Gooi Nara in Reading

I have been a customer since 2020. Great and tasty marinated meats to cook on live bbq with fantastic atmosphere as Gooi Nara always make you feel welcomed. However rated 3 stars for service because the portion sizes have become considerably smaller despite the huge price increase on their menu. They used to always give some free starter to try but have also stopped providing that now. Still love the place but it is very expensive for what it is now.

Great quality food and we got a surprise of fresh melon at the end!

We been late for dinner. Nice tasty food. Amazing service. We ll be back soon

Great food - the marinated beef was incredible. Really liked the kimchi too. Friendly staff and a nice atmosphere.

Had a great evening celebrating my daughter’s birthday. Atmosphere was lovely, they helped us with the bbq as we had never done it before so we didn’t overcook the meat. The food was delicious, we will definitely be returning to try some more dishes. Highly recommend Gooinara, it was worth the drive from Winchester!

Tasty food and good services. Have a lot of parking spaces in nearby

Wonderful place with wonderful and very caring staff - and the food was just beyond , so so delicious. Thank you , we'll definitely be returning customers !

The food is spectacular! Cooking our own meats on the Korean BBQ was so much fun. Staff were welcoming & attentive, and the restaurant has a lovely, homely atmosphere. One of the best meals I’ve had in Reading.

The food here is incredible. They care about the food and their service. Would recommend it over any other Korean restaurant in Reading.

It’s such a blessing to enjoy such delicious BBQ in Reading 😊

Food was amazing, staff are friendly and the atmosphere nice .Best Korean restaurant with affordable prices we would come again ❤️

Honestly the BEST Korean restaurant in Reading!!! I’ve always been a fan of Gooi Nara and I visit more than twice a month🤭. The quality of the food is amazing and the staff are always so friendly and helpful with the BBQ. The owners of this restaurant are very kind and provide the best service to customers. Personally I would recommend the BBQ, Bibimbap, Hot Soups and pancakes. They have vegetarian and gluten free options on the menu as well! Love their kimchi, heard that they make it themselves👌🏻Definitely worth coming to this place, and don’t forget to book a table on weekends cuz it is always packed with Korean food lovers! It’s a 11 out of 10 for me 😋

Food is good but prices are getting more expensive than some Korean restaurants in central London

Delicious Korean restaurant - often difficult to find good ones outside of London so this was a great find. The ingredients are of high quality and the service is very good. Looking forward to trying the whole menu

Authentic Korean BBQ restaurant. The owner is kind and provides lovely service. I recommend to try it.

Bro the beef bbq and the yaki udon is ok but like wth is with the other stuff like they taste so weird I can lie! We asked the waiter to give us the menu and he’s like “HAAAAA?????” So we shouted again “MENUUUUU!!!!!!” And he’s like “OHHHHGGGGHGGGG” like does he has hearing problems or sth bruh. I went here a lot of times and every single time I waited so SO SO SO SO SO long for the noodles/ udons like it’s just so bad bro. I asked for the yaki udon in beef and it is £1 expensive than the vegetable one. When it came, there was like so little beef and a lot of vegetables I mean like A LOT. It literally just looks like it’s only vegetables and none beef. So I counted it and I found out that there’s only 10 tiny pieces of beef for £1 extra like bruh what the heck bro.

I ordered from here and it changed my life, so good!

Great food. We went as a group and there was something for everyone. Service was lovely and they helped us to cook everything and make sure everything was cooked through.

Fantastic food, great customer service and reasonable prices

Had a wonderful anniversary dinner here, the food was delicious, the service attentive without being intrusive. We will be back.

The roasted meat is of high quality, with a wide variety of food and reasonable prices.

Came here yesterday with my colleagues. The food was delicious especially the Korean BBQ and Bibimbap, and I highly recommend the Kimchi Pancake. The service was excellent. I'll definitely return :)

Came here yesterday with my colleagues. The food was delicious especially the Korean BBQ and Bibimbap, and I highly recommend the Kimchi Pancake. The service was excellent. I'll definitely return :)

Amazing evening! Truly lovely staff, and the food was phenomenal 🤤

Amazing evening! Truly lovely staff, and the food was phenomenal 🤤

Food, service and atmosphere are good. But found out that the service charge do NOT go to the staff. 😩😩😩

Best Korean food in Reading. The service is consistently excellent and the food is authentic and delicious. Haven't tried the barbeque meat yet, but the bibimbaps (eel in particular) are great. The starters are a generous size as well, and overall good value for money.

