The host was ridiculous, ignoring us for over 15 minutes while there are plenty of available seats and no other people waiting. When I went to speak to him to get his attention, he was super rude and showed zero interest in customer service. Even though food is amicable, service is below the lowest acceptable standard, so had to leave read more

We went to Kimchee on Thursday night for at 7:00pm sitting. I read some mix reviews on the net but like to try out the place myself. There was a large Q but will worth the wait. We enter a very stylish restaurant, the interior was warm modern fused an wink to classic Korean. The walls where exposed layered grey stone covered with glass. They did similar style with natural wood walls covered with glass. What made it look like a preserved work of art. I have to say from beginning to end the staff could not have been more charming, helpful and were there when you wanted them to be. Although it was very busy. The waiter helped us with the Korean food as we where not familiar with this delightful cuisine. The food was wonderful really wonderful - We all loved it, we shared al dishes. As a starter we ordered the scallop skewer, chilly prawns and soft shell crab. everything was very tasty, very hot (heat wise) and beautifully presented. We had various cocktails starting with a gorgeous red Soju one. which was also very good and complimented the pork belly dish wonderfully. The Bulgogi dish was a delightfully tasty mix of flavours. I really enjoyed the vibe in this restaurant, we had an early sitting but it was buzzy and next to our group where many Korean guest. Looking at there faces it was obviously good food. The meal for three was well priced - as you can tell from the review we did not go mad but felt that we got good service and excellent food and therefore it was worth it. Can't wait to go again and will do so soon as it's well affordable. read more

Fake Korean food and it's not even good. The server for our table was nice, except that he spilled the soup on my shirt. I was expecting a discount, but all I got was an apology and my ruined shirt. I think this place is meant for people with low standards for their appetites. read more

Paying for kimchi at Kimchee was a bit odd. I had Korean food all around the world but this was the first time I had to pay extra for banchan. Seafood soft tofu was basically a soup with tofu in it. This is not Korean food. It's fake Korean food for those who don't know any better. Also the wait staff needs some training on service--though the runners did a fantastic job. read more

This place is swanky! As far as presentation is concerned, this would a nice place to take a date (and affordable too). It is, however, busy and loud and I didn't love my food. Nothing really wrong with it, just meh and not too filling. There was some foul up with my roommate's order and her food came about 40 minutes after ours. At least they were pleasant enough about it (easy for me to say, I wasn't the one with the grumbling stomach). They do have a yummy dessert of chocolate rice cakes you should try if you go though. read more

Not bad but not the best. On arrival I couldn't be seated as my friend was 5 minutes away. Fair enough when there is a queue and no seats but the place was pretty sparse. Once she arrived the waiters ignored us for a few minutes before seating us but barely speaking to us. We went for the beef bibimbap and chicken udon noodles. Luckily we were sharing both as the bibimbap came out straight away and the chicken noodles 10 minutes later. The bibimbap was average - beef ok but sauce not all that flavoursome and the veg in there wasn't as good as other places I have tried. I would not recommend this. However the fried chicken udons was DELICIOUS. Lovely thick noodles in a peanut sauce which onions, peppers and fried breadcrumbed chicken. Recommend this. I will be back to try another few things on the menu as the food was reasonably priced and the restaurant it big, spacious with a nice decor. Shame about service and the bibimbap. read more

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Again...Korean food truly fails in London. Just go to America or Korea for some real food.The chefs here are not even Korean...I ordered galbitang and it tasted like chicken broth with beef. No really flavor whatsoever. If you're visiting London I just suggest you don't come here. The building looks fancy, but the food is not. DON'T come here. read more

We went here for a January meal having heard from a friend that it was pretty good. It was exceptionally busy for the first sat in January, however from here it went downhill. We waited for about 15 minutes for a table - not bad considering it was busy, however we were place on a booth that fits 4 people (there were 3 others there already and I was with my wife). Ok, so it's a bit of a tight fit no big deal? Well it's a big deal when you worry if the waiting staff shuffling between the aisles may accidentally knock your food off the table - there's barely 2 ft of space between them! I'm not exactly a big person but the portions here are tiny! 3 main dishes and 4 sides between 2 people for just under £60 and we both left with the underwhelming feeling of being slightly hungry still. Do NOT under any cicumstances order the Budae Jjigae. It's described as "a spicy hotpot of kimchee, tofu, noodles, beef and sausage". We found 2 waffer thin slices of beef less that 1 cm in width and the sausage is SPAM - I'm not kidding! SPAM as in the processed "pork" that isn't even served to prisoners anymore. I found this shocking but maybe it's just how the dish is supposed to be served traditionally. Also there were hardley any noodles in there/ If you've ever purchased instant noodles from a chinese super market (the 70p per packet variety) there is less than half a pack of these noodles in there. In fairness the sides were a lot nicer than the mains. The Bibimbap we had was bland except for the entire chilli sauce we dumped in it although the Jap Chae glass noodles were good. They have 5 non alcoholic cocktails of which only 2 were available. When I asked if I could have one without ginger I was told that it's not possible as they're ready mixed... ominous. It's a real shame as this place has potential - however I think they're clearly relying on the fact there diners crying out for a decent Korean place in the Central London - and this place unfortunately is completely not it! If you want to give Korean food a try and don't mind being able to smell someone's armpit from the other table and have the appetite of a mouse then try this place, other wise I'd steer well clear. read more

