I had a really excellent beef bulgogi with a side of kimchi. The kimchi was sour and spicy and delicious, and the bulgogi came sizzling. It was fantastic. The service was great, but I think the staff were still finding their footing. Just remember that it's BYOB. read more

Hurwundeki - Excellent kimchi - Korean Near Me - Bethnal Green, XGL

Even skint folks needs haircuts and Korean food, so Hurwundeki takes the prize by smashing those two things into one hipster package underneath the tunnel spaces along Cambridge Heath. Before you start squawking about not wanting hair in your bibimbap, Hurwundeki is a split salon and restaurant, connected by a bisecting door and wall. That said, the staff are happy to have you order food and serve it piping hot after your snazzy 'do is coiffed. £9 gets you a men's cut, and £14 for the ladies. More elaborate stylings will cost you £2 for every five minutes of complexity, but I haven't seen anyone charged for more than the baseline yet. PRO TIP: Come early in the morning for a cut and you won't wait more than five minutes. The food is solid Korean eats, and I'm a big fan of their tteokbokki, which are soft rice cakes cooked in a luscious spicy sauce with scallions and big slices of fish cake. For mains, you can't go wrong with their bibimbaps (rice in a hot stone bowl with a variety of colorful toppings) and sundubu-jiggae (spicy tofu soup perfect for a rainy day). I'd avoid the mandu (dumplings) since they're quite tiny even if homemade and delicious. Free and fast wi-fi is available, and the variety of seating both inside and out makes for a great place to study, write, and people-watch. read more

I've kind of been on the hunt for decent Korean off and on for a while now, and Hurwendeki fills that empty toppoki space in my heart quite well. The menu is pretty simple but it plays the hits- you can get spicy wings, bibimbaps, stirfried udon, fried rice, toppoki, etc. They do some lunch deals but the prices are pretty reasonable anyway for the sizes. Great for takeout or sitting outside if it happens to be sunny... they even deliver via deliveroo now. I'm not really agreeing with the other reviewers here apparently that left lukewarm. It's a good amount of spice for the spicy sauces and I'm certainly a fan. They also take card now. For Korean in the area that's quick and easy, you're not really going to find anything else that'd beat it, but if you do, then tell me! read more

Useless piece of crap. You know something, most people who are buying coffee are on their way somewhere. This would normally indicate that time may well be of some importance. Obviously not to the serving person behind the counter this morning at approx 10:20am. I have no objection to waiting a few minutes for a drink if a place is busy, but I DO OBJECT to hanging around while the worker yaps with her buddie as they wonder back and forth. Seriously, either get a professional attitude or get rid of the airheads and employ some nice efficient Polish people perhaps. AVOID. I know I will. read more

The weirdest the name, the better coffee. The atmosphere here is really something special. I love how quiet and peaceful it is, practically you feel like you are home. I can spend here the whole afternoon and enjoy my something to drink. I swear I never tried coffee like this in town and trust me, I've tried a lot of coffee. The staff is lovely and super friendly. They don't mind how much time I spend here and sometimes we talk about life stuff. This is the place to go for a dose of nice little coffee at lazy afternoons. read more

Nice coffee. Ok food. Insanely verpriced antiquies. Fairly overpriced, decent, but not great, food. Indifferent service. Free wifi. Of course, if you're in this area of Bethnal Green, there's not much else around. Maybe I'm too old, or too spiffy, or my jeans aren't tight enough. Or I'm wearing neither a trilby nor a trucker cap. I work round here, and I keep coming back, though it's really not all that, so I don't come back for a while. Then I do. then I remember. Then I don't. read more

Not really a fan. Went there on a Sunday lunchtime for coffee at the weekend. There were 4 of us, and they made the herbal tea straight away. The coffee came 5 mins later, and around 10 minutes later the other 2 coffees hadn't arrived, and the drinks were drunk. The staff were surly and slow. The place itself was very nice, but i'm not sure what it was trying to be.....the sand outside was a bit bizzarre, and some of the interior furniture was priced at either '£.00' oddly, or at sky high prices like an old stripped and distessed gas cooker at £450! Or a small A5 print at £120. Who are they trying to kid? We though it was some kind of practical joke... It looks nice from the outside , but inside it was abit dissapointing... read more

