SEOUL 1988 Karolinenviertel in Hamburg

📍 Seoul 1988 - Karolinenviertel, Hamburg My last stop: Seoul 1988 in the Karolinenviertel – and I am once again thrilled by the authentic Korean cuisine! 🤤🇰🇷 🍴 What I tried: • 🥞 Kimchi Pancakes: Crispy, spicy and full of flavor – an all-time favorite! • 🍲 Jjamppong: The perfect seafood soup for fans of spicy dishes. • 🍚 Bibimbap: Fresh, aromatic and perfectly mixed - simply a classic. • 🥢 Banchan: From pickled radish to kimchi – the variety of side dishes makes every visit a highlight. ✨ What makes Seoul 1988 so special: The menu selection is huge and offers something for everyone, from spicy soups to Korean classics to small snacks. I was particularly impressed by the loving preparation and the ambience, which really reminds me of Seoul! 💡 Tip: Be sure to try the kimchi pancakes – crispy and full of umami flavor. Perfect for sharing or even alone! 🙌 📸 Which dish in the picture appeals to you most? Comment below! 👇

It was very nicely decorated and you could use my bell to order authentic Korean dishes, like in Korea the waitress came to the tables very quickly and everyone was very accommodating!! I'll be back next 감사해요 :)

It's so unfortunate that I can't make a phone call. Good luck!

There is very tasty authentic Korean food here. Whenever we are in Hamburg, we come here to enjoy exactly that. The restaurant is quaint and friendly. It's just a little noisy when it's busy in the evening, so you can't hear the music (K-Pop) that well, which is also a reason for me to keep coming back.

I simply love it!!! I love Korea and their food. Super nice staff. Delicious food. Quick service Moderate prices..m of course I will come back here...and I recommend this!

The chicken rivals Korean taste. Stir-fried pork is served stir-fried. Rice is also served. The dumplings weren't bad either. However, seafood and green onion pancakes are a trap. If you're curious, give it a try. It's a seafood pancake. Nevertheless, I think this place, which offers various types of soju and beer, is authentic. Almost every time I go on a business trip to Germany, I stop by with my German friends.

One of my favorite places to eat in Hamburg, the kimchi soup is super flavorful

Almost authentic food, nice service staff and good atmosphere. Unfortunately, not all drinks on the menu (Terra) are available

Jjajang and Jjamppong are delicious, but expensive. Even by women's standards, the noodles were a bit small. I liked that there was a lot of seafood in the jjamppong.

Suggest to make reservation to avoid disappointment as it's quite a crowd. We loved all our orders. (the spicy seafood stew, Silk tofu stew, vegan dumpling & bibimbap)

Missed to take pictures because we’re just ready to dive into the food. The fried chicken was cooked well and the sauces were tasty (we got suß und heiß). I ordered Milkis despite the cold weather, complemented the meal. Their bibimbap & sundubu jiggae were also delicious. A must-visit when in Hamburg!

Simply fantastic. I was absolutely thrilled by the delicious food and the authentic ambience. Plus attentive but not intrusive service.

Delicious food, great portions and very, very nice service. We came spontaneously and there were no tables left, so we were just allowed to use the karaoke room. Next time we are in Hamburg we will definitely come back!

The meal is definitely for 2 people. Very delicious! Felt like I was in Seoul… Thank you🩵

Feels incredibly authentic, great ambience. Service is on-demand (at the push of a button), although I would have liked a little more speed here, as well as an explanation at the beginning for people who are not familiar with the system. The food came very quickly. Great for sharing different foods. Everything was very tasty! Definitely reserve in advance.

Funny shop... food comes very quickly. You shouldn't underestimate the portions. It feels like everything is intended for 2 people.

The food honestly doesn't taste good but the service and vibes there are 10/10

The ambience is pretty cool. Unfortunately, the taste of the food was not good at all, at least on that day.

Awesome retro-style resraurant with a great variety of Korean dishes and drinks! I would recommend going there with some friends rather than alone. The portions are MASSIVE. So, better be super hungry. The staff was very welcoming and friendly. There is also a small arcade where you can play Mortal Kombat until your order is prepared (everything is written in Korean, but who cares).

