Ogam Korean Tapas Bar in Islington

It was a real shame: I am pleased that some people have enjoyed it enough to leave positive reviews and I all I can imagine was it was different team in place when we visited. We arrived soon after opening time on a Sunday evening (pre theatre) so we were completely expecting a less lively atmosphere compared say to a Saturday evening or maybe after work on a weekday but we were looking forward to having our taste buds tickled at least . I was very disappointed as I am relatively familiar with Korean food and was looking forward to something interesting and perhaps a bit different. The only positive I can offer was that the locally brewed makkoli was good and very different from the imported longer shelf life product generally available in London. There was little engagement from the staff who seemed obsessed with the number of drinks initially ordered before anything could progress… I was shocked at the bill as the numbers absolutely did not tally with what we had experienced in just over an hour . The same figure would have fed and watered us very well almost anywhere else!

A horrendous combination of incredibly rude staff, incredibly slow service, high prices, and completely and utterly bizarre demands that you eat your food as quickly as humanly possible and get out of the restaurant. They truly give you 6 minutes to shove down your overpriced food before shouting at you to leave. Incomprehensibly terrible, avoid at all costs, would be better to eat a Tesco meal deal while a stranger verbally abuses you

Unusual cocktails and they could make some of our choosing. That was a good start. Posh aprons on servers and trendy little place. Toilets horrible. Water logged with broken toilet seats. Not sure this lives up to high prices and trendy front and servers not trained in dealing with customer issues professionally.

So, let me paint you a picture: I saunter into a nearly empty restaurant with my posse of 4. My nephew, bless his heart, booked it effortlessly on Google for us, and voilà, a fifth amigo shows up. "No worries," we think. The waitress casually drops that there's a £30 minimum. We all nod, thinking, "Surely, that's for the group," as we sip on our £96 worth of drinks. Come bill time, surprise! They start demanding £30 per head. No memo on Google. OGAM, CHECK IT IF U BOOK THROUGH OTHER MEANS NOT YOUR WEBSIDE, NO WORD ON MIN £30 for groups of 5 or more. No signs. Nada. A conversation ensues. The manager? More bluster than customer service. Instead of admitting to the clear omission, he put on a show for the whopping audience of 4 other diners. After a verbal tug of war, we paid the correct ransom. And my parting gift? A tip about their dilapidated loo, which, let me tell you, wouldn’t pass muster at a dive bar. In short: Fancy menus and snazzy aprons don’t make up for shoddy communication and a lack of decorum. Give it a miss.

Charming little bar with an original formula: Korean cocktails and Korean food tapas style. The food is very good as verified by my South Korean wife. And sensibly priced. The cocktails are priced as one would expect of London but the originality is the draw. Ingredients seldom seen outside of Seoul like Maegkolli are a real treat. Ginseng infused gin is another. Absolutely worth the trek to Angel tube station to experience. There is also a private room for party groups.

Amazing cocktails and great service! The bartender was passionate about making cocktails and prepared the drink according to the flavours we said we liked. Can’t wait to go again.

Recently visited Ogam with a friend and it was phenomenal. Loved every dish and the cocktails were delicious and packed a punch! I was actively planning my next visit before I left the bar and will be sure to order a bottle or two of makgeolli “to go” next time!

My regular place for Korean food and drinks in North London. They make the best makgeolli rice wine, also make sure to check on the plum honey wine. Very relaxed environment and atmosphere with some great choice of cocktails. Would really recommend this establishment if I’m the angel/Islington area

The quality of drinks is way below the price they are asking for - £13+. Obviously, it's London, and everything is expensive, but still. We ordered homemade Makgeolli - it is essentially apple cider vinegar. Our advice is to get a bottle from Oseyo, and it will be drinkable. The cocktail is good, but if you are in East Asia, this type of bar wouldn't survive the competition by just being cute/indie; the lack of competition for other Asian cocktail bars makes us thing they have been complacent and don’t strive for the best quality experience. Mantordary one drink per person policy even when we ordered a 1L bottle drink & literally had to sit near the car parking space; The owner is very arrogant. When we asked to sit inside, they said all seats were booked and made no attempts to accommodate although 4 seats in the front remained empty for the rest of the time. They offered “outside seating” which is just a few shabby foldable chairs on the sidewalk with no cover for rain, it rained so we had to leave without finishing our drinks. They repeatedly came over with a drink menu and made us sit down. The owner forced 3 different waiters to come to us every 30 sec to take our order. He whispered something in Korean saying, “are these girls going to order or are they looking for other places to go?” (assuming we don't understand Korean but jokes on you). In conclusion, if you are looking for something Instagramable/oriental vibe, sure. But if you have slightly higher demands for the quality of food/cocktails, would recommend other places (Marsigo is very good). It probably assumes its Michelin level, but no. Day & Night few stores down, has way better selection of cocktails and really nice vibe! Regret not exiting when we had the chance. Again, not the fault of the waiter/bartender at all, but feeling like the owner/manager is bringing the whole thing down. Wish you the best.

