Soban Restaurant in Heidelberg

Unexpectedly found a really authentic Korean restaurant along the main street in Heidelberg. Good environment, food is really great. You can pay by card as well.

All the employees seem to be Korean. All Korean restaurants in Europe are expensive anyway, so it doesn't feel particularly expensive. In fact, going to a local restaurant is more expensive. The taste is a bit better than Kimbap Heaven. Recommended if you are tired of European food and want Korean food. Not recommended if you want the same taste as in Korea.

The food was delicious and the service was nice and friendly. If the weather is nice, you may want to bring some time with you as you may have to wait a while to get a table. The selection of food is great and you don't have to wait too long for your food. The only thing that is a shame is that you can't order the delicious chicken dishes in Heidelberg. Otherwise I can really recommend the place.👍🏻

It's just plain delicious. I ordered soft tofu stew with additional seafood, and there was a lot of tofu. The seafood appears to be frozen. Squid, mussels and baby shrimp are additionally added. Due to the nature of the franchise, there is little specialness, but it is above average. And it comes out very quickly.

Had to wait outside in the rain for tables even though there was a "wait here" sign right inside. Thankfully a short wait but a bad omen for what was to come. Food was pretty bland throughout. I ordered the Beef Bibimbap, my friends had some sort of noodle dish and a rice dish with vegetables. All of it is also pretty overpriced. Service was genuinely bad too. I don't want to be too mean here because I don't know about personal circumstances but generally just very demeaning and just kind of odd. Not necessarily rude but just bad vibes all around.

Ordered a non-spicy dish with beef, it was spicy and hardly any meat in it. The service was disastrous. The service staff walked past the table several times and looked after we had finished for a long time, but it still wasn't cleared away. But the highlight at the end was that I wanted to have half of my dish wrapped. The service person’s comment: “I can bring you something to pack.” Taste OK, but not worth the price by far. We're definitely not coming back.

We were turned away at 2:15 p.m. even though the kitchen doesn't close until 2:30 p.m. We weren't even allowed to order two portions of rice to take away for our children. Very unfriendly

It tastes good and the portion is quite generous! The seafood ramen is very spicy and the soup base is delicious. The kimchi fried rice is also very authentic, but it feels a bit watery.

Good food, not so polite customer service! Update - second visit to the new shop in Altstadt I ordered Kimchi soup, Bibimbap, seafood pancake, and rice cakes. The Kimchi soup and Bibimbap were both excellent. However, the kimchi soup had an additional €2 charge for any meat, which felt like a bit of a rip-off, especially since most other places include the meat by default. Unfortunately, the rice cakes and seafood pancake were disappointing. The rice cakes lacked flavor compared to what I’ve had elsewhere. They were watery, and the sauce was thinner than expected. I also think it would have been better if they included rice cakes or glass noodles for more substance. As for the seafood pancake, it was soggy, bland, and seemed undercooked—it was falling apart. For €17, the seafood pancake was not worth the money and the same goes for rice cakes. Apart from those two dishes, the rest of the food was great, and I’d definitely consider returning for the other offerings!

They have no consideration for customers, and even when they open the door and wait in front, they don't make eye contact and ignore them. I don't know if this only happens to Koreans, but when other foreign customers come in, they don't treat me as if they were treating me and instead smile and greet me. This is the first time I've been discriminated against in a Korean restaurant while living in Europe. Moreover, the dumplings are not the same as on the menu and the number of dumplings is not written on the menu. When I looked at the picture of the menu, I thought there were 8, but they only gave me 6 and the shape of the dumplings was completely different.

I tried the vegetable ramen with tteok's. It came with some pickled cucumber and kimchi. The ramen was delicious and the portions were huge! The atmosphere of the place is calm and tidy.

Very tasty soup and large portions

good service. food was disappointing. flavours weren’t hitting and the seafood isn’t fresh. fried egg was great

You just have to have the courage to try something new. We were totally thrilled, just delicious.

I visited this Korean restaurant because I really wanted to eat Korean food after eating only European food for a week. Jjamppong Ramen had a lot of onions, cabbage, and frozen seafood, so it was definitely worth the money. After eating spicy and spicy Korean food, I gained strength to finish the rest of my trip to Europe well🥹.

