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    Kimchee

    3.4 (133 reviews)
    ModerateKorean
    Open 12:00 pm - 3:00 PM, 5:00 PM - 10:30 PM

    Kimchee Photos

    KIMCHEE ATMOSPHERE

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    Good for kids

    Recommended Reviews - Kimchee

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    Open style kitchen
    Matt G.

    5 stars for the interior, dimly lit, high ceilings, oversized cool lamps. Looks like it could be expensive, but there's plenty of main course options around 11 pounds. The chicken bibimbap was ok. Rice, noodles, carrots, cabbage, cucumber. Comes out piping hot. Chicken could used some more marinade. I have only had Korean food a few times, so can't say whether this is authentic or not. The tofu udon noodles were ok. A very slimy type of noodles that I don't normally go for. Not enough tofu pieces. The temperature was luke warm, which didn't help bring out flavors. The kimchi was quite spicy. You are supposed to get some free kimchi and other stuff at the beginning of the meal, which for me is one of the big selling points of this cuisine, but that didn't happen here, which makes me question the level of authenticity. The long communal tables also aren't really my style. The ambiance saved the night and the service was not too bad.

    Lava Y.

    I like Korean food and found Kimchee to be alright at best, not as good as some the more authentic Korean restaurants in London, but if you prefer chain Asian food with a more Westernised spin, then it's a good choice. The bibimbap was not bad, I prefer the egg yolk raw like it should be but it was fried, and no banchan (complimentary sides) were served and had to be ordered separately. On the plus side, the kimchi tasted good and the portions were generous. They also have a great drinks menu and a lovely variety of fresh teas made with tea leaves. Service was very slow, took ages to get the waiter to take orders, pay the bill etc. they were not attentive at all. Price was on the higher side plus service charge added. The restaurant itself is very busy and loud but it has lots of seating and big long tables so it's great for groups. There's also window seats for solo diners which is handy. Overall, not the best for Korean in London but decent selection of dishes and quite tasty.

    Uli B.

    Really enjoyed it...especially decor-wise I was very impressed. Think Hakkasan and a more refined Ping Pong (Great Marlborough Street) and you kind of know what to expect. But also food-wise the restaurant ticked my boxes: the presentation was beautiful and the flavours were spot-on. Especially the barbecued beef was a tasty revelation (despite the texture being a little too chewy). Another standout is the staffing: my dining companion remarked that she felt like in an international hostel where people from all over the world worked: you were led to the table by Miss Poland, served drinks by Mr Korea; your orders were taken by Mme French and the bill was presented by Mr Turkish... While I really enjoyed this international flair, I think - like in the real world - they have not really learned how to play well together, nor are they aces when it comes to hospitality. After all, just because you have a fancy ear-piece and a walky-talky doesn't mean you're very well-organised! Yet, like I said in the beginning, I was really quite impressed and can definitely recommend you to pay a visit to this establishment! Jal Meokkesseumnida (which, according to Google, means Bon Appetit in Korean.)

    Dolsot bibimbap with tofu.
    Asha M.

    The food was great, but the service was terrible. The waitress forgot my food, then when I asked about my bimibap it she brought out a side of rice. I then told her this isn't what I ordered. She then remembered, and said it would be 2 minutes because my party finished eating. When I asked her to cancel it, she again said it would take 2 mins. So my food came out when everyone else was finished. It also took forever to get our check, and I finally asked another waiter to help us. Aaaaand that side of rice I didn't order was on the check. They seemed annoyed that I asked them to remove it. They also made it seem like splitting the check was a big deal... Which I'll let go because he's not the first server who flipped out when I asked for a check split in London.

    Kimberry cocktails
    Jhenn S.

