On The Bab - Covent Garden

Coming to this busy place at almost 9. Still a long queue outside. But the food worth the queue! All the food is very tasty. Fried chicken is nice! Prefer the soy ginger than the sweet spicy chicken. Dumpling and buns good as well. It has been a long time being satisfied from the food. 😋😋😋

One of my favourite Korean restaurant on London city centre. Must order fried chicken, the flavour: garlic mayo and sweet spicy were amazing. On the bun spicy pork and on the roll spicy pork were delicious as well. Here is always queuing, it’s worthy to wait for wonderful food.

Tonight meal at On the Bab at Covent garden, London - street food.24 chicken wings, beef bap, bimambap and beef noodle soup. The chicken wings were extremely tasty and you should definitely try them. All the food was really tasty. The staff where very nice and friendly. Shame everything didn’t come at the same time but it is only a small place so was a little hectic because it was very busy. £3 a coke which is ridiculous, I know prices of coke have gone up but come on £3 a bit much. Besides the coke I’ve no complaints.

A very popular Korean restaurant. No booking taken so have to make sure you queue up with the full party before you can get a table. The Korean fried chicken was very nice. Tasty and juicy. The batter was light and crunchy. The stew and the spicy pork were also delicious.

Highly recommend their fried chicken!! One of the best Korean places in central London. Super tasty food, fast service and friendly staff. Usually really busy around lunchtimes (often a queue outside so try to get there early if you're going for lunch).

Couldn't recommend this place. Service was very slow to the point where we had to ask to be served, and then waited more minutes. The buns were very good, but the bibimbap was flavourless. The tuna one was canned tuna - gross. Try this place for takeaway buns - that's all.

Delicious, delicious, delicious! Love the variety of sauces for the chicken! We had she spicy and garlic mayo chicken, beef bibimbap and prawn dumplings! The hot plum honey tee was amazing! 10/10 for food and service!

Casual Korean restaurant in London. The menu selection is not big but effieicnt and food are quite ok but not impressive. Price is a bit expensive for what you get I think, there is no (free) side dish coming along which is essential for Korean food. Food served very quick and service is friendly.

On the Bab has a trendy aesthetic and great location, but I found the prices to be a little high and the seating uncomfortable. A friend and I went here for lunch at 1:00 on a weekday afternoon and didn't have to queue for very long. They can fit a fair amount of people in the restaurant because the tables are so close together. I found it to be quite uncomfortable. It was impossible to get to your table without disturbing other diners - throughout our whole meal, people had to squeeze between our table and the table next to us, which jostled the tables and we were sat so close to the people next to us that we frequently bumped elbows. Spacing out the tables just a little would make the experience so much more comfortable and would help with the noise level. Service was prompt and attentive. They are really efficient at making your food and they will bring each dish out as it is ready, rather than waiting and bringing everything at once. Most everything on the menu comes a la carte, so between the two of us we split a small order of the fried chicken, bibimbap, and chicken buns. Everything was pretty standard taste wise and portions are on the small side especially when you consider the cost. I would order again, but would do takeaway, as I found the restaurant to be too cramped to enjoy the experience.

I enjoyed a delicious meal here although prices are too high. I'm used to getting kimchi and assorted veggies on the side included with the meal price. Here everything is a la carte unless you go with their equivalent to a bento box. This came with a choice of meat - spicy pork for me, with rice, bean sprouts, kimchi, coleslaw and a gyoza. It felt a bit fusion but whatever, it tasted good. My companion's bibimbap was just ok. The beef bulgogi was plain so have to top with a lot of hot sauce. Egg was slightly overcooked and would have been better in a hot stone bowl. The saving grace was the fried chicken with your choice of topping. We went with the soy ginger and peanuts. It was sweet and savory, delicious! I wouldn't queue for it but it's worth stopping in for some beer and chicken when in the area.

I have been here now two times now, first time dine in, second take out. The first time we got the Korean fried chicken, buns and kimchi. The service was a little slow but the food is good. We really enjoyed all of it. Our fried chicken was boneless which I prefer, however when I ordered take out a week later I ordered a larger portion and found the chicken to be mixed - both boneless and bone in. I wish I had know this and they had told me. However the food is good here.

One of my go to places for Korean food. It has got good atmosphere and delicious Korean fried chicken. We got fried chicken with soya sauce and garlic mayo toppings and they tasted great. We also ordered a bibimbap to eat the chickens with. Very yummy indeed!! Definitely would come back. Tip: book a table ahead as the dinner queue starts before 6.30pm even on a weekday.

