WooJung — Restaurant in London

As a Korean who grew up in southern California and ate stellar, authentic homemade Korean food and restaurant food regularly growing up - I've been craving real Korean food like crazy since we moved to London, and I was really looking forward to Woo Jung. We ordered the LA galbi, tangsuyuk, the bibim naengmyeon and jjajangmyeon ( I was looking forward to the noodle dishes I ordered the most). First, the positives: the atmosphere is awesome, it was very very busy when we visited at noon on a Friday, and the servers were so friendly and courteous, I really appreciate their kindness and help. Also, the tangsuyuk was very tasty and the LA galbi was fantastic (awesome, bold marinade with great char flavor. The LA galbi was a 10/10 and I would return to Woo Jung to order it again). Second, the negatives: the noodle dishes were the worst versions of these dishes that I have ever had. The naengmyeon and jjajangmyeon noodles were so overcooked, I have to believe it was done in error and wasn't intended to be served that way. The naengmyeon noodles especially did not have any of the chewiness that one expects from naengmyeon, and the jjajangmyeon noodles were equally soggy (even a person without teeth could have eaten these noodles, they were that soggy). Maybe because the restaurant was packed and there was a table with a party of 6 in front of us, so perhaps the chef forgot about the noodles and accidentally overcooked them? I'm not sure. I never send back food, I've never done that before in my life. But, this was the first time I seriously considered sending the noodles back and asking the kitchen if there had been a mistake... (the only reason I didn't send the food back, was because of how packed and busy the restaurant was). Also - the bibim sauce on the naengmyeon tasted a bit off; I've never had bibim naengmyeon yangyum taste like that before. The jjajang sauce was okay; the flavor wasn't strong enough for my taste (but I know that is subjective, and varies from person to person). Ultimately, I don't know if the noodles that particular day were just off and aren't regularly like that - but both noodle dishes were so bad, I don't think I will risk ordering any noodle dishes here again. That being said, the tangsuyuk and LA Galbi were great. If a friend asked me about Woo Jung, I would recommend their sizzle plate dishes and fried dishes without hesitation. Maybe pass on the noodle...

We came as a group of five, but the waitress, possibly the manager, insisted we sit at a table meant for four, with three of us squeezed onto one bench. What made this worse is that there were other tables available at the time — and they were still vacant when we finished. When we asked about it, she simply said it was their “rule.” Another example of the service: when we were queuing to enter, a young man didn’t know where to line up. Instead of politely guiding him, the server at the entrance shouted at him, “Queue!” That gave us a very poor first impression, and it set the tone for the rest of the visit. After our meal, before we even asked for the bill, a waitress came over with the card machine. When we said we hadn’t asked yet, the same server, who appeared to be the manager, returned and told us their rule is a 60‑minute dining limit. Again, she repeated “it’s the rule.” When I explained that customers should not be treated this way, she tried to justify it by saying they are a “small restaurant.” But instead of this being a reasonable explanation, it felt like she was using their size as an excuse to treat us poorly. A restaurant being small should never mean customers are squeezed, rushed, or spoken to dismissively. Using “we are small” as a defense — and then accusing me of being rude when I raised concerns — is simply not acceptable. I am writing this review factually, based only on what happened to us. I understand the owner may respond, but I want to be very clear: the points I mentioned — the forced seating at a four‑person table despite empty tables, the shouting at a customer in the queue, the bill being brought before we asked, and the use of “we are small” as a justification — are direct observations, not exaggerations. I also note that when other customers (such as the Wu family) left a one‑star review a month ago, the owner responded with a long accusation and the claim that they are one of the “busiest restaurants”(not the smallest) in Central London. Let’s see if the same or newer excuse appears again here. Being busy may explain speed of service, but it does not justify rudeness, unfair seating, or dismissive treatment of customers. I love Korean food and usually prefer independent restaurants, but this experience felt more like being pushed out than being welcomed. Unfortunately, because of the service, I cannot...

Authentic Korean Food in the heart of Central London.

WooJung Restaurant is located in the basement of their small supermarket store. The closest tube station is Tottenham Court Road Station which is a quick 2-3 minutes walk to WooJung.

I came for dinner on a Wednesday around 6:30pm and it was quite busy, luckily I managed to get seated for a group of 3 persons without queuing. There isn’t room for big groups, the tables generally cater for groups of 4 or less.

The service I received was good considering it was very busy. The staff were readily available to take my orders and refills.

For starters I ordered the Haemul-pajeon (seafood pancake) which costs £9, the Japchae (glass noodles with veg) which costs £8.50 and the Tteobokki with cheese (stir fried rice cake in spicy sauce) which costs £8.50 + £2 for a cheese topping. The pancake didn’t look as depicted in the photo on the restaurant wall, it had a lot less filling inside (see photo). The pancake was cooked well and it tasted okay but nothing particularly special. I wouldn’t order it again. The Japchae was nice and smooth and mixed together with the veg and sauce was good, the portion size of the noodles was reasonable. The Tteobokki tasted nice and chewy like Tteobokki I’ve tried, the sauce was nice and spicy and the cheese added an extra of flavour. The dish was also served with a boiled egg to create a complete dish. The portion for this starter was also reasonable, maybe could’ve done with more Tteobokki but overall I was pleased with this starter, with Tteobokki being one of my favourite Korean dishes.

For the main dish, I ordered the Yukgejang soup (spicy beef & vegetables and egg soup) which costs £14. Firstly, the soup itself was spicy and flavourful which I love about Korean spice and their soup! The beef was thinly cut as standard with Korean soup dishes, very easy to eat and the soup absorbs the flavour. The egg in the soup was scrambled and blends in with the soup, adding an extra layer to the dish.

Overall, from the dishes I tried I would recommend the Tteobokki and Yukgejang soup these dishes had the most flavour and were the most tasty in my opinion. The service was good and a standard service charge was added to the final cost. I wouldn’t mind coming back to this restaurant but I would try...