the thirsty korean — Restaurant in Manchester

Excellent options and great succinct menu for both food and drinks. I respect the authentic Korean options, and the food was tasty.

I had the kimchi pancake and kimchi stew which were great but I’ve had the same quality at cheaper places before:

Miss Korea - Nottingham (£9 tofu bbimbap) Mr Miyagi - Sheffield (great spicy Korean stew with options for meat tofu / fake duck etc)

Although, the thirsty Korean’s pricing would suggest this place is something special. Sadly absolutely nothing about the whole experience warranted the relatively extortionate prices.

Shouldn’t this kind of comfort food be at affordable prices so people can come on a whim for some great food? Instead you’re met with middles class, hellish London prices that feel leagues above what you’re met with 40 minutes later when it eventually arrives.

Most of other East Asian places I’ve been to recently in Manchester and further afield come in at 60% the cost of The Thirsty Korean and in most cases have better service and the same standard of food.

Food and service were forgettable and very slow. Staff seemed really miserable and we left feeling alienated and disappointed.

I’d recommend people to save your money and go elsewhere:

Yane Yuzu Pho Cue Noodle Alley Ramen Shop Lucky Ramen (I know they’re not Korean, but excellent examples of great East Asian food, service and vibes at a fraction of the price)

Sad to say I won’t be going back as it simply doesn’t...

We visited The Thirsty Korean in Charlton for a Father’s Day meal with high hopes, but sadly the entire experience was frustrating and far from enjoyable.

Firstly, the prices were shockingly high for what we received. We were quoted £16 for their “Yetnal Tongdak” (Korean fried wings) and told we’d receive 5–6 pieces—only to be served just 4 small wings. When we politely questioned this, we were met with an uncomfortable lecture from a staff member about how “UK tax laws” were the reason for their pricing. It came off as defensive and patronising.

The portion sizes across the board were tiny, and the food itself was greasy and underwhelming. Certainly not worth the premium price point. For a group of 5, the bill quickly added up without us feeling like we had a proper meal.

To top things off, when my partner went to pay and asked to remove the service charge due to the poor experience, the staff member demanded to know why—instead of accepting the feedback graciously. The overall service lacked professionalism and empathy.

Honestly, this was a huge letdown for what should’ve been a special family outing. We won’t be returning and cannot recommend this place to anyone based on...

Very disappointed. I feel bad writing this review because the owner seems lovely, but when you're deciding to charge in the £18-22 region for mains and £10-13 region for starters then you set certain expectations. Firstly the restaurant was extremely loud, and service wasn't great, nobody greeted us on entry and we had to shout over the noisy bar to get someone's attention after waiting around for a few minutes. After ordering it was about an hour before we received any food, and the food honestly wasn't worth waiting for or worth the money. We had a kimchi pancake to start, and the burned bottom had more flavour than the pale pieces of kimchi. The Jjimdak (chicken thighs and noodles) tasted mostly of salt and not much else, and the Jajangmyeon was a few scraps of onion drowned in a sea of black bean sauce that could be considered generous only in the way an indefinite prison sentence is generous. I really don't know where all the 5* reviews are coming from because that was not the experience that we had, and I can't see how the restaurant can continue if this...