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    On The Bab

    3.6 (54 reviews)
    ModerateKorean
    Closed • 11:30 am - 10:30 pm

    On The Bab Photos

    ON THE BAB ATMOSPHERE

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    Loud
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - On The Bab

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    Kimchi
    Emma B.

    I have been here now two times now, first time dine in, second take out. The first time we got the Korean fried chicken, buns and kimchi. The service was a little slow but the food is good. We really enjoyed all of it. Our fried chicken was boneless which I prefer, however when I ordered take out a week later I ordered a larger portion and found the chicken to be mixed - both boneless and bone in. I wish I had know this and they had told me. However the food is good here.

    Medium Korean fried chicken and bibimbap - dinner for two
    Reuben W.

    One of my go to places for Korean food. It has got good atmosphere and delicious Korean fried chicken. We got fried chicken with soya sauce and garlic mayo toppings and they tasted great. We also ordered a bibimbap to eat the chickens with. Very yummy indeed!! Definitely would come back. Tip: book a table ahead as the dinner queue starts before 6.30pm even on a weekday.

    Yee Gan O.

    So, does the rapid spread of OnTheBab herald a rise in Korean street food? They're following in the trail blazed by Korean fast food chain Kimchee, which has brought affordable yummy Korean food to the high street I stumbled upon this branch in Covent Garden and despite having eaten lunch, I felt it was my Yelp duty to try out the Korean fried chicken to further expand my 'Chicken Lickin' Yelp list They were in a quiet spot between lunch and dinner services but I was served quickly and efficiently As mentioned, I went for yangyum chicken, the Korean version of fried chicken. They offer a choice of 4 sauces - sweet soy, sweet spicy, garlic mayo and seasoned onion. I went for the garlic mayo As expected for a restaurant specialising in street food, they packaged my takeaway chicken well. When I opened up the box, I was surprised to find that the chicken was completely smothered in the sauce. The chicken was crispy but I couldn't taste the flavour because the garlic mayo was overwhelmingly garlicky. Now, I love garlic but this sauce is something else, so be warned. Perhaps they should serve it on the side I have however seen enough encouraging signs to make a return to try more dishes

    Prawn bun
    Chrystel K.

    I would definitely keep coming back here for the Korean fried chicken. There isn't that many places in London that do it. The way they make the KFC is so yum... the sauces they use are sticky goodness. I think out of all the flavours available I like the garlic mayo and the spicy one. My friend mentioned that he felt there was too much cabbage when we were served it on a massive tray. But I tend to like that they give a generous amount of cabbage. The sushi burrito roll is really filling and delicious too! Highly recommend this place to hangout for nibbles and drinks with friends just cos it's really easy to split and share. However they don't do reservations and it's literally walk in whenever. Be prepared to wait 40- 1hour for a table for 4 people.

    Bab Twigim
    Joanna C.

    Came to On the Bab with a few friends on Saturday. We arrived around 2 PM and had about a 15 minute wait. We ordered drinks and a bunch of small dishes. I wasn't particularly hungry and ordered the Bab Twigim, which seemed to be the Korean take on risotto balls. They were super cheesy, which was excellent. But I couldn't taste the kimchi or much flavor, which was disapointing. They were definitely overpriced. The table next to us ordered fried chicken and main dishes, which looked good compared to our tiny tiny small plates. I think next time, I'll come hungrier and not waste my money on the small dishes. Nice staff, though they could've been better with refilling our water, and cute vibes.

    Wils S.

    Small Korean Street Food in Covent Garden. Excellent Korean Fried Chicken. We asked to have the sauce on the side, as usually the are fully drenched and tossed in a sweet sticky spicy sauce. Amazing side salad / Korean style coleslaw. We went for the 12 piece and was a a very big bowl indeed. Gyoza was tasty fresh and crispy and the burrito sushi style wrap with Bulgogi style beef was pretty tasty. Loved the OMG for a drink ... Which was the Oh My Ginger ... Excellent heat from the ginger and refreshing! Small venue but busy and great friendly staff!

    Spicy pork on the bao!
    Sanj M.