Really good Korean food! Korean Fried Chicken is the highlight 🔥 Please keep it up!

The food was delicious, but since it was very full we waited 40 minutes and had to eat in the secluded karaoke room. We came for BBQ and there was also a grill, but the very small size of the room would have made it too stuffy. After about 1.5 hours we were asked to leave because of a reservation. It's a real shame because it wasn't cheap and you could have said beforehand that there was a reservation.

We were here for the third time and unfortunately this time we were a bit disappointed. It started with the weak cola (it probably lacked carbon dioxide) and unfortunately continued with the food. On the one hand, the vegan Sundubu was significantly smaller than the regular one and tasted quite bland, watery and tasteless. The Sundubu with seafood was also a bit weak in taste and economical in terms of seafood and that for almost €20! The seafood jambon was a large portion with a decent amount of seafood, so it's okay, but here the noodles were too soft. Overall, it's a shame for today's visit and the fact that three dishes were brought to the table at a different time doesn't make it any better. However, the service was great, very nice and open to criticism.

Nice place fast service menu only fn german

This place is all about ambiance, and the food is decent. The staff is really kind. The place is perfectly curated. There is even Korean karaoke in the evenings, which I have never attended. But I can imagine it’s a blast. I recommend coming here with a group of friends or colleagues. Order to share. And PS: the kimchi pancakes are solid.

Best Korean in Hamburg and best fried chicken. Would Go Every Day if i could

Delicious Korean cuisine in downtown Hamburg. The map is clear. The menu consists primarily of meat dishes, but there are also some vegetarian options. The portions were very large. Might be worth sharing. The service was quick and very friendly. The decor is extremely cool, but unfortunately it can get a bit cramped and noisy when the store is full. I was able to pay conveniently by credit card. AMEX is not accepted.

The Korean wings were okay, but if you order ultra-spicy, be prepared for the spiciness of red yumyums. We also had some tendons in the wings that took a really long time to chew. (Not high quality meat) The staff was really very friendly, but that doesn't necessarily mean good service. We had to go to the front several times to even be noticed to order something else. In addition, some of the waitresses didn't understand what we wanted to order. (Language barrier). But you can also describe it as authentic with rose-colored glasses. The location itself is really something special. There is relaxed Korean music playing, the lighting is appropriate depending on the time of day and the crowd is also very pleasant. And you should appreciate that too! All in all, I can recommend this restaurant if you want to have a nice evening at a Korean restaurant with some friends. But you shouldn't expect that you will get the best quality food or that the table will be cleared at some point.

Everything is tasty and the portions are huge

You should definitely make a reservation for 4 people or more. It was very warm that day and the restaurant was therefore stuffy. Dark and no air conditioning...the food was very good. Ordered 3 dishes for 7 people and everyone was full! The portions and prices are more like 2-3 people per portion (at least for us). It was a great fit :)

Super tasty and would definitely come again!!! It was busy and we had to pay at the checkout ourselves, but that doesn't matter. The food is great!

Absolute recommendation: super tasty food, reasonably priced and cool atmosphere. 1st visit and I'm looking forward to the next visit 😍🤩🤤🤤🤤

Super tasty, especially the cauliflower wings and these tteokbokki with cheese! The 2 dishes for 2 people are completely enough! The staff was very friendly and we didn't have to wait long for our food. I found the decor very authentic and cozy, which I didn't expect after reading the reviews. We both left the restaurant very happy and full! Happy to come back!

Great restaurant, best Korean food I have had in Hamburg so far. Great menu with good options of Korean food and good price. I recommend the noodles, bibimbap and the starters. Perfect Kimchi. Drinks also are amazing and very well done. I just had fun in the late night karaoke, loved the night and experience. Thanks for the amazing staff.

Were here twice, gladly again! Regarding the negative reviews, all I can say is that this restaurant offers an authentic Korean restaurant experience, without any “Europeanization”. Not star cuisine, but s(e)oul food for everyday life. Authenticity includes the ambience and also the dishes. I found it to be very good in terms of taste and price. Recommended: Bibimbap, Kimchi-Jigae, Tteokbokki.

