After waiting forty minutes for my meal in what was basically a hot and stuffy room, my opinion of…read morethis place dropped tremendously. However I don't want to write it off too much because, surprisingly, as soon as I queried the waiter as to where our food was it suddenly, magically, appeared before is (which makes me wonder what was keeping them bringing it to us). Well, the carrot soup was actually quite nice, and my brother ended up having a rather interesting dish (not that I could remember what it was). However, I guess a part of me also didn't think all that much of Essen. However, what was really cool about this place was that in the bathrooms the soap is wrapped around a metal rod, so there is no need to mess around with squeeze tubes - you just wet your hands, soap them up, and then wash them off. As for the towels, they were actually small cotton towls that you tossed into a box once you are finished with them.

Firstly, yum! The food here is great and they do have an…read moreEnglish menu. I would definitely try one of the specials! The staff are all really nice and accommodating! Prices are totally reasonable! Stop reading and go eat!

I was pleased to see this high rated Korean restaurant in Essen for my business trip. We made…read morereservations and i took my team, including a German friend, along. I was excited to expose him to Korean cuisine for the first time. What a let down. We ordered the giant 4 course supper, at 30 € a head. The worst thing was that, despiteSa Rang Bang's tiny size (it seats maybe 50), and plenty of wait staff, it took them over three hours to complete our meal! Since we had to drive to Frankfurt that evening this was awkward. We typically had to wait a half hour or more between courses. It cast a pall over the experience. They were not attentive either. They never checked on us, so we couldn't order additional drinks (a problem when our German ate the unaccustomed spicy bits and needed something to quench. The restaurant is only marginally "Korean". Our sppetizer were cigarette-sized egg rolls with ground meat inside . Kind of tasty- reminded me a little of lumpia. Second came a stir fry containing lots of vegetables & some miniscule (but tasty) shrimp. To one side was a tiny splotch of Kimchee. About this time I started to wonder where our panchan was. Turns out the restaurant doesn't offer it - are they worried Germans can't handle free refills? What the heck ? Third was some spicy sweet & sour shrimp with lots more veggies . Definitely NOT Korean. "Ah well," I thought. "The last course is bulgogi. At least THAT should be authentic." Instead of bulgogi, they brought barbecue trays with raw marinated meat and (again ) more vegetables than meat. We had to cook it ourselves . I have eaten at plenty of cook- it-yourself Korean BBQs but why all the zucchini, carrots, and such with my bulgogi? I like plants as food but its okay to have them on the side or as a separate course sometimes. They basically fed us 3 courses of vegetable stir fry (with some meat). Two of the courses were the SAME meat (shrimp), just different spice levels. The bulgogi was nothing like what I've had in the States and was far less flavorful. From the menu i did not see other familiar Korean dishes such as seafood pancake, kimchee soup, bibimbap. I did see jap chae as a side in one dish. we asked the owner, and he said he had "adapted" to German tastes. Well maybe so. Certainly the high ratings given Sa Rang Bang by the German Yelpers indicates he has hit it off with them. However, if you are an American, looking for korean food in Essen, avoid Sa Rang Bang.

Sadly, this is the only Korean restaurant in Essen, so I'm extra thankful that it's good…read more I've never been to Korea nor do I have Korean heritage, so my expertise in Korean food is limited to what I've had in California and my Korean American friends' tastes. I was a bit sad to see my usual favorites absent from the menu: seafood pancake (pajeon), fried chicken, sweet potato noodles (chap chae), or the usual assortment of side dishes (ban chan). However, I fully understand that the business had to make certain decisions to be successful in Germany. The staple bulgolgi is always a good choice. We chose the beef with milder seasonings over the pork with a spicier marinade. We also opted for the sizzling, hot stone rice (dolsot bibimbap), and kimchee soup. All of them were good choices. The bulgolgi is prepared right at your table, so it's nice and fresh. Just keep your eye on it as it cooks and as you socialize. We let ours stay on the grill too long and it overcooked, but that's our fault. Verdict: I'd go again. It's authentic, run by nice Korean staff, they speak German, their English is limited, and their menu is accommodating to local tastes. They were also quite busy when I went in on a Sunday evening, so it seems to have taken off.

I stopped after another restaurant because I was still hungry and they hand this food quick…read moreAnd inexpensive. It was 4 euros for what you see in the picture and less than 1 minutes for them to make.

Love it! Absolutely amazing food and great customer service. The lady did not speak English but was…read morehelpful when communicating. There are no seats but serval tables outside to stand at. Plenty of room to enjoy bratwurst.

