The Most Scrumptious Korean in Nashville

Soy Bistro

★★★★★ 4.6 (594) • $$

"Soy Bistro has been on my radar for a while ... and I was finally able to stop in for lunch with a friend while I was in the Brentwood area. We got there right when they opened on a weekday, and there were already only a few tables left! It's clear this is a popular spot to grab a bite. Previous reviews that mention a small parking lot are correct - but if you time it right, you should be able to snag a spot. At the recommendation of one of the Soy Bistro team members, we started with an order of the edamame hummus and chips. This was a unique appetizer option, and one I probably wouldn't have ordered on my own. The hummus was bright and fresh, and the housemade chips were tasty, although the honey drizzle threw me off just a bit. For my entree, I went with the Gochujang Chicken, which also came highly recommended. This saucy, sweet, and spicy chicken was served on top of a mountain of perfectly cooked rice, and topped with a beautiful fried egg. The salad situation on the side wasn't my favorite - but everything else was delicious, and this is definitely something I'd order again. My friend went with the chicken fried rice, which was a huge portion, and she had enough leftovers to make a second meal. While the food was tasty, it's the service at Soy Bistro that is truly memorable. A few different members checked on our table several times, and you can tell that these are folks that love to get to know their regulars. I can't wait to return soon to try more of their fun Asian fusion menu."

Umami

★★★★☆ 4.2 (402) • $$

"Food: Best Korean fried chicken I've ever had! I always have to get the fried chicken wings when I come visit. I know the chef personally went through all kinds of different trials and recipe tweaks to get it absolute perfection. The hamachi collar is one of the best I've had as well. One of the friends in our group said it was her favorite dish of the night besides the wings. The pad Kee mao is legit, so much flavor and we totally killed that dish. If you're into inventive creative dishes, try the kimchi fries, interesting way to make loaded fries. All the sushi rolls that we ordered were delicious, chef's kiss "mwah"! Service: Stop by the bar and say Hello to Michelle. She is the sweetest! I've talked to a couple regulars who love going here and I'm sure it's because of the friendly staff. Ambiance: I won't lie, the Kpop music videos distracted me like no other but it's so fun to watch! They all look like perfect dolls. It gives the place a fun vibe though."

Hai Woon Dai

★★★★☆ 4.1 (253) • $$

"Don't let the modest exterior fool you, this place serves up the best Korean food in Nashville! They have an extensive menu of all the classics (bibimbap, soft tofu soup, barbecued meats like bulgogi and Galbi, stews for 2, Korean pancakes, you name it). Big portions and authentic taste. Their Banchan is also solid - love their potatoes. Comfy seating with booths and tables, and a back room for overflow seating. Food can sometimes be a little slow to come out if they're busy but it's worth it!"

Korea BBQ & Sushi

★★★★☆ 4.3 (226) • $$

"We popped into Korea BBQ on a whim when we were in the neighborhood. We were seated immediately as a party of two with a small child. They have plenty of high chairs, and all of the servers were so kind to our toddler (even when he dumped a glass of water on me. They had napkins waiting). There are a few All You Can Eat packages here, and we went for A. We had two rounds of thinly sliced beef, juicy pork belly, marinated chicken, bulgogi, and "honey pig" (which I'm assuming is honey marinated pork? It was delicious). All orders come with refillable banchan like bean sprouts, marinated tofu, soy sauce braised potatos, pickled radish, kimchi, and even the ubiquitous (and always slightly confusing) mayo-apple-potato salad. Honestly, I knew I was in an authentic place when they served that particular banchan AND had a call button on the table next the grill.Even at peak hours, the staff still came by to help us with grilling and cutting the meat. It felt like top tier service, and I just cannot believe this was all you can eat. The food quality was amazing, and the efficiency was bar none. $30 a person for set A? You'll be hard pressed to find that deal in any other major city. I've paid upwards of 45 for similar sets elsewhere.There's a great parking situation here, strip mall near a Kroger. Give this a try at your next get together!"

Midori Japanese Korean Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.3 (198) • $$

"If you dare to venture way down Nolensville Pike you'll be rewarded with this locals-favorite. The shopping center has all kinds of international markets and restaurants so we are excited to go back and try other places as well. The interior is cozy with a sushi bar and small tables. There were a lot of families here because it's casual and the portion sizes are good. They have a robust menu with Japanese and Korean entrees and sushi. I ordered the Jap Chae which is a Korean dish of glass noodles, sauteed peppers and beef. This comes with all the amazing Korean sides of kimchi and other accoutrements. My favorite was a spiced cold potato and I also devoured the cucumbers. The serving size is unreal--I had to get a to-go box and ate this for like 3 days after! My husband ordered the chicken katsu which was also a good portion and he didn't eat all of it too. The women who were working there were so kind and came over to check on us several times. We would come back here since everything was great."