Amazing authentic Korean food! By far the best Korean food in Reading! Staff were so friendly and service was amazing and quick! And they gave us complimentary Melon which was super sweet!!😄

The cold noodles are particularly particular, with both pear slices and ice cubes. The uncle and aunt were also very kind. They came to check whether I had enough to eat and even cut honeydew melons for me. If I have the chance to go to Reading again next time, I will eat there again.

We had three adults and ordered BBQ meat, a bowl of stone rice and a lunch meal. Short rib (or beef steak) soup is surprising, tasty and tender at a very reasonable price and good service. Definitely to visit again.

Lovely family owned restaurant, The staff are polite, knowledgeable and kind. The food is fantastic and cooked in front of you and explained. It was my first time meeting Korean barbecue food and I really enjoyed my experience. Be careful because like me you can end up ordering a lot of food. As you can end up experimenting. But would recommend to anyone. Park on Kendrick road which is about a 5-minute walk away which is the best place to put your car as this is on a busy junction. But once you're through the doors you can't tell.

If this review was just about food, it would be 5. The food is good. The service however can only be explained by being too attentative. We wanted to have a nice relaxed meal out, we'd made an evening of it, left the newborn with her grandma who'd driven an hour and a half to look after her to give us an evening off. It was also my belated 30th birthday meal. We arrived and the service was good. We ordered a lot of food, we were excited to relax and chill, chat and eat at our own pace. Unfortunately we couldn't do this.. We couldn't go two sentences without being interrupted by someone wiping down our grill and then adding more meat.. It got to the point where I had to tell my boyfriend 'quick, there's space on the bbq, fill it so that we can actually keep talking'. We felt rushed, we were in and out in an hour after ordering £110 worth of food. We weren't left to our own devices, we barely got to talk to each other. It felt awkward to be honest and that admittedly ruined our evening. We were keeping an eye on other tables but it was just ours that got this 'treatment' to this level. We've had korean bbq before, we'd been to Hong Kong where we'd had it there, and our first ever date many years ago was at Soju. Maybe they suspected that we were new to Korean bbq but we felt really babied and didn't even get to choose what meat to put on the bbq. If they'd have asked if we wanted help and continued with it then fair enough, but we weren't asked, it was just assumed. I'm going to be honest, it really dampened our evening out. We hoped it would be longer, we hoped we'd be left somewhat alone to chat, maybe asked once how our meal was - that's fine. But the whole experience honestly took away what Korean bbq should mostly be about..

Excellent. We will go back again and again!

Me and my friend came here after always wanting to try k-bbq. It was absolutely incredible, the service was amazing and the staff were so helpful and friendly! I think this is the best restaurant I have ever been to. Highly recommend

Very good food, atmosphere and service. It's really worth it and the prices are pretty good.

Great time spent with friends, enjoying the korean bbq and korean dishes. You can either grilled yourself or ask for help. Recommendation: Seafood Pancake, Soondoobu soup (come with rice) and Dolsot Bibimbap

Authentic Korean food 🥰🥰went in at 6:30 on a Saturday and it was very crowded. Would recommend booking beforehand 1) Dolsot bibimbap (beef) - delicious, hot and fresh ingredients 4.5/5 2) Tang-soo yuk (pork) - sauce is also poured over meat, crunchy and nicely marinated 4/5 Received some melons as dessert on the house, which was so sweet and a nice touch to the service.

Fantastic service and really good food.

Really good restaurant, I am looking forward to returning. Enjoyed the pancakes, the Dolsot Bibimbap, where the food comes in a hot bowl, the best way. We had the assorted meat BBQ too. All excellent. Service was really good. The restaurant is bigger than you think, extending back a long way, and I like the decor. One of our party was in a wheelchair and the staff were very accomodating .

