Korea House Restaurant

"Walking into Korea House feels like a welcome escape from Austin. It’s tucked away in a courtyard off West Anderson Lane that we’re guessing hasn’t changed much in the 30+ years it’s been around. There’s a small, lily-covered pond out front that makes the experience feel a little like dining just outside of a zen garden. As far as Korean barbecue goes, meats are à la carte here, with quality that rivals the best. Thick, well-marbled cuts of galbi crisp up and sizzle on the grill, while you pick at the largest selection of banchan options we’ve come across in town." - nicolai mccrary

"Dining at the casual Korean restaurant in North Shoal Creek is a perfectly homey experience. The menu is a traditional one, with loads of stews (budae jjigae and the seaweed-y miyukguk), kimbap, and kimchi jeon. Then there’s the fun grill-it-yourself barbecue setup with all sorts of meats, such as galbi and duck breasts. The physical space is beautiful and cozy as well, with a pond outside and many group-friendly tables. And it’s a place for the community: co-owner Mrs. Kim opens up the restaurant to free meals monthly to those who need them. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services." - Nadia Chaudhury, Erin Russell

"A longstanding Korean restaurant that is beloved for its community spirit, providing free meals on the first Wednesday of each month." - Nadia Chaudhury

"For fantastic Korean stews, look no further than this North Shoal Creek restaurant. There are bone broth-based ones like the sullungtang with thin brisket slices and glass noodles; the vegetable broth-based kimchi jjigae; and the miyukguk, a bone broth-seaweed soup. For a larger party, opt for the giant budae jjigae, which comes full of Spam, hot dogs, tofu, ground beef, rice cakes, ramen, cheese, etc. etc. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services." - Nadia Chaudhury

"Korea House has been dishing out classic Korean food—like japchae, bibimbap, and bulgogi—in the Village Shopping Center on West Anderson and Burnet Road for over 30 years. But our favorite thing to get here is their budae-jjigae, aka army base stew (OK fine, this isn’t technically a soup but it’s pretty close). It’s a giant pot of bone broth, sausage, spam, kimchi, gochujang, tofu, sweet potato noodles, ramen, rice cakes, a slice of American cheese, and more. It also comes with a few different banchan and a mountain of rice—it’s enough to easily feed four." - nicolai mccrary, raphael brion