I had a chance to dine at 5 different Korean restaurants during my visit to Paris in early December. Soon Grill Champs-Élysées was a lunch stop on day 2, dining with my nephew who had been doing a semester abroad. Calling it a Korean bbq restaurant does Soon an injustice. It is a fine dining establishment with very competitive prices, and a pretty complex variety of dishes, giving good examples of how far Korean cuisine can go. "The Korean government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA), designated "Excellent Overseas Korean Restaurants" to promote high-quality hansik (Korean food) globally." There are seven now, with 3 in Singapore, 3 in Los Angeles, and only one in Europe: Soon Grill Champs-Elysees. This is the second branch of Soon Grill, which opened its first Korean BBQ in le Marais 10 years before. And of the five restaurants I visited, Soon was at the top. Like most Paris restaurants serving lunch, it opened at noon. We got there early, sitting in a nice outdoor waiting area. They invited us in (without a reservation ) around 11:50, which doesn't always happen. The lunch was everything that our dinner the previous night had not been: elegant atmosphere, great tableside service, and an incredible attention to detail (the dishes were prepared with a lot of individual effort). We were seated separate from a sole diner (but in a communal table). A self-service water carafe was immediately brought over and continuously refilled as we drank. We had come for the lunch menu, split into two groups: 1. bibimbap menu (stone bowl mixed rice plus a small dish of a classic korean meat dish) for 27€; 2. degustation menu (appetizer, main tableside barbeque dish, dessert) for 45€. My nephew chose from the bibimbap menu: beef tartare bibimbap with a side of chicken bulgogi. It came with a fermented bean soup. The raw beef was thinly sliced ribeye (the same used for beef bulgogi), and it was a large amount. I would have thought that the beef would have been partially cooked by the stone bowl, but that wasn't the case. The meal also came with a decent amount of chicken (dok) bulgogi as the 2nd entree. If an extra bowl of rice had been ordered, this would have been enough food for two people. I got to sample a bite before he tore into it, and found it to be good, though I wish the bowl had been a lot hotter. One thing to impress was the knife work...everything had been chopped so finely and evenly..and bibimbap is all about the various vegetable ingredients mixed with the crispy rice. Japchae was my choice for app, and the glass noodle dish was excellent. Not too oily, with the same knife work: the egg had been separated into yolk and white and had been chopped so finely, that at first glance, I thought the white was imitation crab. They did not have the soy-braised kalbi, so ended up getting the grilled lamb firstribs. This brought on the full bbq experience, with the meat being carved and grilled tableside by the server. The ventilation was excellent, didn't smell barbeque at all. Dessert was Daeboreum, a rice ice cream, with cereal chips, pear mousse, and soy crumble. Dessert in Korean meals is usually simpler, usually cut up fruit. So this was different, surprising, and delicious. Both meals came with set of 4 individual banchans and a communal bowl of kimchi (which was definitely aged strongly). One banchan was very finely shredded potato. Another was individually presented cucumber slices...even the banchan seemed to be individually prepped into each small dish. The kimchi gives good info that a kimchi stew or kimchi fried rice here would be really good. The personalization is crazy here...as if you asked for 2 slices of cucumber instead of 3, they would probably accommodate. The restaurant used the most elegant (and heavy) metal dishware I've ever seen at a Korean restaurant. They even had a display of it in the front, with a price if you wanted to take a set home. The service was aloof, but very attentive and accurate. But what impressed me the most was the ingredient prep. Both bibimbap and japchae can be amazing when the multitude of ingredients is processed so finely, to create a different blended taste, greater than the sum of its ingredients. That for me, is elevated cooking and something I will seek out. read more

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Delicious! What a welcome break from the equally delicious yet heavy French cuisine. We just so happened to find this place when looking for something different to eat in the 8th. Food and service were absolutely wonderful. I really enjoyed the rice cake. Unlike Korean bBQ in USA, the server here cooked the pork belly for us which was nice because she spoke English and we had a fun time chatting. read more

Soon - Rice cake - Korean Near Me - Paris, 75

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I live in Los Angeles (next Korea outside of Korea) and was in Paris for 2 weeks and needed my Korean fix. Soon is legit Korean and run by Koreans, not by Chines or other Asians (which I live all types of food but if I want Pho, I want to go to authentic Vietnamese and if Thai, I want Taiwanese and for Japanese food, want Japanese owner). I went back 2 times and bringing my colleague as well and he loved it too. I ordered my food in Korean and the waitress (mamasan?) gleefully spoke back in Korean. Young 2 French ladies ordered their dishes in respectable Korean pronounced dishes, meaning that they come to Soon often enough and exchanged pleasantries in Korean. That should give you good idea about this Korean restaurant! read more