Went there for lunch - it was very busy with local business people. I had a soup set and it was descent - it is not a destination restaurant by any measure but for sure a good option if you are in the area. It is ran by a group of korean ladies and it feels quite homey and cozy. Would definitely stop by if you are in the area and craving korean! read more

Not sure why this place gets only 3 stars on average. I like it quite a lot. The food is good and fresh, service always spot on when I go there and they have the yummiest green tea ice cream ever! read more

I've visited the take away branches and loved them. I think they are the best Asian quick bite chain in London to have sprung up. I was pleased to stumble upon there sit in table service restaurant by Holborn station. I've only started being a Korean food fan in the last year as I was so in love with Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese to ever really give Korean food the attention it needed and deserved! I'm am now a Korean food lover ! read more

Consistently great quality of food worth the price. The long lines in front of the door at busy times (despite the recent expansion of the restaurant) should speak for themselves. And don't leave without the green tea ice cream! read more

I have been on a number of occasions now. Love the decor and the really large space inside. Each time I have been with friends they are impress with the restaurant and the fact it doesn't require reservation, that's a thumbs up. However it can mean super long waiting times. Tried most dishes, everything was good, however there were some noodle dishes which were a let down. I also generally like it extra spicy in my pork dishes, but wasn't so. Their main dishes were great though, packed with flavour, served up well with nice fluffly rice. Yum. The service is a hit and miss. Can be really attentive and then very hard to get a hold of. I love Korean food and the small authentic restaurants whether they are in new Malden or central London are really great, cozy and homey food with a Korean romance drama feel all the time. Kimchee gives a more fancy family friendly vibe, and not so tense atmosphere which sometimes I prefer. read more

3 stars because the food is delicious but the service is horrible. Took forever to get our server to come to our table and for our food to come as well. Very disappointed read more

I love being introduced to new places, and being taken to Kimchee on a VIQ event felt extra special. The manager made everyone feel very welcome and personally introduced a taster menu of smaller tapas-style dishes. I can truthfully say that I probably wouldn't have chosen a single one of those and therefore missed out on the great variety of textures and flavours typical of the cuisine. Each course was accompanied by a speciality drink again, I would have probably just stuck to the more familiar choice of beer or wine. Some of the flavours probably take some getting used to, but I particularly like the fact that Korean spirits are a lot less strong than those usually used in cocktails. And apparently, some of the ingredients have proven health benefits certainly true for the fresh fruit based ones. We were seated in the beautiful downstairs bar area which has not yet opened to the public, thus missing out on some of the hustle and bustle upstairs. I look forward to coming back and joining one of the mixed tables even to queueing (average 15 minuts) and making friends with fellow diners along the way. There are obvious similarities to other successful Asian restaurants like Wagamama or BusabaEthai, but Kimchee has a slightly more upmarket feel to it, even though the prices are in a similar range. This is probably due to the great care the owner takes in choosing the crockery and decor for Kimchee. Wherever possible, this is sourced in Korea. We all fell in love with the beautiful Sake glasses (from Japan), and I particularly loved the clay dishes our food was served in some of the dishes have their own signature plate! As I have never been to Korea before, I can't tell how authentic tonight's experience has been, but with a third of all diners originating from the country, this must be pretty close. The country's Olympic team has already booked their table! We learned a lot about the various foods, and I can't wait to return to sample one of the crispy rice or one-pot mains. I was surprised to find more than one parallel to German food: both love pickled/fermented cabbage (Kimchee is the name of the Korean version of Sauerkraut which is the base of many of the dishes), and steak tartare. The latter is a very brave choice to put on a menu and speaks for the high quality and freshness of the ingredients (in my case judged on appearance alone, I am still too much of a not fully reformed vegetarian). read more

