Soban Restaurant in Heidelberg

If you're lucky you'll get a spot, as reservations are not possible.

I usually go to "Restaurant Korea" in Heidelberg. But for once I was here today. All in all it was rather disappointing. I had the spicy pork soup. The meat was a bit tough. The soup was okay and without any flavor enhancers. My waitress wasn't overly nice, but there are worse things. The bill said 2 euros for the meat allowance, even though the menu only said 50 cents. Shouldn't be. The furnishings are quite modern but not comfortable. You probably don't want to spend a long time here in the crowded pedestrian zone so that the tables become free again quickly. What I also didn't like is the fact that there is no makgeoli (rice wine). There are generally no alcoholic drinks. My favorite is and remains the “Restaurant Korea” in Heidelberg.

There were four of us in the restaurant, but we only received two free starters. A friend politely asked if this was common since there were four of us. We were then served another appetizer. We enjoyed the food, but the use of onions in almost all dishes - especially in the miso soup and my squid dish - was too dominant. The service left a lot to be desired as our waiter wasn't that friendly. The wait was about an hour because it was busy.

You have to wait outside for a really long time, but otherwise the food comes quite quickly :)

So delicious. We needed to wait a little but it was worth the wait. Love to go back there.

As a person with Celiac, I rely on allergen cards at restaurants to be accurate. There is one item on the menu that does not list Gluten as an allergen, and when ordering I asked to confirm this was a gluten-free dish. However, the staff was quite angry and told me that it does in fact have gluten and that they cannot accommodate me, despite having done so once before. They rudely insisted that I had nothing to eat there and should not come back since everything has gluten. I simply feel that if the dish has gluten it should be listed as an allergen. I worry that if I had not asked in advance, I could have had a serious reaction and put my health at risk. Nobody expects every restaurant to be accommodating to all dietary restrictions, but they should at least be upfront so that customers are well-informed. I hope they are honest in the future about the ingredients in their food so nobody is hurt.

It was moved from its original location to the downtown area. The menu and portions are large. It was friendly, had a nice atmosphere, was reasonably priced, and was clean. The taste of the food is a bit disappointing.

A good restaurant. Delicious food and good prices. The restaurant is very small and always full. If you want to eat there, you have to reserve a table in advance, otherwise you won't get a seat.

We were very disappointed with the food. We had hoped that it would be more presented overall. The food wasn't really seasoned well. Above all, salt was missing. We had the feeling that the ramen was almost like instant soup. We spent €36 for two main courses plus drinks, which really wasn't worth it. Good for an Insta story but nothing more.

Simple atmosphere, friendly staff. Price ok. More of a fast food restaurant. Small minus points. Lots of different Korean dishes. I really wanted to try it. We enjoyed it. However, many dishes can only be ordered spicy. My soup was supposed to be made milder, but it was still quite spicy. I could still eat it. You get a small appetizer when you order. That was ok. What I didn't like at all was the tea I ordered. A cup of hot water and a tea bag for 4.50 euros. Then it didn't taste like anything at all. For this price, a few leaves of green tea should be freshly brewed, like I know from elsewhere. Food was served quickly, much too quickly. We didn't have a reservation, but we were there right when it opened at 12 and got a table; it filled up very quickly. Recommended for those who like very spicy.

Here you can eat delicious Asian cuisine. Everything from the wok is delicious

Very good food for good money, you can eat deliciously

Bad taste and very unfriendly to Chinese people

authentic Korean food in the middle of Heidelberg. established for many years now and I would say still very authentic Korean food. I was a singular patron and probably over estimated myself but I just wanted to try both dishes. this was the bul go gi and kimchi pancake. I wanted to go for the fried chicken as well but that would have been a bridge too far and as it is, I am guilty of quite a bit of food wastage. so bul go gi was tasty, lots of beef, mushrooms, which I love. and the pancake was perhaps a little undercooked. could have been under the heat for longer to make it more crispy but it's individual dependent. ended off the meal with some wheat tea. it was a €36 meal...but I could have done with one less dish which would have then come down to €20. anyway, hard to miss on the main walking road. perfect location for a stop but note that it closes from 3 to 5pm. gets a little crowded especially if you come in groups of more than 4 from what I noticed.

