Despite being busy, the staff was very friendly and efficient. We ordered a lot of food and didn't go wrong with anything. Every dish is very traditional and full of flavour. Recommend kimchi soup and bone soup, they are so delicious. In addition, Korean Fried Chicken has a very unique seasoning. read more

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Good Korean food in central London area. We ordered the kimchi Jiggae for 2 for take away. Will try frequenting this place for dine in next time! read more

Tohbang - Kimchi Jiggae - Korean Near Me - London, XGL

I think I might've officially earned 'regular' status at Tohbang, as more often than not, I get the familiar recognition from the lovely manager and her staff whenever I walk in. Conversely, it seems that Tohbang's popularity has also skyrocketed in the past few months to the point where one of the first questions asked upon arrival has recently become, 'Oh, did you make a booking?' Seems like business is booming! Regardless, the grub is unerringly delicious, the food comes on fast and furious, the beer is frosty, and the cucumber soju is dangerously smooth. For best results, bring an army of slaveringly hungry omnivores with you, because there's nothing like having a Korean feast of a dozen different dishes. Popular menu items for me include their pajun, dolsot bibimbap, kalbi and bulgogi, jap chae, and any of the fried dumplings (though the pork ones win extra points for deliciousness). It's worth noting that unlike many Korean restaurants, ban chan don't come gratis, so order an extra dish or two of kimchi along with a lettuce and spring onions if you plan to use them as wraps for your meat. Between the friendly folks, the reliable service, and the consistently delightful and satisfying K-cuisine, I've come to truly depend on Tohbang as a local staple in my neighbourhood oriental restaurant rotation. read more

Tohbang - Korean Near Me - London, XGL

Korean is one of my favorite cuisines right next to Thai so I feel as if I'm allowed to be a little critical since I've eaten at several dozen Korean restaurants. Tohbang is a nice little restaurant a few blocks away from my school and I thought I'd pop in for some lunch one afternoon. They have some great lunch specials for under £7 which I guess is reasonable for a sit down meal in London. I keep telling myself to pretend the "£" sign means "$" so I don't feel as horrible about spending so much money... I was in between getting the bulgogi or the bibimbap, but when it came down to ordering I made the game decision for bulgogi. The texture of the meat was great, but the flavor was a bit too sweet for me. As for the side dishes, we got two different kinds of radishes. Maybe I'm expecting too much since I'm from California and when I go to a Korean restaurant, they give you anywhere from 5-10+ side dishes. When it comes down to it, Tohbang's food is okay, which isn't a bad thing at all. It's a good lunch option since they do have a variety of things on special. Service in London is so weird... I have yet to go to restaurant where I didn't have to ASK for a refill of water. Man... us Americans are on top of our sh*t (service wise). read more

Tohbang - Chicken Bulgogi - Korean Near Me - London, XGL

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My fellow yelper, A Liu wanted to go here, so who am i to say no? :) Décor: Dark and dim. I can see what it was trying to achieve (a sort of classy yet comfortable atmosphere), but I wasn't particularly a fan. I like the rustic Korean look with brighter lights better, but eh, personal preference. It is a small place though, so if you can do reservations beforehand, do! Service: It was fine, nothing to complain too much about. There was a large group when we went so service was a little slow, but it was fine. Oh and I love how we were greeted at the door with a big smile by the lady- big rosy smile put a smile on our faces! Food: I got a Tofu Soup dish (The ones that come in a hot stone bowl and rice on the side). Mine was quite delicious, spot-on! - My friends got a Bibimbap, which she found quite good and another friend got a (forgot the name) Korean fried rice combo in a hot stone bowl which smelled veryveryvery good (we stole a couple of bites since he said he was 'full'. Hehe) - Oh and they do give you those little Korean appetizers beforehand. Though their 3 dishes doesn't compare to the usual (At least) 5-6 dishes I get back home. Bottom Line: It's good food and for a 'classier' environment to eat Korean food, it's good. But IMHO, I thought it was a bit expensive for what I got. Call me a cheap-o, but hey, I am still a college student! read more

