Korean in Phoenix

Ban Chan Korean Cuisine

2909 S. Dobson Rd. Mesa

480-414-2525

Korean

1 article

Bap and Chicken

960 N. 54th St. Chandler

Korean

Cafe Agit

1954 S. Dobson Rd., #5 Mesa

480-755-7555

Korean, Bar Food, Asian, Recommended, Menu

Cafe Agit is a dimly lit Korean bar and grill in Mesa with a menu of late-night “Korean fusion,” which has its roots in classic Korean anju, otherwise known as foods designed to be paired with alcohol. The menu offers standard American bar snacks like French fries, chicken wings, and calamari, along with Korean analogues like spicy, deep-fried chicken wings. The biggest draws are the Korean fried chicken menu, including a very good version of padak: boneless chicken breast bites glazed in a lovely soy-ginger marinade. Also good is bulgogi, the classic marinated beef barbecue, which is succulent and slightly charred. You’ll also find hard-to-find Korean street snacks like silkworm pupae, served in an intensely earthy red pepper and corn broth, which you can wash down with carafes of flavored soju, a popular Korean rice spirit.

Cafe Ga Hyang

4362 W. Olive Ave. Glendale

623-937-8550

Asian, Chinese, Korean, Critics' Pick, Best Of, Menu

In what may be the only late-night spot serving flavorful Korean cuisine in the West Valley, this Glendale restaurant focuses on fresh-made and affordable traditional Korean cuisine (and a few Chinese-based dishes with a Korean twist) made with natural and housemade ingredients like kimchi, signature sauces, and homemade noodles. Skip the Korean barbecue dishes and go for popular Korean favorites such as the street food, duk boki, seafood pancakes, Korean fried chicken, the stir-fry dish jap chae, or a variety of soups and stews like the spicy and seafood-heavy cham pong, a boiling pot of Korean stew with tofu called haemul soon du bu, or the refreshingly cold noodle dish naeng myun. After 10 p.m., the restaurant feels more like a Koreatown bar, serving up karaoke and soju along with the eats until 2 a.m. every night but Sunday. Read our review.

21 articles

Chodang

501 N. Arizona Ave. Chandler

480-855-7712

Korean, Asian, Critics' Pick, Best Of, Menu

Chodang in Chandler is the ideal spot to get acquainted with Korean food. Their menu of barbecued meats, sizzling bowls of bibimbap, dumplings, and cold noodles will show you the ways of Korean cooking, even if you have to figure out just how to eat it on your own. If you get anything at Chodang, though, make sure it's the soft tofu soup -- a spicy, silky soup with your choice of meat, seafood, or veggies that you just have to taste for yourself. Read our review.

11 articles

Deez Buns

1158 W. Washington St., #5 Tempe

602-267-1715

Asian, Korean, Sandwiches

The owners of Mesa’s late-night Korean restaurant Drunken Tiger and the Filipino food pop-up Good Fortune Kitchen have teamed up to bring us Deez Buns. The northern Tempe restaurant offers pho, Korean fried chicken, bulgogi, and more in the form of burger-like handhelds with soft, steamed buns.

2 articles

Drunken Tiger

1954 S. Dobson Rd., #5 Mesa

480-755-7555

Korean, Asian, Best Of, Readers' Choice

Drunken Tiger is like no other Korean restaurant in greater Phoenix. It’s a haven where soju cocktails flow, pop tunes blast, a joyful wall-painted octopus wields a chef’s knife, and chef Justin Park cares more about food being good than traditional. Sure, the old-school Korean classics slap, like fiery tteokbokki and a simple-yet-mean side of kimchi. But the new-school, booze-friendly dishes like bulgogi nachos and fried potato salad are what give Drunken Tiger its uncommon roar. As much as this snug eatery is a restaurant, it’s also a vibe. To channel it, roll up with friends, order soju bottles or a pitcher of frosty Kloud from the tap, marinate in the kinetic energy, and maybe even get the silkworm soup. Ramen has heat, depth, and long kinked noodles cooked just right, retaining some nice bounce and chew. Padak, Park’s take on popcorn chicken, brings a pile of small, meaty poultry hunks deeply-yet-somehow-lightly fried and buried under a tangle of shaved green onions — a heap of food that, like so much of the menu, feels like it was made to fuel liquid indulgence. Drunken Tiger can even cross the Sea of Japan to nail takoyaki, frying creamy orbs generously topped with saline bonito flakes. There is also a section of barbecue; as the sails of bulgogi slide off their thin bones and dissolve in your mouth, your sizzling cast iron dish holding half a dozen more, it’s easy to forget yourself and that you’re in Arizona.

11 articles

Gen Korean BBQ

2000 E. Rio Salado Pkwy., #1056 Tempe

480-939-2650

Korean, Readers' Choice

1 article

Grilled Ave Teriyaki House

705 S. Forest Rd. Tempe

602-380-7712

Korean, Sushi, Teriyaki

Hodori

1116 S. Dobson Rd. Mesa

480-668-7979

Korean, Asian, Critics' Pick, Best Of

Korean food in Phoenix has gone on a helluva run over the past decade. We’ve watched a smattering of barbecue and soondubu joints explode into a variety of culinary subgenres. But through it all (plus a change of ownership), jack-of-all-trades Hodori continues to stand tall as the grand dame of our Korean restaurant scene. It’s a casual, independent joint with brusque service, zero frills and straight-up good food for all. Want something sizzly crisp? Fried mandu or a sour, blistered kimchi jun will hit the spot. Seeking a comforting soup? Go with a clean, silky ox knee soup or any of Hodori’s excellent soondubu variants. Something noodly? Slippery jap chae or cold, spicy bibim guksu. Feeling fishy? Spicy seared squid or delicious braised black cod. And if you’re feeding an army? Go with bosam, a titanic helping of pork belly wrapped in fresh cabbage, or a massive cauldron of budae jungol — “army stew” — loaded with just about everything, including ramen noodles and spam.

