Mad for Galbi

★★★★☆ 4.3 (47)

"Finally got a chance to stop by and worth it! Staff is fantastic and Corey was awesome - great service and recommendations! Meats were a good quality and plenty! We ordered Galibi and Bulgogi to grill! Haven't had cheese corn before but's it's delicious and steamed egg with Korean BBQ is always great! All banchans were great but not a fan of their pasta salad...really wish they had a potato salad instead. Salad and lettuce was great BUT if they had radish or rice wraps that would fantastic. Have only send 1 middle TN Korean BBQ place with radish or rice wrappers. Good beverage selection - wish places carried several Korean beer options versus just one. Loved that they have good ventilation and very clean. Would recommend putting something fun on the TV screen. Watching people eating on screen or cooking meat in a kitchen is not really fun to watch while you're eating - you'll understand when you see it. All in all a great experience! Great food, service and atmosphere."

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!"

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!"

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!"

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."

Fin Fusion Sushi

★★★★☆ 4.2 (190)

"Back for a second installment.Everything was excellent. The service, the food... all of it 100%.We dropped in during it wasn't that crowded - there was a super friendly server and it was all out pretty quickly.Everything was fresh and absolutely delicious! Shumai (shrimp dumplings) Tuna tar tarSusan Day dreamIn and out Soooooooo good!"

Fat Tiger Korean BBQ & More

★★★★★ 4.9 (57) • $$

"This spot is worth the trip outside of the city. We ordered quite a few items to try a little bit of everything and loved it all! The fried chicken was our favorite. There were plenty of tables available to sit at on a Thursday afternoon. Do make sure to check the hours before planning your visit because they are only open Thursday-Saturday"

Onda

★★★★★ 4.9 (29)

"This is a great new Korean restaurant in midtown. The food is incredible. I've been twice now, and loved it each time. The food is served with traditional banchan. My favorite dish was the perfectly cooked grilled fish.The service was super friendly. The menu is great, not overly long, making it easy to pick and not stressful. The ambiance inside is great. Plenty of seating, great lighting. Parking is a bit sticky, expect to pay for parking, unsure if they validate inside or not!"

Kore

★★★★★ 4.9 (27)

"One of the best meals I've ever had.Period.Service and food -- cannot be matched. Truly one of the most intriguing meals."

Egg Drip

★★★★★ 4.7 (31)

"What an interesting, incredibly fun concept these folks have going here! Korean inspired egg sandwiches, these are great for breakfast or lunch. Just a fabulous comfort food. The service here is very friendly as well. If you haven't tried this already, you need to get on in there!!"

Galbiya

★★★★★ 4.9 (45)

"Food is fresh the owner makes the sauce all fresh and homemade. Service the best!!!! Ambiance is like being at home well for me it's relaxing"

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!"

Cup Pop

★★★★★ 4.7 (192) • $

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!"

J Street Korean Grill & Bar

★★★★☆ 4 (73)

"Very surprised by our visit for AYCE Korean BBQ. This restaurant was much larger than we thought and lots of options on the menu. The staff was nice and our server Danni gets 5 stars! I have done AYCE Korean before (many times) and this one was a little different. You get to choose 2 meats and 3 Banchans (sides) for the table per round/order. That was a little odd, because they consider rice and wrappers as sides. Plus it's nice when all the traditional Korean banchans are out on a table. But our server was great and we figured out how to time is so we can get what we wanted with our meal. I just don't know how large groups would do that? Maybe consider 2 banchan requests per customer for each round? Banchan and meat portions were good. Also meat quality was great. Really good Bulgogi and pork belly. Kimchi was good and we really went because they had radish wrappers! We haven't seen those in Nashville, just lettuce usually. Now if they had rice wrappers and fish cake that would be awesome! Also no steamed egg here. They put Yum Yum sauce in your trio of sauces which we thought was odd. They do have Mac & Cheese, Fries and Chicken Nuggets (their version) as sides, if your kiddo is not a Korean BBQ fan - that was cool. The offer vanilla, chocolate or strawberry ice cream at the end but we were full. Food overall was good. Very clean and great ventilation - you didn't smell at all like you came out of a Korean BBQ Restaurant. Also, lots of seating options, especially for groups and parties which was cool. Full bar and food drink/beer selection - wish they had Hite beer on the list."

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."

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."

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!"

Korea House

★★★★☆ 4.3 (487)

"This is hands-down the best Korean food in Nashville. While the restaurant is unassuming (located in a strip mall, small space), the food is outstanding. Order the dolsot bibimbap, which is served in a sizzling hot stone bowl. I like to get the tofu version, but you can also get beef. As the rice continues to cook in the bowl, you get these nice crispy bits that are caramelized, crunchy, sweet, and spicy. The service is very efficient, and the food comes out quickly. This is one of my favorite spots in Nashville, and I love any excuse to go to Korea House."

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."

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!"

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."

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."

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!"

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!"

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."