Super authentic and delicious Korean food! Plenty of spicy and non spicy options, as well as vegetarian choices. Can get pretty busy around lunch time, so you may need to wait a few minutes

The attitude of the male waiter (short and wearing glasses) was extremely rude and impolite. We are here every week, usually the waitress is very nice, but today the male waiter's attitude is a disaster. The waiter brought the children a cup with lipstick stains, very dirty. After I was asked to switch to a different cup, the new cup was rudely placed on the table and immediately left without a word or apology? The panchan is forgotten until another waiter is asked to bring it. The first time I went out to eat without tipping a single cent. It doesn't actually deserve any stars, but since there's only 1 star, I have to give it 1 star. I am also a restaurant owner and will never agree to have employees with such bad attitudes working in my restaurant. Customers pay money to eat and be served, not to beg for free food.

We ate deliciously. Watch out! Hot here also means really hot.

Food was good and so was service. Portion sizes weren't as bad as North America's so I could almost finish my food. Would revisit

Best Korean restaurant in the city. I would recommend Bi bim bap and Jae Yuk DeopBap. Attention: They only accept card!

Overcrowded tourist hub. Waiters are Not the most friendly ones; but welcome to Heidelberg. Prices are acceptable. Service is quick. Food is good. Thanks I’ll back.. Hasta la vista baby💪🏻😃

Very fast, good and friendly service. The food was very tasty and super freshly prepared. Definitely 5 stars.

Seriously tasteless. Koreans will experience new Korean food Foreigners taste distorted Korean food. Salty, salty, too salty.

I was seated at a table with a couple, but this was asked beforehand and the tables are large enough to allow for social distancing. Food was very hot. I burned my neck so be careful. A delicious starter and soup, bibimbap and 2 cokes with a tip cost 26 euros. I find the price very reasonable. The food is plenty and tasty (and as I said, very warm and fresh) I was served very quickly and friendly.

Don’t quite understand the hype, I’ve given it more than four tries but feel disappointed almost every time.

I was there for the first time last Saturday. The gyoza are very deliciously prepared as are the side dishes that are served at every table with every order. I ordered beef soup with mushrooms, onions and zucchini. Unfortunately the beef was very tough and not tender, hence 1 star deduction. Otherwise everything else was great and the service was very friendly.

After the move there is a little more space, unfortunately quite warm in summer. Food is still very tasty.

Snowed by by chance. Typical small restaurant that could also be found in Asia. Despite the queue, things moved quickly. Super friendly service despite being fully occupied. Great and varied menu at normal prices today. Great taste with large portions. Luckily you can take deposit cans with you to pack your food. Full recommendation! Attention: card payment only

We liked it a lot. It has surprised us for the better. You have to be careful with the spice, because it stings a lot.

The waiter has a handsome Korean oppa and a beautiful blonde sister Food 206 and 207 are both good. The salty soy sauce soup of 206 is added to the rice, and then a piece of meat is put on it. It is the common braised pork rice in Taiwan.

The food is good, but there is no proper air conditioner.

Very tasty food Friendly service

It is proven that people have no idea about food. Anything from a can with preservatives that destroy the immune system, glass noodles with boiled water on them is not worth eating.

Tteokbokki (8.5/10) was good Bibimbap was good (8.5/10) Banchan were okay (7.5/10) I didn't like the kimchi. The place was really hot and crowded and was actually uncomfortable to eat.

The food was delicious, but it was too hot to go in the summer. I waited for some refreshing kimchi rolled noodles and went in, but they said I couldn't order cold ones. I thought the prices for the other foods were okay though. I think 17 euros for green onion pancakes is too expensive!

The food didn't taste good at all. Some of it was still cold. There's no way you could justify paying 20 or even 10 euros for it. In addition, it was as hot as a sauna in the store and we sweated profusely. If you were thinking about going there, you should go to the mini ramen bar. Service was nice.

Eating couldn't suit everyone's taste and it was very uncomfortable to eat, everything was very cramped there

Seafood pancake is a thick noodle pancake The amount of beef in the beef soup is comparable to Lanzhou Ramen Not as good as the Korean food I've had in other cities in Germany A restaurant I won’t go to again😅

I like eating Korean food, but this is the worst seafood pancake in Germany I've ever eaten, don't recommend it

The store is hot. The food is also not tasty compared to the price. Taking tteokbokki as an example, no matter how foreign you think it is and how much it has become localized, it is too much of a waste to pay close to 15,000 won to eat it.

This is a Korean restaurant serving bibimbap, mandu and many more. Food wise, we loved it, portion wise it is also fulfiling. They provided 3 side dishes for each main course ordered. The meat were generous! However I expected them to have japchae (not rice with japchae, that's just weird....) and they also don't have jjangmyeon!! The only drawback is they don't have any aircon or fan inside the restaurant and it was extremely hot in the summer. We were lucky we got seated right in front of the door (the door was left open) so it wasn't too bad.