It was our first time and our last time to Ogam Tapas Bar! Be prepared for the following: 1. You will be forced to buy a cocktail per person or an alcoholic beverage 2. Mocktails are the same price as the cocktails 3. No soft drink are served or sold however they do use it to make the cocktails 4. If you do not like your cocktail you will be charged to change it to something such as ordering a different cocktail. So make sure you LIKE your drink or you are stuck with it. 5. The owner who is the bartender will get offended if you do not like your cocktail and will give you attitude. How did it all start? One of my friends suggested to go to this Cocktail bar because the bar won an ward for its cocktails. We were seated straight away and the waiter is very knowledgable and friendly. I had Miracle of Han River, my other friends ordered Jeju Mule and London Night. One of my friends didn’t know what she wanted so she asked the waiter for his recommendation. He suggested to her she should order the Milky Way - that is what she did. My Fiancé did not drink so he asked if he could order a soft drink. The waiter told him that he can order the mocktail version of Miracle of Han which is the same price as alcoholic version (£13). My fiancé asked if they serve soft drinks such as coke? Or lemonade? The waiter replied no. My fiancé was forced to order a beverage. He was not pleased! The Miracle of Han River is definitely their signature cocktail. It was good and the safest option to go for if you are ever in any doubts. My friend who ordered the Milkway did not like her drink. She spoke to the waiter about it. He took the drink back to the boss and they added more ingredients to it so that it was not too sour. After trying it again. My friend did not like it so she asked if she could change her cocktail. The waiter went and asked the boss. The boss said no he can not changed it but she can order a different cocktail instead. Now there are two issues here: 1. Bar Etiquette - for a place that pride themselves on authentic Korean cocktails and has won an award would surely be more accommodating and understanding if a drink were sent back. My friend was very apologetic about it and she hesitated a long time before sending it back. The fact reminds she did not like her cocktail. I have been to other cocktail bars such as The Coral Room and Sketch. Where they were very accommodating and they were happy to change my cocktail when I did not like it! Plus it was free of charge! 2. The ingredients that are being used to make these cocktails such rice liquor and Korean spirits are definitely something different. Most people here in the UK would not have tasted it and it does has an acquiring taste to it. Therefore, if you are not used to it or do not it like then TOUGH! You will need to buy a different cocktail. Which is silly in my option if you never had it before how would you know if you would like it or not? And when it turns out you do not like it. You are stuck with it unless you pay for a different drink. It seems like a vicious cycle to go through. Don’t get me wrong. The vibe is good, the music is good, the Miracle of Han River is good. The rest of the experiences were not great. As long as you know what you are getting yourself into then it’s fine! We wish we known this before coming here. We just wanted some cocktails and to chill on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Popped here one afternoon last week with friends. We had intended on just having a drink an we really loved.

I went on a Sunday night and it was amazing. The food was delicious, cocktails were perfect. The manager and bartender spoke to me throughout the night which was great because I was there alone. It was a wonderful night and I was very impressed. I will 100% recommend it.

We were here on a Friday evening having heard some great things about this place. Have to say, it was really fantastic. Shared a bottle of sochu, had a cocktail each and also sampled some of the authentic K-bar food. All of which were excellent. The chicken wings and the kimchi pancake were highlights but there was so much more on the menu I wanted to try but that will have to be next time. Well worth a visit but note that reservations are in blocks with 2 lots 3 hour seatings per night.

Had a really great celebration dinner here. Cocktails were (mostly) lovely, some just not to my personal taste, friendly service and great food. Can see how many of the reviews suggest the staff are quite pushy but we hadn’t much experience with Korean food and were willing to try whatever and so we appreciated the recommendations! Also as we were celebrating they offered us free rice wine and some sort of shot which was a really nice touch and finished off the experience nicely. Highlights were the rice wine, since we’d never tried it before and was really lovely, kimchi pancake and the soy garlic fried chicken! Would definitely love to return!

The service wasn’t great, the waiter touched our food with his hands several times and the drinks took 20 minutes to arrive when the restaurant wasn’t very busy. You also have to order 1 drink per person when you sit down. We ordered mocktails which were 12 pounds each, which would normally be the price of a cocktail in a cocktail bar. The fried chicken was delicious but the rest of the dishes weren’t very good. In particular the pork belly for 2 was poor. Overall there are many good restaurants in Islington and I wouldn’t recommend this place

Well - I used to love this place and have been there quite a bit. However they don’t seem to care about their customers. The food menu is not as good as it was - it has reduced considerably but that in itself wouldn’t prompt me to write a bad review. We ordered various dishes and I also ordered quite an expensive cocktail ... but my partner didn’t feel like a drink. They said we couldn’t stay there unless BOTH of us ordered a drink, no matter how much I had and no matter how much food we ordered. I understand they don’t want people taking up tables if they don’t really buy anything but this was rediculous!

We ordered a fried chicken dinner from Ogam which arrived in a freezer bag (delivery driver said restaurant had ran out of bags). The chicken was uncooked. We called the restaurant to complain and the owner wanted to come by to check the chicken. We...

Came here for a birthday meal in early September and the place lives up to the great reviews on Google. Delicious and properly prepared cocktails alongside very good food at a reasonable price. Everyone working there was genuine, smiling and friendly. Will be back!

I live around the area and have passed a lot times in front, but this small bar/restaurant has only been open for a few months, so we finally decided to give it a go. Wow. The quality of the food was so good, the cocktails...

This is definitely one of those gems you find and think twice about sharing... the food here was exceptional. The lunch menu was great value for money and the effort that went into making everything from scratch was mesmerizing. We even had a cocktail which...