Shook by the Reviews...! Bland, Overpriced Korean Food. I am Korean, lived in Korea and LA, arguably the best spots for Korean food and this was awful... Certainly, perhaps compared to Parisian food, this would be a welcome flavor (the food in Paris just might be the worst in the world...). Bulgogi: Bland and didn't taste super authentic. I mean, you can tell what it is but it's not good. The bulgogi in Hmart is much better... Banchan: Everything was flavored down to a French bland taste. Not good. Not authentic tasting. Only had 3 choices, which isn't good value for 19 euro... Bibimbap: This was the worst offendor of the bunch. Tiny ground beef portion. Not enough gochujang sauce.... At 19 euro, no egg too! If you know what good Korean food tastes like, I'd recommend avoiding. If you need a break from awful French food, this just might be better, tbh. It's that bad! Just felt like folks needed some perspective here. read more

A nice and clean Korean restaurant hidden away from the noisy traffic main streets in the 8th. I ordered a lunch meal, grilled mackerel. It comes with 5 cute little Korean raviolis, tofu seaweed soup, 4 small veggie dishes. The food was plated in its finesse, I am happy their kimchi was not spicy, everything tasted good. read more

We slid into this restaurant later in the evening while visiting Paris. The location is convenient to the Champs-Élysées, and the employees spoke French, Korean, and English. The dining area is set up on two levels, and we were shown to the basement level. Quarters are somewhat tight in here, but the establishment has maximized usage of space for efficiency and it is clean. I will not say that service was super fast but it was somewhat consistent despite the traffic picking up as time passed. My friend got japchae and I got bulgogi, both of which are fairly mainstream Korean dishes. The japchae was beautifully presented and my friend loved it. The bulgogi was tasty, but seemed heavy on the black pepper which was interesting but not necessarily a turnoff. Some of the banchan (side dishes) was different from what I have had before, so that was fun. There must have been some disconnect, because we sat forever waiting for the check. Tables came and went. Finally, when the waiter rotated back (time between visits was quite significant) I asked for the check and he told us we paid upstairs. That was a little frustrating. The stairs are a bit narrow and the till is at the top of them. Additionally, the kitchen is in the basement so as you try to pay you are blocking through traffic. The prices definitely kept us from getting out of hand and trying more, because we wanted to see how the tteokbokki tasted. Overall I think this restaurant is worth checking out, for sure. read more

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Food is tasty, service is quick and super friendly. Great for families as well. The seafood scallion pancake is the best! Strongly recommend! read more

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Ordered kimchi pancake and bibimbap...so delicious and authentic. Pancakes were thicker than usual and dipping sauce was delicious. Bibimbap was also delicious, ordered the veggie and it was satisfying and filling. read more

After eating a lot of traditional French food, I needed some rice and Asian food in my life. I found Soon on yelp and tried to make a reservation at 9:45 PM before they close at 10:30. If you try to book online, they want you to book at least 30 min before the time requested so I tried at 9:17 PM, got rejected and eventually called in to make a reservation with no problems. I ordered La montagne and my fiancé got the bulgogi. Mine was absolutely delicious, it came with congee, choice of entree (I chose fried dumpling), vermicelli noodles, beef tartar, choice of BBQ (pork or beef) and a dessert (I got the amazing green tea). They said this was fit for one person but my fiancé had to help me finish. The meat was tender and the sides dishes were fresh and tasty. I would note that not all dishes come with the table BBQ, mine did but my fiancé's bulgogi came out already cooked. I would double check with waiter so you know what to expect grill wise. Service was great and everyone was attentive! Prices are reasonable especially for the quality of the food. If I am back in Paris, I will definitely stop by here again! read more

Soon - Korean Near Me - Paris, 75

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We were out strolling near out hotel when we stumbled upon this restaurant. When we told them we did not have a reservation, space was made without difficulty. We were waited upon quickly but had some language difficulty. Initially, our waitress did not speak English so another server was quickly brought out. We conversed in English and were grateful for their flexibility. My husband ordered a chicken dish and the server was quick to inform him that it was spicy. A 2 out of 3. Worked out well but he was grateful for the heads up. As you can see from the pictures, the presentation is beautiful. Portion size adequate. I would highly recommend. read more