MoriMori

★★★★☆ 4 (226) • $$

"The first time I came to MoriMori, it was because I had a hankering for ramen. The second, third....and up to tenth times I've been here have all been for this reason, too! The service and food are consistent. I'm always seated quickly, and the food is always good. I've mostly gotten some kind of ramen with an extra egg (I don't even eat many noodles; the broth is where it's at). I've had the Japanese miso, spicy miso, & Shoyu, plus I tried the Korean ramen the last time, though I prefer any of the first three. I've also had some of their sushi rolls, and they are good. The avocado-mango rolls I got last time were very fresh and delicious!"

Sapporo

★★★★☆ 4.3 (191) • $$

"Great customer service! We order from Sapporo often. Great sushi and rice entrees. The one time we dined in, they were so kind and enjoyed playing with our littles. So cool to sit at the hibachi tables!"

Sapporo

★★★★☆ 4.2 (190) • $$

"We love this restaurant! We went around 7pm on a Wednesday, and were seated right away. The service is excellent and they are very attentive. I ordered the chicken teriyaki bento box and my husband got beef bulgogi bento box. When I say it's a bunch of food, trust me! There's sooooo much! Each box comes with your choice of 4 rolls, we both got the California roll, veggie and shrimp tempura, soup and salad, two crab cream cheese rolls, rice and your entree. All of the items were delicious! It was so much food, that we took all of our many entrees home. The leftovers were delicious too! The restaurant has plenty of parking, and a decent amount of tables. There is seating around the sushi bar too! We will be back!"

O'Sake

★★★★☆ 3.9 (192) • $$

"A year later and several consistently impressive visits, this spot never fails us. It's our fav date spot! The staff is so warm & helpful, the food is superior for the price point, and the ambiance is casual yet intimate! Still our #1 sushi spot!"

So Gong Dong Tofu House

★★★★☆ 4.1 (161)

"Came on a weekend for dinner and was seated immediately. My husband ordered the dolsot bibimbap and I ordered the galbi combo. Our total came out to around $50 with tip. The bibimbap was worth it and came with a side of tofu soup. My husband loved it. The galbi combo came with a larger tofu soup that I chose. The soup was delicious and piping hot. Super flavorful galbi but it only came with 5 pieces which was unfortunate for the price. Banchan was also yummy with lots of variety including kimchi, fish cakes, bean sprouts, seaweed and pickled cucumbers. I like that they have some other additional dishes you can order that isn't on the menu but written on the board closer to the register. I can't wait to come back to try their jjangmyeon!"

Seoul Garden

★★★★☆ 3.5 (198)

"When I first considered moving to Nashville back in 2009, I stopped by Seoul Garden for lunch. I wasn't blown away but I did like it. You see, hole-in-the-wall Korean restaurants (for the most part) have dishes that taste the same no matter where you go (with slight variations of course). Being a Korean myself who has traveled a lot, I've been to probably dozen different ones over my lifetime and they are all the same. And that's one thing I appreciate because I don't always get to visit my parents. Consistency, when it comes to Korean food, is huge for me because I'm going there for comfort and reminiscing of my childhood/heritage.Whenever I'm on this side of town, I choose the Korean restaurant based on what I'm craving. This time around, me and my kids wanted galbi (Korean barbecued beef short ribs). I prefer it over bulgogi (which is similarly popular) because it's fattier and therefore juicier/more tender. My kids like it because they call it "halmoni's food" which is what my mother feeds them every time they visit. They associate visiting grandma with being fed delicious beef ribs and rice . And like me, they crave it. So with that said, if you want any of the grilled meat items, Seoul Garden (to me) is the better choice (by a slim margin) than the surrounding Korean restaurants (Tofu House, Hai Woon Dai, Midori, BBQ Korea).I ordered galbi, an extra bowl of rice (they charge $2 per bowl, which is absurd) and jjamppong, a Korean spicy seafood noodle soup. Banchan (which are Korean staple side dishes) are free. The galbi here is good. It could use more marinade time but the base flavors (soy sauce, garlic, sugar) of savory, smoky, & slightly sweet are present. The ribs were perfectly cooked, with a glossy fatty sheen and nice char. My kids gobbled it up faster than I could cut it, like little chicks. My son likes the pickled turnips and eggs as his sides. My daughter likes the bean sprouts and eggs as hers. For me, I ate all the assorted types of kimchi. The jjamppong is a special treat for me because it's one of the dishes my dad made for me growing up. It's a seafood broth based soup, flavored with Korean chili powder. Depending on who cooks it, the types and amounts of seafood you get varies. My dad added a ton of seafood but nobody has ever come close to his version. At Seoul Garden, you get oysters, mussels, squid, and shrimp combined with green onions, onions, and a variety of bell peppers. This is a hearty, robust soup that can be mild or very spicy (be sure to tell your server if you want it spicy). It's served in a very large bowl and is quite filling. Here are the bad parts of the review. First, the price for the any of the grilled meats are ridiculous. The galbi was $25 (plus $2 extra for a bowl of rice). That in essence made my meal cheaper than my kids' meal and they split the galbi! Let me give you a tip. If you want Korean food as good (if not better) than any of the Korean restaurants in Nashville, drive over to Clarksville/Fort Campbell west of Nashville. Because of the Army base, there is nice Korean population over there. It's like a mini-Koreatown. There are Korean BBQ places that are AYCE over there. Yes... ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT. Secondly, not sure what the deal is but the service here is SLOW. It took forever to order after being seated, even longer to get our drinks, we weren't checked upon at all until I flagged down another server for refills, and then it felt like eternity to actually get the check. It was so bad, I actually feel like my 3* rating is justified despite how much I enjoy their food. The servers have no sense of urgency either. Hopefully they'll get better, but like I said, it's been pretty bad for years now. Maybe it's the fact that they don't have enough servers on the floor."