I would definitely keep coming back here for the Korean fried chicken. There isn't that many places in London that do it. The way they make the KFC is so yum... the sauces they use are sticky goodness. I think out of all the flavours available I like the garlic mayo and the spicy one. My friend mentioned that he felt there was too much cabbage when we were served it on a massive tray. But I tend to like that they give a generous amount of cabbage. The sushi burrito roll is really filling and delicious too! Highly recommend this place to hangout for nibbles and drinks with friends just cos it's really easy to split and share. However they don't do reservations and it's literally walk in whenever. Be prepared to wait 40- 1hour for a table for 4 people.

Came to On the Bab with a few friends on Saturday. We arrived around 2 PM and had about a 15 minute wait. We ordered drinks and a bunch of small dishes. I wasn't particularly hungry and ordered the Bab Twigim, which seemed to be the Korean take on risotto balls. They were super cheesy, which was excellent. But I couldn't taste the kimchi or much flavor, which was disapointing. They were definitely overpriced. The table next to us ordered fried chicken and main dishes, which looked good compared to our tiny tiny small plates. I think next time, I'll come hungrier and not waste my money on the small dishes. Nice staff, though they could've been better with refilling our water, and cute vibes.

Pretty good food in London. Portions are on the smaller side and have to pay extra for ban-chan (side dish)

Small Korean Street Food in Covent Garden. Excellent Korean Fried Chicken. We asked to have the sauce on the side, as usually the are fully drenched and tossed in a sweet sticky spicy sauce. Amazing side salad / Korean style coleslaw. We went for the 12 piece and was a a very big bowl indeed. Gyoza was tasty fresh and crispy and the burrito sushi style wrap with Bulgogi style beef was pretty tasty. Loved the OMG for a drink ... Which was the Oh My Ginger ... Excellent heat from the ginger and refreshing! Small venue but busy and great friendly staff!

I really liked the buzzy, casual vibe of this place! We were lucky to wander in without a queue and waited only 5mins for a table, though the line built up quite quickly behind us. My mouth was watering when I saw the menu so we ordered a feast from just about every section. The spicy pork on the buns were nicely fat and well stuffed, and bulgogi beef on the bibimbab fresh and tasty. My highlight was the seasoned spring onion sauce on the yangyum chicken which had my tastebuds a-tingling like crazy! Lucky we'd ordered draught kirin to wash it all down - which if you order in sharing size actually arrives in a tower with a tap (cue everyone in the restaurant looking round to see who the beer guzzlers are) ;) I thought the staff were a bit abrupt at first but they turned out to be quite lovely - I think the first woman was just rushed off her feet but she later came to say a very genuine sorry at how long our beer was taking to arrive - the kind of thing you really don't mind if the service still makes you feel special so well played. A very reasonably priced and filling feed (though not ideal as we had to run to make our cinema showtime afterwards!). I'm sure I'll be back to try more of those addictive sauces on the KFC...

A block from my hotel with a queue outside, I gave it a try, despite middling reviews. It was sub par Korean food. The tofu in the kimchi jjigae was not the right super soft tofu; they fried the egg instead of serving it raw and whole. The bibimbap didn't have the crunchy rice at the bottom of the bowl; it was fresh but fairly bland. Husband liked the chicken dumplings. There was no banchan, though something akin to it was on the menu for 5£. Service was ok/good. The litre of beer seemed popular.

Coming to this busy place at almost 9. Still a long queue outside. But the food worth the queue! All the food is very tasty. Fried chicken is nice! Prefer the soy ginger than the sweet spicy chicken. Dumpling and buns good as well. It has been a long time being satisfied from the food.

The Korean Fried Chicken is amazing!! Ordered a medium portion for two ppl and they let us choose two sauces. However the bibimbap wasn't much of a delight compared to other Korean restaurants.

Very fast service with great korean food. Be ready to stand in line for dinners. Recommend bibimbap and the "burrito," which is technically kimbap

Busy little place with a lot of local guests - very understandable. This street food spot has everything a Korean kitchen should have. Pork, kimchi, spicy mayo, bibimbap - so much more. We were lucky to get a table right away, so expect some waiting if you're here around lunch time. I had the baek ban with spicy pork. It comes with kimchi, coleslaw, bean sprouts and rice. Kimchi was perfect. The pork marinade was very sweet, of course they use alot of sugar, but it's absolutely a winner. You don't go for Korean if you're on a diet... Try the On the rice as well; meat in sushi rolls (no sushi, though). It's awesome. Their citrus sparkle drink is very good, too. Don't expect great service here, but the food makes up for it. Great place for lunch.