This is one of the very best restaurants I've ever been to in my life. It's an experience that few…read moreplaces can rival because it's about the people and the food and the atmosphere. The food is exquisite! Frau Uli is a fantastic chef and the meals are prepared and presented simple and perfectly. There is no pretense, it's wonderful steaks, beautiful tasty salads and potatoes to die for... All in good proportions and at a very fair price. Uli is a perfect host! Wonderful stories and friendly, he is an expert at putting his guests at ease. He knows his Rums and Scotches (and all liquors I'm sure), it's a real treat to have him select an after dinner digestif. Without Uli this would just be a fantastic place to eat but it's so much more! The restaurant is in a wonderful old German building, I'm assuming an old guest house. I could write a 1000 words and I still could not do it justice, go and enjoy!

This is one of my favorite dining experiences anywhere in the world, much less Germany!…read more Our host (though I forget his name) was one of the most genuine people I've ever met and has a beautiful skill at establishing rapport with his customers. The food was delicious and I felt that I was dining in the house of a longtime friend who took great care in her offerings.

Unperfekthaus is a truly unique venue. A multi level creative artistik space, complete with…read morecouches, studios, multimedia rooms, wifi throughout, and buffets for dining and drinking. It would take you days to explore and find all the nooks and crannies of this very cool place. But in any case, you will be relaxed and enjoy yourself. A variety of time based tariffs including all you can eat and drink plans. Crowd varies dramatically based on time of day and day of week, but will always be the crème of Essen's artistic crowd. Check it out!! http://www.unperfekthaus.de/e/

Unperfecthouse is one of the coolest places I have visited anywhere in the world. It is part bar,…read morepart hang out, part art gallery, part bar, and all you can eat buffet serving everything from traditional German food, to Latin food, and Vegan/Vegetarian offerings. I was with a large group from the Uni-Essen and we had the party room on the second floor. The other plus was that the "all you can eat" came with all the beer you can drink as well. This was a cool place to have a party for sure. Now it was mainly university folks but young kids came in and ate, drank beer, surfed the Internet, played music and there are many rooms in this sprawling place to eat, mingle, and basically hang out. The Men's bathroom is famous for its scrolling films on the walls. The website lists all sorts of other things going on in this mixed-use-space, but after hanging out here, drinking a few good beers, and eating all sorts of amazing cheap food, I have to say I was happy our hosts brought us here. All I can say is wow. Now, I have no idea what it is like if you are a solo traveler who happens to be in Essen, but I think it would still be a great bet for a place to eat (take your time) have a few beers, check the email with the free wi-fi, and take advantage of this unique space. If I had the money I would open a place like this in the USA. Think Warhol's Factory without all the creepy people and with good food.

Essen immer perfekt, Personal dazu auch sehr freundlich, jedes Mal. Sollte ein Vorbild für alles…read moreRestaurants sein.

FOOD & DRINKS Finding a really good Korean restaurant…read moreoutside of Düsseldorf can be quite a task. When I found this restaurant I was open to the idea that this could be authentic and yummy. I went there completely with no expectations. From what I saw online I already liked the short list of Korean dishes. All pretty common items in Korea. So far so good. When I tried to order the Dak Galbi I was warned that it would take about 30 minutes and instead Jay, the owner, suggested to pick Dak Bokkeum instead. Dak Bokkeum is a spicy korean stew with meat and veggies. I went with the owners recommendation. The stew to me was spicy but not too much to be honest. It had some heat but nothing I could handle with ease. I've eaten way spicier in Korea. That said I grew up eating spicy food. For others it could be way too hot. The chicken was tender, juicy and had quite some flavor from all the chili. I actually expected that the stew was made with enoki or oyster mushrooms but instead the chef used button mushrooms, kimchi, onions and a lot of bell peppers. I prefer carrots, potatoes and a lot of green onions. Using Asian mushrooms to me would make the dish so much better. This is what I am used to from Korea and my own preference though. The dish was not lacking in authentic flavor which wasn't a surprise since I heard them talking in Korean. The one big criticism I have is that the stew was very oily. Half of the pot was just oil and all the veggies were swimming in all that grease. SERVICE Friendly, helpful and nice. Jay is a real character. ATMOSPHERE The restaurant is small but has its charm. It looks modern and clean. I also very much appreciated the K-POP music playing in the background. RATING Quality of the food was good. The taste was authentic. All the people working here will make your stay a great experience. I only had a problem with the level of execution regarding my dish.

Authentic Italian food at reasonable prices. Service was very efficient and friendly. Right next…read moredoor to the Sheraton Essen, very convenient! Highly recommended, We will be back.