11 articles

Katsu

1135 S. Dobson Rd., #102-B Mesa

Asian Fusion, Korean, Best Of

3 articles

Korea Plaza

1350 S. Longmore Mesa

602-615-0222

Chinese, Grocery Stores, Korean, Retail, Sushi

Korean BBQ

2711 S. Alma School Rd. Mesa

480-777-0300

Korean, Restaurants, Asian, Recommended, Best Of, Menu

Brand-spanking-new Korean BBQ joint with gracious service and fairly good Korean vittles. Suck down a bottle of soju with an OB beer chaser while firing up bulgogi (marinated sirloin), galbi (BBQ ribs), or dwaeji bulgogi (pork marinated in red pepper paste) on a gas grill built into your table. Try a kimchi casserole, fried dumplings, or a classic bowl of bibimbap, among other Korean delicacies. Korean cuisine is some of the heartiest, most satisfying fare on the planet, and each new Korean BBQ place is a welcome addition to the Valley's ethnic food scene.

2 articles

Koryo Korean BBQ

10040 N. 43rd Ave. Glendale

623-234-8530

Korean, Sushi

4 articles

Left Wing Chicken

1919 W. Main St. Mesa

480-207-4567

Fried Chicken, Korean, Menu

Manna Korean BBQ

1135 S. Dobson Rd. Mesa

480-733-5000

Korean, Best Of

2 articles

Ohya Sushi

4920 W. Thunderbird Rd. #117 Glendale

602-298-0110

Korean, Sushi, Menu

2 articles

Red Kimchi Korean Restaurant

1414 N. Scottsdale Rd. South Scottsdale

480-994-5995

Korean, Restaurants, Asian, Recommended

Traditional Korean barbecue, either cooked for you, or by you on one of the gas grills built into the tables. Quality of the offerings here is middle-of-the-road, but they do give you a nice selection of panchan (think Korean tapas) with your bulgogi (marinated sirloin), galbi (barbecue ribs), and so on, and the Korean seafood pancake is pretty durn tasty. Wash it all back with a big bottle of OB (Korean beer) and a small bottle of soju, a clear liquor distilled from sweet potatoes that's similar to vodka. After a couple of rounds, you'll be singing Korean pop songs and eating kimchi while standing on your head. Good stuff, that soju. Read our review.

2 articles

Restaurant Takamatsu

4214 W. Dunlap Ave. North Phoenix

623-842-0400

Japanese, Korean, Sushi, Best Of, Menu, Readers' Choice

Cool sushi bar/restaurant serving Japanese and Korean food. The sushi, especially the nigiri sushi, is of pretty high quality, and Takamatsu also offers Korean table barbecue. But the menu is extensive, and this may be your chance to venture into realms of Korean cookery that you've yet to explore. A little intestine casserole, anyone? Or raw blue crab marinated in chili paste? Actually, our fave is slightly less exotic: stir-fried kimchi and pork slices. When the kimchi is warm, having been prepared with oil, it slides down your throat like spicy butter. Yum!

5 articles

ROK Social House

7419 E Indian Plaza Central Scottsdale

480-584-5878

Korean, Bars and Clubs

1 article

Sizzle Korean BBQ

3720 N. Scottsdale Rd. #200 Central Scottsdale

480-247-2027

Korean, Best Of, Essentials

You may be familiar with Korean barbecue, but it’s key to note that things are done a little differently at Sizzle. Yes, you can order assortments of raw meats, and yes, there is a little grill at the center of each table. But here, the servers do the cooking. Sit back, relax and enjoy the show as the servers expertly move around the space, simultaneously taking orders and bringing drinks while keeping an eye on which meats need to be flipped, doused in sauce or served. It is possible to order individual meats, but the best value — and the most fun option — is to order one of the sampler platters. Choose either pork or beef, and prepare for a meaty meal filled with different cuts and flavors. Each dish comes with banchan, or small veggie side dishes, along with salad and steamed egg. Pair it all with a fresh fruit-filled soju cocktail or imported Korean beer for a celebratory evening.

1 article

Sizzle Korean BBQ

21001 N. Tatum Blvd. #36 North Phoenix

480-265-9406

Korean, Best Of

4 articles

Snowtime

2095 N. Dobson Rd. #6 Chandler

480-268-7711

Dessert, Korean, Menu

The Stone Tofu House

1870 W. Main St. Mesa

480-361-0523

Korean, Asian, Best Of, Essentials

Opened in Mesa’s Asian District in 2020, The Stone Tofu House is a bright and inviting spot to enjoy delicious Korean cuisine. Here, bright red soup, served in earthenware bowls, hits the table at a rolling boil. As it bubbles away, servers drop off a raw egg, intended for you to crack right into your bowl. The extra protein cooks instantly, joining tender cubes of house-made tofu along with seafood, beef or veggies in the rich, fiery broth. Pro tip: Don’t wear a white shirt. The modern restaurant also offers savory staples such as beef bulgogi and short ribs served a la carte or in bibimbap bowls.

1 article

Korean in Phoenix

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