Amazing food and the staff were great. Highly recommend

The food is deliciously amazing and fresh!! The service is excellent. Very warm and cozy atmosphere. Best bbq place in Reading! Been twice and can’t wait for my next visit! 🌟

Amazing place, great food, great service, amazing hospitality, brilliant taste, just perfect. We had spicy chicken BBQ and soy pork BBQ; both were brilliant, wonderfully marinated, and it was so amazing to BBQ yourself with your partner while you talk. The kimchi was very authentic and paired wonderfully with the BBQs and sticky rice. To end, we were offered orange slices which were so sweet and juicy. Overall, this is a fantastic place to enjoy authentic Korean dishes. It's family-run, so you can't go wrong—trust me. Highly recommended.

Delicious and provided the great service.

Good food and service. Typical Korean dishes and love the kimchi here and the sushi

SO GOOD that I forgot to take photos until we wolfed down absolutely everything. Some of the best things we ordered are: oxtail soup, fried chicken wings, gyeran-jim (steamed egg??). Bibimbap and barbecue great too. More to add to the list since we’re definitely coming back very often.

Best Korean BBQ in Reading!!! The food was delicious, the atmosphere was welcoming, and the service was fantastic. I highly recommend it for anyone craving authentic Korean BBQ

An outstanding experience all around! The staffs were incredibly friendly. We ordered the large BBQ platter, bibimbap as well as seafood pancake, all of which were exquisitely delicious. The boss was exceptionally friendly and kept assisting us throughout the BBQ cooking process. Already looking forward to my next visit!

the best Korean Bi Bim Bap in Reading

We ordered soon doobu chigae, we received the order pretty quick. Staff were friendly. Here comes the scary part, in the day and age of humans being worried about micro plastics, this restaurant served a proper chunk of plastic in soon doobu chigae 😱 when we showed it to the waitress, she causally said this must be the package cover of seafood. Her reaction was as if it was a routine thing. We paid the bill, left the food and went to different restaurant. Never going back to restaurant serving plastic in food 🙏🏼😱. If you decide to take the risk, watch out for plastic in ur food 😭😭😭

I highly recommend checking out this fantastic Korean restaurant! The food is absolutely delicious, and the environment is perfect for a great dining experience. The staff are also incredibly friendly and welcoming, making for a truly enjoyable meal. Overall, I had a fantastic experience and can't wait to come back again soon!

We love the food, the atmosphere, the staff is always kind and attentive. It’s already the second time we visit them and we’ll definitely come back 😊 thanks for your flexibility on Friday (despite us being super late)!

1st Review (2 Jan 2024) The whole experience was so wonderful that I forgot to take photos. The food was absolutely delicious but also the service was impeccable. Being of Korean heritage, I said to Mrs Lee (the owner) that this was the first Korean restaurant in England that genuinely took me back to being in Korea, eating BBQ as it should be served, and I have tried A LOT of places around the country. None of them come close to this wonderful experience. Thank you so much! 이씨님, 저희 가족과 저를 이렇게 훌륭하게 환대해 주셔서 정말 감사드립니다. 당신 정말 대단하네요! 나는 꼭 다시 돌아올 것이다 💜 2nd Review (22 Feb 2024) Went again with my family for a birthday celebration and as always, the food is so delicious as well the service impeccable. The kimchi is homemade on site and tastes soo good. The seafood pancake was light and fluffy on the inside by cripsy on the out packed with seafood, just as any Korean pancake should be! We had BBQ for starters and then moved onto Kimchi Hotpot (jeongol), so much food! So flavoursome and mouthwatering. Definitely my favourite place to get authentic Korean food 🥰💜 감사합니다 아줌마 그리고 아저씨 💜

Everything 5 star. The food was amazing and the staff was even better. Portion sizes are really good. The staff are really sweet, the whole experience was perfect and can’t wait to return to try something new.. also good vegan/vegetarian options and they are very accommodating.

Fabulous restaurant with amazing food. Staff took such good care of us, we had a great dining experience. Good gluten free options as well.

Delicious food, wonderful atmosphere and very friendly and helpful staff

Love this place. Been twice before. Hoping to come again soon its really really good. Cant recomend enough.

Absolutely stunning little place, staff so friendly and helpful. Food was delicious!

Being Korean myself, I tend to be slightly pickier than most with Korean food and I can say this place was genuinely amazing. The food, the staff, and the owner were all so great and the diversity of the menu surprised me. One of my favourite dishes are Korean cold noodles (물냉면) and the dish was so authentic and perfect. It even had Korean pear inside the dish which I’d never experienced before in the UK. Worth every pence. 정말 너무 잘 먹었습니다. 새해복많이 받으시고 대박나세요!!