Very good Korean restaurant. The food is super delicious. The portions are huge and you could easily eat it for two people. We would have liked to try fried chicken, but as I said, the portion was too big for us. Here it would be good to offer a portion as a “starter”. Or, alternatively, you go with a lot of people and share. The staff is super friendly, helpful and accommodating. I personally think the atmosphere is really chic. It feels like a Korean subway or bar. I really liked it.

Seoul 1988 in the Karo district impresses with authentic dishes such as haemul jjigae and jjamppong. The dishes are freshly prepared and have an intense taste, although the spiciness can be adjusted individually. Both classics such as crispy fried chicken and spicy stews and soups offer a diverse culinary experience. Even beginners will find their way around easily thanks to the friendly advice. Recommended for lovers of Korean cuisine.

Super delicious food! Huge portions and at a fair price too. Will recommend it and come back.

Everything was ok but not “wow”

A Jjamppong restaurant that can compete with any other Chinese restaurant in Korea 😌. Do you see those seafood pieces........? ! ? ! There's a whole squid in it. . . . . It was truly a touching soup. And the shrimp kept coming out no matter how many times I ate them..... There was really a lot of it and it was the best.... 👍✨️✨️ I now understand why people call it a Chinese restaurant. It's a shame that I wasn't feeling well that day, so I couldn't eat much. But if you're disappointed, you can just go back! I heard that the chicken is really delicious,,, I will visit again next time with friends from abroad ~ ~ ~ I hope you prosper until then. Yo ~ ~ ~ ☆☆☆

Very tasty food and great service!

Ate very tasty. Quite (almost too) large portions. Everything is great.

The inside of the restaurant looks like a South Korean bar or train station. There would be more attention to detail in the furnishings. But the staff was friendly and accommodating. The portions were huge, two or three people could have easily eaten them. A starter is the same size as a main course and in our case would have been enough for at least three to four people! We would have liked to order half portions so we could try more. But the price is absolutely right, especially when you consider the portion sizes. When it comes to taste, Korean cuisine is of course a matter of taste. Sauces and fried chicken were very tasty.

We really liked this place! Note that reserving a private space costs 20 euros/hour, so take good use of your time. The catalogue has music in different languages as well such as Spanish, Japanese, Russian and English of course. Also, consider that the private rooms are incredibly hot, there are 2 fans but still, so take light clothes under your coats.

We were here on a Sunday lunchtime and had no problems getting a seat. Unfortunately, we were disappointed with the food and shared the gochu japchae between the two of us. Actually it was just a big pile of fried vegetables, carelessly arranged, a few scraps of meat, tasted like a cardboard box from a snack shop, but it cost a fraction. The steamed buns weren't to our taste either, like yeast dumpling dough, totally plain, no one at our table liked them, it's a shame. To leave some constructive criticism, unfortunately you can't imagine anything by the names, and the descriptive one-liner doesn't help much either. Maybe pictures of the map would do some good.

The Korean restaurant impresses with an authentic street food market atmosphere, which immediately creates a relaxed and lively atmosphere. The food was good – fresh, flavorful and with a wide variety of traditional dishes such as bibimbap, kimchi and bulgogi. Particularly noteworthy is the friendly and attentive service: the service was not only nice, but also extremely responsive and always there when you needed something.

The sister restaurant is good but this one is even better. Pleasant ambient outside in the summer. Service couldnt be better. A lot on the menu. Great and genuine Korean food. The only challenge is to know what to order.

I had jajangmyeon here and it was tasty and interesting (you mix it yourself). The price is a bit on the expensive side. The waiter was very friendly and attentive!

Loved this place! The ambience, the food, the karaoke!