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My first Korean restaurant in London and I was most satisfied with the service and food. Located near Farringdon station, it mainly serves lunch to the offices nearby and many people forget that they great dinners as well. My friend and I walked in one evening for a quick dinner before she had to catch a train. The restaurant wasn't that busy when we walked in and their service was fast and friendly - always coming around to fill up our tea. The restaurant was nicely decorated as well. I highly recommend Kimchi Pancake, Bulgugi and a bean-sprout side dish to share between two people. read more

Tohbang - Korean sides. - Korean Near Me - London, XGL

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Good Korean food with a pretty extensive menu. My only gripe is that you have to order kimchi and banchan off the menu. I don't know if this is a British thing, but that wouldn't do in Korea or even in the States. Good if you're craving Korean in the London area. read more

We were really brown away with the size of 'assorted kimuchi'. Much bigger considering the price! Pa Jeon was a bit too puffy and soft for me although it was delicious.Normally I prefer thiner and crisp ones. We ate Bulgogi wrapping up with a green salad and miso which was tasty. could've be fatty though. Bibimbap with raw beef and egg yolk was good although I thought the hot stone generally should be served more piping hot!! Anyway I liked all of them. They might be lightly-seasoned and oiled for some people including me...It has a cozy and nice atmosphere. offers nice value. We'd definitely go there again! By the way we went there Saturday evening 7:30p.m. It was half full. So maybe you can go there without reservation during weekend. read more

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Great service and authentic korean food. They have a tonne of vegetarian options, more than any other korean restaurant I've been to in London. The Kimchi Jeon was average however the Tofu Gangjung was exceptional, nothing like the sponge-like tofu you normally get in restaurants. read more

Tohbang - Tofu Gangjung - Korean Near Me - London, XGL

Extremely disappointed. This used to be one of my favourite restaurants. Cheap & tasty. Last time I went was last year. Returned today for lunch with a bunch of colleagues. Service from the start was super disorganised. We had three tables of four joined up. Three different waiters came to take the order at staggered times and none explained that was the process. Hence once the order for 4 was taken, they walked off and left the rest of us was left not understanding what was going on. My table of four had the worst experience as our drinks did not arrive for ages then our order was clearly taken incorrectly. I received my main of kimchi stew at a reasonable time however there was only one piece of thinly sliced pork belly which was minuscule. In addition, the broth tasted watered down, hence I rejected the meal and decided to get some takeaway from pret down the road instead. In the first hour we were there, out of my three colleagues, 1 received his starter on time. 1 received a main. 1 received nothing. Even though they all ordered and starter and main each. We spoke to three waiters and the manager before they eventually bought the rest of the food out to us. Super disappointed and will not be returning. If I could give 0 stars. I would. read more

Ooooh, how much did I love this place!! Starting with the end: Tohbang, you sure deserve your 5 stars! I went to Tohbang with a huge group of people and we ordered many dishes to share between all of us. I can't even say how many different dishes I had, food just kept arriving on our tables and everything was so good I just didn't seem to get full. So I ate, ate, ate, tried so many different things, ate as much spice one can humanly eat and loved every bit of it. I feel really bad about not being able to name any of these dishes, but I can assure you that from salad to meat and meat to salad, I loved the taste of everything. And I can only agree to Svenja G's warning : "When it says "spicy dish", be warned, it is spicy!" I had to eat a lot of rice to save myself from the spices at some points, but all in all didn't mind at all! I don't eat much meat and I was happy to discover that meat Tohbang style is just the way I like it! If you are into very strange tasting alcohols, you should try the fresh cucumber water (oh wait... no, it's schnaps !) Some of my friends loved it a loooot, but for my part I found it a bit confusing, so much I was sure it would be water! The waitress was also very nice, the interior very cosy and everything was made so that our groupe would have a great time. I want to go back!!! read more

Living on the west coast for the past 3 years its pretty hard to measure up the standards of Korean food in London. I was recommended to this place by a friend and while the food was nice, portions were on the small side and not quite as tasty. One thing I never understood was why the hell do I have to pay for kim chi in London at Korean restaurants, back in the US they gave 5 appetizer dishes out for free! Toh bang was a little further away and wasnt exactly where I expected to find a korean restaurant. Despite this, it did satisfy my cravings for spicy tofu soup but didn't warrant a second visit read more