The food was very tasty and drinks were interesting (we had milkis, buckwheat tea and bi bin bap). But it was very hot inside, a bit noisy and toilet was a bit messy. But overall pretty good. You have to reserve the table or you would have to wait up to 20 minutes.

I used to really like this place, but now the food is awful. I got the bulgogi ssam bap. This is a lettuce wrap dish and the lettuce they gave me was horrible. Small pieces of lettuce that were slimy and old. Hard to imagine anyone actually eating them. It really boggles the mind that the kitchen was willing to give it to a customer, especially considering it is a central part of the dish. In general all of the food was sloppily prepared. I wish I had taken pictures just to show case how horrible it was. It is just so sad because I used to really enjoy this restaurant.

Soban in Heidelberg offers a tasty experience, although it leans a bit too much towards fast food. However, if you commit to it, you will be rewarded with very tasty food and good service. Ideal for a quick yet delicious bite.

love the food here, the authenitcity of the food is non-negotiable and not adjusted to average european tongue which is great. the price is on the higher side but for the quality and the generous portions its very much justified.

Easily my favorite restaurant in Heidelberg!!

My girlfriend and I went to Soban Heidelberg around 8pm and were very disappointed. Service: We waited in front of the restaurant for about 20 minutes until a waitress spoke to us. Before that, no one came to us and said that it would be a short while, nor was eye contact made by 3(!) service staff. When a service person came to us, we were asked if we wanted to sit at a table with a strange couple behind us, even though several tables were free. We didn't agree to that. At the table we were then asked if we could sit at another table because we were sitting at a table for a large group. We agreed to this, but it didn't happen. The only positive thing was that they were attentive in the end and offered my friend a take-away box for her leftover food. Eat: The food was good. It was also nice that there were free, additional side dishes. Ambience: The restaurant is simply furnished. Our table wasn't completely clean. There were still leftover food on the table. The trash cans in the toilets were overflowing. There were towels on the floor. They could have been disposed of during idle times, which the waiters also had. Conclusion: The visit to the restaurant was not pleasant due to the miserable service staff, some of whom seemed untrained. Although the food was good, I cannot recommend the restaurant.

Delicious and authentic Korean food in the heart of Heidelberg. Excellent location, food, service and experience.

Food was okay but the service was very bad, not just randomly, but every time. Was only there because my friend from another city really wanted to go...

It met my expectations of Korean restaurant quality in Europe. If you’re Korean and desperate for Korean food then this place would do it. Do not expect authentic Korean food here. Everything we had was off on taste. A bit strange but edible. Service was acceptable and quick. No air in the dining area which made the dining experience not as pleasant.

When we arrived at the restaurant with a baby there was no child seat and the buggy was not allowed in. Will we be forced to hold our babies while they eat? Apparently there was enough space next to the table for a small stroller. I've heard that Koreans don't like babies, but I never thought I'd actually meet one in Germany!

As many restaurants in Germany... Service is lacking... The menu is a mix of international and Italian cuisine... But executed poorly. Be perfectly clear with what you want, otherwise you'll get something else...at the mercy of the waitress. Would not come back again... 😑

We had fun and chatted with the staff. Very nice. The food? Delicious!

Really authentic, simply delicious.

The price is a bit high, but the quality of the food is great and you'll feel full afterwards. It's just a shame that you can't pay with cash, the seats are very narrow and the selection of drinks is rather meager

I have traveled a lot around the world and have loved food my whole life. I was able to enjoy this great cuisine for the first time thanks to a friend who lived in South Korea and recommended this restaurant to me. The service, the location and the ambience picked me up immediately. The food was so fresh, authentic and delicious. I fell in love. Portions were great and plenty. Absolute recommendation, thank you soban 🙏

Update after moving: Ambiance was nicer before, but food tastes just as delicious as before. Still decent portions. Always a very short waiting time. I have now tried some Koreans in Heidelberg and the Soban is definitely the best. You definitely have to make a reservation. The shop is very small and has always been full. I recommend the rice cake for the starter and the 304 with beef for the main course. Tastes great. The portions are huge too. I just miss some cold Korean drinks.