Granted, I was here a while ago now but I wanted to comment on it. The atmosphere was very nice in such a random place, nice school chairs against wooden work benches with a hair salon on the way to the loo. BUT the service was terrible, took a good 20 mins for hot drinks to arrive and when I say hot I mean very mild in temperature and rather disappointing. Looks like it could be a nice arty place to hang out but not if you want a hot beverage quickly!! I did have a nice time with good company besides that though! Hmm?! Xyz read more

Not sure if this place has changed management since the previous reviews were written, but the establishment I went to seemed to be a mix between cafe, Korean restaurant and hair salon. In any case, stumble in here starving, and found traditional yummy Korean fair. Placed my order and within minutes had kimchi and soup in front of me. A couple minutes later- kalbi and brown rice. The portion was perfect in size (enough to be full enough not to want anything else, but not so full that I felt sick). All in all it's among the best Korean I've had since being in London. The only real draw back is that they only take cash, which isn't that surprising since the prices seemed relatively low. Totally planning another trip out there! read more

Random spot right under the train tracks. It's a restaurant, cafe, and hair salon all in one. I visited during dinner hours so didn't check out their coffee selection. The Korean food is good. I'm Korean, so I have a critical palette when it comes to k-food. With all the other Korean joints in London, this place is on par with flavor- at least the dishes I ordered: kimchi tofu & sundubu jjigae. On the menu, says there's no MSG, but just to make sure I asked the server if there was any MSG in the kimchi. He said everything is home made so no MSG. Just double checking b/c usually kimchi is bought in bulk and loaded with MSG. Portions were fair. Not too small. Prices are ok. The BYOB factor is a plus as well. I'd go back to get my k-food fix and bring a couple bottles of beer. read more

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More like Hmmmwundeki, AMIRITE? I don't fully get this concept, and that might be my issue, not Hurwundeki's. It's a Korean restaurant / cafe / antique shop / hair salon. With one single unisex toilet, note. The first time I went my friend was creeped out that the same guy styling hair was behind the food bar. It didn't bother me (he multitasks?), so I went again despite the overpriced coffee. I...don't think I get it. I had the lunch special: a main (bibimbap), a side (savoury pancake) and some salted seaweed. It came to roughly 10 pounds, which sounds totally reasonable but: the seasoning was off and the portions were really small. The salted seaweed basically looked (and tasted) like slices of nori right from the packet. The pancake was really greasy. The bibimbap was the best of the bunch, but we doused it in hot sauce and the dipping sauce from the pancake to give it more flavour. Maybe my expectations were set too high: I used to live in a city with a great Koreatown where bibimbap came in a massive bowl with a lot of kimchi and other pickles sides and sauces. Here, the kimchi cost an (overpriced) extra as a side. I do like the idea, and I like the front garden to sit out in on a sunny day, but...price/quality/enjoyment didn't match up. Yelp note: the haircuts seem like a good deal? read more

Best Coffee I have found in East London. The pastries and sandwiches are excellent- especially the little almond cakes! When I was there it was very chill and the staff are wonderful and friendly. the little shop, has a very cool gourmet section - great for foodie gifts. so unique. they dont accpt credit cards which means less buying for me. read more

Amazing cut and colour from the director Ki! lovely coffee and conversations during the appointment. had taken my mum there - who was also very pleased with the cut!! first time she didn't complain afterwards haha. Highly recommend! read more

The best coffee in London, nice cakes, sandwiches and a lot of organic food to choose from. Go visit, it's superb and looks cool! read more

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This is my go-to cafe for studying or reading when being at home causes me to procrastinate to no end. It's a short and easy bus ride away and never too full. The staff lets you stay as long as you want, regardless of how many coffees you don't purchase, and it has a good number of outlets for plugging in laptops. And usually the place is quiet, which is great for working. However, for a place that boasts having the best coffee in London, I was sorely disappointed. It costs way too much for a small coffee (and when I say small, I mean small) that I personally did not enjoy very much. Although, I do know people who think it's terrific, so do try it yourself. But on another note, the food is amazing! Especially the lemon cake--it is heavenly! I have to buy a slice every time I'm there. It's a good price for the size, and it's the perfect combination of moist and sweet. I would go there just for that. I would definitely recommend this if you are in the area. If not...probably not worth the trip. read more

