to have a limit of six guests per seating. Every month, guests are chosen through a lottery system. Relax and unwind among nature, an the menu changes every two months using seasonal produce and handmade condiments. It’s at the more expensive end amongst Korean cuisine in the city, but it’s worth every single penny.
📍 33 Mountain Rd, Cockatoo VIC 3781
⏰ Open 1-3pm & 6-8pm (Sat), 1-3pm (Sun)