My favorite thing about kimchi is its interior design. The furniture are carefully selected which gives a really nice ambiance to the restaurant. The food is above average and the quality price ratio is acceptable; however I find the spicy level indication signs to be slightly underestimated. read more

Solid fast casual Korean in the heart of Holborn - I wont be ringing any phones for the food here but its solid and hits the spot if you want a quick Korean fix. Of notable repute is the kimchee pancake (so thick and crunchy and delicious) and the black sesame panna cotta (came with a cherry apple which provided our table with endless amusement) read more

Having worked in the area for a while, Kimchee is typically referred to as a landmark with the description, That Korean place that always has the queues out the front. If you have the good fortune of spending any time inside, the reason for the queues becomes abundantly clear. It's really, really good. I'll readily confess that I didn't really notice the names of all the dishes and drinks that were flying around the table, but that's possibly no bad thing and you could have quite an interesting evening from just randomly pointing and ordering from the selection available in this consciously Korean place. I know we had the eponymous fermented cabbage speciality, Kimchee, which was simultaneously weird and compelling, and made for an excellent component to more familiar menu options such as fried chicken bits, and a sort of pancake/omelette thing with seafood mixed through it. My personal star tip is for the steak tartare, which was nothing short of stunning and not at all what I expected. We were lucky enough to pair each group of plates with a Korean drink such as a fermented rice milk drink and a plum-based spirit. Quite a departure from what the Western palate's familiar with, and though I'd hesitate to order any of them alone they too provided a fascinating contrast & counterpoint to the cuisine. Based on the fact Kimchee doesn't take reservations (although the queue turnover is quite rapid) it'd probably be a handy and different option for small groups with a good sharing mentality. The bench-style seating (think Wagamama) probably rules it out for an intimate dinner for 2, but it's keenly priced options make it handily informal. The owners have gone to incredible attention to detail with the decor, plates and glassware, and this all adds to give the place a busy informality without falling into cheap, cheerful & chaotic. As well as being my first run at Korean food, this was also my first VIQ event two serves of massive luck in one! Based purely on personal preference I found the cocktails and alcoholic drinks to be a lot sweeter than I'd customarily drink, but am very eager to head back and explore some of the main dishes: from what we got to taste, it's easily worth a 20 minute queue. read more

This is a very nice Korean place on High Holborn. Very tasty food (try the raw beef bibimbap in the hot stone pot and the seafood pancakes "Pa Jeon"), and prices are really moderate - mains are around 10£. Can get very busy during lunchtime. read more

I ordered a Beef Bibimbap, Chicken Mandu, and "Korean tea" (some fruit-infused normal tea I think). It was delicious, although the portions were decidedly on the small side, especially for what you pay for (heh I'm jus gona, like, ignore my bill and focus on the pleasant food coma vibe/high). So, it's not exactly as cheap/whoagh as SoCal Korean food, but I'm a happy camper since I got my fix tonight. read more

It's a beautiful restaurant with modern decor. Come here for drinks only. Don't stay for the food. It's not authentic, it's full of sodium & msg, & it's overpriced. I had the seafood tofu dish & been having stomach issues with other unpleasant outcomes. That's unacceptable for a restaurant aspired to be an upscale gourmet establishment. read more

Don't go here for your regular Chicken Katsu Udon go for an adventure in Korean cuisine. Apparently there's no major culinary differences between North and South Korea except that the latter use wholewheat rather than buckwheat flower?! Though I'd be very surprised if you could get anywhere near the quantity and quality of food in the whole North as you do in this lovely South Korean restaurant in Holborn, even if you were called Kim and were born into the ruling family. And I learned that if you really did want to eat the best of Korean food surrounded by brutalist 70s architecture you always try one of a dozen restaurants in New Malden. On the other hand if you want a cool candle-lit relaxing ambience which mixes modern furnishing with trad touches you can do a lot worse that find a suitable spot in Kimchee, depending on whether you're a single, couple or group, and whether it's for business or pleasure; Adam the genial general manager reckons it's much more fun in a group either way and if you want to make a party up that's culturally representative of this clientele you'd need to be 30% Korean. Seafood here offers the tastiest and most innovative dishes: Prawn Mari, Pa Jeon (octo-squid) and Crab 'sticks' were faboluous. The meat's very fresh and nicely spiced try the dish in a steak tartare type pile with sesame seeds. The veggie options seemed to need hotter spice to make them interesting but I always think that. Drink each course down with a pretty plum wine or Korean non-fatal vodka. Indeed, on the basis of the food alone, mine would have been a five star rating. The cocktails were certainly very SWEET for me, not that one can complain when you are offered so many, and my feminist friend even told me afterwards that I appeared to be really enjoying the pink girly one. Now, of course, I wasn't. read more

