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Authentic Korean restaurants in Barcelona are not all those that are advertised, but there are many that are run by Chinese. The cotton test to know if a Korean restaurant is authentic is if they give you free Korean tapas and if when you enter you see that there are many Asians eating.
Koreans are very attached to their way of eating and love to share it with friends and family, drink and enjoy the dining experience. In my case, not being Korean, I have a small group of family members, South Korean lovers, with whom we always meet and eat at Korean restaurants.
What to eat in a Korean restaurant
You can see an extensive selection of typical dishes of Korean cuisine in this post. However, to summarize these are the dishes that you can not miss if you go to a Korean restaurant in Barcelona:
- Kimchi. It is a spicy sauerkraut tapa. It is usually served along with other complimentary dishes with the order of a main course.
- Bibimbap. It is the Korean version of rice with vegetables, but instead of being fried, it is cooked in hot stone bowls. It has little fat and a delicious toasted flavor.
- Japchae. Sweet potato noodles sautéed with vegetables.
- Bulgogi. Beef marinated and cooked on the grill. Served with rice.
- Barbacoa coreana. Cooking barbecued meat at the restaurant is a social activity among friends. It is perfect for a long evening drinking beer or soju.
My favourite Korean restaurants in Barcelona
Among all the Korean restaurants we have tried, these are the ones we like, although I do not put them in order because I think it is impossible to make a ranking. Each restaurant in this article has its pros and cons, but they are all approved.
Soban by Jo Lee: the safe bet
Rocafort 204 – Metro: Entença
El Soban de Jo Lee is my favorite Korean restaurant in the city. I love it because it is authentic, with good portions and good quality.
To start tasting Korean cuisine, I recommend the dosirak, a box with several dishes, a portion of rice and bulgogi (marinated beef) or jeyuk bokkeum (spicy pork). There is no vegetarian option!
It is a relaxed family business where they will recommend dishes to introduce you to Korean cuisine. Although they have Korean barbecue, from my observation, most diners choose ready-made dishes.
The average price for a meal at Jo Lee’s Soban is 15-20 euros per head.
Korean pottery classes are held on the first floor. All the vases and decorations in the restaurant are made in the pottery workshop and that gives it a special touch.
Kimchi Mama: the neighborhood Korean restaurant
Callao 12 – Metro: Hostafrancs
Among the Korean restaurants in Barcelona, this is the nicest. I say this because of the name and the excellent service. It is located in a small street near Sants street and the couple that runs it makes you feel well cared for.
Kimchi Mama has several options of complete individual dishes, or you can choose individual dishes. Korean tapas (banchan) are ordered separately, so keep that in mind when figuring out how hungry you are.
The average price for a meal is about 20-25 euros per head.
Pocha Asian Dining and Bar: Korean fusion
Provença 224 – Metro: Provença
This small Korean restaurant is very popular among young Asians. Unlike the previous ones, in Pocha you will find a more modern version of Korean tapas. Some recipes are the fusion with other Asian cuisines.
We ordered a marinated BBQ beef, jemul pajeong, mandu which are Korean gyozas and two or three other dishes. Enough for 4.
The average price for a meal is 25-30 euros per diner.
San Kil, a Korean restaurant with decades of history in Barcelona
Legalitat 22 – Metro: Joanic
San Kil has been in a small street in the Gracia neighborhood for several decades. In fact, it is run by the aunt of a Korean girl I met as a teenager.
My cousin, who is the family authority on Korean cuisine, says that San Kil has the best banchan in Barcelona. The portions are not big, but these starters were delicious.
Then the chef is known to have a superb hand at seasoning and marinating the bulgogi meat. On our recent visit, we found that it is still the best bulgogi in Barcelona.
The average price for a hearty meal is around 25 euros.
Korean barbecue restaurants in Barcelona
Cooking a Korean barbecue on the spot is a very popular way to eat in Korea. In this case, different types of marinated meats are ordered and cooked on a gas barbecue in the center of the table.
Koreans enjoy cooking on the spot and barbecue becomes the best way to have a long evening with friends. In Barcelona, many Korean restaurants offer the barbecue option. These are my favorite Korean barbecue restaurants in Barcelona.
1. Kamasot: the best Korean barbecue in Barcelona
Consell de Cent 465 – Metro: Monumental/Tetuán
Surrounded by unattractive Chinese restaurants, Kamasot is a gem in l’Eixample. The place is much bigger than it looks and early in the evening there are already several Koreans dining, which is always a good sign.
We came here for their Korean barbecue, and we weren’t wrong. They have all the typical Korean dishes, but it is especially recommended if you are looking to cook your own meat and spend a night out with friends.
The meat order comes with banchan (complimentary Korean tapas) and lettuce. We ordered a portion of duck, a portion of spicy chicken and a portion of Iberian pork. It was enough for 4 people, although if you are a good eater, a portion of bacon is more generous.
The average price for a meal is 20-25 euros per person.
2. Korea 1988 BBQ
C/Ortigosa 10 – Metro: Urquinaona
I found this restaurant specialized in Korean barbecue to be not as authentic as the ones mentioned above. However, the space at Korea 1988 was very photogenic, and the barbecue space was very well maintained with good utensils.
We really liked the selection of types of meat for the barbecue, which seemed to be of excellent quality. They have Iberian pork and Angus beef. However, the marinade did not seem as authentic as other restaurants and the fact that there were many things written in Chinese made us think that it was not run by Koreans, although maybe we were wrong.
A Korean BBQ dinner with a beer and no dessert cost us 20 euros per person. The clientele seemed more like tourists than Koreans.
