We might not like cooking at home and instead the idea of having a restaurant serve us a cracking meal sounds more appealing, however there’s something about getting your grill on with a Korean BBQ experience. Whether it be watching that marinated meat sizzle, being sat around the grill with your mates or the slight satisfaction that you contributed a little to making your meal, Korean BBQ is an absolute winner when it comes to an interactive dining experience. If you fancy taking the lead with the tongs for yourself then check out our round-up of the best restaurants in Manchester for Korean BBQ.
1. Ban Di Bul
Ban Di Bul is quite the Korean hotspot, located right in the centre of Manchester and overlooking St Peter’s Square. Sit underneath the red glow of the Korean BBQ chimney and add a selection of marbled and marinated meats to the hot grill, then wrap them inside a crisp leaf of lettuce and enjoy alongside a good dipping sauce. Ban Di Bul boasts marinated beef, ox tongue, sliced sirloin steak, sliced pork belly, prawns in soy sauce and more, all of which can be enjoyed as part of a Korean BBQ set menu at the Manchester restaurant.
📍Ban Di Bul, 77 Princess St, M2 4EG.
2. Azuma
Located close to the Manchester universities, Azuma is a hit with both students, locals and visitors to the city. With a branch all the way across the globe in Shenzhen, China, Azuma is taking Europe by storm with both its Korean BBQ and traditional Chinese dishes, setting up restaurants in Manchester, Preston, Bradford and Paris. Azuma offers a Korean BBQ buffet, with a minimum of two people to participate, where you can cook the likes of mushrooms, marinated beef, spicy chicken wings, fresh prawns and more on the grill.
📍Azuma, 73 Cavendish St, M15 6BN.
3. Annyeong
Offering an incredibly extensive menu when it comes to both its classic Korean dishes and Korean BBQ menus, you’ll definitely struggle to narrow down your options at Annyeong, especially when they all sound so tasty. Our eyes (and stomachs) are drawn towards the sliced rib eye steak with pepper and sesame oil sauce, sliced chicken thigh with red pepper paste sauce, spicy squid with seasoned soy sauce and thin sliced marbled beef brisket. At Annyeong, guests can opt for a BBQ tasting menu for £29.90 per person where you can sample seven different meats on the grill, as well as being able to tuck into a soup dish, kimchi, seafood and spring onion pan fried pancake, as well as steamed rice, dips and lettuce to accompany the meat.
📍Annyeong, Half Moon Chamber, 5-7 Chapel Walks, M2 1HN.
4. Koreana
Located close to San Carlo and The Liar’s Club, Koreana is the first Korean restaurant outside of London. Opening in 1985, Koreana has introduced Manchester to the unique cuisine with dishes packed full ingredients like sesame, ginger, chilli, garlic and soy sauce. Guests can tuck into the classic flame-grilled marinated meat dish Bulgogi ranging from pork belly to duck breast all arriving on sizzling hot plates. Koreana also offers set banquet menus highlighting classic Korean dishes with sides of egg fried rice, soup, kimchi and mini potato and beef pancakes, to name a few.
📍Koreana, 40A King St W, M3 2WY.
5. Baekdu
Situated on the edge of Stockport town centre, Baekdu is home to some impressive Korean charcoal BBQ. As you step into the restaurant and see charcoal grill plates in the centre of every table and copper indoor chimneys above the seating, you know they mean business when it comes to Korean BBQ. Slap on the likes of thinly sliced beef brisket, spicy marinated chicken, seasoned beef rib on the bone, spicy marinated sliced pork or ox tongue on the grill and cook the meats to your liking before tucking into them with a crunchy lettuce and spring onion salad. Baekdu also serves up a bubbling hot pot for guests to share and is a great dish option for the colder months.
📍Baekdu, 28-30 Lord Street, Stockport, SK1 3NA.
6. O Kitchen
Slightly less interactive compared to some of the other Korean restaurants in the Manchester area, as O Kitchen takes some of the stress out of cooking, but you can still appreciate that sizzle here. The Korean and Japanese restaurant and cocktail bar situated in Didsbury Village serves up grilled pre-marinated meats such as chicken, beef, pork and pork belly, all accompanied with Bulgogi sauce, two types of pickles and lettuce for wrapping. You can also enjoy the likes of spicy squid and pork, boneless flat beef rib or seafood bulgogi on the grill at O Kitchen, alongside a range of Korean and Japanese dishes like Korean soup, fried chicken, sushi, sashimi and stir fries.
📍O Kitchen, 43 Barlow Moor Road, Didsbury, M20 6TW.