So, does the rapid spread of OnTheBab herald a rise in Korean street food? They're following in the trail blazed by Korean fast food chain Kimchee, which has brought affordable yummy Korean food to the high street I stumbled upon this branch in Covent Garden and despite having eaten lunch, I felt it was my Yelp duty to try out the Korean fried chicken to further expand my 'Chicken Lickin' Yelp list They were in a quiet spot between lunch and dinner services but I was served quickly and efficiently As mentioned, I went for yangyum chicken, the Korean version of fried chicken. They offer a choice of 4 sauces - sweet soy, sweet spicy, garlic mayo and seasoned onion. I went for the garlic mayo As expected for a restaurant specialising in street food, they packaged my takeaway chicken well. When I opened up the box, I was surprised to find that the chicken was completely smothered in the sauce. The chicken was crispy but I couldn't taste the flavour because the garlic mayo was overwhelmingly garlicky. Now, I love garlic but this sauce is something else, so be warned. Perhaps they should serve it on the side I have however seen enough encouraging signs to make a return to try more dishes

Location is great. Price is on the cheap / affordable side. But the food quality is just really standard. I get that there is a few on the bap but if you want to do exotic, you better do it good. I had the tofu and seafood stew and the korean fried chicken. The stew tasted as uninteresting as the picture looked. Don't get me wrong, the ingredients are in there, just no oomph and kick. Just really boring. The fried chicken was bland and tasted like there was no seasoning when it was fried and had to be elevated by the sauce. Unfortunately, I won't be going back anytime. Cheap eat to fill your stomach if that is your priority.

Can't fault the food from sticky, crispy chicken wings in a glorious sweet and spicy sauce; to a fine use of bacon in a kimchi and rice stew with an egg on top. Who doesn't like an egg on top? Maybe vegans, but this is not the place for them. With both of these comes a surprisingly scrumptious cabbage salad that I recommend drenching in the anonymous orange sauce that's on the table. The deduction in points is due to the service. At 5pm on a Sunday I couldn't understand why the only two times we saw a waiter, that wasn't delivering food, was when we'd caught their attention. Then there was the service charge, which I'm not fond of anyway when it's added to the bill against your own will. In this case it doesn't actually mention on the bill that it's optional/discretionary which means it's essentially it's a hidden charge. Rant over, I asked for it off and the polite waiter had no problem removing it. Pro tip: the seats at the window offer a good view for staring at the world. But as the inevitable queue builds up to get into the restaurant, so does their intrigue and before you know it you have an audience while you eat.

New OtB! Well that was quick...I'm glad they've been doing well enough to expand (into Covent Garden, no less), all my meals here have been excellent to this point, and this branch carries on the good work from Old Street. The setup is pretty similar - the CG one is a bit bigger, the tables a little less cramped, and there's more bar seating. The menus are different between the two branches. The main staples are here: fried chicken, buns, bibimbap, but a lot of the small dishes are different - there are more salads here. We had pork buns, bibimbap, Korean burrito with fried chicken, shrimp dumplings, and kimchi noodle salad, and I had an aloe punch to drink. The pork buns were excellent as I've come to expect from OtB, and I like the bibimbap, especially with the orange miso-y sauce on the table - shame it's not in a hotter-than-the-sun stone bowl (Health & Safety, amirite?), but it's a tasty dish. The Korean burrito - a CG-only dish - was pretty good: it's a bit like a large bastardised sushi role topped with crispy shallots. I really liked it (even if it is a bit unwieldy). A little problem here: the sauce pots are a bit too small, so it makes it really difficult to dip. There's probably an innuendo in there but I'll leave that up to your wild and filthy imaginations. Next time I come I'd like to try some of the other salads (they have seaweed, pumpkin, broccoli salads...) and the egg muffin. I've always left OtB feeling pleasantly full - a shade over £20 a head, but it's an immensely satisfying meal. The staff were really nice to boot. The place started filling up quite quickly at around 6pm on a Saturday, so I expect the word's spread pretty quickly. Definitely dragging my parents here post-opera at some point!

