Assa in City of London, Westminster

Very efficient service by friendly welcoming staff. Nice bustling atmosphere. Great food at reasonable price.

My 3rd or 4th time here. The menu has grown and there's a wider selection. This hasn't affected quality as the meal/service today was 100% . As good as it gets away from the motherland. We timed our visit to around 4pm as I know it gets busy at peak times and you may have to queue to get in. Good luck

It tastes the same as what I had in Korea.

On a chilly dreich October night stepped into this bustling eatery. Had the hotpot and was blown away with the rich flavours. Service was excellent with welcoming and attentive hosts.

Rude server. Asked if we were ready to pay. When we said no she looked affronted which was putting embarrassment on us which was rude and unfair. Please install ceiling baffles and other sound reducing architecture to reduce sound as hard to hear.

Literally the best Korean spot I know in London

The hotpot was worth the queue. Been a few times now and each time it’s been amazing. Service is also great, the staff are very welcoming and checking up regularly.

I'm leaving this because I really wanted to write a review because it was the worst place I've ever experienced in England. This is a place I worked at and quit two years ago. There are so many people passing by here that I I bet you can't even guess. There are always frequent job openings here. I keenly felt the reason. 1.Territoriality is no joke. The lift staff will get angry if they can't get your table number right away, drowned out by the sound of music and people. Ah, I will never raise my eyes and write a note above You shouldn't look at it. I was having a hard time, so I raised my eyes and heard a shout. In addition, while I was walking around from time to time, serving tables and working, I also saw people who were close friends chatting together, telling me to “walk around quickly,” and many thoughts overlapped. 2. If you politely notify them that you are quitting, they will tell you not to come out from that day. It definitely didn't just happen to me. My friend was working there before, and it was the same when my friend who came in after me left. Whether it's short or long, even if it's just to make money, the person who has learned and worked hard for the restaurant has politely given you notice and told you not to come that day. I think it's the same as ignoring that person. Even if that person changes jobs after relocating, even the opportunity to make money due to relocation takes away the opportunity to say goodbye. 3. Instead of providing food, you must eat as quickly as possible and return to work. Oh, of course, they said you can't pack it up and take it home. It starts at 9-10 hours sometimes and ends at 11-12, so you have to stand for 12 hours. Under British law, 20 minutes of unpaid work is guaranteed for over 6 hours of work, but here there is no break unless you watch and eat… This was my situation 2 years ago, but I hope things have improved now…

The place was so nice and the service was good

Very busy restaurant but managed to get table. Thanks to all servers that worked hard and together as a team assisting us.

The food was so flavourful I loved everything I ordered and the staff were very kind and hardworking might be one of my new favourite restaurants !

My favourite place to get korean food in London

Food hygiene rating 2! (’Improvement necessary’) It used to be zero so at least it improved I guess. Treat with caution unless you like risking your health. FYI tourists, the UK takes food safety very seriously, you should check (online) the rating of any restaurant you eat at. ASSA please do better, you used to be great before Covid, my favourite restaurant, but I won’t be back until you get at least a 4/5 FHR.

Absolutely lovely place! Delicious food, friendly waiters and good music to help the vibe. 100% recommended.

Be sure to stop by when you feel like Korean food. The food tastes better thanks to the friendly staff. Perfect except for the sign being hard to see.

We visited a Korean BBQ restaurant that was bustling with activity, and it's easy to see why—it was incredible. The spicy Korean beef BBQ was marinated to perfection, delivering bold, savory flavors with every bite. The kimchi fried rice was equally impressive, complementing the meal perfectly. Overall, I'd give the experience a solid 7.5/10.

Very busy place for Korean food, good prices but there are better options elsewhere. Very fast service I was amazed at the efficiency of the Korean waitresses

Such a great menu and fabulous value for money! Four stars purely because my order was forgotten, but it was quickly corrected once it was brought to their attention. I would go back here because there are so many things to try!

I had the spicy beef fried noodles & they were excellent. Really liked the Kimchi dumplings too. The service is excellent as well, will definitely be returning

Great restaurant. Fits also for an economic budget. 12£ is not much for the quality and quantity of the food. The restaurant area is small but is a good size. I didn't go upstairs but I believe there's an upstairs area too. The personnel are very friendly and prompt to serve you or help you. There's a good variety of food and taste. Definitely recommend.

