Expect DIY BBQ, too-hot-to-touch bowls and everything saucy at these Korean eateries.
Just a few years ago, Korean food was hard to find. But today, you’ve got options when it comes to Korean restaurants in Leeds, and wholly tempting ones at that. Piping hot bowls of bibimbap with spicy gochujang sauce, perfect bite-sized pieces of kimbap and crispy, saucy Korean fried chicken await at these wonderful eateries. You’re in for a meal that will transport you to Seoul and back. The only question is which will you try first?
Hama
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Did someone say all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ? Yep, you can delight in all kinds of meaty, saucy goodness at Hama Leeds, whether you’re in the city centre or Oakwood. The buffet table promises authentic Korean food, with bottomless meats for the barbie and over 30 side dishes, AKA banchan, to gorge on.
Everything is fresh and ready to be grilled at your seat. That’s right, there’s a built-in BBQ on each table here. So grab your meat, choose your sides and grill away to your heart’s content – you’ve got 90 minutes. The real perk here is that you can have your meat however you want it and well-done isn’t just accepted, it’s recommended. Eat like a Korean and carefully stuff your meat, rice, kimchi, and banchan into a lettuce wrap (or ssam) with plenty of samjang, roll it up and shove it in all at once. You won’t regret it.
Hama, 30-32 Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS2 8LX & Louis House, Princes Avenue, Oakwood, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS8 2FA..
Bulgogi Grill
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‘Bulgogi’ is meat cooked over fire, so it may come as no surprise that Bulgogi Grill is a dedicated Korean barbecue restaurant. Take a seat at one of the built-in grill tables and pick out your gogi (or meat). Will it be beef, pork or seafood? All the banchan you could ever wish for, sauces and lettuce wraps will be brought to you, so all you have to do is pick up the tongs and get grilling.
It takes a little patience as you watch your grill get to work, but it’s well worth it once you’ve got the perfect ssam, banchan and all, in pleasing mouthfuls. Finish it off in true Korean style with a steaming bowl of jjigae – kimchi or doenjang (soy bean) stew – for a hearty meal that’s totally delicious from the first sear. And don’t forget to wash it all down with a shot of soju or a glass of ice-cold Hite beer, directly from Korea.
Bulgogi Grill, The Arena Quarter, 9 Merrion Way, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS2 8BT.
Oba
Oba fuses classic Japanese and Korean cooking in a cool, modern restaurant, bringing a host of East Asian favourites to Leeds city centre. Start off with the handmade kimchi pork dumplings, AKA mandu, shallow fried for that perfectly crisp bottom and soft top.
Or you can go for the kang poong gi, crispy fried chicken with sweet chilli sauce that’ll really trigger your appetite. Then, you’ve got options. You can make your way through a hefty bowl of kimchi fried rice or delve into a load of stir fried sliced pork belly. Prefer seafood? Paired with kimchi and a bowl of sticky rice you can pick up with chopsticks alone, it’s a Korean foodie dream. If you’re veggie, there’s tons of choice, like the vegetable bibimbap and japchae without the meat, so everyone can enter the wonderful world of Korean food.
Oba, Unit 2, Wade Lane, Merrion Centre, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS2 8NG.
Kokoro
Founded by Park Rak-kyu, Kokoro serve fast Korean and Japanese food, perfect for those on-the-go feeds and lunch breaks in Leeds. It’s restaurant-quality grub to take away as they stuff hot, fresh goodies into boxes that will warm you up from the inside out and fill you up until tea.
The sweet chilli chicken strikes a major chord between sweet and spicy, while the beef bulgogi is a match made in Korean food heaven – beautifully tangy and smoky, the sauce almost too good to be true and the stir-fried veg makes sure you get at least one of your five a day. Their signature spicy pork is full of zing and the spicy tofu is anything but bland. Made up your mind? Take your pick of rice or noodles and pick up a tuna onigiri (that’s samgak-kimbap in Korean) on the side for a simply well-balanced meal. It’s a no-brainer!
Kokoro, 4 Albion Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 6HX.
Yuzu
It may be Japanese-inspired, but Yuzu has a solid menu of Korean-inspired food for you to dive into with a pint at Brew York’s Leeds tap room. Korean fried chicken and shredded bulgogi bao buns? Check. Korean bibimbap? Check. Korean jumbo chicken wings and strips? Korean pulled pork fries? Check and check again!
This street food joint brings you drinking the East Asian way – that’s with plenty of food and a constant flow of beer with the odd shot of soju. The bao buns come light and fluffy, bursting with a filling of your choice, topped off with pickle, spring onions, sauce and of course, sesame seeds. The Korean BBQ fried chicken is the real score here, the unofficial drinking food of Korea. Fried to crispy perfection and tossed in sauce, it’s sweet, spicy and sometimes salty.
Yuzu Street Food, Brew York, 72 New Briggate, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 6NU.
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