Great place! Had the Seoul Bulgogi and the Fried Chicken ^^ They have a small Photo station too, which is super cute :) I could have sworn they offered blue water/sake once! Is it gone? Was it ever there? What did it taste like? I should have gotten it that day... now I will never know... :/

I visited a year ago, and loved the Jeyuk bokkeum, so decided to make another visit. Unfortunately the second visit has meant there will not be a third. I forgot how loud they played the music, to the point I can barely hear the person opposite me. To some extent this means everyone has to raise their voices to be heard. I remembered how hard it was to hear my friends on my first visit. I did enjoy the korean fried chicken, although expensive for what it is. My main came well before my partner's main. I had to eat my food otherwise it would have gotten cold. To be honest, I much prefered the little salads and side dishes that came with the food, than the food itself, which was incredibly overpriced. I am not sure what they have done to the Jeyuk Bokkeum receipe but it was completely different this time. Instead of long thin strips of pork in a succulent sauce, it was hard, gritty, small, bits of pork in a dry sauce (of which there was little). I had to force myself to eat it, and in the end gave up. It took ages to be served, and we were told that if we want the server to come to the table then we are supposed to press a button on a table. I get that it means people will only have a server come over when required, but it also leads to inattentive staff, which was very much noticed! Will not be coming back.

Such a dirty place, I can’t imagine the kitchen… The sticky menu with sauce all over and the waiter trying to clean it with wet cloth… Dirty tables… Lack of fresh air… Stinky atmosphere… Very fatty food. All left me disgusted unfortunately. Pricey menu. I will give the other chain a try.

Food and drinks were great. The service was very quick and we didn't have to wait long for our food. The button to call service is a good idea

Absolutely delicious fried chicken

We like Korean Fried Chicken here. Also the atmosphere and the service is very good.

The starter was very tasty, but I would have liked a little more sauce options for the bibimbap, as they only served soy sauce and Sriracha. Overall it's a bit expensive, but the portions are also very large.

Regarding the food: The fried chicken is tasteless and full of fat. Not really good seasoned and you can’t even buy individual portions. Too expensive for what they offer. Regarding Hygiene: I was quite of shocked when I passed by the kitchen. The sauce used in the chicken was just near to the toilettes and the lack of cleaning is really absurd. Even the pan where they fry the chicken was on the dirty floor. See pics.

There's nothing to complain about - I've never experienced such courteous and attentive staff in Germany. Thank you for the lovely evening!

Ammmmazing! The portions are big, the food has a lot of flavour and the service is super nice. All in all a great place to go eat, one of the tastiest Korean places I've been to in a long time. We'll definitely be back!

If you're into Karaoke and feeling the vibe this is the place to be!

We love this place. We Comé regularly on the weekend with our friend group. Can never go wrong with the fried chicken and we love staying there for the karaoke after dinner. Good vibe overall

Very nice service, very tasty food that came fairly quickly. Good drink selection - We really enjoyed it! And come back! While you wait at the entrance there is a camera and there are pictures of visitors everywhere - which I found really funny.

Staff very mousy and the food is also very tasty (a bit pricey)🪿🎀

The restaurant gives you authentic Korean vibes. Good food, very nice staff. It feels like all the employees speak Korean and that makes the experience even more authentic than when you're traveling in Seoul. The fried chickens were good and they make a nice good portion. I recommend the sweet-spicy and ultra-spicy combination. According to my aunt, Kimchi Jiggae was very good. Bibimbab was okay, as always (but it's a matter of taste). I recommend these drinks: Milkis and Yuzu Tea (ice). Over all: great restaurant, great vibes. Definitely recommended!

Waited a long time for the opportunity to order. After a while the waitress came back with the news that chicken was sold out. Annoying because we came specifically for this and waited so long that changing restaurants was no longer an option. This could have been announced when handing out the menus. After one of 2 people got their dish, the second dish didn't arrive for almost 20 more minutes. Starters/side dishes also came with a delay. Side dishes were reordered but not delivered by the time we left. Unfortunately, due to the poor service and the high price, I cannot recommend it.

Authentic korean food. We come here quite often! They have the best Jajjangmyeon in Hamburg! Soondubu and JeyukBokkeum also very good ...

Amazing food and service. Would definitely visit again if I am in Hamburg.

Vibe was good, but the seafood wasn't fresh at all.

Best Korean restaurant in Hamburg

Everything is great here, delicious (!!), great service and a cool location. I don't know how they do it, but this kimchi seafood pancake is so incredibly delicious, I came back just for it.