Great food. Also, they give out plastic straws.

5/5. Good price for the portions you get Service was fantastic, I’ve never been to a restaurant which had such amazing staff? Great atmosphere with a laid back approach. Will 110% be going back and will be recommending this place in the future! Thanks!

All the food we ordered was good. The bibimbap was sizzling hot when it came out and it creates crispy rice at the bottom, which was amazing. The wait time was not too long as well! The restaurant is really small tho so it can get noisy and crowded easily but we actually enjoy the chaotic ambiance, very authentic Korrean ambiance :) Amazing service! Praise and compliments to the staff there. We visit on a random tuesday night but it was jam-packed and the staff had to run non-stop despite the very small restaurant.

Fantastic Korean restaurant! The service is consistently excellent and the prices are very fair. I strongly recommend dining here.

Delicious food for a good price.

Food: Delicious, had a beef bibimbap and a side of kimchi. The food came in a hot pot and served with a raw yolk. Total bill: 17.10£ Service: I came for lunch on a Friday and it was only two waitresses who were running like hell! Atmosphere: Had single and sharing tables and the aesthetic wasn’t anything special. (You will notice that is decorated full of cameras)

This is one of my favorite Korean restaurants that I regularly visit. The staff always provide great service every time, and the prices are quite reasonable. I highly recommend their hot pots, bibimbaps, and seafood pa jeons. I especially love the pa jeon here!

Really good for the price you pay. Came here during the summer with a friend and everything was good ranging from the food to the customer service. We ordered gimbap, kimchi pancake, ttekbokki with ramen and drinks. The total came out to around £30 which is not bad, considering london prices. The staff were all very friendly and nice with a smile on their faces. One downside would be that it does get full very quickly due to its small space so you might have to wait a while.

Reasonable prices and good place to eat with friends. Would definitely recommend this restaurant if you are about in Soho.

Simply SUPERB! Staff is awesome and these guys have a quick turnaround time. Food is really good and genuine. A must visit place if you want some genuine Korean food. Kimchi Jeon, Tofu Delsot Bibimbap & Veg Udon Fried Noodles are a must try.

A nice location just a little walk from the station and the staff are so attentive and helpful. The white peach juice was lovely and sweet. I enjoyed the Bulgogi fried rice the most. The ramyeon toppoki, wings and honey prawn were really sweet more than I expected so couldn't finish them. Seafood pa jeon, kimchi and the coleslaw were alright. I wasn't personally fond of everything on the menu I guess if you want a quick snack it's a good place to go. Next time I would like to try the hot pot.

A regular that I always visit over and over, quality and taste of the food never depletes and the best thing is you can walk in :)

True hidden gem in the heart of London! Delicious food consistently with friendly hospitality. Highly recommend their Hot Pots, Cheese & Kimchi Pancakes & BimBim Baps!

Filling but light as is typical of genuine Korean food. Exquisit contrasting pairing of items per main course. No booking needed but popular. Hotpot, noodles, chicken ... charming service in smooth teamwork, bill split without fuss. Focus is on brilliant food, simple seating area. Basement toilets typical of zone 1 historic buildings but with good handrail and good lighting. Neat and clean.

Terrible service. Passive aggressive waiters. Food too salty

Skinny waitress had bad and weird attitude. She ignored us initially and gave eye roll when we need to order more.

This is not about the food. The food is palatable. It's about the fact that they treat ethnic minorities with disgust and scorn; they're impatient with us and when we try to communicate our needs with them the staff don't seem happy to help. We asked for forks because we could not use chopsticks. More importantly the toddler could not eat her noodles with the spoon or chopsticks. It never arrived so after a couple minutes I went to the counter to ask for it and the waitress was very acerbic "yes, can you sit down" looking at me like I was interrupting her for asking and that she was getting impatient with me. Ten minutes later and we still had to ask for forks again because we only got half of it - like did the forks grow legs and walk out the restaurant because not every ethnic minority can magically use chopsticks???? It felt like we had to beg for utensils. It's happened on MULTIPLE occasions where you ask for forks and they don't bring it and when you kindly ask them again they get annoyed at you. Excuse me for wanting to eat the food.