When I was a kid at Sunday School, there was a little Hebrew song we'd sing: 'Bim bom, bi bi bim bom, bi bi bi bi bim bom bom.' I don't know what it meant but I always rather liked it. As a result, discovering that there was a Korean dish called bibimbap, I instantly liked it. That and the fact it has great Jewish things in it, pickles and egg. I came to Tohbang for lunch after reading Ha's review. They have a selection of lunch specials that are all around £6-7 and really filling. I was a little disappointed to discover there was no bibimbap on this selection but I ordered a rice dish with egg and snow peas (basically egg fried rice) and it was tasty. But what did impress me was the large groups of Korean kids who seem to know what they were ordering. They had a table heavy with sizzling dishes and smells that came from that direction were wonderful. I want to come back here, for dinner and really take my time. Order a selection from the menu and roll home after. It's a really lovely place, they have fabulous loos. They were super duper clean with posh soap and everything. I might actually go back just to use them. read more

Yum! Always glad to get my korean food fix outside of New Malden. I ordered the dumpling soup to start - and it def reminded me of home cookin'. I tried to keep myself from moaning 'cuz of course that would be weird. The spicy pork was good but I think I'd try something else next time. I did appreciate the 2 banchan at the beginning! read more

YES. After the shit experience at Asadal, I'm glad I was able to find a different Korean restaurant with excellent service and satisfying food. After going for lunch once, I booked a table for nine on a Saturday night and there was excellent service though I could tell we were overwhelming them a bit. Might have to do with the fact that I speak Korean but who knows. Really hard working staff (UNLIKE ASADAL). Yukgaejang and kimchi jigae both filling and balanced. A friend of mine had the bibimbap and it looked/smelled delicious. Another friend had the kanpoongi and they said it was also tasty. I had a bite, it was sweet as you'd want it but all in all, just remember that you're paying London prices (not ridiculous but still) for average homemade Korean food. Luckily average Korean food is still, in my book, the superior cuisine. Will definitely be back. Regularly. read more

This place was top notch! Excellent food, friendly service and nice atmosphere. Since I didn't order, I can't remember the names of the dishes...but everything was fantastic. The beef, the rice noodle crepe/pancake thingy (sorry, don't know the name), the Soju with fresh cucumber is super...extremely refreshing. I can't wait to go back to Tohbang. read more

Oh my god, where should I start? First recommendation: go there in a big group so you have the chance to try as many different dishes as possible! So we went there with about 15 people and we had a feast! The food just kept on coming and one dish was better than the next one. The very kind waitresses had to rearrange everything on our tables with every new dish arriving, as we had ordered to much and yet they always managed to accomodate everything on our table. When it says "spicy dish", be warned, it is spicy! Good though that one can extinguish the burning sensation with a certain schnapps, that they serve here. Unfortunately I forgot the name of it, but it is served with fresh cucumber. Quite an interesting flavour but also refreshing. Give it a try! I am still salivating by just thinking about Tohbang, I wish there was a Tohbang in my neighbourhood. read more

Lunch set for £6.9, ranging from meat, rice, soup dishes. Friendly staff, reasonable portion, relaxing ambiance. read more

Tohbang - Spicy chicken soup lunch set, £6.90 - Korean Near Me - London, XGL

My home town in America has an exceptional number of great Korean places, so I was curious to see how London's Korean compared. The answer is: very well! Enjoyed a lovely, flavorful Dolsot BiBimBap with nice crunchy rice and great veggies. Very small compared to American Korean places though, about half the size. Or maybe their lunch size is small? Service was fine, though the server spoke so little English we could not communicate that we wanted a raw instead of a fried egg on our BiBimBap, and it took us a long time to communicate that our friend could not eat rice (for medical reasons), for which they refused to substitute. So service and size are definitely where this place loses one to two stars. The side dishes were great though, I really enjoyed them. More savory than in America where they are much more sour. The potato was lovely. I'll definitely be back soon. read more