This is going to be a tough review to write... Part Korean food joint, part hair salon/ vintage clothes store (apparently), you will not miss the place.. Right next door to Cambridge Heath rail station, the first thing you will notice is the dilapidated child's playground like outdoors space with random rusty looking playground equipments thingys scattered around. Ok, so the Korean food place is actually nice and I would definitely go back. It is small and simple (byo) but at night it looks really cosy with the candles. The food is reasonable priced. I went with my friend who is a bit of a health freak and the friendly chef came out and talked us through everything that was on the menu and how everything was freshly sourced. Food is delicious as well. I always get the one with the rice and raw egg yolk (sorry, can't remeber what it is called), don't let the raw egg put you off!! Yum! The hair salon on the other hand.. Proper hipster place.. I used to always take my son for his haircut as its really decently priced (I think it was around a tenner). Then one day I went for my haircut and requested a simple side do.. The hairstylist got a bit arsey with me, looked at my hair like I was medusa with a hair full of snakes or something and refused to do it as aparently- my head was the wrong shape ('my forehead is too flat' never heard that one before but okayyyy). I mean, I appreciate professional opinion as much as the next person, but whats happened to good customer service skills??? So for that reason I'm not going back, maybe im not hipster enough!! read more

Hurwundeki has done just enough to keep me as an infrequent customer. Two years ago, I came for unmemorable coffee and cake in a memorably cute but overly crowded café. One year ago, I had a chai latte, with a different lay-out but similar results. Yesterday, I came for a hair trim and take-out Korean food. Mission accomplished, but I somehow felt a little dissatisfied. Maybe it's because my 14-minute haircut only took four minutes after waiting for 15, and they declined to charge me less (even after I asked politely). Maybe it's because I wanted more food than the two little tubs I got for paying £7.90. Maybe it's because the tofu stew was good but not great. Maybe it's because I was doing all this solo, on a tight time budget. I know I took the "express" route here. I'd do it again, with a friend and the luxury of lingering (I did enjoy the Renato Carosone background music), but my expectations will be suitably low. I'm annoyed that the great potential of the place has yet to hit its mark. Hopefully it will come closer when I make my next annual visit. Maybe it will have transformed into a trendster Turkish bath and kebab shop by then! read more

If you need a morning coffee and croissant fix, this is definitely the place to go. Don't expect prompt service though - it is run by hipsters after all. However, the coffee is absolutely worth the wait. The funky atmosphere and the fact that it is off-the-beaten-path make this a place where you can relax sans the bustle of the Shoreditch tourists. read more

Amazing bibimbap! Go with the spicy option and you will be pleasantly rewarded. The coffee was Melbourne-quality, with quick service and a really cool set up. With their hard work and attention to detail this place gets a rarely-awarded 5/5 read more

Nice (hip) atmosphere, good Korean food and good prices. I had the hot bulgogi (if that's the right spelling) and its was really hot! And really good! Apparently they have good coffee but haven't tried it. read more

Cute little cafe. The staff was very nice and let me sit there with my laptop for 20 minutes while they were closing up. The quiche I had was good, and the coffee was excellent. The wifi was fast enough, I was mostly just checking emails and doing research. If you are in the area I definitely recommend stopping by. read more

The strangest thing about this charming Korean restaurant is that they not serve beers, they recommend the nearest off license to purchase alcohol. It has an outdoor terrace, the restaurant has two rooms, one is the kitchen and another a hair salon, a dual purpose business that is growing very fast. Very interesting idea. The service is rapid but efficient, they serve tap water with the meal. I eat a spicy chicken on the rice that was excellent. read more

I agree with Mouzilla. I don't know how they do that but it's really the best coffee you can have around the town. Even the trains above can't spoil the fun:) Plus the pecan cake! My mouth was near to climax... read more

The hair ccut I got here was the worst one I've ever had. When I got home I realised that there were entire parts that he forgot to cut so I had to do it myself. The ends are so crooked and choppy. There is a random super short piece at the back :( read more

Hurwundeki is such a cool hidden gem! The food I ordered was delicious and very reasonably priced. The staff were all very polite and I was also extremely happy with the service and didn't have to wait long for my food to arrive. I also got my hair cut by someone who looked like Johnny Depp. I would recommend checking out Hurwundeki to all friends. read more