We came here as a group of 7. They were able to accomodate us but we waited for a while. The staff were efficient and attentive. Their Korean fried chicken is a must. We ordered the extra large and we had the 4 flavors on our tray. I am not a big fan of veggies but their salad is really good.

I'm a huge fan of Korean food. Being firm Toronto I was potential spoiled as there is a big community there. Rolling into this place I had high hopes but I was disappointed by the portion sizes and taste of the food. It was average to good in some cases and I left a bit peckish after having had an app and a main. I had the sampler app which was an assortment of kim chi type tasters. Usually this come included with a main in places I've been. The main I had was bimbimbap. It was average and smallish. As soon as I got it I knew it wouldn't be satisfying. Also the service was slow and I do admit as a North American native it drives me nuts that a service charge is included if service is slow. I challenge London restaurants to step up the service levels! Not a top pick in my view.

Lovely little korean street foods restaurant with it simple menu including starters and main dishes. Although the closing times is 10pm on Sunday. When we get there is about 9.05pm. I regret to say they stop serving us to dining in the restaurant although they have plenty of empty tables left. Unfortunately, we can only get take away. We get a few dishes to try which includes spicy octopus and prawn salad, spicy rice cake and fish cake and spicy chicken on the bun. Foods are taste lovely but i hope the poor management need to be implemented.

What a friendly staff! The honored my coupon as the opening happened later, always a plus! Great food always get the friend chicken and have tons of veggie options. Love this one like the one in Shoreditch and a fun atmosphere to boot! I have been here so many times now and just felt I should remove a star for the service. I love the food but the staff is not on it, even the basics of tap water. Especially agonising when I go so often!

We came across this place on the hunt for a carb + protein meal! Not having read previous reviews I was surprised to see it was rated lower than I'd expected. We were really pleasantly surprised by this new discovery. Fortunately we got here before any queues had begun forming so we're seated pretty much straight away (there was a queue of at least 10ppl by the time we left). Our order was taken really quickly - great coz we were in a rush - and food came promptly after. I went for the bibimbap which was different to others I'd tried as the pot didn't come scorching hot like in other places. The vegetable was chucked in cold too - but I didn't mind this as the portions we huge and flavours great. In fact looking around the whole restaurant I noticed all the portions were quite big so thumbs up there! The bill came to an incredible £24 - that's 2 mains and 2 soft drinks - cheap considering we're in Covent Garden here! Definitely will come here again!

Wow! This Korean hipster place is yummy! I had a craving for bao and turned to Yelp to guide me. This place serves Korean fusion hipster grub and has bao. I ordered the fried chicken bao (comes with 2 pieces) and a small seaweed salad. The fried chicken is served in a bao with slaw inserted into the bao with a spicy mayo and fried shallots. I added the Korean spicy red sauce to the bao for an extra kick. The seaweed salad with citrus dressing was nice and refreshing. I want to come back to try the Korean fried chicken next time.

I do like it. I really do. But I can't help but think this is a Korean place made for westerners. Almost manufactured to tastes. You know the kind, where the customers are all your white middle class people and the dishes are not spicy. I've been to both branches and enjoyed both a lot though. I tried the chicken wings, kimchi and pork buns as my staple dishes. All have been very good. I'm a stickler for supporting local and authentic national restaurants though. I suppose this particular one is in the centre of town for a reason so they have delivered on all fronts, especially since some Korean places in the small K-Town area was displaced due to cross rail.

I came here to try the buns, and opted for the fried chicken flavour. They were good! Great size for a snack for two people (you get one each). I would come back here!

I have been dying to try On the Bab, who advertise themselves as Korean street food, for ages and have all of their branches bookmarked on Yelp. After a few drinks my friend and I decided to pop in for some food imagining the service to be quick canteen style: tables with very fast service (Leon style but delicious Korean street food). It's actually more of a sit down affair. A very hot sit down at that! The tables in the main part of the restaurant were full however there were some at the front by the prep kitchen. We parked up to find they were uncomfortably stifling. The menu was brought to us instantly and then a friendly waitress was available to take our order soon after that. The food comes as it is ready and was good although nothing amazing. My friend ordered a bibimbap which was big and filling but at £9.50 on the more pricey side of other bibimbaps we've had. I couldn't decide what to go for so ordered two starters; Korean arancini and fried chicken salad, which came quickly resulting in a long wait for my friends food - the arancini was still piping hot after a long wait and the chicken is served cold to begin with (weird). Although both dishes were good the salad was not a salad but more of a cold vinegar soup with cabbage, carrot and fried chicken floating on top - bizarre! The arancini were good but a little blander than I had hoped. Drinks were expensive considering the size of the glass of wine and cocktails. Overall not a bad dinner but not the best I've had. I wouldn't be back in a hurry although saying that the buns they were serving were huge and looked incredible! No where near top of my list but also not bottom!