Great Korean BBQ - better food than most of the London ones. Very attentive owner/manager and we were very happy with the service from all of the staff... although you may have to slow them down in adding meats to your BBQ if you aren't getting through it fast enough for them! Also note, whilst we saw a Sushi menu on their website, this wasn't offered on the Saturday evening that we went. I only wish they had a raw beef option amongst the bimimbap selection on the menu. I guess I'll still have to trek into London for that.

I enjoyed Bibimbap in every visit. Staff are friendly and helpful.

Great food, very polite staff, good atmosphere. Would definitely come again, the next time we are in Reading.

Really friendly staff, best Korean food.

Had a brilliant dining experience today here. The food was so good for the price. One thing worth mentioning is their service, very friendly bunch of people. Will come again and highly recommended!

A great Korean BBQ, well marinated meat and cooked at the table. What more could you ask for

Food and service are great. This is our second time and definetely will come again.

The food was so delicious and very good

Superb, everything was perfect today. The taste was delicious, the portion was plenty of excellent quality and the service was faultless. Five of us enjoyed thoroughly excellent authentic Korean cuisine. Today was really great, everything was perfect. The taste was really delicious, the quantity and quality were good, and the service and friendliness of the staff were impeccable. It was so good. For the first time in a long time, the five of us, my family and friends, were able to enjoy great, authentic Korean cuisine. thank you

Great customer service ! Very kind staff and very attentive to customer needs - they always knew what we needed without us even asking ❤️

Went on a Thursday night with my friends and it was so lovely there! The owners were very sweet and kind, and helped us with the BBQ grill. The food was so delicious! We ordered chicken and pork for the BBQ as well as chicken wings, fried squid and the kimchi pancake. Everything was very well seasoned and I ate very happily They also gave us free lettuce for our meat and melon afterwards! The place was very clean and spacious. It was a bit quiet (probably because it was a weekday) but I really enjoyed it!! The price is also very reasonable. We spent about £17-22 per person, which is such a great price for KBBQ 10 out of 10! Would definitely go back again.

Went there last Sunday with my whole family. Staff were so polite and generous. They also gave my little one mango mochi for free as well as honeydew! Food tastes good too most especially the meat bbq! Will definitely come back. Thank you all for a great meal! Kamsahamnida!

Tasty food... Good ambiance... Great service... I will definitely go again...

The food was great, the staff was very nice and very helpful despite the fact that we arrived a bit late in the afternoon and that they were probably waiting for us to leave to close the restaurant. They even grilled our meat and seafood on our table for us, that was really nice ! We wanted to find a nice place to eat for my parents who came to visit from abroad, and we were all more than happy to have found Gooi Nara ! We will definitely come back !

Best korean restaurant i tried in the uk to date. Really authentic and I love that they offer real korean dishes like the bbq and stew instead of just set portion like others. The cold noodles are the best dish. Good portion and very good and prompt service and accommodating to young kids too. Highly recommended. 🥰

It was delicious and I recommend this place, it’s nice to eat with friends and family. 🤌🏻🤤

Edit: the cost of the meal is not reflective of the great value. The reason it was high is that I think we ate and drank enough for 4/5 people :-) One the best dinners out I have had for years. Food was out of this world, Service was amazing and the experience was one that I will keep going back for. 100% recommend this restaurant as worth the short walk up from town and you will enjoy the walk back as I need it after eating so much delicious food.

It is a great place to get delicious authentic Korean food, and the BBQ and eel dish was awesome.

Super good service and yummy food. We definitely will go there again.

I put five stars because there are not 10. We went with our twins and the service was outstanding. Food was awesome. Best restaurant in Reading. Highly recommended.

Lovely food, lovely owners, lovely service . They grilled our BBQ meat for us AND a gave us a plate of delicious honeydew melong on the house. They even gave us a bag of complimentary sweets !!! Best Asian / Korean restaurant in READING. 10/10 would recommend.