I love meeting my friends at Hurwundeki, they serve amazing well priced Korean food, it's byob so you can have a great evening and don't spend a lot! It's great to look at, quirky and cool, inside and outside, sell some cool one off pieces of vintage clothing, cakes and delicious coffee and to add to it it's even more well known for it's 15 minute hairdressing, where there are queues of people usually so must be a great quick haircut! They also have the 30 minute hairdressers shop just opened infront which I plan on using for my next cut! Definitely worth a visit for a catch up with friends for a chilled evening. read more

I'm changing my review, because I think Ki Lee (the owner) and Jimmy (the guy with glasses) are both great hairdressers. I'd avoid the dude that looks like Johnny Depp, though. read more

- - - - This is a complaint addressed to Hurwundeki HAIRDRESSER Salon at 242 Cambridge Heath Road London, E2 9DA with specific mention about the owner and manager Ki Lee. This is not related to the restaurant, which I love - - - Poor technique, lack of respect and service, highly condescending, poor haircut finish. Hurwendeki made me look like a boy who had his hairs cut by his mum! Avoid this hair salon!! I am not the type of person to complain and I am usually easily pleased with haircuts. Unfortunately, I had the worse experience in 30 years of haircuts at Hurwundeki in East London, and according to the other reviews below I am not the only one. I would therefore urge anyone looking for a professional haircut in a client based job to AVOID Hurwundeki hair salon in Bethnal Green! My "efficient and fast" haircut from Hurwendeki Bethnal Green had an uneven coarse texture. It was poorly shaped and lacked precision. I went back to the salon the next day to express my discontent and requested a refund. I was shocked to hear the manager's/owner's response: "I don't see anything wrong with your haircut". When I showed him the three apparent horizontal lines that run laterally across the back of my hair, and the unsymmetrical length of the hair on my head (which was not what I had requested), he claimed that this is a "new technique". Then, when I requested to have the bottom back part of my hair to be cut straight, Ki Lee answer was: " That's odd, we don't do that for men"! His patronizing attitude, "Are you a hairdresser?", was condescending and offered no comfort for my ruined hair. He added that I would not be "respecting" the hairdresser and the company if I requested a refund. He then insisted to fix the patches but I did not have much hair left to trust a "stylist" who did not see a client's request. Ki Lee failed to apologize and refused to listen to what I wanted on my own head. Ki Lee's demeanor might seem approachable at first but he does not listen to his customers. Save your money and go to Ted Baker for an outstanding service and haircut or go to your local barber who would give you better value. To conclude I believe that Hurwundeki's stylists are poorly trained and are only able to apply a single style of cut to all their clients. This is appalling and I am not surprised to read that previous Ki Lee's business crashed and burned (http://courierpaper.com/2014/09/hurwundeki-fall/). read more

Part BYOB Korean food place, part 15 minute hair cuts. Luckily I've never found a hair in my any of my dishes. The interior is a bit random and the staff will be as nice as you manage to be. For the price, the food here is quite something - I keep coming back to the bibimbap. If you're after a full dinner and drinks deal for under 20 pounds, bring a bottle and try it out. read more

Hurwundeki has set up a few different outposts of fashion and lifestyle across London: two boutiques, a hair salon, and a cafe. This location, the cafe, is right next to Cambridge Heath railway station in Bethnal Green. You'd be excused for not pegging it as a cafe, even from right in front of the building on Hackney Road. Hurwundeki bills itself as "cafe, antiques, and play area" and it fulfills images conjured by those words. First the positives. The coffee is excellent and the counter is covered with delicious food options - breakfast bits, sandwiches, snacks, and pastries. The space is roomy, set beneath the stone archways of the railway. I'd describe the decor and the furnishings as rustic and gritty; many of those furnishings are available for sale. There are a few outdoor tables at one end of the fairly large, fenced yard in front. (Perhaps that's the "play area"?) Negatives? The idea of a play area has attracted local parent types; as I write this I am cranking up music to drown out the sound of five crying babies and their parents. There is free wifi but it is woefully slow: don't expect to be Skype'ing on this connection. All in all, it's a good East End cafe option for chilling or working during the day and getting some good coffee and food whilst doing it. Just be prepared for strollers and babies and slow internet. read more

