BannSang

My go-​to Korean place. I’m no expert in Korean cuisine but this place is definitely worth a visit. The side dishes change every time I’ve visited (or they’re a variation of the previous ones) and the main dishes are absolutely kick-​ass. They definitely got their sizzling plates, noodles, noodle soups and hot pots down. Excellent food, excellent prices. No brainer.
Side note, they’ve expanded their premises. So more couple and group tables!

It’s a small place with most being around $ 15 and they come with 4 sides and white rice. I had the bulgogi beef which was good and also tofu soup that was brought to us boiling hot. I still don’t know how they do it. The meal was very good for the price.

Taste-​wise, this place lives up to the hype. I had the sundubu and it was perfect. Made my day completely.
When it’s crowded – and around meal time it certainly will be – it’s packed to the point of being slightly uncomfortable, and the seating arrangement, which squishes diners in to the point that servers can barely reach them, doesn’t help any. But if you’re not too fussed about that, the food is definitely worth it, and service was fast even as the lunch crowd was rolling in.
A bit weird that the side dishes are given out individually rather than shared, but they’re yummy, so maybe that’s for the best. Would definitely, definitely come here again.

Definitely good value and fun. Not formal. Good for a night out with friends or a casual date. I went with the family and we all enjoyed ourselves and the food. I had a spicy pork dish with kimchi that was very good. My wife had a spicy tofu soup. My son had bugogi and my daughter had the bibimbap.
Flavours are authentic and the place is well run.

Finally. Finally. Finalllllly: Me inside BannSang.
Being the curious human I am, I looked up what ‘BannSang’ actually means. Wikipedia tells me it translates to «side dish» to comprise a meal which generally consists of bap (cooked rice), guk (soup), gochujang (chile condiment), jjigae (stew), and kimchi. And the more ‘bansang’ in the table setting, the more important /​wealthy you are (the Korean royal family enjoys a modest 12 bansang).
Anyway, my meal (the tofu jelly soup aka Sundubu Jjigae — $ 13) was served bubbling hot along with rice and four side dishes of broccoli, kimchi, seaweed and some honey glazed kumara-​like veggie. Deliciousssss (Thank you Neera J. for the rec!). We also got a Kimchi-​jeon (korean-​style kimchi pancake — $ 15) to share. It was GIANT and very tasty.
The meal was washed down with an Asahi (yum). They had a few other beers too, including Korean Hite. I was tempted but after learning it was similar to Budweiser, I chose to steer clear. Sorryyyy USA.
A couple caveats to those looking to scope out BannSang:
1) If you’re a Korean food n00b like myself, either do some research beforehand or ask a friend for a dish recommendation. The menu’s pretty overwhelming, so if you don’t know about Korean cuisine, it wouldn’t be difficult to make a wrong move.
2) Not a ‘lounge over a glass of wine’ type of spot. The service’s quick, efficient and to the point — within a span of 5 minutes of being seated, we were probably approached 4 times? to order. Yeah, they turn tables here. But that also means even with a crowd of people outside, you won’t be waiting long.
:)

Amazing food!!! I can believe it took me this long to come here. Service was fast and friendly. This place is a little hidden. Don’t let the Korean restaurant across the street fool you into eating there like it did me. BannSang is next to Gloria Jean café in a hidden walkway. I had the spicy chicken and it was marvelous! I can’t wait to go back and eat there again. Great prices too

I’m not the most adventurous Korean food eater but I am going to try and order something different every time I go to BannSang as so far everything I have tried has been delicious. So far I have been sticking to the BBQ section which is always a delight. Hot sizzling meat on platter has never looked better. BannSang is always full it seems, no matter what day of the week so I recommend booking a table (although I always forget).

Have been to this hidden Korean restaurant twice now and each time the food was delicious. I can recommend the kimchi fried rice and the Dolsot bibimbap, both arriving in a hot stone pot which makes the rice at the bottom go crunchy. I’m really happy to have found this little place on Unilocal,as I’ve walked past it countless times without paying attention.