Very good food, exceptional flavor, and incredible quality of ingredients. I might have missed drinks more relevant to the culture, and the service was also excellent.

Eaten here many times. Food and services are great! Will drop by again.

All I can say is delicious. The food is so tasted and the wait staff is really patient and helpful. The wait can be a moment, but it so worth it.

I ate ramen instead of noodles, but I was satisfied. It's clean and friendly. suggestion

Here is my experience with 4 dishes: 1. Jae Yuk Deopbap (305): My husband ordered this spicy and delicious dish. If you’re a rice lover, consider ordering extra rice, as the beef and vegetable portions are more generous than the rice. My husband liked this balance, but I preferred having additional rice. Consider this dish This dish is ideal if you enjoy flavors combining soy sauce, pepper paste, and Korean chili flakes. 2. Bul Go Gi Deopbap (302): I ordered this dish, and it was exceptionally tasty. As mentioned earlier, extra rice is advisable for those who prefer a more balanced ratio. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture as I was very hungry. Opt for this dish if you prefer a lighter taste, as it combines beef with a mild soy-based sauce that’s gentle on the stomach. Individuals with IBS might find it rich yet light on the stomach. 3. Jap Chea Deopbap (303): I previously tried this dish, which is similar to the (302) but includes fewer beef slices and additional glass noodles. I didn’t favor it as much, finding it heavy on carbohydrates. 4. Karae Ra Myun(504) : We also shared this dish. While it appeared appealing on the menu, it tasted like standard instant noodles with curry and beef—something easily prepared at home. Note: Be prepared for a short wait, typically around 10 minutes, as there’s often a waiting list. However, the food is served promptly once you’re seated. A note of caution: order wisely, as taking leftovers requires purchasing a container for 5 euros.

The food coming out of this place is simply spectacular ✨ i was about to order bulgogi but then I saw I can order a small bowl as a side! As a side!? So I could order Korean curry and have it on the side (among the others that come free btw). Of course, I also ordered kimchi and yes I'm rolling home instead of walking. But so worth it! 🫠 Also, the staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. Ah and the kitchen works very fast so if you need food asap, come here. I could potentially say more but I am sleepy now. Just don't think much and go and thank me later

I deducted points because the same products are not offered in every branch. They are very good in taste. Miso soup alone is enough to leave a mark.

Authentic Korean food. I love it 😻

The korean food is fantastic. I‘ve lived in Seoul for 6 months and this food took me right back

Super! The portions are very generous! nice & authentic Korean food! Def recommend! Thanks for curing my home sickness 😭 It's really delicious and the portion size is huge. I recommend it! The staff are also friendly. Thank you.

Getting here is practically impossible. The restaurant is only open a few hours a day, and even then it's difficult to get a seat. You have to wait outside in the cold until the hostess comes - and no one knows how long that will take. We waited for 10 minutes only to find out at the end that they were no longer taking orders and the kitchen was already closed - all 40 minutes before the restaurant's official closing time! Why stay open so late if you don't want to serve guests anymore anyway? Very disappointing, absolutely not recommended.

Highly recommended. As always, the food was very tasty and filling. You can also usually get it very quickly. The service is also good.

Okay food in a sterile environment. Charged 2 Euros for a class of tap water. TAP WATER.

We called the restaurant today to make a reservation. A woman answered the phone, asked the number of people and my name. She even asked me to spell my name :) We showed up on time and there was a queue outside. I went inside alone and told them that I have a reservation but they told that they never take reservation. I showed them the phone records and told them that I talked to a woman in the same day, they just refused to believe that I talked to a person working there. In the end, we decided to go somewhere else but the way they handled situation was absurd and unacceptable. Not recomended.

The food was ready super quickly and very good. Friendly staff.

Very slow service. We wait 2 hours.

We waited for two hours, and the service was extremely poor and slow. A very disappointing experience overall

Food was so good, the waitress was so professional and all tables were full. We didn't wait too much for food.

