SEOUL | سيول — Restaurant in Municipality of Olaya

February 1, 2025: Both the service was good and the food delicious. The waiters were Filipinos who served us professionally, even pouring our drinks. This dining experience encouraged us to visit a few weeks later.

May 6, 2025: The service was poor with three different appetizers being served over 20 minutes. My wife's main course never arrived. Upon notifying our server and the Chef, it arrived when all were done at the table. The meek waiters were disengaged, and did not understand English (Four waiters couldn't serve a party of four!).

We complained to the Manager about the poor dining experience who informed us that owing to the cost- cutting measure, they replaced the Filipino waiters with Indian ones who are all under training. I jokingly queried why are we being served by waiters-in-training, to which the Manager responded that they are in a cost-cutting mode!

May 16, 2025: We decided to give SEOUL another chance through a weekend visit last week. The Manager greeted us (Party of nine), and I informed the Manager of the out-of-town guests with us. He ensured that the last poor dining experience will not be repeated, and went on stating, "I have warned my staff and I will fire those employees who will give you poor service." We were horrified with that response as we don't want to be the cause of anyone's dismissal.

As soon as we were seated, the HORROR SHOW began!

The SEOUL restaurant was empty on a weekend night. The restaurant (attached picture) next door was PACKED! The appetizers were again served in various episodes. The main course was also served at different times for all seven guests, as my wife and I were never served. Also, part of the order for our esteemed out of town guest and my son was missing! Despite individual orders, the dishes were served to different guests. We immediately notified the Manager of the poor service getting repeated. He promised to take immediate action, to no avail.

Our guests started their dinner as it was getting cold. Both my wife and I were not served the main course. Upon notifying the waiter, he decided to serve me only, ignoring my wife's order again!. We called the Manager again showing him what unfolded on the tables and that my wife sat without any food throughout the evening. Instead of acknowledging the poor service, he tried to offer us a discount on the final bill.

I was deeply offended and inquired from him if he is used to serving international clientele and that he should recognize the issue rather than ignoring it. I also inquired if he is going to charge us for this poor dining experience. To which he responded in affirmative.

I informed him that in civilized world, such a poor dining experience will cause any Restaurant Manager to be so embarrassed and apologize, instead of billing their valued customers. I was furious and asked him to even include what my wife and I had ordered and which was not even served to us. The Manager disappeared and the waiter dropped the check at our table.

Conclusion: Avoid this horror show at all costs, as Riyadh has better Asian (Korean/Japanese)...

Today i craved some good Korean food, (probably because I've been watching Culinary Class Wars on Netflix), so i decided to try the new Korean spot in Riyadh "Seoul", place is on Tahliyah Street, i liked the interior and the service was friendly and attentive, but they should've asked about any allergies.

The food took some time to arrive, which i am always fine with. It just means it's being cooked fresh, and that's always worth waiting for

I ordered the Beef Bulgogi, which comes with steamed rice, this was surprising as the cut was more like stir fry beef and not shredded like the Bulgogi I'm used to, the glaze tasted nice and sweet, the beef was cripsy and tender, but it had a gamey taste at the end which i didn't enjoy.

Miso Butter Shrimp Mandu, dumplings cooked perfectly, and the filling was tasty, and that miso butter cream on top elevated the dish, i loved this

Korean Chicken Wings were crunchy, spicy, sweet, sour, and just a great dish. I would've liked some more sauce, but other than that, i liked it a lot.

I didn't try the desserts because unlike the rest of menu their desserts lacked enough creativity to excite me, they had Tiramisu, an assortment of different cheesecakes, and an Alaska cake with a twist, i would've loved to see more Korean inspired desserts. They also didn't ask if i wanted dessert.

Overall, i enjoyed my experience at Seoul. There are so many dishes on the menu that sound absolutely delicious, and I'll definitely be coming back many times to...

An amazing and must-try Restaurant. As soon as we entered the restaurant, we were greeted with a smiling server and he guided us to our table. He was kind enough to ask us for some water too! After that, we selected our meals and ordered the food. It arrived quickly, within 10-15 minutes of us ordering it. We ordered the Californian Sushi rolls, black bean noodles, chicken ramen, Stir-fried Mandu, and the Beaf Barbecue Grill Combo (which came with many sauces, kimchi, potatoes, vegetables, pickles, and rice). Everything was amazingly delicious and succulent. We especially loved the sushi and the black bean noodles. Every food item looked/tasted of high quality and taste. Refills for drinks were available. The waiters were very kind and helpful, and service was quick. The ambience was absolutely wonderful! It significantly enhanced and improved the dining experience. The orange-lighted lamps, the beautiful ceiling flowers, the external plants, the stone walls, the fancy tables and chairs truly added a great deal to the dining. Our waiter, (named “Sadman”) was very helpful, and quickly fulfilled our requests. He had a good smile at all times, which made a good and happy environment in the restaurant.

Will visit once...