Excellent Korean food right in the heart of Paris. All the staff speak very competent French outside of their Korean, and the menu is a simplified version of what you will see in most "traditional" Korean restaurants. Great flavors, very good portion sizes, and fast service. Make a reservation. Otherwise you're going to need to show up as "soon" as they open to get a spot. :-) read more

Really good. Very pricey. (but then again you are in middle of paris) Their menu is super cute. There are some cute prie fixe style menus that would really be perfect for like a date or if you're just really hungry. After about 2 weeks in Europe, I was extremely craving non-flour, non-butter kind of meal. This place really hit the spot. Their silverware and plates are super cute. (gold colored/brass) It reminds me of traditional korean dining. They did have reserved tables (but I think the people that made reservations didn't show)- so they allowed us to sit there. The restaurant is typical paris style-very small/kind of cramped/NO A/C, so make sure you're able to handle the heat/spice of some dishes. I was sweating by the end of my meal. read more

Thank you to the man at the Korean Barbecue place across the street who was honest with us that they were not authentic Korean food. And recommended Soon to us. We are from Hawaii and were craving rice and Korean food. This place was amazing!!! Totally will be back if we are in Paris again. read more

Soon - Korean Near Me - Paris, 75

I had never went to a Korean restaurant so it was the first time I went to one and it was really really good! Whenever I will need to go eat korean in Paris I will definitely go there! The owner of the restaurant is really nice as well as the other people working there! I just loved it! read more

If you are the person can't live without Asian food, I fully recommend you to visit SOON. The favor is so good even better than I have in Taiwan and Seoul. read more

Soon - Korean Near Me - Paris, 75

Loved going to Soon for our "Thanksgiving" dinner while on our honeymoon! We wanted some comfort food and for my husband and me, we were craving some spicy and delicious Korean food! We shared one order of Mountain and a side order of the Korean fried chicken. The items of Mountain came out fairly quickly and had enough portion to fill both of us up. Though a bit pricey, I can assure you that the taste is authentic! And because the waiters spoke Korean, I was right in my comfort zone (since I know very little French). Also know that most customers will most likely be Koreans. Our favorite part of the Mountain order was probably the pork belly - it was thick, juicy, and cooked to perfection right in front of you! If you want to try authentic Korean food, don't miss this place! read more

Went there the other night for diner. The menu is quite authentic, offering some very typical and traditional correan meals. Portions were large enough, not too big though, so we had a chance to experience lots of different dishes. The food there is tasty, not too spicy... just perfect! Also, very good service, efficient, fast (when the restaurant is not too crowded). read more

Slowest service ever! I ordered BBQ, chicken, soup and coke. But I waited about 45 mins and they only gave us one coke! After another 15 mins they gave us chicken. We didn't get anything since then. Sitting there with nothing to eat. The table beside us came in after us and ordered BBQ too. They even finished their dish and left. OMG ! It was just a BBQ man, the only thing you have to prepare is RAW meat and grill! That's it! I do not understand what happened. I believe the kitchen is fast but the service is really slow... I came from Toronto where has a lot of Korean restaurants. I never had this experience before. read more

I wasn't impressed. Food arrived frozen after I mentioned to them that, they reheated & it was burning. Asked for water, it took s very long time to get it. When I was ready pay my check, had to wait a long time and end up going on the back and settling it. read more

C'est FADE (BLAND) This restaurant is not to be mistaken for Soon Grill. It's in a great location in the 8eme. I'm very familiar with Korean food and understand it can be very spicy for a lot of French people. And, I understand catering to your customers. But, we specifically told our wait person that we are not French, hence we can eat spicy food. The soup came out and it was OK. We ordered the bimbap and a tofu and beef casserole. OH MY GOD, it was devoid of any flavor at all. The only thing that had flavor was the kimchi and the spicy chili sauce, which we asked for refills, and had to douce our food with it to give it any flavor. I have one thing to say, C'ÉTAIT (bland). And, to add insult to injury it was extremely noisey. To the point we were screaming at each other. Service was schizophrenic. Nope, not on my list to ever go back. read more

(3.5 stars) We had been in Paris a day and we had the craving -- we did a quick Yelp search on Korean food and Soon popped up. We showed up at 7:30 (seemingly early by Parisian standards) and found a very quiet restaurant but decided to stay and order anyway -- we shared a bibimbop hot pot (which was standard, tasty, filling - the only negative is that it came with beef which wasn't clearly indicated on the menu) and what was translated as caramelized shrimp but really tasted more like a shrimp tempura. While I wouldn't have raved about any of this if I were eating Korean food i, say, Wheaton MD, on a very cold January evening, this hit the spot. read more