Both locations, OtB is great. I contemplated a 4-star review for this location after my first visit, as I did feel the KFC at this branch was a little gooey on the outside and a bit less crisp than the multiple times I've had it at the Old Street branch, but they got MAJOR plus marks for having zero wait, in Covent Garden, on a warm summer Thursday night. I had tried to take my friends to Homeslice, and after being quoted a 2 hour wait, opted to walk straight in here. Definitely get the Spicy Pork Buns; major hit with everybody even those who'd never had Korean food.

We all know street-food is awesome, and Korean street-food is pretty awesome. Co-Yelper brought me to On the Bab in Covent Garden to warm up and enjoy some grub. It was fun, food was okay, but service was a bit meh. I went for the chicken noodles, and found that the broth was pretty average. However I am told that the Bibimbap is really good - maybe I should give it another go?

Recommended by a few friends, yea the fried chicken was nice. Also ordered the bibimbap, mixed feelings about it, like the flavor wasn't bad but it was different from the standard bibimbap I've had, it was a little cold, not warm enough for me.

Busy place here in Covent Garden but very worth the wait. There are no bookings and staff will not seat you until the entire party has arrived so keep that in mind! The food here is tasty and filling at a fair price. Portions are generous but I do not recommend the bibibab which comes in a metal bowl rather than a hot stone one. Chicken wings are insane and a great side to order to share amongst the table. I like the serving plates and cups, very reminiscent of my childhood which was a funny conversation point during the meal. Seating is a little cramped and service can be slow when it's busy.

I ordered Topokki and it was very very disappointing. It was very watery and not very spicy. Portions are kind of small too. Well good thing because I didn't want to eat anymore of it.

I'm surprised to see a 3.5 star review for this place. It was one of my favorite places to eat when I lived in London. Has the most delicious Korean fried chicken and steamed buns!!!

It's ok. Depends what you're after. The flavours are definitely there but it is a pretty full on, mayonnaise-y meal. It's hands down some of the best kimchi I have had in a very long time but that's probably the 'freshest' thing on the menu. They have a small broccoli salad which comes out in a small hipster jar and is pretty watery with a generous squirt of orange looking mayonnaise and some fried shallots on top. This particular mayonnaise features in a number of dishes so if mayo is not your thing then maybe this restaurant is not for you. The small bites to share are all ok. There is a fair bit of deep-fried throughout the menu options including all sorts of fried chicken. Dip it in orange mayonnaise. And actually the dip with the beer snacks is orange mayonnaise. You can also find it on the Pork buns which is probably the best orange mayonnaise matched dish. The burrito also has this sauce as your dipping option and is actually not a burrito, rather it is a sushi roll with cabbage and the meat of your choice. There are dumplings; shrimp or chicken, and blow me down and call me nancy, they come out with orange mayonnaise. I haven't had the traditional dishes but I think, don't quote me, they come out orange mayonnaise free so maybe if I go back I will try one of these. They look super filling so if you get one maybe don't order too much more! So lots of flavour but lots of the same flavour throughout all of the dishes. Orange mayonnaise flavour. The service is verrrrrrryyyyyyyy slllloowwwwww. A lot of waiting staff standing around motionless whilst people at tables try to get their attention without any luck as they stare off into the distance or talk about weekend plans to other waiting staff. My first drink took 45mins and the beer snacks took 55. So, in summary, if you have a particular soft spot for orange mayonnaise JACKPOT you have found your ultimate restaurant.