Sushin

★★★★☆ 4 (129) • $$

"It's always a treat when we come here. The staff is super friendly and so their best as they are short staffed. The portion is fair and the sushi is always so good."

Babo Korean Bar

★★★★☆ 3.9 (121) • $$

"I went to Babo on a whim recently. It's definitely a small spot with limited parking. Going to the bar was the easiest way for me to get immediate service since there were a couple of spots open. My husband was hanging with a friend, so dining solo wasn't an issue for me.For dinner, I opted for the beef bulgogi, which was fantastic - flavorful and seasoned well - I just wanted more of it when I was done to take home. Sake was good. I decided on that after seeing their sake bomb being advertised. It is more reasonable to get a regular sake than the sake bomb. Do as you wish, but that's my suggestion. I appreciated being able to sit at the bar and chat with the bartender while I ate. She was nice and offered some suggestions on what to try on my next visit in. I also had the chance to talk to a co-owner of the restaurant, to my surprise. He was nice and told me how the concept of the place came about.The best part was that the restaurant wasn't too crowded. It still had enough people but did not feel too congested, especially since bar seating removed me from the main dining area. But what really stood out to me was the level of customer service I received. The bartender was attentive, and the co-owner was really cool. I had a nice low-key time at Babo Korean Bar. It's a great spot to go with friends or alone, have some great Korean food, and enjoy a calm and relaxed atmosphere. I highly recommend the beef bulgogi, the sake, and the wonderful customer service!"

Bonchon

★★★★☆ 4.1 (94) • $$

"nice establishment, order at the counter and then seat yourself. This would be a nice little spot to grab lunch. All the employees here were very attentive. Lunch special 11.95 11am-3pmKorean street corn- 4/55 strips combo w/ garlic parm fries- 5/5 the chicken is more like Pattie's rather than strips 3 drumstick combo w/fries- 5/5Bulgogi rice- 4/5 Kimchi- 2/5 I give this a 2 because I would rather have spicy kimchi than sweet kimchiI really wanted to try the Korean donuts, but their truck hadn't arrived with inventory.If you're in the area give them a try."

Little Saigon

★★★★☆ 3.9 (103) • $$

"3.5 - 4 stars I came here on a fluke. I wanted a Diet Coke and ended up ordering food to go. I had wanted to try the ethnic and different food Clarksville had to offer. This place was on my list.Friendly staff. I asked if I should try the squid or pork belly, the most exotic items on the menu. I love squid, so it is nice to see on a menu. She said the pork belly. I never ordered pork belly before. I noticed a lot of the food on the menu was Vietnamese or Korean. I was told the beef pho was great, so I might try that in the future.Thoughts about the pork belly:It came with steamed white rice, and it was spicy. The texture felt like soft bacon. It tasted good but not enough to order it a second time. I would try the red snapper or beef pho next. The seasoning seem similar to the Korean spicy dish of squid that I tried in a Korean restaurant. I am guessing the pork belly is a Korean dish. It is great to see a fish restaurant and market for the first time in Clarksville. I love fish a lot. I will definitely come back. I was told all the fish was deep fried. I wonder if they could steam and cook it instead. It was almost $20 for my meal and a drink. Pricing on the dishes seemed fair. The place is very clean, and the plants give it a nice charm."