It's really not bad for a lunch box joint. They get 3 stars for the packaging and cute little stools and the bamboo utensils. Food is edible, like regular Lotte World supermarket lunch box towards end of the day quality. If i'm in the area again and starving I would definitely go again. Although I must say that for a place that's named kimchee... I wasn't very impressed with their kimchee...... -____- read more

Really poor service. 10 waiters stood around but no one would seat me at a table, or to take my orders afterwards. One of them walked past behind me while I was waving to get attention and he ignored me (I am 100% certain he saw me) until I said "excuse me" loud enough for 2 tables either side to hear me. He thn signalled to say he would be back but he never did. read more

i went to Kimchee for the first VIQ event, and what a perfect place to set the standard for future events. From the moment you walk in and take in the beautiful wooden interior you feel transported somewhere far away. We sat in the what i can only describe as a tranquility section and was then taken downstairs to the new floor which will be opened to the public soon and will add another 100+ seats. We were welcomed by the manager and head bartender and they told us about Kimchee and what the evening had in store. We sampled various Koreen dishes with wines to match: Seol Jung Mae (14% plum wine) this reminded me a little of sherry and was served with Prawn Mari a rice paper filled with prawns,rice and veg and a mustard dipping. The taste was fresh and an excellent starter. A tastier and healthier alternative to a spring roll. Bek Seju (rice based wine with ginseng and herbs) a refreshing wine this was served with Pa Jeon a seafood pancake (this was filled with plump pieces of seafood) This was nothing like i expected, it reminded me of a fritatta i can happly recommend this dish. Makgeolli (fermented rice milk) this is a very popular drink but not for me this came with several dishes deep fried soft shell crab, gogi mandu (chicken dumplings) and Kimchee Jeon (cabbage pancakes) The Kimchee Jeon were very tasty and my favourite dish in this section though i must point out i enjoyed all the dishes! We were then served Kimchee which they make on the premises from scratch pickled cabbage with a chilli paste this wasnt to my taste but we were with a real kimchee enthusiast in our midst who said it was one of the best she had tasted so it must have been good. Out came a plate of Yuk Hwae (steak tartare to you and me) i couldnt bring myself to sample this as i like my meat well done but everyone else seemed to love it and the manager told us it was one of there popular dishes. Out came a rice paper basket filled with chicken Kanpoongi a mouth watering deep fried chilli chicken in garlic sauce. We were then given 2 cocktails Bora blue (blueberry liquer mixed with Soju crushed ice and fresh blueberries) and Kimberry Makageoldi (a raspberry liquer based) finally to end the evening we were given a shot of Soju a Korean clear spirit. This was my first taste of Korean food and wow i was impressed. I have promised to take my husband here and i have a inkling of some of the dishes to order. A big thankyou to Kimchee for an excelllent night and Qype for introducing me to yet another tasty cuisine The quality of food and surroundings would make you think that the prices would be high but they are not so i can 100% recommend this place for any occasion read more

Very bad service, a 老外waiter, he gave us a super tiny seat, I should say it was kind like sandwich seat. And we saw there are some other available table, so we asked if we could change to those, unexpected answer is No, and that waiter said: this is good for me! such rude answer and attitude! This is fucking no way in New York! But it's ok in UK!真是他媽的好笑！太欺負人了！是老外，爛韓國餐廳！ read more

Great vibes, good food, great decor as well. Very attentive staff. Vegetarian friendly as well

The problem with Kimchee is that they are never overly pleased to see you. You always get the impression that customers are a bit of a chore, and that one should feel honoured to be allowed to be there at all. The food really isn't good enough to justify that kind of attitude. So it's low on my list of choices. The menu is pretty limited with only 3-4 options for veggies most of which involve tofu. To go with the poor attitude and average food is bad and highly variable service. The decor is ok, the acoustics terrible. You get crammed in canteen style. read more

The service is really poor and shocking. I stood at the door waiting to be seated, while the head waitress walked in front of me and away without even acknowledging my presence as if I am a ghost. Shocked, I said "Excuse me" really loudly while she was walking away, and still she did not hear me (while the 5 tables of customers around me did). Next challenge was trying to get someone to take my order. A group of at least 10 waiters stood around in a corner while I and several other customers were trying to get attention. While I was waving my hand at them, one waiter walked past behind me and I was 100% sure he saw me but ignored me. As he was stealthily walking away I said "Excuse me" loudly to get his attention, in which his reply was a nod to say that he will be back, but he didn't! FInally, when I got the bill, and I have placed my credit card on top of it, swarm of waiters were around me but again they didn't seem to have noticed it. I tried holding the bill in the air; I tried putting the bill and card on top of my tall glass; no response. I finally took the credit card away and went to the toilet. After I came out of the toilet, guess what, my table was cleared and my bill gone. Now I could have walked out of there without paying, but I didn't, maybe I should have. Food was good, but so is the food at most other Korean restaurants. Portion was small, presumably to compensate the cost of decorating the place. If the idea is to be a posh place with good ambience then sadly the service standard does not match it. read more