    I really liked the buzzy, casual vibe of this place! We were lucky to wander in without a queue and waited only 5mins for a table, though the line built up quite quickly behind us. My mouth was watering when I saw the menu so we ordered a feast from just about every section. The spicy pork on the buns were nicely fat and well stuffed, and bulgogi beef on the bibimbab fresh and tasty. My highlight was the seasoned spring onion sauce on the yangyum chicken which had my tastebuds a-tingling like crazy! Lucky we'd ordered draught kirin to wash it all down - which if you order in sharing size actually arrives in a tower with a tap (cue everyone in the restaurant looking round to see who the beer guzzlers are) ;) I thought the staff were a bit abrupt at first but they turned out to be quite lovely - I think the first woman was just rushed off her feet but she later came to say a very genuine sorry at how long our beer was taking to arrive - the kind of thing you really don't mind if the service still makes you feel special so well played. A very reasonably priced and filling feed (though not ideal as we had to run to make our cinema showtime afterwards!). I'm sure I'll be back to try more of those addictive sauces on the KFC...

    Rob H.

    New OtB! Well that was quick...I'm glad they've been doing well enough to expand (into Covent Garden, no less), all my meals here have been excellent to this point, and this branch carries on the good work from Old Street. The setup is pretty similar - the CG one is a bit bigger, the tables a little less cramped, and there's more bar seating. The menus are different between the two branches. The main staples are here: fried chicken, buns, bibimbap, but a lot of the small dishes are different - there are more salads here. We had pork buns, bibimbap, Korean burrito with fried chicken, shrimp dumplings, and kimchi noodle salad, and I had an aloe punch to drink. The pork buns were excellent as I've come to expect from OtB, and I like the bibimbap, especially with the orange miso-y sauce on the table - shame it's not in a hotter-than-the-sun stone bowl (Health & Safety, amirite?), but it's a tasty dish. The Korean burrito - a CG-only dish - was pretty good: it's a bit like a large bastardised sushi role topped with crispy shallots. I really liked it (even if it is a bit unwieldy). A little problem here: the sauce pots are a bit too small, so it makes it really difficult to dip. There's probably an innuendo in there but I'll leave that up to your wild and filthy imaginations. Next time I come I'd like to try some of the other salads (they have seaweed, pumpkin, broccoli salads...) and the egg muffin. I've always left OtB feeling pleasantly full - a shade over £20 a head, but it's an immensely satisfying meal. The staff were really nice to boot. The place started filling up quite quickly at around 6pm on a Saturday, so I expect the word's spread pretty quickly. Definitely dragging my parents here post-opera at some point!

    Baek ban.
    Ida N.

    Busy little place with a lot of local guests - very understandable. This street food spot has everything a Korean kitchen should have. Pork, kimchi, spicy mayo, bibimbap - so much more. We were lucky to get a table right away, so expect some waiting if you're here around lunch time. I had the baek ban with spicy pork. It comes with kimchi, coleslaw, bean sprouts and rice. Kimchi was perfect. The pork marinade was very sweet, of course they use alot of sugar, but it's absolutely a winner. You don't go for Korean if you're on a diet... Try the On the rice as well; meat in sushi rolls (no sushi, though). It's awesome. Their citrus sparkle drink is very good, too. Don't expect great service here, but the food makes up for it. Great place for lunch.

    Lynn Z.

    Coming to this busy place at almost 9. Still a long queue outside. But the food worth the queue! All the food is very tasty. Fried chicken is nice! Prefer the soy ginger than the sweet spicy chicken. Dumpling and buns good as well. It has been a long time being satisfied from the food.

    Fried Chicken with chili and garlic mayo sauce. Yum!!
    Rachel T.

    The Korean Fried Chicken is amazing!! Ordered a medium portion for two ppl and they let us choose two sauces. However the bibimbap wasn't much of a delight compared to other Korean restaurants.

    The "roll" or "burrito," which is technically a kimbap
    Seo Young M.

    Very fast service with great korean food. Be ready to stand in line for dinners. Recommend bibimbap and the "burrito," which is technically kimbap

    Ali C.

