Your guide to Korean dining in Belfast

Dumpling Library offers one of Belfast’s most unique dining experiences, offering guests the opportunity to take their taste buds on a journey throughout Asia through a wide variety of small plates. Focusing on experimentation and excellence in every dish and taking inspiration from Chinese, Japanese, and Korean flavours, you can expect nothing short of perfection no matter what you choose.

When it comes to authentic Korean flavours, you’ll be spoilt for choice, from their tasty Korean spicy pickled cucumber to their kimchi chicken with crispy rice crackers, Korean pickled radish, and roasted sesame. Other Korean delicacies you can taste on the menu here include the classic Bibimbap, Korean stone bowl rice with minced beef, beansprout, long beans, mushroom, celery, carrot, and egg, Korean-style cold soup noodles with boiled egg, pickled veg, beef shin, cucumber, coriander, and chilli oil, Korean-style spring rolls, and much more.

Open seven days a week from 5 pm until late, Steamboat has been operating just south of the city on Belfast’s Donegall Pass for more than a decade. Having become one of the city’s favourite Asian food spots, there’s no better place to enjoy some epic Korean dining than this iconic red-fronted eatery.

Their buffet-style Hot Pot and Korean BBQ has been a menu staple since Steamboat first opened its doors, and continues to prove a favourite among regulars. Aside from that, diners can indulge in a wide variety of delicious meat, seafood, and vegetable dishes that take their inspiration from all across the continent of Asia, from Chinese to Taiwanese to Korean to Thai to Japanese and more. For a taste of Korea, you can’t go wrong with their famous Korean BBQ and we also highly recommend their delicious Kimchi Fried Rice!

Located on Botanic Avenue, Cafe Arirang is a humble and understated eatery that you could easily miss when you’re deciding where to go to eat. However, we highly recommend adding this fantastic spot to your Belfast dining bucket list. One of the only places in the city specialising in epic Korean food, delicious sandwiches, and amazing coffee, you can expect everything from homemade dumplings stuffed with minced pork and vegetables served either steamed, fried, or in a soup to kimchi fried rice to seafood pancakes, Korean stews, and much more.

Understated and reasonably priced, this is the perfect spot for an easy lunch or a casual dinner defined by epic flavours that pack a punch and a relaxed atmosphere that keeps the focus firmly on the food.

When it comes to Asian dining in Belfast, two spots you can’t miss are Zen Restaurant and House of Zen. With one located in the bustling Cathedral Quarter and the other hidden away on Adelaide Street in the Linen Quarter, the Zen restaurants are perfect for all occasions, whether it’s a relaxed lunch with friends or a romantic date night with your significant other. First opened in 2012, these spots have since become firm favourites among fans of Asian dining in the city blending the flavours of the audience with truly Northern Irish spirit and hospitality.

Bringing together flavours and inspiration from all across the continent of Asia, you can expect a real fusion of cuisines on this eclectic and varied menu with everything from Chinese to Japanese, Thai to Korean, and more. For unforgettable Korean flavours, we highly recommend their Kimchi Chicken Skewers, their Stir Fried Long-Bean, or their Signature Dish, which comprises Monkfish Tails with a sweetened grapefruit tangyang sauce

Diners can expect nothing short of exquisite Asian dining when booking a table at Yügo. Defined by creative flavour combinations, carefully curated small plates, and delicious cocktails, Yügo offers what is regarded by many as one of the best dining experiences Belfast has to offer.

From spring rolls to steamed pork dumplings, kimchi, cucumber, and pickled ginger baos to a green bean and spicy minced pork salad, you can expect an abundance of Korean flavours, making Yügo undoubtedly one of the finest places for delicious Asian cuisine in the city. With a warm and contemporary atmosphere, some of the city’s finest cocktail creations, and frequent live music, diners will enjoy a truly all-round experience dining here. So, make sure to add Yügo to your Belfast dining bucket list!