Firstly, regarding some of the reviews below, sometimes i feel that people who have a bad experience rush to post negative comments on a portal such as this - which don't get me wrong every restaurant can have an off day. I can't help but think of how disproportionate this is, when so many more have great meals and don't post. Anyhoo, for me this place wins every time. Innovative, flavoursome, beautifully presented food at very reasonable prices. Showcasing the length and depth of the Korean food spectrum, all served in a sleek and bustling setting. The waiting staff are attentive, considering how busy the place actually is and informative. With such high turnover of customers, not everyone can be serviced 10/10 all of the time. Just don't let that ever put you off for this place is a real find and one I recommend time and time again. read more

Their food wasn't terrible. But I'm not sure I would call it Korean food either.. if you're looking for authentic tasting Korean food, I would go across the street to Asadal (just around the corner, south, on Kingsway). I thought for the price, the food was mediocre in taste and lacking in quantity. Kimchee is the kind of place you would like if you're also a fan of places like Ping Pong dim sum... Very westernized asian food. For a restaurant named kimchee, they really should spend some time to make their kimchi better. The restaurant is also very noisy. I went around sometime in May 2011. read more

Step aside mojitos, move over margaritas and make room for exclusive Korean cocktails at the brand new KIMCHEE Bar! read more

Kimchee - Korean Near Me - London, XGL

Went for a quick dinner and found it quite average overall. The food was actually quite good and tasty, had the spicy beef tartar which was delicious and the seafood bibimbap which was also tasty but was a small portion for the price. I asked if it came with kimchi (as it does with all other Korean restaurants I've been to but was rudely told by the patronising person who took our order that it was "a completely separate order". It's quite greedy of them to charge 2.50 for a tiny amount of kimchi. I felt stupid for ordering it at the end. The service was bad overall, and the water we ordered never made it's was to the table. Overall the food was good, service below average. There are cheaper and better Korean places in London for sure. read more

Normally I can overlook bad service if the food makes up for it. Unfortunately It was hard to decide which was worse at this place. The service was deplorable and the food was worse than the takeaway branch up the road. God knows what the Korean customers at the next table thought of this place, they must have been too drunk on badly poured drinks to care... Save your money and try one of the places around centre point, or even Bibigo! read more

Went here by chance with a friend and liked it so much we have since been back. Lovely food, great Korean cocktails. Only draw back is sitting at long tables with other diners - a fun place to come with friends not necessarily a romantic night out - but amazing food and cocktails at very reasonable prices! read more

Food was subpar tasted pre prepared service and atmosphere was nice however there are better options in the area

Certainly not a big fan of Asian food, but this place made me rethink. Its nicely decorated, makes you feel that you really are somewhere in Asia, in this case in Korea. I love how the decoration is mixed with modern and authentic items. The menu offers so much things that I cant decide where to begin from and I really do want to give everything a try. The service is fairly slow, but its worth the wait. The servers are friendly and smiley. The prices are affordable, nothing overpriced really. I recommend this place! read more

Came here with a friend for dinner after work. I had never had Korean food before, but as a Thai-lover, I didn't find it as tasty! Nevertheless, the service was impeccable and the decor was really cool. The only downside is it is quite loud in there so it is hard to have a normal conversation. They are normally very busy after work hours (we had to queue for a table) so I would recommend coming before 6pm. Also the prices were quite expensive. read more

Attended this restaurant tonight. Was advised that last orders are at 8.30 -8.45 even though the times on the door state that the restaurant is open until 10. Having ordered my food i requested a glass of watee along with a glass of wine. Needless to say my food was served alojg with the wine. I waited a few minutes however there was no wine. When asked again was told it would be broight. None came. Our plates were then taken the minute we finished and we were rushed out the door. We where then given our water. In total we were in and out within 30 minutes. With regards to the food, it was dry and not much flavour was present. This was the first and last time i will dine at the restaurant. Both the service and food has a lot to be desired for read more

Had the chargrilled spicy pork. Was so nice. Was running late but would have been better to order more as the portion size was not as big. Great service. read more