Don't be put off by the queue, it moves very fast Super friendly & attentive service Amazing food at a very reasonable price I wish the music was a little quieter, but I will be going again, best Korean food i've had in years.

Fav fav fav. Loved the food. Litchi Soju is amazing.

Is a wonderful place to eat!! I went today and the service was very good(a big applause for the waitress and their hard job and always with a smile in their face) and the food was amazing, I would definitely come back I recommend this place

Service is very poor quality. But not all staff! Shouldn't be like that before i am very surprised. Not good for family celebration atmosphere. Looks like a takeaway service. 1/F on 13.08.24 @18:45pm

Fantastic, great value food with brilliant service.

Great place. Planned how to propose to my wife here with 2 great friends. The flavoured beers were also amazing.

Incredibly good food! Also vegetarian options available which were great!

Great Korean food and very reasonably priced. The staff are also helpful if you need advice on ordering.

Today, I sent my 14-year-old daughter and her three friends to “Assa” for lunch, but unfortunately, their experience was far from satisfactory. While the food quality was decent, the overall experience left much to be desired. When it came time to pay, there was no clear bill provided—just a handwritten note of what they ordered. The total cost didn’t match the prices listed on the menu, and when the girls inquired about the breakdown and asked to split the bill, the manager was noticeably impatient and dismissive. Instead of explaining the charges, she insisted they pay a 10% service charge, which was a little more than £5. I was disappointed to hear that the manager treated a group of teenagers so rudely, especially when they were simply trying to understand their bill. In a busy area like central London, it's reasonable for young people to want to split the bill, and they should be given a proper, itemized receipt to ensure transparency. While the food might be good, I cannot recommend this restaurant, especially if you expect accurate billing. If you're dining with friends and plan to split the bill, you might want to consider other options.

Girl with highlights on her bangs and Gold earrings working today 2pm was very rude. We were patiently waiting for 10 mins to pay and kindly asked her if we could pay after and she said 씨발. Im not korean but i could understand what she said under her breath to my dad and i found it very rude. She was rude to every customer that came in unlike the other girl that was working with her. Heres what she looks like x

Recently, their spicy cabbage soup and spicy beef soup are delicious! The kimchi pancakes are also delicious. It's crispier than before. Let's try it.

Food is delicious and halal. Got white cream and hot and spicy wings which tasted so good! Wings were not too spicy which was great for me who can only handle minimal spice. The tteokbokki I wasn't a fan but was just my personal preference but the rest of the dish was great. Definitely get the lychee cream soda.

The food was really tasty. I had the spicy beef bulgogi with rice and a side of delicious spicy chicken. They had a wide selection of drinks. I went for the salted caramel beer and a coconut coke. There were so many amazing different flavours. I would definitely recommend Assa.

Very good Korean restaurant. Fried noodles, bulgogi, fried chicken and bibimbap were all great. Pretty solid place to sit. Beef and chicken halal. Drinks good. Portion sizes good. Left feeling full. Would visit again.

A store that is committed to value for money, speedy service, and courteous service from staff. The location is good so I keep coming back!

Absolutely enjoyed our hotpot dinner at Assa. We have had it in mind for a while and decided to visit on the weekend for hotpot. There was a small queue (which got bigger - always a good sign! Especially on a Friday night at 7.30pm) which moved quickly. There is plenty of space inside, both downstairs and upstairs, so please do not be deterred by a little way. We opted for, as mentioned, one of the hotpots with a variety of additions like fried bean curd and cheese rice cakes (delicious!). The food was delicious, and we had plenty of helpings. The broth was regularly topped up. When the bill came, this was an absolutely affordable and delicious meal out.

I'm Korean-Italian and I came here on the recommendation of tik tok, let's say that I wouldn't recommend it due to the indigestion that the kimchi caused me but in general the experience wasn't too bad. We got the kimchi, fried chicken and spicy seafood soup. The kimchi and fried chicken were very good however the soup left something to be desired as it lacked authenticity, in my opinion the seafood was not fresh let alone cooked properly. The only real flaw was the indigestion caused by the kimchi later in the evening which was not pleasant at all, in short there was the hug on the toilet. I wanted to write the review in Italian because as an Italian I care a lot about the quality of the ingredients and even less about the preservation of the food, I don't know what the regulations are here but clearly it wasn't excellent at least for the kimchi on our table. The service was excellent however the waiters rushing to hurry gave us a sense of anxiety and haste, this may be due to an unfortunate lack of staff today in particular, but still I wanted to be as transparent as possible.