WOW… very impressed ! I followed the advice of Sarah Below, and I must say WOW. First the restaurant is small, but full of Korean. First good sign ! Second its Full ! Third people are friendly and welcoming. 4^th Menu is nice and many choices. 5^th It is simply delicious and very fresh. 6^th and last point: rush there, what are you doing reading my review… Go Go Go Go

This place has become my go-​to for Korean in the city. I only wish my fave dish (spicy beef soup with glass noodle, #21) was bigger. Which is not to say the portions are stingy, merely that I would eat my weight in spicy beef soup if given half the chance. The side dishes are always fresh and yummy, and when I’ve ventured into new territory menu-​wise I’ve always been pleased. They also do take-​away so there’s really nothing stopping you…

Great Korean food, but pretty disinterested service. They weren’t offensive or rude to me, but just didn’t want to make much of an effort to provide, well… service! Water came in these tiny cups that just won’t cut it with spicy food (!) and after I flagged down my server a second time for a refill, she said I should get it myself. Now, I was dining alone, and every other party of 2 or more was given a pitcher of water. I guess I didn’t qualify. Not cool, BannSang. :(

Solid choice for Korean in the CBD.
I got the #1 beef bulgogi and it was perfectly warm and comforting after a long day of walking. The beef was flavorful, the rice was moist, and the sides were all delish.
My only complaint was that they serve water in these tinyyyy teacups which just won’t cut it if you’re serving me kimchi.

Tofu jelly soup — sounds like a Matthew Barney installation, tastes like a spicy bit of heaven in my mouth! A never ending ribbon of silken tofu comes out in a bubbling little cast iron bowl full of delicious broth. Add in your rice to taste, and you’re golden. Comes with a bunch of sides — my fave being broccoli with a peanutty sauce.
Don’t miss the pancake — tried the leek as scallion and it was out of this world. Thick and yummy, I could have eaten 5 of them myself!
I’m pretty sad that I haven’t really eaten Korean food before this, I’ve been missing out for nearly 35 years. I’ll be back… Thanks for the tip Rebekah!!!

Other than the odd bibimbap from a food truck when I live in San Fran, I’d never tried Korean before. I’d certainly never been to a fully-​fledged Korean restaurant so this was a first.
Bann Sang is tucked down an alley of High St, right next to Gloria Jeans. It’s small and popular so if you’re coming with a group book first or prepare to wait. We waited probably just over 30mins. It actually went really fast and the waiter even offered to take our order from outside so that it’d be ready when we sat down.
The menu was intimidating at first but thankfully we Korean expert, Rebekah M was in our dining party. On her recommendation I dove right in and ordered a cold broth, served with slices of roast beef, half a boiled egg and paper thin noodles. It also came with scissors to cut your noodles — such fun! The broth was served with ice in it and was really flavoursome, slight sour. The beef was overcooked and dry but I think that is how it’s intended to be served. The whole dish was very refreshing, especially on a hot summers night.
We also ordered a leek Korean pancake to share. This is an absolute must! Crispy, choccas full of leek and spring onion and served with a punchy dipping sauce.
I, like Neera, cannot believe I waited so long to try Korean! No doubt, I’ll be back soon… got to make up for lost time.

I had never had Korean before, other than Korean BBQ, and when this came up on near by places to eat while in town I was keen to try it out, especially due to other reviews on Unilocal.I was not disappointed. The food here was great, delicious and fresh and filling.
I really liked the atmosphere of the place as well and the staff were lovely. The best thing, it’s so cheap!!!
I look forward to coming back here to try more things on their menu, but was also very impressed with their dumplings, especially as I am still on my dumpling kick at the moment. A must try for sure!