    I've been saving my 100th review for some place special. This is my new restaurant crush- so it has to be here! I've been to their fast food little sister Kimchee-To-Go a billion times and thought it was finally time to try the official restaurant. I suggested it for a family get together and we were all made believers. I quickly decided to have my birthday dinner here. Pluses: +The decor is modern and chic with a feel of Asian screens and Korean ceramics on display which is right next to: +The open kitchen. I have to restrain myself not to shove a fancy lettuce leaf in my mouth as I walk by. +Good for groups with long tables +FOOD FOOD FOOD A huge selection for all sorts of eaters. The vegan selection is pretty impressive. Buckwheat noodle salad, vegetable dumplings, soups, bibimbap, and my current fav: Stir fried Udon. (I tend to not get stir fried udon because I could easily make it at home. After trying someone else's, I promptly made sure I had a whole portion to myself the next time. And I did.) Meat & seafood dishes were also given a thumbs up by the crowd. +Vegetarian dishes are clearly marked. +Cocktails. Quite an array of interesting-in-a-good-way drinks including traditional (dairy free) rice milk alcohol. I love the Kimberry (raspberry liqueur, rice milk brew, raspberries and mint). +Prices. Pretty decent! Mains are under £9. +Toilets! I go as many times as possible because they are that nice. I also like to admire the waiting-area lounge downstairs. Minuses: -No reservations. Make sure most of your group comes together (silver lining: you can wait at the cool bar downstairs for a table) -Group tables can only fit 8 people, separating a larger group a bit. I'm not sure if the tables can be pushed together (especially if it's busy). -No vegetarian kimchi (but they do have namuls) -I want/attempt to eat everything. Bonus points: Friends are super impressed and thus impressed with you. See you soon, Kimchee!

    Meaty view while you wait for a table...
    Josy A.

    Oh Kimchee what a shame! You *could* be so good!! I'll go with the good parts first, as some things really made me happy here: * As everyone else has mentioned, Kimchee looks chic, and cool. The toilets were be-autiful with nice smelling soap. * It has mouth-watering meat broiling next to a glass window at the front to get your appetite up. Yum. * The food is pretty good. It seems like an Alan Yau-type of establishment (like Busaba, Wagamama, Cha cha moon etc.) so it's not too pricey, but well presented, decent grub. If the service was better, it'd be a solid 3 or 4 stars. But this is all let down by the service! * We had to wait in the line outside for about 20 minutes, then another 15 minutes inside. This isn't such a biggie...I'm getting used to it in London now BUT as they had given us the menu while we waited, we were all ready to order by the time we sat down. However the waitress wandered off never to be seen again! It took at least 10 minutes before we could flag someone down to let us order! - Eep 1. * The staff didn't really know how much we should order for starters. We were planning to share several things, but our waiter didn't know if they'd be easy to split...he didn't really know anything when we questioned him about our order. It made us wonder if he'd ever actually eaten the food here - Eep 2. * They took an incredibly long time to bring drinks. When they finally arrived, they brought me the wrong wine, and took even longer to bring my friend's beer. We had to ask twice before the beer arrived. Eep 3. * We asked for tap water when we ordered when we first sat down. They didn't bring it until we had almost finished. Eep 4. * They didn't bring plates, so it was hard to share the starters. Wtf - Eep 5. * They didn't bring spoons for the soup(!) I really don't know how they expected me to eat soup from a hot pot with chopsticks! Eep 6. * They added an extra service charge to our bill despite their terrible service. Oh! And then the waiter took a really long time to bring back our change...maybe he was hoping we'd just leave without it so he'd gain an extra tip!? Ah well.

    Side dishes
    Nida K.

    I was studying a little ways down at Starbucks with a friend and we decided to find some lunch. Although the reviews from Kimchee on Yelp are pitiful, I figured I'd head in and come to my own conclusion... If you're looking for traditional Korean food, go somewhere is. If you're looking for Korean-inspired food, come here. It's not bad at all, but I felt some of the flavors were a bit off. We ordered the Beef bibimbap along with an order of bulgalbi. The bibimbap was pretty good, but I was a bit disappointed with the bulgalbi. It just lacked flavor... & the best thing about ordered galbi in a traditional Korean setting is the marinated flavor on it. My happy ending to this lunch was the black sesame ice cream. It is amazing! Great atmosphere here and a decent lunch spot. I'd honestly come back to try a few more things on the menu. Service wasn't particularly bad or good, but the food comes out rather quickly so that's always a good thing.

