9 must-try Korean BBQ restaurants in the Klang Valley

If you’ve ever searched for the best Korean barbecue on the Internet, you’ve probably come across Daorae Korean BBQ. It is one of the most, if not the most, popular Korean BBQ chain in the country with branches spanning the entire country. There are multiple locations in the Klang Valley for you to choose from including in Solaris Mont Kiara, Desa Sri Hartamas, Kepong, and Sri Petaling.

Its menu details classic Korean meat cuts such as wang galbi (beef short rib), LA galbi (LA beef ribs), and samgyeopsal (pork belly). For dishes other than barbecued meats, Daorae offers a wide selection of Korean dishes such as doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), and even bibim naengmyeon (chilled spicy buckwheat noodles), which are perfect for a hot day. 

Daorae Korean BBQ
Address: Multiple locations.

If you’re a fan of offal and spice, look no further than Kim’s Pocha in Solaris Mont Kiara. The recently opened restaurant serves meat directly imported from Daegu, South Korea, which is known for its grilled intestines. Kim’s Pocha’s menu includes some dishes that are lesser seen in other Korean BBQ restaurants, such as makchang (pork entrails), pollack fish, and sudae dwaeji gukbap (blood sausage and pork with rice in soup), and of course, the Korean BBQ classics including samgyeopsal.

To go along with your grilled meats and fish, opt for a serving of ramyeon or tteokbokki. The owner is extremely friendly and will gladly help you make your lunch or dinner choices too. 

Gogi Gui
Address: Lot K-1-6, Solaris Mont Kiara, No 2, Jalan Solaris, Kuala Lumpur, +6012 247 3946.

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Recently opened in Desa Sri Hartamas, Palgaeook focuses on poultry-powered Korean barbecue. Straying from the conventional offerings of marinated pork belly or shoulder, this spot sets itself apart with a menu driven by marinated chicken.

You’ll find charcoal chicken dakgalbi coated in salt and pepper, spicy sauces, or charcoal grilled mapdori stew. You can also add on boneless chicken neck, chicken tail, or soft bone to any set. Sides here take the forms of rice balls, chicken wing shrimp dumplings, and steamed eggs. 

Palgaeook 팔계옥
Address: 42-G, Jalan 27/70a, Desa Sri Hartamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, +6014 650 1203.

Affordable, hearty, and delicious, Sae Ma Eul is the go-to choice for many Korean food fans in the area with more than seven outlets around the Klang Valley. Its menu includes a selection of meats for barbecue from dwaeji yangnyeom galbi (marinated pork ribs) and ganjang yangnyeom yang gogi (soy sauce marinated lamb) to jjutggumi sutbul gui (grilled baby octopus) and so galbi sal (Angus beef sirloin). Non-barbecue options include sundubu jjigae (soft tofu stew), choirutan jumeokbab (spicy rice balls), and naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodle soup). 

Like many other Korean BBQ restaurants, Sae Ma Eul also offers options for set menus if you’re there with a bigger party. If you love a good cheese pull, get an order of its cheese gui, which is essentially a pot of cheese that you put on the grill. 

Sae Ma Eul
Address: Multiple locations.

A hidden gem, Po Cha Korean BBQ is a humble eatery run by an old Korean couple in Ampang that specialises in home-style Korean cooking. The quaint restaurant is divided into small private dining rooms by wooden partitions. 

The handwritten menu is filled with typical Korean fare like budae jjigae (army stew), haemul pajeon (seafood pancakes) and rabokki (a combination of ramyeon and rice cakes), alongside barbecued meat like samgyeopsal. 

Po Cha Korean BBQ,
Address: 15, Jalan Sulaiman 3, Taman Putra Sulaiman, 68000 Ampang, +6014 662 3180. 

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Gangnam 88 is a crowd favourite for Korean BBQ with locations in Solaris Mont Kiara and Sunway Giza. This fun and casual restaurant offers an impressive amount of set menus that cater to different party sizes and purposes. For example, there are sets for date nights.

Its choices for barbecue are impressive with honey butter pork neck, galbi (marinated beef short ribs), and garlic butter chicken among the mouth-watering selections. Aside from barbecue, spicy cheese mini octopus, Busan eumokguk (Busan fishcake soup), bibimbap, and cheese ramen are also on the menu. 

Gangnam 88
Address: Multiple locations.

Han Modern Korean Grill is a halal restaurant that serves authentic Korean barbecue and food. Its space is sleek and modern with large marble dining tables fitted with grills. 

Barbecue galbisal (boneless prime short ribs), wooseol (ox tongue), dak bulgogi (chicken bulgogi) on charcoal and hot pans. If there’s room in the stomach, don’t miss its samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), kimchi bokkeumbap (kimchi fried rice), and wang galbitang (beef short ribs soup).

Han Modern Korean Grill
Address: 1/F, Menara Hap Seng, 1, Jalan P. Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur, 50250 Kuala Lumpur, +603 2022 1881.

For more than 20 years, Kung Jung Korean Restaurant has been the go-to for Korean BBQ thanks to its impressive range of beautifully marbled beef. To truly savour the authentic flavours, we recommend one of the non-marinated meat options such as the saeng deungsim gui (fresh sirloin), sohyeo gui (charbroiled ox tongue), and saeng galbi gui (fresh spare ribs). There’s also yukhoe (beef tartare), which is a very popular starter.

Kung Jung Korean Restaurant,
Address: Lot No 3.1, 3/F, PNB Perdana (formerly known as PNB Darby Park), Lorong Binjai, 50450 Kuala Lumpur.

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