Arirang

A queue snakes down Poland Street from 7pm on most days as hungry groups of friends and colleagues wait to enjoy Arirang’s sizzling table-top grills. First opened in 1975, it claims to be the first Korean restaurant in the UK and, given the consistent popularity since then, who is anyone to argue. Inside it’s a brown wooden-boothed affair with tables on two floors full of friends and colleagues grilling plates of pork bulgogi and bul kalbi. Meat plates are rightfully popular—a group dinner here means that table real estate can be a genuine problem—but it’s worth exploring every part of the menu. The somen (a milky noodle soup filled with mussels, prawns, and clams) is great.