    Jules H.

    What a great place to get some yummy Korean lunch. This shop operates along the same line as Wasabi and Itsu. Salads, sushi and noodles are packed up neatly, to be either eaten in or taken back to the work place. We had the Korean pancake, hot tofu salad and a mix of sushi and noodles plus plum tea and Aloe Vera for drinks. It decently priced and the portions were very nice. Loads of vegetarian options.

    Chap Ssal Ddeok
    Roberto D.

    This is officially the first time I visited an exclusive Korean restaurant (although I've eaten Korean food many times before). First I begin to tell of how trendy and hip the place looked. It is located in the centre of the city and very approachable by subway. The restaurant had a very spacious place, very well decorated, modern and well-designed furniture, and above all, frequented by young and well-dressed people. The service was quite below average, IMO. The waitress seemed to forget a lot and we have to wait a considerable time before they noticed us and ask to make the order. The food was delicious though. The kimchee was quite tasty and the dolsot bibimbap was delicious and fulfilling. But the best food we tried on this restaurant were the desserts. Although they were not "traditionally" Korean, it was something I've never tasted before. I highly recommend the green tea jelly with Matang.

    Fazan K.

    Very modern decor, but thats no suprise as the full length windows give you a peek into what to expect. I arrived with a Korean friend who I knew would introduce me to traditional dishes. We were seated at the window, where I felt we were on display to pedestrian walking by, prefer to sit away next time just felt like I had to be on best behaviour lol. Food was good quality and fortunately my friend tells me the kimchi was quite good very crispy not too limp. When the bill arrived it was a pleasant surprise to see the total - very reasonable indeed. Was looking forward to coming here for a while, im not sure if I'll be coming back in a hurry but wouldn't rule it out if I were in the area looking for dinner.

    Beef bibimbap
    Tammy T.

    A couple of friends and I went to Kimchee after work. The decor is stylish and contemporary with floor to ceiling windows. It was empty when we arrived (around 6pm), but it filled up very quickly. We ordered the seafood pancake, dduk bok gi and the tofu kimchi to share. I thought they were all very good but I would have to say the tofu kimchi was my favorite. The tofu pieces were perfectly fried and the kimchi was just salty enough. I had the beef dolsot bibimbap which was very good (and hot). My only complaint is that they were slightly stingy on the beef, otherwise it was as perfect bibimbap! I would definitely recommend Kimchee if you're in the area. The service was quick, the food was good, and the atmosphere was lively!

    Duncan M.

    Went here with my girlfriend and 4 friends. The decor is very nice and modern. Cleverly setting the diners away from the busy road. The chap that served us was very good for suggestions and checking the food would suit us. Service is quite quick and in the Wagamama style of it arrives when it arrives. The presentation is superb and the food is very tasty. A varied menu should cater for everyone. Had a really nice meal here and will be going back a few times I'm sure.

    Beef hotpot

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    Overall excellent service and food. I prefer being downstairs where it feels a bit more cozy.

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    Kimchee Reviews in Other Languages

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    K Place - Those are extractor fans.

    K Place

    (30 reviews)