Location and Atmosphere: Located just by city central, the cafe is not hard to find. The ambience is neat, clean and bright. The space is both that big so it might be difficult to get tables during the peak hours. Food: Food was served hot and tasted good. The portion is also appropriate (unlike some asian restaurants which serve in a huge bowl) Service: Quick and friendly service. Note: Only card payment was allowed. No cash.

very good Korean cuisine, friendly service; Only card payment possible

The food was delicious, you have the option to ask for spicy dishes to be made a little less spicy. The portions were very large, so you could easily fill yourself up with one dish. K-pop or other cool music is playing in the background. Payment by card only

Korean food to eat in 2 weeks. It's close to snack food, but it's no less than a full meal... Overall delicious and friendly. When I visited in November 23, cash was not accepted, but now they say only cards are accepted... Anyway, a meal of good memories. But Kagyeong is a bit strong. I spent 32 euros on one meal alone... The picture below is when Tteokbokki came out first, and it has improved a lot since then...

I was craving Korean food due to my cold, so I found a place that had delivery. No, it's just a card. It’s so convenient to have a Korean boss 💓

The food was amazing and the service was quick! Definitely worth trying.

We stumbled into it by chance. The food was excellent (as far as I can tell, unfortunately I'm not an expert on the cuisine). However, there were a lot of Koreans and Koreans in the restaurant, so I think it's pretty authentic. Delicious food, attentive service, which was also very nice to our children. Food came quickly. We can only recommend it, we will definitely come back. Thanks!

Still retains the typical Korean flavor 🇰🇷 not too salty for German taste 🇩🇪

Interior: Neat. Uncomfortable chair - no backrest, hard Service: Adequate. Price - reasonable Taste: Too salty. I didn't skimp on the ingredients, but the soybean paste stew was too salty to eat. The tofu wasn't fresh either. The side dishes didn't taste fresh either.

Soban Heidelberg has successfully managed to combine perfectly gustatory dishes, very attentive and friendly service and up to no waiting times for food despite regularly large numbers of visitors. I would certainly not be opposed to a meal in the future!

Not recommended, the service is very poor, they even take the initiative to collect tips, and rip off tourists. Unfortunately, I am not a tourist.

Then food wa sok, nlt bad, but also nothing special. If you go there you need to pay attention that you can only pay with card.

As an Indian we took DEOPBAP and it was spicy, tasty! Definitely recommend

Incredibly delicious, really a nice place, happy to come again!

It wasn't exactly Korean food, but it was the best Korean restaurant I went to when I came to Germany. There was a bit of a wait, perhaps because it was a Saturday evening.

Super tasty and affordable food. We were very satisfied. The restaurant is more suitable for grabbing a quick bite to eat rather than spending the whole evening there.

Authentically delicious and quick, centrally located

Good food, good service . I ordered a spicy soup, no 207, in the menu. it was really good, very interesting taste!

I really wanted to eat Jjamppong, so I went in after finding Jjamppong Ramen!!! I ordered Jjamppong ramen + a bowl of rice + soft tofu and ate it together and it was really delicious~~!! It's the best The Jin Jjamppong taste I used to eat in Korea +_+ It was so nice to meet the taste I missed during my travels. However, since it was meal time, there was a wait. If you go at meal time, there may be times when you don't get a seat.

The only restaurant with really good Asian food in Heidelberg (yes, I've tested them all). It's got some kind of fast food restaurant vibe, but that's ok. Portions are almost too big. Good ingredients, top value, fast'n'sweet staff. Highly recommended!

We really loved everything we ordered and the staff was super friendly and quick! Already planning our next visit!

Very friendly staff and super delicious food

They relocated recently! 🥰 I totally loved the new vibe of the restaurant, really felt like Korea! 😍 The menu was big and you have many different spicy and non spicy dishes 🤝🏼 The service was super kind and helpful with the food 🍱 Most dishes are on the pricey side and vary from 11/15€ but since the portions are big and the food is A++ It’s SO SO worth it! 🥰💗 I was very satisfied with my experience here and I will definitely be back to try more! 🩷

One of my favorite places in Heidelberg. The food is super delicious and and I have never had to wait long for my food. The staff is very nice but it is very popular so I suggest making a reservation or going earlier in the evening.

Very tasty, well-seasoned Korean food. Nice people and great atmosphere. Really a highlight in Heidelberg!!!

Located in the middle of the tourist mainstream since the move, this restaurant offers attractive, delicious Korean cuisine. Without a reservation there is usually little hope of finding a free place, which in itself can be seen as an indication of good quality. Personally, I like the bulgogi extremely well, but the bibimbap is also very popular.