We had a fantastic dining experience at Gooi Nara! The food was amazing and everything arrived quickly. The staff were incredibly friendly and attentive, despite the restaurant being full on a busy Saturday evening. Nothing was too much trouble. We'll definitely be visiting again soon. Highly recommend this place if you are looking for a Korean dining experience in the Reading area. If you are driving, there is a car park opposite or there is parking on the road.

Great value and decent food! Have been there many times and it's one of my go tos on reading

Delicious Kimchi soup and Yuk Ge Jang... porper good Korean food👍👍 Great service too!!!

I like to eat the yake soba, I also like to eat the dumplings, kimchi, mochi, hot pot and barbeque. Everything else I tried is very good and authentic. The staff and services are very professional, the best Asian restaurant I have been to.

Delicious food, friendly staff and service with a smile. 100% recommended!

An experience worth trying. This Korean bbq restaurant provides tables with integrated grill where you can grill the food yourself. We tried different types of chicken, beef and prawns and everything was very good. The service was very friendly, with the waiter giving us advice and cleaning the grill when necessary.

When you walk into this restaurant you will know that you've found a gold mine. Great service and as authentic as it gets

The food is very tasty we ordered jjajangmyun and kimchi fried rice. The toilet is also very clean and the atmosphere of the place is lively but not too loud. Also very warm inside.

very nice restaurant，quit delicious Korean food，very good service,not expensive.

After seeing a Korean (sort of) film fancied extending the theme… A fairly plain exterior on a parade of takeaways and student restaurants opens on to a warm and friendly place where staff were super helpful. Decent value, Delicious food and the Korean barbecue tables were nearly all running on one of the hottest days of the year. Cold Soju helped round the evening off…. We’ll be back!

one of the best korean bbq that i have ever got. extremely helpful staff. staff came to our desk to clean the grill plate every 15 minutes. and they even cooked the meat for us. i didnt expect such service at this affordable price. the spicy soup is also above my expectation. thanks for the hospitality

Excellent service and superb food. Very quiet lunch time but worth the trip. No where to park except what you can find, but we found place opposite for 90 mins limit free parking. Prices very reasonable and selection great. We had full korean BBQ experience, had done so before in japan so knew what to expect. Cannot fault, food arrived very quickly

We thoroughly enjoyed our seafood pancake followed by korean barbeque of spicy pork, giant prawns and squid. Service was very attentive and friendly. Good place for food lovers.

Came for lunch with my son who has been for Korean BBQ in the states but first time for me. We loved it. Staff were friendly and attentive and the food was great, we had the bbq on the hot plate built into the table. Nice atmosphere with lots of other tables occupied. Will be back and will be recommending to friends.

They cooked some dishes right in front of you! a really fun, entertaining and overall delicious experience.

We don't go out that much as everywhere is so bad, this was my sons idea for his birthday we went on a Thursday night had the most amazing experience, the service is exceptional they helped with the BBQ and where very tentative. The food is out of this world, the setting is amazing with such nice vibe, no music all sorts of people plenty of space. The drinks are very sensibly price a beer £4 coke £2 a wine £5 and a 10% service which was all deserved. Will be definitly be returning even though it's a 1 hour 30 minute round trip. Cant fault it best meal out for a long time .......

Delicious food! We cooked BBQ at our table and ordered some noodles and sides alongside. The food was all of high quality and very tasty. Friendly, helpful staff made this a super restaurant experience

Went here with 2 of my sisters and my girlfriend. We were quickly seated with a friendly smile. The waiter offered us the option of letting us do the bbq or for him to do it for us but as we are still novices they did it for us. Fantastic service. We had some sushi and tteokbokki for starters before the bbq. I have to add that the grape drink is sublime. They even gave us a free dish of Korean fried chicken. Examplary in food and service, will definitely return when back in Reading. Ethan

Great Korean bbq and very friendly and attentive staff. The beef bulgogi and spicy chicken bbq was brilliant. My wife had the hot pot and really enjoyed it.

Very warm and clean place, all the staff are kind and friendly with that cutie Korean smile, the food is super delicious the BBQ and the Soups are irresistible. Thanks Lily, David and Jack for your help … I will definitely come again

Wonderful people and Delicious Korean food at decent price in reading and I would definitely recommend eating Yaki soba noodles here. The ambience of the restaurant and the hospitality of Lilly, David and Jack is amazing !!!