Dong San

ThI used to love this place even after they changed owners and name (Chol woo). When I went there last week cause I had a Korean food craving, I saw a sign on the door that said they had a serious rodent/​mice infestation, yuck! It made my stomach churned thinking of the number of times I’ve eaten there.
I am so sad, now I have to learn how to cook Korean food at home. I don’t know what it is about some ethnic food places showing lack of attentions in food hygiene. I don’t care if it’s like street food preparation but thinking that my food could’ve been contaminated by rodents, I want to puke now…

Is this where I rail against Unilocal’s draconian «no half stars for you indecisive brats» structure? (Apparently so.)
I’d give Dong San a solid 3.5 stars. The atmosphere is non-​existent, but that’s not what you’re here for. You’re here for the tasty Korean fare, and this place doesn’t disappoint. Prices are average for Soho without making you feel like you should prostitute yourself on the nearest corner to break even.
Take a look at the menu: is yours in English, Chinese, Japanese, or Korean? Depending on the menu, the price is slightly different, and you may be missing pages. Ah, the mysteries of life!
The wait staff are efficient and polite. We opted for the mixed kimchi sampler, which came with really nice mak and oi kimchi and two kinds of namul, a truly great seafood and kimchi pancake, and decent barbeque pork belly and ox tongue, though the portions of these were a touch skimpy.
All that plus a Coke, £34. Awesome. Keep in mind you’ll be paying a bit more if you get booze, rice, or any other trimmings.

Rocked up here at 11pm after a Unilocal event and the service was lovely. Possibly overtly attentive because they wanted us to leave ASAP. (I know the feeling.) But lovely nonetheless. So i don’t echo the other reviewers
Korean ice tea was a great refreshing recommendation, didn;t go with the galbi recommendation because kbbq at 11pm is a bit OTT. We ended up going for our usuals. (I never seems to be so adventurous with K-​food now, but I still want to try their yukwhe tartare one day, when i build up the courage…)Usuals being, dolsot bibimbap, soft tofu chigae and a selection of kimchi and banchan.
Minus points for the really really salty beansprouts banchan, but other than that, the food was filling, generously sized, and quite tasty.
Definitely a solid choice if you’re feeling super lazy about choice.

As a Korean, I was interested to introduce my work friends to Korean cuisine. I read some good reviews about this restaurant on ‘London Eating’ so decided to give it a try. Let me say this place did not meet any of my expectations and I was deeply disappointed. Here’s why:
1) Taste wise there was nothing special. It was totally mediocre and well below average. We ordered 8 dishes off their menu and decided to share it as a group. The only thing I enjoyed eating was their jabchae dish but that was about it.
2) Portions were small for the price and we were all left hungry after our meals. We spent approx 25 pounds per person.
3) Food service was incredibly slow. They all came at different times.
4) Food arrived before drinks.

Service is reeeally slow in this joint, but the food is very decent. I recommend it.

Quick glance:
+ delicious, authentic Korean cuisine
+ good for groups with big tables with lots of room in between tables
+ value for money
— advantageous if you speak Korean (staff is Korean) but the menu (and the staff) are fluent in English
This is the favourite Korean restaurant of my Korean friend, so that speaks a lot of about the authenticity and quality of the food.
I will admit I have never looked at the menu myself because I have my Korean friend order everytime we go there. Everything I have tried had been excellent. I recommend a plate (or three!) of kimchi which is fresh and tasty, the glass noodle, and dolsot bibimbop. I also enjoyed their plum wine if you fancy trying something different and «local» to the Koreans.
I recently went with a group of 6. We shared a variety of starters (kimchi, pickled veg, an omelette type dish, and glass noddles) and mains (bi bim bop, a hot pot, and rice) along with plum wine and a bottle of what looked like rice wine. Everyone was full and the meal cost £16 per head.
This restaurant represents good value for money and has authentic Korean food.