Out of all the places in the world I would think to go to look for high quality Korean food, France is definitely not what immediately comes to my mind. But if I claimed that the folks here aren't capable of providing great Korean food just a few hundred feet away from the Champs-Élysées, I would be selling them short. I have not seen better Korean food in France than what is available at "Soon." It just had to be located right next to a big touristy place, but if you're tired of walking along the avenue and just want to find a good place to eat at, why settle for the ridiculously price gouged restaurants on the main road when there's this hidden gem only a short distance away? In accordance with standard procedure at many Korean restaurants, several trays of vegetables are served before the main meal. I don't know their exact names because I didn't specifically order them, but the kimchi was unmistakable and it was a delight being able to eat it in this part of the world. Along with that came a small bowl of something that resembled miso soup. I may not be able to accurately identify it, but then again, I'm just an amateur food critic. Just going quickly down the menu, I saw eighteen entrées mostly priced from ten euros to seventeen euros. Toward the bottom, two of them cost twenty-two euros and one was thirty-eight euros. I ordered the sweet and crispy fried chicken for sixteen euros. When the dish arrived, I thought to myself that it looked more like barbecue wings than anything else. The "sweet and crispy" descriptor on the menu certainly was accurate, but the chicken in front of me bore little resemblance to fried chicken, both in taste and appearance. Given the name, I was expecting something more like KFC (why was I expecting that at a Korean restaurant?). So it was surprising seeing this come from Korean cuisine, but I can't complain because it was so good. Basically, these were just barbecue wings with the crispy outer skin of fried chicken but softened by the sweet barbecue sauce to the point that it's almost no longer recognizable as fried chicken. The pieces were terribly small, and sixteen euros for them might have been a little steep had they not been so well-made. One more item here that I want to touch upon is the soju. Where else are you going to find Korean liquor in a country that prides itself so much on its own wine? I barely tasted any of it, so it wouldn't be fair for me to rate it; I'm just mentioning that they have it here. I also want to mention that the staff here speak both French and Korean, which is a cool mix (although that probably shouldn't come as a surprise considering the job). I don't know about their English, but there shouldn't be any problems here arising from a language barrier; their menu is also in English. The waiters were friendly and helpful, too. They were able to give me change for my fifty-euro bill so that I could pay for my meal in smaller denominations. In a city full of people constantly trying to scam tourists, it's nice being able to complete this kind of transaction so easily. When most people plan a visit to France, they probably don't have this kind of food on their radars. But if you're traveling abroad, you might as well make the most out of it, and that includes trying out all the good restaurants you can. That might even include an authentic Korean restaurant run by Korean people. Unfortunately, I don't think many people are aware of this place, as it was pretty empty while I was here. The touristy vibe that pervades most of Paris is absent here, but that may be a relief for anyone wishing to escape from the traps for tourists that lie around every corner in the city. If you want the pleasure of discovering a fantastic restaurant that's away from all that, it would definitely be a good idea to make a trip here. read more

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Okay okay. I know it's France. I know service is slow, people eat slow, it's all slow, I get it. But still.... it shouldn't take 1.5 hours or longer to complete a meal here. Our first 45 minutes were waiting and waiting and more waiting. After that though, be amazed to find real authentic awesome korean food in France. They don't speak much english so be prepared to use your finger to point or if you known some korean, go for it. The wifey and I felt this place was a gem. If you can get pass the absurdly slow service, it'll be a good experience. read more

Good food, good service only bad is it's crowded and it's a tiny restaurant so expect to wait for a table.

Found this little gem accidentally. The food was fantastic and the service was great! We appreciated how genuine and kind everyone was. Wonderful bibimbap. We will happily return! read more

Excellent. I was on a business trip, tired and I needed "the food of my people" as a pick up. I have been burnt in Paris before by really awful Asian food in Paris but this is a real Korean restaurant. I had the soondubu which was the perfect restorative on a rainy day. read more

The waiter stopped me from ordering the combo because it was 'too much' for us three. So we ordered the dishessparately... and ended up paying more than combo... read more

Beware! The food is adequate at very best. The service is awful. Our four entrees arrived one at a time over the course of 45 minutes. One was incorrect and had to be redone. The waitress picked the pepper flakes off the dish and then tried to force us to keep it. Truly disappointing. read more