Very delicious food but the problem is the food is not coming at the same time. We were 8 people, and some of us got the food at the beginning, and the others had to wait for 10 minutes.

nice atmosphere even though there are no windows. Employees are very friendly. Food is great. There is also plenty for vegetarians and vegans

Delicious and authentic food in a most authentic atmosphere too. 😉 super swift and amiable service/staff.

My first Korean food experience, we went with my daughter and her friends and we were very pleased. The service is very fast, the staff is very friendly, the waiting area is very fun, you can take photos there and print them out with a different filter application, it is up to you whether you take it with you as a souvenir or leave it on the wall there as a souvenir 😘 among the pre-snacks, the kimchi pickle is great, soy There were sprouts, pickled radish and potato salad (slightly sweet). For the main course, we ate fried boneless chicken with 2 different sauces, I liked it better with soy sauce. As a native of Izmir, it made me feel like I was eating a bite with sweet sauce. Tteokbokki with cheese was very good, the tomato paste sauce was very delicious, it was like pepper paste and ketchup mixed together, it harmonized very well with the cheese and rice cake, I ate it for the first time and liked it very much. Additionally, the calamari went well with the chicken, like raw cucumber, carrots, lightly sautéed green peppers, zucchini, onion paste sauce, and a cold olive oil dish with sesame seeds on top. We drank the grapefruit flavored Sujo drink, it tastes very nice... it was a good experience I had 🧿

The fried chicken (karaage) is the most recommended, and one plate is just about right for two adults. There are three cabinet game machines in the game center, and children can be sucked into them after meals, so even those with children can have a leisurely chat.

Best fried chicken 🍗 and really great vibes friendly and fast service

Nicely decorated, friendly service and the food was absolutely top. Very generous portions!

One of the best Korean restaurants in Hamburg with the authentic Korean vibes.

I would like to share the fantastic experience I had in this Korean place in Hamburg, a place recommended to me by a Korean friend who frequents it often. It was my first time in a karaoke and in a Korean club, and I must say that it was an incredible experience, starting first of all from the scenic entrance area which reproduces the access to one of the typical Korean subways. We found ourselves entering an already vibrant karaoke atmosphere, as we arrived quite late. We went in to have a drink together, and from the first moment we felt welcomed in a small but extremely hospitable environment, perfect for those who love this kind of atmosphere. The owner was simply fantastic, and together with the other guests he enlivened the whole evening with their contagious friendliness. Despite my total ignorance of the Korean and German languages, I had a blast. Before leaving the place, we left a small offering for a black and white photographic memory, which was promptly pasted on the walls together with other similar ones. It was a gesture that made the experience even more special. I hope to be able to return in the near future! It was a truly fantastic and unique moment that I highly recommend to anyone who wants to experience a different and energetic evening. Highly recommended!

Super tasty, cheap, super friendly

Dirty as it should be with taste and courage to eat it.

The food is very delicious. Very classic, true to the old Korean style. The interesting thing here is that you can take instant photos to preserve memories.

Such a great surprise to find this cute little place - good was so tasty, staff was very friendly and efficient. Atmosphere was cute - you can find seating areas outside or inside (if u don't want to be w smokers) We had the jjajangmyeon as well as some pork dumplings, both were fantastic.

Nice place! I was really amazed by the interior and the atmosphere. Just looking at that made me feel good and have great expectations for the food. I just went without reservation and luckily they still had a table free for the next two hours which was enough for me. It‘d be a good idea to reserve a table especially for dinner. There’s a buzzer on the table with which you can use to call a waiter. After ordering food we were given free kimchi and other small appetizer which were equally as good(I think it was cucumber, potato and radish?). The Gogi Mandu were. As written, xxl size and were served with a deep savory sauce that gave it a nice accent. The fried chicken was really amazing as were the noodles. The jjambbong had lots of handmade noodles in a nice broth and with fresh seafood. I felt full after it. The minus star is just my personal dissatisfaction because I was expecting a very spicy dish since two chili 🌶️ 🌶️ were drawn next to it and it tasted like half a chili 😜 otherwise I would have given it a five star. It was a very satisfying experience which I would recommend to everybody else!