Really, for London, this should be five stars, as it is probably one of my favorite Korean restaurants thus far (and I've been a-searcin'). While they DID give us two free banchan (woot!), we still had to pay £3 per dish of kim chee, which I see as more of a condiment than, like, a side dish, but that's just me perhaps. I mean, the food here is REALLY quite good. I highly recommend the jap chae, which was really fresh, nice chewy noodle, perfect balance of sweet and savory. The Bi bim bap is also really good, though the Dol Sot Bi Bim Bap doesn't get QUITE as crispy on the bottom as I want it to. My two friends and I spent over £70 here, however. I wish I could afford to come more often. Where's the affordable, good korean in this down??!! read more

Be sure to book a reservation. The restaurant was only about 60% filled yet we were told we can sit at the bar along with two other couples since we didn't have a reservation. Their food was just ok for me and honestly not memorable. I suspect the spicy flavors, in which the cuisine is famous for are played down and made much milder to appease those who aren't used to such strong flavors. I found myself reaching for the red chilli paste several times for my supposed spicy dish. Prices were a lot lower than expected for a ££££ city like London. Even if we factor in the much weaker US Dollar situation. read more

I made the trek to Clerkenwell Road just to try this place. I had a lunch special-- jap chae and soup. I also ordered Kimchi and cucumber Kimchi. The jap chae did not compare to LiKo but the kimchi was so perfect that I ordered some to take away, and an order of Kimchi Jeon as well. I was recovering from a bad cold and nothing takes the pain away like kimchi with a kick. The staff was very warm and welcoming and it seemed there were a lot of familiar faces dining there. I like a place that has regulars! read more

This place ridiculously awesome! Price are fair for the location. read more

Tohbang - Korean Near Me - London, XGL

The service here sucked. Had to remind them to bring my drink 10 mins into my meal. The food made up for it as it was excellent and tasted well. The sides were a joke. Quite small portions. I would definitely recommend the dak bulgogi and galbi. The atmosphere was warm. I sat next to the window and the views were great. read more

Tohbang - Dak bulgogi - Korean Near Me - London, XGL

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Probably more of a 3.5 stars from me, but I went for 3 instead of 4 this time. I am, however, tempted to visit again and try another dish to see whether the other dishes can sway me towards a 4. Came here with a friend on the way to a concert, and, being the first ones standing around waiting for dinner to begin at 6pm, we were seated immediately. I ordered the spicy soba noodles and the rice cake starter, and friend ordered the dolsot bimbimbap. To my pleasant surprise, we received two free side orders: potatoes and the spicy pickled cucumbers. Both of these were really good, particularly the potatoes! The rice cakes weren't cooked all the way, so they were missing that soft, chewy texture I was craving, but the sauce was pretty good. The soba noodles were a bit too vinegary for my taste, but once I added the chilli sauce it was better. Unfortunately, it still wasn't the best I've had. In general, great place to satisfy a Korean food craving and wouldn't mind coming again, but not sure if it's the most authentic experience! read more

After having moved into the area, i was looking for a go to Korean place and sadly this one disappoints. Whilst the food was good and atmosphere cozy, the service was completely lacking! After taking your order, it appears they continue to ignore you even while you desperately try and make eye contact. We have been to this place twice now to give them the benefit of the doubt, however, both times I had to leave my table to ask for an additional beer, ask for the cheque and then to pay for the cheque. (NOTE: the bill includes an unwarranted 12.5% service charge?) read more

I can't say that there are a lot of Korean restaurants in London -- Tohbang came highly reviewed on Yelp, so when my friend and I had a craving for some good bulgogi we swung by as it was close to our flat. On busy Clerkenwell Road, you'll find a surprisingly quiet dining room with attentive service. The meat is very fresh and prepared well by the chefs -- and copious amounts of banchan to come around! The kimchi chigae also got me sweating a little bit which is always a good sign. While the flavour is not as authentic as I'm used to in places with a larger Korean immigrant population, I'm appreciative of the fact that London is more constrained in that capacity. The cheap Hite certainly helped too. London might not be my preferred destination for Korean food, but next time I'm in the city and have a fixing for some bulgogi I'll be sure to stop by. read more