WORST HAIRDRESSER EVER. I went to the Cambridge heath branch last time and did not have a pleasant experience as I had an argument with the so called "creative director". I needed a quick haircut so I though I'd give it another chance in the Brick Lane branch, hoe fool of me, should have gone to a proper REAL hair salon. I enter the place and NONE of the 3 hairdressers working bother to greet me or even look at me. The first thing you notice once you enter is the very strong smell of urine that comes from I don't know where...not the best way to be remembered by your customers, right? As soon as I take my hat off to get ready for my haircut, one of the guys tries to be funny saying something like my hair looks like a wig...what a nice a way to break the ice, right? But wait, it gets worse. The guy that cuts my hair tells me to sit straight, as I just moved to London, I asked him to repeat, but even before I do that, the "funny" one is basically screaming on me saying to SIT UP. I spent the whole time not saying a word and praying the awful experience will be as quick as possible; the only thing I was doing was scratching my face once in a while because the guy didn't bother to remove the hair from my face. On the contrary, he seemed quite annoyed of me doing that and kept pushing my head down. At last, I have the unfortunate idea to ask him to shave a little bit more my hair on the sides and what he tells me is "no I won't otherwise I have to start from the beginning, my job is finished" and invites me to stand up. Saying I was appalled is an euphemism. I did not argue on that cause there were other people and I just wanted to leave. Price for the overall job, £14, without obviously washing my hair. Now, the place is not only too pricey for the service they provide, but the staff is the rudest I have ever met and the place is basically a loo. It is a joke under every aspect and I am still surprised it's still open. Follow my advice, walk away from this brand and go to a real hair salon. read more

I have become a regular in Hurwundeki I always go for Picolo: espresso with milk, which is awesome The coffee is quite strong, stronger than at the other places but you can request to add some water to it. Food is organic, delicious, worth trying, pricey but worth every penny well spent They also do Korean food : not a lot to choose from but definitely amazingly tasty. read more

People, you can do better than this. This is not the place to go for coffee, unless you like it sour and boiled. Much like the attitude of the staff too. There are far better places to go in east london where the staff have been trained to make proper coffee and they even appear as though they don't mind their job. It's true. You don't have be subjected to terrible coffee anymore! Run free! Go somewhere decent. Oh and I tried to give this place only on star, but Yelp doesn't let me....so two it is. read more

The worst haircut ever and terrible customer service!!! It is literally a joke! He chopped my hair in less than 5 minutes and that's all. I feel stupid that I've paid now. Will never go back there and don't recommend it to anybody! read more

I needed a haircut in a hurry and Hurwindeki hit the mark. Waiting time was no more than 10 mins (you write your name in pink chalk on the blackboard - cute touch), and it only cost £18. Granted, it's a no frills experience - don't go here if you are into pampering - but the standard of cut is solid and the price is right. What clinched it for me is that the hairdresser went above and beyond to recommend some vitamin supplements that might improve the quality of my hair, and she was 100% right! I can hardly believe it; I thought I ate healthily, but it turns out veggies don't contain enough vitamins D, A and K2 for me. 3 days after taking them, I feel great, my hair has stopped falling out and is so much healthier. Thank you! Food looks great too and it was pretty busy on a Monday lunchtime. Will definitely be back. read more

The place looked nice but the service was terrible. None said 'hi' to us at the counter when we went to order, or showed any welcoming signs. The guy who was making the coffee was near to be rude to us and none of them seemed to know what was going on. They ran out of bread and told us that they would get some more and serve our sandwiches in 10 min. We had our food 30 min later and it wasn't even good. Avoid, cool is not enough. read more

Went there on a Saturday evening in January, having previously tried to call them in the morning to establish whether they were open, only to find that nobody answered the phone. When I got there, I was told they had been "too busy" to answer the phone (what - at 9.30 am on a Saturday morning?). I should have left there and then, as things didn't exactly improve. They serve Korean food that is ok to eat (though I have reason to believe the beef was off), but insanely overpriced. Remember, this is Hackney, not Chelsea. And the service is absolutely horrible - there were only four tables occupied (including ours), but staff clearly weren't interested in serving their guests (perhaps they're from North Korea?). They clearly can't be bothered, and in future, neither can I. Hurwundeki will not see me again. read more

This place was so terrible we are surprised that people still go there. The staff were supremely rude, we waited at the counter, while they ignored us and lazily dried glasses. When we had ordered the chef prepared our food and then yelled over the counter at us to come and get it. The food (a sort of muddled tortilla) was served with a salad dressed in a sickly balsamic glaze (very 90's). The food is prepared in an area visible from this counter and it was disgustingly dirty. The music was bad trance. There is nothing to recommend this place, it doesnt even deserve this one star... read more