    Location is great. Price is on the cheap / affordable side. But the food quality is just really standard. I get that there is a few on the bap but if you want to do exotic, you better do it good. I had the tofu and seafood stew and the korean fried chicken. The stew tasted as uninteresting as the picture looked. Don't get me wrong, the ingredients are in there, just no oomph and kick. Just really boring. The fried chicken was bland and tasted like there was no seasoning when it was fried and had to be elevated by the sauce. Unfortunately, I won't be going back anytime. Cheap eat to fill your stomach if that is your priority.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Review Highlights - On The Bab

    “Need to wait for a long queue unless a less busy hour.”

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    Jinjuu - My Pret coffee wrapped in tissues because it offended "the manager"

    Jinjuu

    4.1(115 reviews)
    0.8 mi•Soho
    •£££

    Great food. Awesome atmosphere. And located in one of London's most poppin' neighborhoods. If you…read morelike Korean food, this is your new jam. The interior gives you a sense of being in an underground bar somewhere in Asia, and it comes complete with Pucca dolls nestled on top of the booze bottles behind the bar. There is seating both upstairs and downstairs, but given how crazy it gets, if you're planning on coming, book in advance. I've eaten here twice, and I can safely say that the food is legit! It's surprisingly authentic given the location, and the drinks aren't half-bad, either. The Bibimbap with Bulgogi Beef is one of my favorites, thus far, with the perfect ratio of rice to beef, kimchi to veggies. It's one hearty dish, so come hungry. The Signature Fried Chicken is also done to perfection, and if you've ever had Korean Fried Chicken before, you know what I'm talking about. It's not expensive, but sadly, you only get 2 pieces. Believe me, you will want more. I can also vouch for the cocktails. Being a girly drinker myself, I can't pass up a delicious fruity cocktail from people who know how to put it together well. However, they also have a great Happy Hour with some of the cheapest beer you'll find to pair perfectly with your meal. That is how they do it in Korea anyway, isn't it?

    They treated us like no other. 12/10 stars…read more You want to come here for not only fine surrounding but TOP Shelf food.

    Photos
    Jinjuu - Jinjuu signature snickers hotteok

    Jinjuu signature snickers hotteok

    Jinjuu - Jinjuu signature Spiced Kimchi Mary

    Jinjuu signature Spiced Kimchi Mary

    Jinjuu - Selection of soju

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    Selection of soju

    K Place - Those are extractor fans.

    K Place

    3.4(30 reviews)
    1.6 mi•Aldgate
    •££

    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.

    Naru has been my long running fave Korean restaurant in central London for quite a number of years…read more- whilst it's still good in a great location, I've found a new place to direct ppl for awesome Korean food. We had a really early reservation because we had tickets to the RWC later that evening - got there right at opening around 5:30. This place looks like a proper Korean BBQ place because they have the vents that suck the BBQ smoke from the table. We were tempted at the Buffet menus but given that it was quite early we decided on getting the kimchi jeon, spicy pork and fried chicken. First they came out with banchan & kimchi - very few places in London offer this so a major plus as it reminds me of places in NY. The kimchi jeon was really good - at first looked a bit small as only two pieces came out but there was a bit of a confusion between the lunch menu so we got the other half later on! The spicy pork was good - I much prefer the one at Naru but still quite good. We asked them to cook it in the kitchen as it's not worth the effort to bbq at the table for 1 portion. The Korean fried chicken was probably the best I've had in London so far. We wanted half and half and they were quite nice to offer the sauce on the side. It was deliciously fried - comparing this to On the bab last week, we like this one a lot more. One funny thing to highlight is the plain rice. I grew up with a mom who was quite fussy about white rice and this place... they do it quite well. Fluffy and a bit on the sticky side. Lastly, in a typical Korean restaurant fashion, we received fruit salad at the end of our meal. We will definitely be back!

    Photos
    K Place - Cook food at your table

    Cook food at your table

    K Place
    K Place

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    Hot Stone - First course: sashimi

    Hot Stone

    3.4(14 reviews)
    1.5 mi•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!

    Photos
    Hot Stone - Fourth course/main course: hot stone wagyu

    Fourth course/main course: hot stone wagyu

    Hot Stone - Fifth course/dessert; matcha and miso caramel cheesecake

    Fifth course/dessert; matcha and miso caramel cheesecake

    Hot Stone - Third course; eggplant with miso glaze and truffle

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    Third course; eggplant with miso glaze and truffle

    On The Bab - korean - Updated October 2026

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