Best Korean restaurant
The Gu-Jeol-Pan at Woo Nam Jeong, your pick (and ours) for best Korean restaurant in and around Atlanta. Photo: Becky Stein
YOUR PICKS
1. Woo Nam Jeong/Stone Bowl House
You say, “Woo Nam Jeong/Stone Bowl House on Buford Highway is amazing. Their dolsat bibimbop puts others to shame – especially the mushroom version.”
2. Honey Pig
3. Hae Woon Dae
4. So Kong Dong
5. Il Mee
OUR PICKS
1. Woo Nam Jeong/Stone Bowl House
Chief Dining Critic John Kessler says, “Woo Nam Jeong’s signature is rice with toppings (bi bim bap) cooked in the superheated stone bowl called a dolsot. I can’t imagine a better version than the one here, with its perfectly supple and snow-white fried egg atop a rainbow spiral of mixed vegetables and finely shredded beef.
The restaurant also benefits from the warm personality of owner Young Hui Han (whom everyone calls “grandma”) and her wonderful staff. If you don’t know much about Korean food, this restaurant should be tops on your list.”
2. Honey Pig
3. Hae Woon Dae
4. Il Mee
5. Iron Age
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32 comments Add your comment
Ray From NY
April 30th, 2012
1:07 pm
IL Mee in Marietta is good, don’t know if it is the best, very casual and affordable lunch in a hidden shopping center on Cobb Parkway not visible from the road. This makes me think it does a lot of business with word of mouth. Check it out
thomas
April 30th, 2012
1:40 pm
Han il kwan on buford. hands down.
J-man
April 30th, 2012
2:46 pm
Cho Dang, the tofu house on Buford Highway, is my favorite.
Sluggo
April 30th, 2012
3:03 pm
So Kong Dong on Buford Hwy is very good.
Jenn in Kennesaw
April 30th, 2012
4:18 pm
IL Mee in Marietta gets my voto TOO… yum
JP
April 30th, 2012
7:50 pm
Il Mee is wonderful. Great food, friendly service.
Veronica
April 30th, 2012
9:30 pm
Being Korean myself, this is a tough one! So Kong Dong has the best tofu hands down and everything in Jang Su Jang is great.
L
April 30th, 2012
9:33 pm
Hae Won Dae on Buford!!!!
Ash
April 30th, 2012
9:34 pm
Woo Nam Jeong/Stone Bowl House on Buford Highway is amazing. Their dolsat bibimbop puts others to shame – especially the mushroom version.
Monroe
April 30th, 2012
10:40 pm
Nothing compares to Il Mee in Marietta. It has the best flounder and Bul Go Gi. I know this restaurant is authentic because I lived in Korea for more than a year. It is cheap, delicious and has stayed in business just because of word of mouth. Every person I have taken there eats there on a regular basis.
Mc
April 30th, 2012
11:41 pm
Hae Woon Dae!! It was pretty much the first authentic korean bbq in Atlanta. Remember opening like 18 years ago. Won numerous awards and stays open til around 5am.
zeff
May 1st, 2012
12:23 am
I definitely prefer Han Il Kwan on Buford Hwy… excellent, high quality BBQ beef, very good yook gae jang soup! Abundant banchan (side dishes). Actual charcoal BBQ — not gas. Convenient to I285 and I85.
David
May 1st, 2012
7:46 am
Jang Su Jang is definitely the best. I have yet to have a bad meal there. Also their side dishes provided with the meal are always very tasty.
katherine
May 1st, 2012
7:57 am
Don’t know if it’s the best because I don’t eat a lot of Korean food, but it’s new and noteworthy: Blossom Tea located downtown near GSU.
Fred ™
May 1st, 2012
8:00 am
ANY Korean place I have gone in with my MIL (Korean) we get great food and great service. Go back without her and we get treated like crap and served crap.
John
May 1st, 2012
8:24 am
Woo Nam Jeong Stone Bowl House on Buford Highway is simply fantastic.
WhatISayMatters
May 1st, 2012
8:34 am
This poll is a waste of time. Just ask Chloe and publish that! http://www.chowdownatlanta.com. PS That list on Korean Beacon is kind of hilarious – I wonder how many Korean’s would agree that the vibrancy of their community is somehow represented by the presence of a Korean taco truck?
Mary B
May 1st, 2012
8:48 am
Han Il Kwan on Buford Hwy
Phil
May 1st, 2012
8:53 am
Book Chang Dong Tofu House on Pleasant Hill
Sargon
May 1st, 2012
10:02 am
Han Il Kwan, Hae Woon Dae, and So Kong Dong all are great.
I have yet to try Honey Pig, though I hear it is very good.
BobDog
May 1st, 2012
10:17 am
My wife and I wanted to experiment with Korean food. We tried a place on Buford Highway, but found it intimidating. We then tried HONEY PIG on Old Norcross Rd. near Gwinnett Place Mall in Duluth. The food was excellent and the servers were very accomodating in helping us order and how to go about eating it. I highly recommend Honey Pig, especially for someone who is trying Korean food for the first time.
+Ashley
May 1st, 2012
10:21 am
Iron Age is my favorite for sure!
Edward
May 1st, 2012
10:21 am
Man Chun Hong is great. They offer both a Korean (the owners are Korean) and Chinese menu. The food from both menus is excellent. Next door is the Stone Bowl House, which is also very good. The bibimbap delicious.
Sarah D.
May 1st, 2012
11:11 am
So Kong Dong. Mmh. Now I’m craving tofu jjigae …
Ho Chi Men
May 1st, 2012
11:27 am
Panda Express!
JStein
May 1st, 2012
12:07 pm
IL Mee in Marietta compares to the best I ate while living in Korea.
It was good 20 ago, and it is still good today.
sc
May 1st, 2012
12:40 pm
IL MEE
Lisa
May 1st, 2012
2:02 pm
Han Il kwan, yummy. My moms friend owns it and we have been going for years.
Korean Cracker
May 1st, 2012
3:47 pm
Honey Pig and So Dong Kong
Vucju
May 2nd, 2012
12:00 pm
Honey Pig
Elle
May 2nd, 2012
2:09 pm
Blossom Tree on Peachtree St. by GSU. Always delicious!
Dana
May 3rd, 2012
12:58 pm
So Kong Dong! Awesome kalbi!