This place needs to be reported - they treat their staff disgracefully. I was there recently and the situation was as follows. Two lovely young staff upstairs, operating the whole floor on their own - being forced to RUN up and down the restaurant to serve people, take payment and then clear tables IMMEDIATELY so they could pump the next set of people in. They looked terrified of the manager on shift, who was telling them off each time she came up with a new set of customers. if a table was left uncleared for more than 30 seconds or that they hadn't immediately taken payment for people that had finished they would get told off. There are cameras above every table, obviously to monitor how long they are left empty, and staff do not get to keep the service fee. I felt disgusted and won't be coming back. Not only are these poor people being treated like slaves, and are clearly terrified of their employer but the running up and down leads to a very unsettling environment for customers. I won't support a place that treats its staff this way.

Excellent Korean food, at attractive prices Beers not at the top, with exaggerated prices!

Pork kimchi stew is really delicious!! The food is good, but the service was crazy ㅠㅠ To be honest, as a Korean, there were a lot of things I didn't understand about other local stores, but the staff at Assa really provided the best service possible!! I am leaving a review because I am touched by the fact that you pay attention to various things such as ordering, broth, etc. and try hard to get it done quickly! In particular, thank you to YEONWOO and MAYUKA, you are the best 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Boss, you are blessed to have such employees~~!!!

Food was so good, price is very reasonable and fills you up!

I really enjoyed the food here, the vibe and the service. It seems weird to say but I haven’t been to Seoul in a long time and after a while here I actually forgot I was in London The lemon & soy chicken with butter rice was fab, the teriyaki squid was tasty and the cheese egg roll was delightful too. Will most definitely revisit.

Quick service, friendly staff and yummy food. Never disappoints

This was the best Korean food we’ve had, potentially some of the best asian food we’ve had full stop. Watermelon milkis was crazy good.

I’ve been here a couple times and thought it was alright but after going today it will be my go to spot from now on. I recommend the Gwim mari and the ggan pung gi fried chicken, Gwim mari( SO GOOD) and the cheese kimchi pancake. I personally thought the bimimbap was a bit plain. The service was really quick and nice

hands down one of my favourite restaurants in ldn! amazing and rapid service, such a wide menu with the hotpot being the star of the show🤌 for the quality of the food this is definitely an affordable eat out esp for ldn!

10/10, service is always really quick. You may have to queue for a table but usually this only lasts 15 mins or so. Always find myself coming back to this place. Prices are also really decent. Sweet and spicy prawns as well as the japchae is a must!

Absolutely love Assa for there big juicy cream cheese prawns and prawn fried rice. Get there for lunch or before 5pm unless you want to queue, sometimes for ages. Also have had the seafood hot pot which was very good, but my gosh, those prawns!

One of the best Korean restaurants in London. Hands down. My personal recommendations are the Kimchy pancake, the traditional Tteokbokki or, if you don't like spicy, try the cream and cheese one! The order the Korean boneless fried chicken with sweet soy sauce and chilli (you can remove the chilli and it's not spicy) and a Bibimbap! This is more than enough for 2 people and it gives you a great taste of different traditional dishes! Delicious

The food and the service were all 10/10. However, please be on the lookout for pickpockets! As we were eating, two people (not staff) came into the restaurant offering us disposable gloves to eat the fried chicken with. They covered my phone (which I had put on the table) with their pack of disposable gloves. I had read about this pickpocketing strategy before (covering your phone and then snatching it from underneath as you're distracted) so I quickly took my phone back and put it in my pocket. They then quickly slipped back out of the restaurant. TLDR: Pickpockets may come into the restaurant and steal your phone, especially if you are sat near the door! Please be vigilant and do not let the good food distract you

Great meal to taste Korean cuisine. It was very loud and noisy inside, that is why I am not giving 5 stars for atmosphere.

Amazing experience. Shin was a great server and made sure we were taken care of!

As a native Korean, I am pity how food quality has been degraded. What a shame.