Great Korean place. I shared one of the set menus for two with my dining partner and really enjoyed the variety and quantity of the food. I'd probably order the same thing again next time (there will be a next time) but make sure to drink more water. The dishes were especially spicy and extremely salty. The kimchi rocked and the fried chicken was all sorts of down home tasty. I've only been to one other Korean restaurant in London (Young Bean near London Wall). New Seoul is just as good (maybe a little better) but with a homier feel to it. One word of caution: the staircase leading down to the toilets is unusually steep and starts right on the other side of a door. Watch your step! And here's another tip: come on an empty stomach. read more

"Just popping off for a Tohbang" has a certain ring to it. Much better than" going for a New Seoul" at any rate. And to be honest, the chance to say that was all the encouragement I needed to pop along to this Korean eatery on Clerkenwell Rd. I know next to nothing about the cuisine, other than it kinda involves steamboat, bbq and, erm well, that's it really. ON the advice of my more experienced dining companions I went for somthing uniquely Korean: the intriguing Yukhoe dolsot bibimbap for instance. Somewhere between Japanese katsudon and a steak tatare, it arrived at the table in a sizzling stone bowl. Small piles of thinly sliced raw vegetables such as bean sprouts, courgette and carrots sat atop a pile of sticky rice. Crowning it all was a slivered mound of raw beef and a wibbly raw egg yolk. As instructed we covered the whole with great swirls of chilli sauce and mixed it all up with gusto. For someone who often compartmentalises the food on his plate, this was a curiously exciting thing to do (I think it should herewith be referred to as "doing a Tohbang"). So there I was doing a Tohbang like some demented three year high on Pepsi. And somehow managing not to spray everything within a five foot radius with globules of yolk, sticky rice and chilli sauce. And then i dove in. It tasted fabulous, surprisingly gentle in flavour, but in a hearty way. Even with the chilli sauce the flavour wasn't too strong. Almost raw beef and vegetables were all bound together with the just-cooked egg while the chilli provided an underlying heat. This is the perfect cold-day food, warming. Something I would definitely come back to. The whole thing was pretty reasonable too, with some fermeneted chilli pickled potatoes and other vegetables and a hite beer (more purile fun to be had here with "missing" letters), it came to £13 a head. And that was for a properly filling lunch. And who knew that eating Korean, doing a Tohbang and drinking (s)hite beer could be so much fun. read more

I was here many times before it refurbished and changed name. The nice people gave me free starters kimchi and this potato thing! The food is authentic korean love the kimchi pancakes! must for anyone trying korean for the first time! read more

I never give a one star review before in Yelp, let alone to an Asian restaurant. Tohbang, you didn't deliver. I'm an Asian (living in the US, but currently have some works to do in London) and my taste palette is simply original Asian. I live in an airbnb nearby, just 4 min walk from Tohbang. Seen the good reviews on Yelp and always want to give it a try. Today, just got back from Italy weekend trip, tired of all the pastas and just need a good Asian food. I've tried all of the other nearby Asian restaurants, so I've decided to try Tohbang. It was 8.45 pm and the restaurant nearly empty (only three tables filled). The younger female waiter was really nice when taking my order. The older female waiter, however..was not that nice. Gave me my food with sour face. I ordered Galbi (and need to add white rice also because they don't include it!) and kimchi (because I've read other reviews saying that they only give 2 free banchan that are not kimchi (I cannot eat in a K-restaurant without kimchi!). To my surprise, they didn't gave me free banchan (side dishes) at all! Not two, not once, zero! In Asia and US, they gave you at the very very least two small plates! Most of the time you can refill it (at least once). I thought to myself if they've changed the rule. Well, I saw the next table (four young Korean guys) and they had banchan! Ok, they probably paid for it, but wait...when I've finished my kimchi, the older rude waiter took my plate (I thought she will refill it or finally give me the free banchan), when she came back with a small plate I was singing inside....then...she gave the small plate to the four Korean guys table!!! They were surprise and thank her. They had friendly small talk in Korean afterwards. My Galbi, was the worst that I've ever had (and I had so many all over the world!). It was to salty and lack the rich deep marinated beef flavor that Galbi usually has. The spicy sauce that they have not even spicy (which is surprising because I thought all of the K-restaurants are using the same brand of spicy sauce). The kimchi tasted like bought in a supermarket. If they make it in-house, then it's not well executed. My bill came to £19. Not that much, but absolutely to much for what I ate. FYI, I ate in a random K-restaurant in Manchester (still in the UK!) and it was still better than this, plus they gave me two free banchan! If this is the best K-restaurant in London, then don't crave for Korean food while in London! read more

