Korean food, art and music in London

Here are some of our favourites – how many have you been to already?

Food

Korean cuisine has gained significant popularity in London in recent years. The ‘Three Bs of Korean Cuisine’ revolve around three elements:

Banchan: These small side dishes accompany main courses, offering a variety of flavours and textures. Common banchan include kimchi, pickled vegetables, and seasoned spinach.

Bibimbap: This iconic mixed rice dish typically features a colourful assortment of vegetables, meat, and a fried egg atop warm rice. It’s often served in a hot stone bowl called a dolsot.

Barbecue: Korean barbecue, or gogi-gui, involves grilling meat at the table. Popular choices include bulgogi (marinated beef) and samgyeopsal (pork belly).

Now that you’ve started to know your Korean food, here’s some tasty and unmissable Korean restaurants in London:

Yori is known for its authentic flavours and barbecue options, with multiple locations in London and across the UK.

On The Bab specialises in Korean street food, particularly ‘Korean Fried Chicken’, and has multiple restaurants in the city.

Dotori offers both Korean and Japanese cuisine, and is popular for its well-priced menu and casual vibe – no booking and cash only for this one.

Kangnam Pocha, a hidden gem in Covent Garden, is the place to go for Korean comfort food.

Art

Our latest exhibition in Borough Yards is Hello, Delight!, an interactive exploration of Korean culture as reimagined by AI. The exhibition offers light projections and sensory experiences through personalised AI experiences and artworks. You’ll discover a colourful and vibrant virtual Korean city and become your own K-drama star through 12 unique zones. We’re open daily, and tickets are available now.

Don’t miss these other major exhibitions by Korean artists all across London:

Haegue Yang: Leap Year is at The Hayward Gallery until 5 January 2025. A world of inventive, immersive and multisensory installations and sculptures that weave connections between disparate histories, cultures and traditions.

The latest commission for the Tate Modern’s world famous Turbine Hall is the Hyundai Commission Mire Lee: Open Wound, which you can see until 16 March 2025. Drawing inspiration from Tate Modern’s history as a power station, Mire Lee transforms the Turbine Hall with fabric hanging sculptures and epic mechanical installations, reimagining the space as a living factory.

Minsuk Cho: Archipelagic Void is the 23rd Serpentine Gallery Pavilion commission for 2024. The Serpentine Pavilion commission is a prestigious, annual architectural competition held by the Serpentine Galleries in London, where an international architect is invited to design a temporary pavilion for the gallery grounds.

Music

There are several shops specialising in K-pop and Korean musicians, including SOKOLLAB near Soho. There you’ll find albums, merchandise and showcase events for independent artists.

The K-Music Festival 2024 is at The Barbican Centre until 23 November 2024. Already performed is the National Changgeuk Company of Korea’s production of Lear, a visionary restaging of one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies into a spellbinding traditional opera from some of South Korea’s leading creatives, performers and musicians. The festival will conclude with a spectacular performance by Heemon Lee on 23rd November at the Southbank Centre.

K-pop concerts are a regular fixture at major music venues including OVO Arena Wembley, so be sure to check upcoming listings.

Film

The London Korean Film Festival returns in November 2024, featuring strands focusing on Cinema Now, Women’s Voices and a special British Film Institute (BFI) season. As the largest Korean film festival outside of Korea, it’s the place to be for film premieres, special screenings and exclusive events with filmmakers.

Language

If you want to take your interest in Korean culture a step further, you can get started with the language itself! The Korean Cultural Centre UK runs language courses for all levels, as does Dear Asia London.

Alternatively you can take a more casual approach with apps such as Duolingo, building your confidence before committing to formal lessons.

There’s so much to do and explore in London for anyone interested in Korean culture, we’ve not even begun to scratch the surface. The best thing to do is simply get started – who knows who or what you’ll discover? We suggest beginning your journey with Hello, Delight!, now open for visitors in Borough Yards, near the Tate Modern.