The environment is very loud, making it hard to hear your friends clearly. However, the food is great and authentic. I particularly like Budae Jjigae. There is a queue at dinner time, but the wait isn't long.

Quick service plenty of menu choices and tasty

Absolutely delicious chicken also loved the prawn rice. Was a little busy but I have been there before on a quieter day both times the servers have been really polite and helpful. Would recommend getting things to share so you can try different things on the menu.

Really good portions. I always fail to finish them by myself!

The food arrived quickly it was warm, wish the hot plate was hotter/sizzling to cook the yolk for the bibimbap better/faster. The spicy beef hot pot was good and spicy had good portion of vegs and meat, you can go for another bowl of rice from the portion they gave you. They have a variety of food and drinks that you can choose from, wish they have bbq to grill for different experience. Facility is nice as well, the toilet was clean and well maintained during mu visit. Great service, we were seated as soon as we arrived.

The best Korean food I’ve had, reasonably priced which is so hard to find nowadays so I truly appreciate that and I will definitely be back. I opted for the beef bulgoli, kimchee and KFC, no complaints the food was 10/10. Special shoutout to the kind waitress who came in the bathroom and helped me when I got gouchang on my white shirt. She helped me clean the entire stain off and saved my shirt. I truly appreciate you, it’s bc of you that I’m writing this review. 🤍🤍🤍

Good food at a great price, very busy and the staff are run off their feet a lot of the time.

the food is really delicious, the staff are lovely too, very accomodating

Amazing customer service and great food

I came to eat with my girlfriend. We met a while ago when we were both working part-time at a Korean restaurant 👩‍❤️‍👨💖. We are studying Korean hard now. Bina is an employee who serves us. I am grateful to her for doing her best to provide the best service. Rosé hotpot 6/10 too cheesy in the end. Kimchi Pancakes 10/10 My girlfriend ate them all by herself in 2 minutes. I could barely eat. She ate quickly and left nothing behind. I think it will be delicious

Probably the best korean in central you're going to find at a reasonable price, with actual Koreans working here. Like the cutest waitresses and unnies! The crispy fried things are so so crispy and freshly fried. The flavour for every dish is flavoursome and so morish. Always guaranteed to fill you up with yumminess.

Our third time in Assa was a bit disappointing. The sweet and spicy chicken dish was up to expectations. This time we also tried the seafood pancake and udon noodles with beef but the noodle dish was too salty and the pancake was somewhat bland. Also, the restaurant was really crowded with a long queue of people as we got there (as always) so it was a bit hot eating in. However, the staff were super nice and attentive with big smiles. The dishes were quickly made with reasonable prices. Hope to see some improvements on the food on our next visit.

I’ve been going to Assa for two years and the food was always great, especially the beef bulgogi, hotpot, kimchi pancakes and tekpoki however the quality and standard of food has gone down, it no longer hits the spot. I’m certain there are better options in London that I need to discover. The service is alright because it’s always packed so the staff are running all over the place but I can’t deny that their staff are friendly and always polite despite the pressure. And because they have a lot of Korean diners they do provide the cheque handwritten and I believe in Korean so that might annoy some people.

I ordered the basic budae jjigae hotpot, but it's a lot of rice for one bowl, so if two girls go, order one, share half, and add ramen noodles! The broth is so delicious. It tastes the same as the one I get in Korea, so I'm going to try it again... I really enjoyed it. Recommended Budae Jjigae!

Good food in a bustling Korean restaurant. Service was good but you could see just how busy the staff were. Food came out promptly and was tasty. Quite a loud restaurant and rather warm due to the various hotpots in tables, each with their own gas stove.

Absolutely ignorant foolish staff. Don’t know how to behave to customers in England. Think that it is South Korea ! Avoid

The food is unreal! Absolutely amazing! No wonder there is always such a huge line outside of people waiting to come in. It is a food worth recommending! From today it is my new favourite place to eat! Love it!:)))

The food is amazing and i love the whole menu but it gets really busy in the evening and you have to wait (they don’t do reservations) but still very much worth it 10/10

Can’t fault the experience. If efficiency was key, they embody this. On entry, we were sat at a table and had menus and water with a jug provided within a couple of minutes. We ordered the Hot Pot with a side of rice cakes and it was delicious, and incredibly filling, more than enough for 2 people. During the meal, used side dishes would be collected so seamlessly that I wouldn’t notice and gave me more room to eat. To top it off (pardon the pun) the staff would see our hot pot low on broth and ask if we needed a hot pot. I even looked at my lap to re adjust my napkin and a waiter looked to the floor to ensure I hadn’t dropped anything and help me pick it up. 10/10 experience , well looked after.