So stoked to finally find really good Korean in Auckland! Having spent some time in Seoul last year, I have been consistently disappointed by Auckland’s kiwi-​ised versions of bibimbap in particular. But finally, I have found the real deal!
Order dolsot bibimbap. don’t be put off by the raw egg yolk — as you stir it around in the boiling hot bowl, it cooks and is much nicer than the fried egg version also on offer. We also tried the Kim Chi/​pork belly BBQ dish (can’t remember its name), and it was wonderful. Deliciously spicy, but didnt taste fatty like many pork belly dishes do.
The staff were really friendly (I totally disagree with the ‘non-​koreans don’t seem welcome’ comment in one of the previous reviews) and the whole place had a nice, relaxed vibe. And, at $ 13 for a substantial main, you can’t really go wrong.
Can’t wait to go back!

Queensday 4pm and we are decided to try one of the asian restaurants on High or Lorne Street. Big mistake. Most of them open at 5 or 5:30 or might be closed because is Monday. Since Bann Sang seems to be the only one opened this day at 4pm, the choice is made for us.
We enter the restaurant and decide to give it a try. Only two occupied tables, but again, it is 4pm.
We sit down and instantly get a bottle of water with a photo of Psy (from Ganggam Style) on the side. Funny way to start.
We ordered two different stews: one pork ribs for me and the chicken for my partner (I am sorry, but I wouldn’t remember the Korean names in a million years). I love the flavor of mine. I love the ribs, so tasty and cooked to the point the bone melts away; I love the little thingies you get on the side. No idea what they are, but I like them as well. The green one is the best (seaweed?). I love the bowls, that keep my food warm for a looooooong time… I love the price. I am falling in love with this place while eating.
While the time passes and the clock gets nearer to 5pm, suddenly the tables around us get full and I start to watch those plates of food (and then I think to myself, I would like to try them all!)
We will be definitely coming back soon for a new round of yummy warm Korean food.

I’m a bit hesitant to write about how great this place is b/​c I don’t want it to get too popular but the food is some of the best I’ve had in Auckland. I’m half korean and lived there for 2.5 years and have hated eating Korean in AKL b/​c it was always such a let down. That is until I went to Bann Sang, I had the yukkaejjang and it tasted exactly as it should. i’m not sure how the bbq is but definitely keen to try more of their a la carte dishes. In relation to the ‘ignore foreigners vibe’ its usually b/​c they staff are shy about their English abilities. just something to think about the next time you go…

I am a regular at this Korean restaurant as it is authentic. The restaurant is tucked inside an ally way away from High Street. Take a bit of time to actually find it.
Each meal generally come with the main dish, four little side dishes and a bowl of rice. The side dishes include kimchi, sweet potato, broccoli and sprout. You can always ask for top up of the side dishes.
My fav there is tofu jelly soup and is very yummy if you love spicy and that kick of chili. A great place for dinner!

In general I feel like Korean restaurants only want Korean customers and don’t really care about anyone else. or they always seem surprised when non-​Koreans come into their restaurant. As in this isn’t specific to one restaurant, I get this vibe from most Korean eateries in Auckland. Bann Sang wasn’t any different. between six of us there was one Korean and our waitress only spoke to her (and yes in Korean) and when taking our order she asked our Korean friend what the rest of us ordered rather than ask us individually. Even when we were paying the man at the counter pretty much avoided eye contact with us and barely thanked us while being extremely chatty and hospitable with said Korean friend. Nice…
I ordered an albap (fish roe on rice with vegetables) which was pretty good and really filling. As with most Korean meals you get a variety of side dishes like kimchi and other Korean pickles, salads etc which is great for people like me who always order side dishes because I always get bored just eating one thing. Most items on the menu are around the $ 15 mark unless you’re ordering something large or special. I’m giving Bann Sang four stars because I liked the food and the portions are impressive for their prices. and because I think the apprehensive service is due more to shyness than rudeness. Though for that reason I would probably suggest coming here with a Korean person to make things more comfortable for both sides.