Arisu Korean BBQ & Tofu

★★★★☆ 4.4 (53) • $$

"There's no KBBQ spots near where I live so I was excited to try Arisu while in TN for my birthday week.Honestly I'm not sure if they're trying to be an upscale Korean BBQ restaurant with their fancy gold dinnerware, I definitely felt like I was at a regular restaurant. I missed the huge overhead vents that classic KBBQ spots in CA would have too, that just adds to the ambience.I ordered the spicy rice cake and corn cheese. My husband also got the corn cheese, and the pork belly. I think both of us enjoyed the corn cheese cause who wouldn't enjoy some corn with a heaping amount of cheese... but our main dishes were definitely lacking. I tried some of the pork belly and it didn't have much flavor. It tasted very salty and fatty. I don't think it was worth the $25 price tag. My spicy rice cake was decent but nothing special.If we were to give them a second try I'd probably try their bulgogi beef. Maybe their spicy rice cake and pork belly just aren't the best options on their menu.Service was decent. Our waitress was friendly and came around to check up on us. The restaurant was surprisingly empty for it being a Sunday evening but it may also be because they're a little overpriced.Overall I would say Arisu is ok. Nothing like KBBQ I've had in CA though. Hopefully there are more authentic spots in TN."

JibBop

★★★★☆ 3.6 (77) • $$

"Stopped in while in Clarksville because my niece wanted Korean and happened to pass by. Walked in and small establishment with friendly greeters/waitress. Placed the order and proceeded to order the free appetizer for checking in on Yelp. The greeter/waitress said she'd need to speak to the owner since she was unaware of the special. He was out so I waited since I was waiting for my niece's food. When he came back, she said the owner was unaware of the Yelp check-in appetizer and they would not honor the coupon. I asked to speak to the owner. He came out and was friendly but said he never authorized a coupon deal on Yelp and it was a scam. Umm sir, it is not a "scam" but a coupon for checking in. I don't know how or why he's restaurant was included but he refused to honor it and said he'd call Yelp to have it removed. So the food... I did a to go order of jjam pong and asked for the noodles to be separated since I had an hour drive. They accommodated the request and provided an extra kimchi. (My niece loves kimchi)! When she ate her order she said the taste was just okay and the noodles were over cooked. She thought it may have tasted better if she was able to order in. So next time ... no noodles to go."

Red Ninja Sushi & Korean

★★★★☆ 4.3 (28)

"The food is really good here. The people are super great here. That's the four star experience. The setting is TERRIBLE. Little was done from the previous version of this establishment, which is very utilitarian and not a welcoming in-dining experience. The food is much better than fast food - it is WAY BETTER and great for sushi in the burbs - but the setting is low end fast food ie - wants you to take the food to go - detention room, over-lit and unappealing, and even fast food chains have upgraded to a better dining set up than this, and doesn't fit the food or do it justice. Little decor, no ambiance, uncomfortable booths. Fun music but the overbearing lighting really is something they should focus on that would make a huge difference here on if they could just change that. TThey had a ton of food delivery pick up going on, which the set up seems to be more tailored to serve, but they have a great beverage menu offering alcohol which would need diners to maintain. Why have an alcohol license if you just want to be a to-go kitchen?They are on the corner of a nice retail area with a traffic light for ease with the busy road. plenty of parking, and they have a patio, but they need to put some effort in their dining area, at least fix the lighting!!Menu is a good mix of options, yet uncomplicated, nor overdone. A lot of eel sauce on the rolls on the menu. Food tasted of quality, good portions, and for price, which is same as others in the area. They only had two ppl visibly present working, but I felt like service was attentive, though If they get more in-store they would be struggling. Again - very nice staff and good service, clean place, good sushi!"

Wing City Family Restaurant

★★★★★ 5 (7)

"Great service, great food! The husband and I each enjoyed the schnitzel-myself as a sandwich and his with gravy. Where I'm from we call those tenderloin sandwiches, and it didn't disappoint. Breading was crispy and the flavor was on point. The husband's gravy was really good, too! My kiddo enjoyed the pork fried rice, and the bites I nabbed were delicious. The service was awesome, and they are prioritizing social distancing. I definitely recommend a stop. The front of the restaurant doesn't have a proper afixed sign; it just says "Reataurant." But there is a sign in the parking lot."