I recently dined at ASSA Korean Restaurant in London, and I must say, it was a delightful experience. Here are a few reasons why I enjoyed my visit: 1. Delicious Food: The fried chicken and bibimbap were outstanding. Both dishes were flavorful and satisfying, capturing the authentic taste of Korean cuisine. 2. Lively Atmosphere: While the restaurant can get a bit noisy, it adds to the lively and authentic atmosphere. It felt reminiscent of dining in a bustling Korean restaurant in Asia, making the experience even more enjoyable. 3. Friendly Staff: The staff at ASSA are incredibly nice and friendly. Their warm hospitality impressed me every time I visited, making the dining experience pleasant and welcoming. 4. Reasonable Prices: The pricing is very affordable, especially for London. For instance, the bibimbap is just around £12, which is a fantastic deal considering the quality and portion size. Overall, ASSA Korean Restaurant offers delicious food, a lively atmosphere, friendly service, and reasonable prices, making it a great choice for a casual Korean dining experience in London. 5 out of 5.

Amazing service, its my 2nd time here and the servers were amazing! food service was fast and efficient. Will definitely be coming back again. Highly recommendd

I've come here many times and will keep coming back. The food is really good and authentic. The prices are reasonable, especially in a big group. And lastly the service is extremely fast with wonderful staff. The only thing to keep in mind is that there will be a queue during peak times. If you come during off-peak you can usually sit down right away.

Amazing authentic korean food at a price point that is better than surrounding places. Best kimchi we've ever had, the japchae, beef bulgogi and jajangmyeon were all great. Service was quick and the food came out piping hot. Busy place but even with a line out the door we were seated pretty quick. Would absolutely go back.

Dined here for the first time and was blown away. We had: Kimchi Dumplings Beef Japchae Twigim Gizzard Spicy Beef & Seafood Noodles Everything was top-notch, easily 5/5 for food, service, and ambiance. Big shout out to the Assa Team👍🏻. One thing: No phone signal inside, so Wi-Fi would be a plus. But hey, less screen time, more friend time, right? 😂 Anyway, it was a bit expensive, but it was worth the pennies. #Halal and lots of vegetarian options are available

despite the extremely busy atmosphere, staff was attentive and fast. the food was amazing!

The food is simply amazing, if u love Korean food I suggest you come here 🥰

Went on a friday evening to have a nice meal, received the bill and didn’t think i needed to pay a service charge as the service wasn’t the best i had received, when asking for this to be removed, i was questioned ‘why’ rather then ‘do you have any feedback’ by a waitress who wasn’t even serving me for a charge that was optional. I found this rather abrupt as she had walked away before i had even told her why. When returning the bill after removing the service charge, she had slammed the bill on the table and walked away. She had come back with the card machine and didn’t show any customer service. I will not be returning back to a restaurant who loses their customer service skills when asked to remove an optional charge. Please train your staff to do better.

Did you guys get a new chef? The food isn’t as good as it used to be. Tastes MUCH more different

(2024) The food got better overall and everything tastes consistent and clean, and, for the young and older. Casual vibe attracts all demography. The staff work as a team. Great operation and positive experience. Two thumbs up. (2019) They changed the Korean chef and the menu since we were here over a year ago. And it is more of Korean Home meal experience we all love this time. For others thinking Korean food should be all spicy and salty, please, be open about the new change. Those who are familiar with the strong flavors should look for street foods somewhere else. The foods this time was gentler tastes and fresher, just your young mom would make for her family.We loved it. The price is even better. The same great Korean servers. More polite customers than drunken obnoxious Chinese group tourists I witnessed last year. and the hall is full to their closing hour. That is a good endorsement.

The kimchi fried rice was great, but hot pot was slow to cook so we were watching it for a while and a bit unseasoned. We had to wait pretty long for our beef tartare to come out last as it was defrosting.