OTB - where were you 8 years ago when I first moved to London? When I first moved to London, I was on a mission to find a Korean pohjang macha (Korean bar) and there were a few places here and there but this really reminds me of my old haunts in Flushing, NY. It's a small place so they operate on a - we only seat you if you're all here policy. We didn't have to wait too long for an early saturday evening. We had a scan of the menu and I really appreciate that everything is in English and Korean. For 3 of us, we ordered a large fried chicken (mix of sweet spicy and soy), spicy pork buns, and bulgogi on the roll.... with a bottle of soju and large beer! The buns are the first to arrive. Steamed buns are all the craze here in London and I have to say this was really good and HUGE. Properly stuffed with loads of salad, pork and a delicious spicy sauce. Then the alcohol arrives - first time I get a bottle of soju in a small bowl of ice to keep it cool! Thats the thing with drinking soju. It's always nicer when it's ice cold - then it starts to get vile when it cools off. The Kirin (not Korean but hey close enough) came in a long tube that also had a thin tube of ice in the middle to keep it cold - so Korean! Love it! When we ordered on the roll, we were really picturing a burrito.... It was just a really fat kim bap! Still really enjoyed it because I LOVE bim bap so def recommend. Now the fried chicken - came in a huge pan with a salad in the middle. It was good - so many different variations of KFC out there and I'm quite happy with this one. After all that, we felt like having cocktails after so we ordered a large soju breeze cocktail. It reminds me of those cocktail soju drinks back in my early 20s... but this was way better! And in typical Korean drinking fashion, we also ordered marun anju - which had most of the things you usually get at a Korean bar - just missing the peanuts you eat with the dried squid. Overall, really great place. OTB, you'd made this Queens girl very happy.

Came on an empty stomach, left almost clutching my chest from the overload of the Korean Fried Chicken! We ordered a large serving (21 pieces of chicken) with the garlic-mayo sauce and the sweet-spicy sauce. As a main, I had the bibimbap (which I'm glad fellow Yelpers warned that it was lukewarm at best). I only wish that the dishes were served on a hot stone, like what you would get in South Korea. Service is slow yet professional.

My 1st experience of Korean food was last week. I went for On the bap because the menu was concise but interesting and honestly? Because I love fried chicken. I found the restaurant quiet for a lunchtime with a great industrial vibe and poppy Asian soundtrack. I started off with an aloe punch-nothing exciting there. Then I tried the fried chicken, I went for the soy ginger which turned out to be a glaze rather than dipping sauce. Very nice it was too. The chicken was super moist inside and tasty! Then came my Korean bulgogi beef burrito. A few things disappointed me about this dish. The roll was wrapped in seaweed and much drier than I thought. The beef didn't have much flavour and the veggies were too plain. However, I think I was won over once I ignored the fact it wasn't a burrito was I knew them. The roll was sliced into very slim slices, there were actually a lot of ingredients in the roll and with the side sauce, it was a very nice, crunchy and interesting dish. Service was on and off but actually, I would like to go back and try more dishes and definitely more fried chicken!!!

The service needs some work but the food is amazing and very reasonable too. Id go 'on the buns' for lunch, but 'on the rice' for dinner (it's bigger). Flavoursome fresh tasting Korean food.

Really great food at a reasonable price and we were able to walk in without a reservation (only 2 of us). This was a happy mistake as the few places we were interested in trying were booked up. We stopped in here, shared a few plates and left happy and full. I loved the decor, industrial and clean. The place was busy but not too loud or overwhelming and the service was great. We had to wait a bit for our drinks but the food was prompt. Favorites: Broccoli Salad and Kimchi Bokeum Bab.

I really wanted to like this place as I had been to the one in Old Street and loved the food. In this Covent Garden branch, the food was ok but the service! OMG! I mean you can just take three random people from the street and they will do a better job than these waiters/ waitresses who served us. No intuition whatsoever, it was like we had to explain we need spoons to drink a soup... They had a very low food hygiene rating from the FSA as well at the time but I see that they have now improved to 5 stars. It's good but I had it when it was less stars. I might go again as I love their kimchee soup but wouldn't be rushing.

When I met Lauren from Lifestyle Diaries. It felt like that scene out of Step-brothers OMG DID WE JUST BECOME BEST FRIENDS - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-ZUDtaGf3I We'd been talking via Twitter for ages so it felt only right that we meet in 'real life' for some food - and I quickly discovered we are basically like the same person. Our original dining spot backfired on us, so chose to head to On the Bab as Lauren had heard some promising reviews. It's a laid-back Korean street food restaurant just off the main square in Covent Garden. The menu is made up of lots of different dishes, from steamed buns and fried chicken to larger dishes with rice and kimchi. We did what food bloggers do best and ordered a number of dishes for the table to share between us starting with pan fried shrimp dumplings (£3.90). We also ordered the spicy pork steamed buns (£7). These were gorgeous! Little pillowy clouds of deliciousness and really generous portion sizes too. And finally Korean style kimchi bacon pae lla with a perfectly cooked fried e gg on top (£8.50). This was my absolute favourite dish - so much flavour and with the right kick of spice. Overall we were really impressed with On the Bab. The food was delicious, the service was speedy and it was very wallet-friendly. All our food plus drinks came to just under £15 each -which for Covent Garden was brilliant. I'd definitely recommend trying it out next time you're in the area.