New Seoul is a lovely little Korean restaurant in Clerkenwell. It doesn't look particularly impressive from the outside, and I'd walked past without really noticing it plenty of times before a Korean friend of mine took me there for lunch one day. I was very pleasantly surprised by what I found. It is authentically Korean and the customer service is very good, although their English isn't always the best. The food, hwever, is lovely. I usually have the dolost bibimbab, which is rice, beef, a fried egg and assorted vegetables in a hot stone bowl. They also offer chilli sauce to spice things up a little and all dishes come with a free miso soup. The atmosphere is very pleasant and I've had no hesitation to take both friends and family here, either for celebrations or casual visits. One friend who spent some time living in Korea said he'd been searching for a good Korean place in London and that New Seoul was by far the best and most authentic. read more

This has recently changed it's name (and possibly ownership) from New Seoul to Tohbang, however no need to worry about any changes in the quality accompanying it. The staff are always smiling and friendly, the food is fantastic and served in super quick time, but not such that the food seems badly prepared and you don't feel rushed. In all it makes a great place to go for a workday lunch as you can quite easily be in and out within an hour. Starters feel a little on the pricey side - around £6.40 for 6 grilled dumplings - but the main courses are better value. It's one of those places that isn't cheap, but its certainly not too expensive either, and the quality is more than worth the outlay. Highly recommended. read more

Korean?: Landed here as a "well I wonder what's around here" when the primary Yelped destination turned up closed for renovations, (yes, yes, always call ahead, thank you). Got the "do you have a reservation" question from one server. No? You may sit at the bar if you'd like. Well, okay. Curious enough at that point and far enough from beaten paths that starting over on a new hunt may have ended at Pret, I tucked myself in at the end of the bar. This was my first try at Korean that I recall so I had questions for the waiter to resolve my several food allergy issues. Communications were adequate despite the language issues and no missteps occurred. Food: Forgive the lack of menu names The cucumber and onion in spicy sauce little starter was surprisingly good. Bul Dok? (chili chicken) - excellent texture, very savory, nice touch of heat. Well on its way to a favorite. Steamed rice - very good, moist and sticky, good texture and flavor (I rate it because I've had poorly done rice) Some kind of rice cake dish (without the shellfish). The rice cakes turned out to be like rice mini-sausages. Really good. Had to stop to make sure I left room for the chicken. All in all, good food, good service. Good enough that another venture that way is in order. read more

We visited this restaurant on a Friday night, seated straight away by the warm and friendly staff. The menu had a variety of options, (mainly seafood, pork and beef) at very reasonable prices. The food was steaming hot, and served very quickly. It tasted fresh and all 3 of us enjoyed our dishes! I would definitely recommend and be visiting again soon. read more

I used to live in Asia and I was often tempted to try Korean food. Whenever I did I found it a bit bland so moved this cuisine to the back of the list. Last week I was feeling a little blocked in the nose so thought that I needed something fragrant and spicy to clear it. As I walk past Tohbang every day I thought i'd pop in a see what they serve - I was looking for some boiled water and chili (not quite) and something that would also fill me up. As I was on my own I sat by the bar and started staring blankly at the menu. The girl behind the counter offered some excellent advice and chose a seafood noodle soup thing. It was absolutely amazing. It had all elements I was hoping to find in this soup. In fact it was so good i went back the next day with a colleague from work and had it again. (we had the pork dumplings in addition this time, following a previous review, they were superb.) read more

Excellent service Food is so delicious This is one of the best Korea restaurant in London MUST TRY read more

Love it love it... Especially when you are with friends at around 10 to 11 pm...the dim lightings just make you relax after a long day read more

Great service and wonderful, flavourful dishes. I don't know how you can order anything bad from the menu!

Pleasantly surprised to find really good Korean food in London. Yu kae jang was nice and spicy, rich broth. Dolsot bibimbap was yummy. Bulgogi was tender and tasty. Service was excellent, uncommonly gracious & accommodating. A great find, highly recommend!! read more