Arirang

Good food, high quality, pleasant service, but portions are meager for the price. 7.5 quid for 3 skimpy pieces of Beef Bulgogi isn't a good deal. Plus, the fact that banchan dishes were not complementary which they usually are (although maybe not for London) adds to the cost.

And I'm still hungry
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 2
Saturday, December 15, 2007

This is the first korean restraunt i visited in london back almost 5 years ago, and i have to say i have always had a nice experience here, apart from finding a long black hair in my food once.. other than that it has been good.

The pah-jeon (sp?) here is by far the best i've had! its very very good and though crispy is not very oily to taste when compared to others i've tried. The set meals are very good in content and value, and i can reccomend this place to many of my friends.

Service is ok, rather slow and sometimes a bit difficult to get their attention, but i guess this could be due to it being quite busy everytime ive been.

Interior is ok, very plain and white, though i have to say it gets very warm in there, and i have found this everytime ive been, and i guess it could be due to the BBQ. I've always gone home from head to toe smelling of korean bbq even though we've not been eating it, though this can't be helped as the space is confined.

I would reccomend this restrant to everyone.
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doffy
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, October 24, 2007

I've been a regular at Arirang for over a year and a half now and while I love the place, it's always a hassle dragging my husband there because he finds the service appalling. Granted the waitresses are not always very welcoming and give you the impression they'd much MUCH rather be somewhere else AND they sometimes get the orders mixed up AND you're rarely served all the main course dishes and rice at the same time... ok, the service is very poor... But the food is great and, even though the dishes aren't quite all authentic, you can't really complain for the price.
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Cindy
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, February 14, 2007

We came here for lunch and they do a fantastic set japanese menu: for £6.50 you have a salad, miso soup, 10 pieces of very good and varied nigiri and a segmented orange. Bargain! fish was very fresh, service very good. You can also substitute the nigiri for teriyake salmon or chicken. I will be returning on a weekly basis.
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, January 10, 2007

been here many times, I read other peoples reviews about bad service, but everytime I have been I always get very friendly staff and complimentary starters on the house, so cant complain. The food is always excellent, I especially recommend the Dolbimibab (rice dish in stone bowl) and the price is low enough that one could forget you are eating in london. Atmosphere is nothing special, however it tends to be alot quieter than other places, so if you prefer a more private meal, this place is great. Cant recommend it enough, only the overpicky would be disappointed by this restaurant
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puerto
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10
Friday, December 08, 2006

This is a restaurant I always go whenever I visit London. why? because the food is ABSOLUTELY fantastic.

My favourite dish is "Tofu Kimchee Pokum" which the flavours blend just perfect together. Another great dish is called "Tuck Pokee," it's a stir fried rice cake with sweet chilli sauce, (be warned! it's VERY VERY spicy!)

The restaurant has 2 floor and the basement area has air-con if it gets too hot or too smoky (they do BBQ on the table!) The atmosphere can be too cheerful and a bit noisy, hence a great place for a giggling night out with friends but not a place for romantic scene. The food is reasonable priced with main dishes are mostly between ￡7~10 pounds. For lunch, they have a even better offer: ￡5~6 will get you a starter, main dish, rice, soup and dessert.

The only setback is that the service standard isn't consistent. Sometimes you can someone who really try their best to serve you well even when the waitress doesn't speak English fluently. Other times, you may have someone who really doesn't understand you at all, in which case, they tend to ignore or misunderstood you, it really depends on your luck!

In sum, the food never fail me and the price is more than reasonable, that's what's important and I'd certainly recommend it to anyone who wants to have a taste of lovely Spicy Far-East-Asian Night.
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Vic
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, November 07, 2006

I go to this restaurant at lunchtime regularly and even though the food is good, the level of service is absolutely appalling considering I am a regular, the waitresses tend to stand together in a corner chatting despite customers trying to get their attention to order. They also do a lot of staring at customers and speaking in Korean which really puts me off. However, I do enjoy the food, lunch is cheap £5.60 for starter, main course and fruit.
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Bam Bam
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, October 18, 2006

friend took me there for lunch, bad timing. closing in 1/2 hr time. received unfriendly & rush service, wrong order & over charged. not even a thank when my friend left more than 10% tips. that's what they called london's 1st korean restaurant. don't know what customer service is...
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fion bam
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Thursday, September 21, 2006

Arirang was the first Korean restaurant in London, but unfortunately is not the best. I have been there many times and have got used to the very poor service, the fact that they cannot bring a main course and rice at the same time, or even two main courses within 10 minutes of each other, and also that the portions are on the small side and the price rather high for the quality and service. However the Dak Bokum is the best I have tried. The dishes are not that authentic compared to eating in Korea. The owner has been here over 25 years but has still not learned that employing Korean students on minimum-wage salaries does not make motivated staff! However if you speak some Korean or go with Korean people things are a little different, they pay more attention to you. If you walk in off the street you will get blank stares and disinterested looks when you order, eat, and pay. Ran, Nara and Dong San are much better.
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Mat
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 4
Monday, August 28, 2006

Don't go here expecting great service or atmosphere. Go here for the food. I have been a regular at this restaurant for many years now and find the food excellent and good value for money.
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Meheen Rangoonwala
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, August 15, 2006