We went there spontaneously to eat, were warmly welcomed and received the food quickly. Have never eaten Korean before and decided on a starter, a rice dish and a soup. We were really impressed by the mild but delicate taste and can highly recommend it! Compared to Vietnamese cuisine (fortunately) it's not coriander-heavy at all! 👌🏼

It's getting worse and worse. Food was always very salty. Tteokbokki was very soggy and tasteless

Great korean food. Portions and prices are good as well. If you looking for an asian cuisine then this good choice!

This restaurant is amazing! The atmosphere, the food, the service all deserves the highest ranking. Portions are big and most likely if you order more than one dishes you will have to take some home (the restaurant offers takeout boxes)! It was amazing experience, definitely going back!

The food tastes just like Korea. Delicious and clean I still can't get used to buying water.

We were served very friendly and the drinks and food came quite quickly. What we found to be a shame is that the tea on the menu is a tea bag and costs just under €5, which is far too expensive in my opinion. The food tasted very good and there was also the option to make the dish vegan. We had the 303 3 times, one of them vegan. The restaurant is very brightly lit, which makes the atmosphere a bit uncomfortable. It was also incredibly warm in the store. After eating we all felt like we were about to burst because the portions were very large. My boyfriend has been lying awake since 3am with bad stomach problems. None of us felt particularly well the day after the visit, but I got off lightly with my vegan option.

Extremely delicious! Especially the grilled beef! Thank you!

Top quality food and very friendly service.

I'm Korean and have only been in Germany for six months - a real Korean then✨And I have a doctorate when it comes to food🍽️🤰🏻🍽️ This tastes even better than the ssam bap dishes I've eaten in Korea. The kimchi stew wasn't extremely flavorful, perhaps because the pork wasn't that fatty. But the Ssam-Bap was really fantastic! My German friend didn't know how to eat this at first and was quite confused. It might be helpful to give a little instruction on how to eat the dish properly. For the German guests reading this: When eating ssam-bap, place the meat on a leaf of vegetables, add some ssamjang (the sauce), wrap it with your hand and then eat it whole. Please don't eat separately! Anyway, the food was incredibly tasty, the service was excellent, and I was happy to be able to order in Korean again. We traveled from Mainz to Heidelberg and treated ourselves to nothing but Korean food.

Was there at lunchtime today, food was ok. and service was wonderful

First of all, everyone has different tastes. We went to soban on Saturday based on a recommendation. We were lucky and didn't have to wait. We were greeted in a very friendly manner and the service was completely great. The employees are quick and very friendly. We didn't have to wait long for our meal even though the store was full. It was very busy but drinks and food came very quickly. Unfortunately we were very disappointed with the food. It wasn't our taste. There are no smaller meals for children. But go there yourself and try the dishes.

Everything was very tasty 🙏 thank you for everything.

Very tasty and freshly prepared food. There was a small “starter” on the house, which was also very tasty. Especially the bean sprout salad! Price-performance fits!

Very oriental vibe. Waiting can be a little long, well understandably many people like the food.

Very tasty food, served quickly. Relatively full, when we left the restaurant there was already a queue at the door

We were there on a Saturday evening and only had to wait about 5 minutes (probably a matter of luck as a queue quickly formed outside). We ordered kimchi, teok po kki and the beef bibimbap twice. The kimchi was okay and the teok po kki was very tasty for anyone who likes it spicy. I found a hair in my bibimbap and pointed it out to the waitress. She was super friendly, apologized and brought me a new plate. On the second plate I found a hair in the food again (!), which to be honest ruined my appetite. The waitresses were very friendly and apologized several times and the gyozas I then chose were not charged. All in all, the food was pretty tasty, but I still wouldn't really recommend the restaurant.

We went here on the recommendation of a friend and it was worth it. The restaurant is popular so we had to wait in line to get a seat. We had fried dumplings as a starter and a bowl and soup and noodle dish as a main course. You can choose whether you want to eat spicy or not. It was all very tasty! The service was very friendly and the food came quickly. It would be nice if you could order all the meat dishes with tofu instead of meat :) We would love to come back.

Great spot for korean food. My kimchi stew was actually spicy with fermented kimchi. The stew was loaded with meat. Only downside was the rice was bit dry and wasnt sticky. Overall super friendly. Would go back.

Great Japanese and Korean food, the personnel is very nice and gentle! Loved the green tea too

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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😅

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...