I waited more than half an hour to get into the restaurant. Not all of the spots that were available were as comfortable to sit at (such as stools and high chairs without a back). The food was okay, average, not bad or anything. But definitely NOT worth the wait!

On The Bab recently opened their second branch in Covent Garden, brining their version of Korean street food closer to the heart of London. My favourite dish at On The Bab has to be the quail egg and bacon egg muffin, which is a Korean version of a muffin. I could have this for my breakfast or as a snack! Yangyum chicken are sweet, sticky and cripsy, which comes in three different portion size - small, medium and large . The small portion is good to share between two people which allows you room to try out the other dishes on the menu. The Pa Jeon was presented nicely but it was not as nice as those at other Korean restaurant in London. This was the same with the Bibimbab which is served with a choice of meat and we selected the bulgogi beef. I do recommend to add the sweet chilli sauce and mix all the ingredients together, otherwise you will find this dish bland. I would had prefer it to be warmer but then this is a good alternative to the sizzling version for the warmer season. Korimari consisted of 6 mini rice rolls with Korean style anchovy, sweet and chilli radish and cabbabge salad, with a choice of meat. The way to eat this dish is combining different components together and not separate. This was like a decomposed gimbap. On The Bab serves Korean version of the soft fluffy white bun with a choice of fillings (bulgogi beef, spicy pork, spicy chicken, fried chicken or mixed veg). We tried the Spicy Pork bun and although it was messy to eat, this was another nice dish. The only con was that I would had prefer the bun to be hot and not barley warm. Since the concept of On The Bab is a place to drink and eat, it can not be with out a range of drinks. You will find beers, shots, wine, alchoholic and non-alchoholic cocktails. There are also soft drinks including coke and juices. I ordered one of the Korean soft drink, rice punch which is served in a Mason jar look alike. Even a simple hot tea came in a tin cup with a lid. It reminded me of Jamie Oliver's rustic approach to serving food. Although I would not say all the dished we tried that evening was outstanding, but I do love the concept. It's casual and rustic which makes it a great place to catch up with friend.

Went here for a late late lunch/early dinner and must say the food is good! The food came very fast - as I ordered bibimbap. Potentially one of the best I've had around town, although I tend not to order bibimbap often when eating Korean. The atmosphere was nice and the staff were friendly. I will say, I ordered a sorjurita, their version of a frozen margarita, and I wasn't much impressed. It tastes great but cost £6 for one cup that had three large ice cubes in it. I enjoyed the sour taste along side my Korean food though! Overall the experience was nice, but I would consider this an expensive meal.

An hour long wait? Totally not worth it. The bibimbap was ok but the sundubu jjigae had mashed up tofu. I prefer mine whole.

good for lunch but the food is just average. Bibimbap is a bit cold. The fried chickens are okay.. on the rice is also okay. But it is close to my school so I come sometimes if I was in a hurry.

Food is ok, little too salty. Service was very bad. How can a waiter blame the customer for not listening carefully for the order? And please don't give a shitty face to the Asian customers. Racism? That's totally unacceptable.

While On the Bab's food is hardly top notch or cheap, it was indeed very comforting with some lovely signature Korean tastes in its cooking. Staff are mostly Korean, not the best service in the world but that is to be expected in most Oriental fast food restaurants in London, due to the popularity and limited spaces, it is not easy to get a table in the evening and you can't really stay long, so this place is more ideal for a quick catch up with friends, expect to pay around 20 pound per person with a drink. They also do take away so it can be an ideal lunch time choice if you work nearby.

Pretty good Korean food. Quite a few of their dishes provide a modern take on traditional Korean dishes. I would recommend On the Bab!

went there on Friday night after ENO visit. guess my expectation was hyped after reading so much about the place and their KFC. the source is a bit of the too much although tasted and I was expected that it will be dark meat only but end up with lots of boneless pieces which for me is unfortunately tasteless in itself and should not be really used for fried chicken. also ordered a single portion of spicy tofu and seafood stew, my typical go-to comfort food - it was ok. the service was a bit over eager to close the shop although we were still 30 mins before the closing time.