    ££

    Aldgate

    K, K Place, I really wanted to like you but, in the end, you were just (O)K…read more We'd read some things about how K Place was doing an AYCE Korean BBQ option. It's so rare in London that we thought we should definitely give it a try. We made a reservation for Friday night easily and they were flexible when we were running late. When we arrived, we headed down the stairs to the basement where the restaurant was. It isn't a huge place, with seating for about 30-40. Not all of the tables have grills, but the vast majority do. We were seated near the entrance and heard another group come in for karaoke and were directed out of the restaurant, so if you're looking for dinner and karaoke all in one - K Place could be a great option! After having a look at the menu, we decided to go with Set B Buffet, which was described as 10 course buffet with unlimited meats (£28.99). They also have a Set C with unlimited meats and seafood for £33.99. Soon after ordering, the dishes started to arrive. Banchan arrived first with 4 dishes: kimchi, radish kimchi, beansprouts, and cucumbers(?!). Odd. The cucumbers weren't the usual pickled cucumbers (oijangajji) but just some slices of raw cucumber. Maybe they had just run out of their pickles for the day? But we would have preferred them not providing this super random banchan. All the banchan were OK, but a bit bland. Next came the egg roll, dakdoritang (chicken and potato spicy stew) and mackerel. Everything was fine, though the dakdoritang was a bit bland as was the egg roll. The mackerel was overcooked. The kimchi pancake was standard, not the best I've ever had but not the worst - pretty middle of the road. The steamed mussels was probably the highlight. Fresh and sweet, cooked well in their own juices and a sprinkling of green onion. We then received a platter of 9 different meats - it was easy to tell that these weren't the highest quality. Yes, I know I'm at an AYCE place but I've had great quality AYCE meat at Korean BBQ places (Looking at you, LA). Spicy pork, (fatty) chicken, pork belly, rib eye, chuck, etc. all super unmemorable and pretty bland. At least the service was good and our server came over to turn over the meats and cut them for us. They gave us a small platter of some vegetables to grill as well as lettuce to wrap the meat in. There was also a huge container of ssamjang, which I always slather into my lettuce wraps so that was a plus as well. We could have ordered more meat since we weren't stuffed but found it all just mediocre and decided that we didn't want the extra calories for such blah food. Sigh, I had high hopes but I think I'll just wait until I'm back in LA to have the real deal. Additionally, at this price point, I expected a bit more. Maybe due to it being in the City, they charge more? The hunt for good AYCE Korean BBQ in London continues.

    I had never tried Korean barbecue before so I was excited to give this place a go. It's on the…read moretastecard which is how I found it so you can get some money off your bill and if you select the 10 course set menu you really get enough food to be stuffed by the end. As I found out, when you go for Korean barbecue you have the actual barbecue in the middle of your table so you can cook your own meat and veggies just like you want them. But before you get to that there is an array of delicious starters and sides that are put in your table, meats, fish, seafood, vegetables, rice and soups. Once you go through most of those, you meats of choice are brought out and the barbecue is turned heated up. You can then start cooking your steaks using the special wooden cutlery and cut them up with a pair or scissors. This way you can be sure you have everything as soon as it's done and nothing gets cold. We decided to go with the set menu that offers 3 types of meat per person but if you really want to push your limits or have not eater for days there's an unlimited meat option too. If you pick that one, I salute you. Anyway, I definitely enjoyed everything I tried and look forward to going back soon. I recommend going there with a group as that would be great fun and you can order a greater variety of foods. Either way it's worth putting it in your schedule.

    Hot Stone - First course: sashimi

    Hot Stone

    (14 reviews)

    Islington

    Solid experience at hot stone! The food is delicious and service on point. Perfect for date night,…read moreor a hang out with your girlfriends. Highly recommend buying their vouchers when available to come, to get the most value. We purchased the 5 year birthday offer at £30/person which came with a five course meal. The vouchers go on sale during certain holidays - you can find all their previous offers online. Be sure to ensure there are promotional seating when making a reservation and follow the terms and conditions. Total meal with drinks, the oyster supplement and service charge was just under £100 for two (including the vouchers). Price is quite steep without the voucher and doesn't represent value to me personally. (You've been warned!)

    That Wagyu though!…read more Swung by here at the tail end of my trip in London. Showed up around 8 and got a seat at the bar without any wait on a Tuesday night. Ordered myself 2 orders of salmon sashimi, and the wagyu hot stone meal. The Salmon Sashimi: Very generous thick cuts of salmon. Fresh tasting and delicious. What more could you want? Get This. The Wagyu Hot Stone meal: Oh man I love wagyu steak, and here you can get it for only 25 quid. Cut up your steak and grill it on the stone for a little on each side, and have it melt in your mouth. This came with a side of seaweed salad and a nice spicy sauce to dip the meat in. Get this. If you're coming to a place called Hot Stone you've gotta take in the experience of grilling your meats on an actual hot stone, but also add some sushi / sashimi to your meal because the slices are thick, and its as fresh as I had during my stay in London. Will be back!

    Kimchee - korean - Updated May 2026

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