The food was super delicious. Very tasteful and much better than the other Seoul 1988. Really nice atmosphere and good service :) The dishes are mega mega delicious and we recommend ordering the Tteokbokki as the main course. Kimchi jeon was also excellent and 100% authentic and the staff was very friendly. Simply a 12/10 😍So actually I would give 6 stars but unfortunately that's not possible 😅😂

Every time I enter the restaurant I feel like I'm in Korea again. The food is really tasty even by Korean standards and the dishes are easy to share. The atmosphere is also great. I've never experienced that in a restaurant before. But since it's so popular, make a reservation on the weekend just to be on the safe side!

Friendly staff. Everything very original. Always a good time.

It's been a while since I visited, but the chicken is still the best! The new Budae Jjigae is also delicious.

It was a great pleasure to enjoy the outstanding food creations of the Seoul Restaurant. The stuff Was friendly. I would love to come again. Please try to offer an english menu card. Best regards from the neighbourhood.

I've never eaten Korean food before. But that's exactly how I imagine Asian home cooking. Lots of glass noodles, large pieces of potato, vegetables with a bit of meat. It was tasty, but a second time?

There are four Seoul 1988 restaurants within Hamburg. The food tastes really good and the same (as expected) but the price in this restaurant is 30 percent more expensive. That is absurd and definitely overpriced.😢

Super great restaurant. The food was always delicious and the service was also super nice. The furnishings and the resulting ambience are first class.

Funny restaurant in the basement with an inconspicuous entrance, disguised as a Korean subway station! The food was very good (could have been a little spicier) and a lot - good to take away and to "re-crunch" in the pan. The delicious seasoning still tastes good the next day! Exclusively young and nice, mostly Korean staff. A bit high price, but large portions.

Best Korean restaurant in Hamburg. Delicious chicken.

Good food and fantastic service - especially the one Korean employee with glasses. He (usually) appears friendly and always personable and is equipped with the finest professionalism and skill. Also very entertaining how he deals with difficult customers. Thank you, Elias🫵

The soy sauce and sesame oil... there are so many soy sauce and sesame oil flavors that it tastes more like soy sauce noodles than black bean sauce. I tried the black bean noodles a year ago and it was delicious, so I came back, but I left disappointed... ㅠ

The food is so bad, I'm disappointed every time I go. The jjamppong is not good and the black bean noodles taste different every time I go, and it's expensive. I just go there because the atmosphere is good and it's easy to go with a group. I think it would be a good idea to change the chef.

Korean chicken was really tasty. It was crispy and boneless which I thought was great. I can only recommend it.👍🏻👍🏻

I've been trying to call to make a reservation since this afternoon, but I can't answer... Heute habe ich am Nachmittag mehrfach versucht, zu reservieren. Aber ich kann telefonisch Sie immer noch nicht erreichen...

We once ordered the Bibimbap and the Seoul Doendjang Jigae. However, when we were served, we were served the Seoul Sundubu Jigae instead. However, the waiters noticed this after just a few minutes and came to me with the right dish and told me that the Seoul sundubu jigae could still stay with us. Of course we gratefully accepted. Confusions can happen. Overall, the food was very tasty and, in my opinion, very authentically prepared. The portions were perfectly balanced. Personally, I liked the Doendjang Jigae better than the Sundubu Jigae, as the Sundubu Jigae wasn't particularly flavorful and only tasted spicy. I also really liked the small bowls with side dishes, which were also very tasty. However, there is a point deduction for the prices being a bit too high and because I unfortunately got eggshells in my mouth at Sundubu Jigae, which of course shouldn't have happened and was unpleasant. Overall, I would recommend this place to anyone who wants to eat delicious, authentic Korean comfort food and is willing to spend a little more money.

Rooms okay, food not at the expected level. Fried chicken is indistinguishable from Kentucky Fried Chicken except for the spiciness of the sauce. There was sake from environmentally questionable plastic bottles with the round design of the 80s (I know it from clay pots), and the rest of the dishes were also more reminiscent of camping or survival training (cold metal).