Came during the lunch rush and the tables were packed. They asked if we didn't mind sharing a table with a different group, which we were fine with, but I know some people aren't so it's worth mentioning.Cash only and the wait staff speaks English. The food tastes exactly like food we had in Seoul. Everything was fantastic, but the pajeon was thick and a little gummy. It could have been cooked a little longer. Would I still recommend ordering it? Yes. We also ordered the set menu which came with rice, a meat dish, soup and sides. It was hot, and spicy. We've been to many restaurants in many different parts of Germany and usually they skimp on the spice, but not here! Highly recommend. Unsure if you can make a reservation, but if you can you should. They have a second location in Heidelburg, which serves fried chicken.

It used to be pretty good when you were still at the mountain railway. Unfortunately it is now becoming more and more of a typical main street restaurant. Get rid of one-time customers. The food quality and service are no longer up to par. Fine for tourists.

Service 10/10 Taste wise 10/10 A must when you are in Heidelberg.

Update: Used to be the best restaurant in Heidelberg. Since moving to the main street, the quality has clearly decreased. The food has now become much sweeter and has lost some of its taste. Very unfortunate.

There's a waiting time during peak hours. But the food is great. Service is fast. The sides given are a bit little.

Very very tasty, authentic Korean food. The best part was the pork ribs in soup, but everything was delicious. The service was nice too! The invoice could be easily divided into three with individual receipts for the expense report.

Incredibly good and very authentic food

The food was just great...! The restaurant is too busy, which means the service suffers a bit. Nevertheless, very good advice when choosing dishes

There are a lot of customers Go chow down and eat chicken.

Was a bit dissapointed because we thought all Soban Restaurants are the same.. The quality and the range of food is not so good like in Soban Mannheim..

Simple but so nice and cozy, delicious food and very good service.

Our favorite corean restaurant in Heidelberg. They changed location, now on the hauptstrasse. The food is good and fair priced.

The food has always tasted very good and the staff was nice. What is particularly positive is that the dishes here have an appropriate spiciness and are not too mild, as is often the case in Germany. So if you like spicy food, you will find it here. Overall, the restaurant offers good quality at affordable prices and the portions are reasonably sized.

I used to love Soban back at its old location at the "Rathaus/Bergbahn" bus stop. It used to be really cozy and a nice place to have lunch or dinner but this new restaurant has lost all its charm in my opinion. You get seated at the same table with random strangers and have to share your space with them. Also it's extremely loud which is just made worse by them constantly playing Kpop on a super loud volume. I can barely have a conversation with the person I'm having dinner with over all the noise and the loud music. I feel like the atmosphere overall is just not pleasant at all. Everything is extremely and uncomfortably bright and just doesn't feel warm and cozy at all compared to how the old restaurant looked. I have never had this much sensory overload eating at a restaurant like that. Also I feel like the portions have gotten smaller as well compared to what I used to order at Soban 2-3 years ago? Service is okay but definitely not the friendliest. It has always kinda been like that though so I don't really mind. Overall, just a very disappointing development for the restaurant. Will definitely look into other Korean food options as long as they don't try to improve.

Our first time, and we loved it❤️, the food was very delicious, we went 2 times one for dinner and then lunch next day before go back home. Very delicious thanks for the experience I'm sure we'll go back again

Everything was delicious, I highly recommend it! I ordered one of the spicy dishes and it was perfectly spicy for me. If someone doesn't eat spicy food on a daily basis, I recommend taking a medium or standard dish. Very nice service. Despite many guests and information about the waiting time of at least 20 minutes for rice dishes, these dishes were delivered in a much shorter time.

I was visiting on February 17, 2024, we were seated with two other people, which didn't bother us. After our neighbors at the table got theirs, the guest noticed after trying it twice that it wasn't their food. Food was taken back, during this time my friend had already received her food and I received the food that my neighbor had received incorrectly. I was able to watch everything from where I was sitting as they discussed it in the kitchen and handed it over to me. Of course I didn't accept it, the waitress didn't even apologize. Bottomless impudence, NEVER AGAIN!!

The restaurant has a nice atmosphere and is clean, but the food looks like it was prepared by someone who doesn't know how to cook at all, and the servers don't know how to speak German, so they can't explain anything to questions, so you can eat bibimbap with the vegetables separately, and ramen seems to be the main dish, but you only eat the soup slowly, and the noodles become soggy that you can't eat it. It's getting to the point where the image of Korean food is going to get worse. This is a restaurant popular with Koreans. The owner, please work hard.