Restaurant Silla - Authentic Korean Cuisine — Restaurant in Columbus

Silla is one of the best restaurants in Columbus. I've only been there once and I can say this with confidence. Allow me to elaborate!

There is something I adore about ethnic restaurants in strip malls. They are often hidden gems! I stopped in on a Sunday night with my family to celebrate me being another year older. When I stepped in I knew it was gonna be good from the ambiance alone. A draw for me was that they have karaoke nights & interesting drink selection for their happy hours. Sake wine & soju if I recall correctly. I was hoping our dinner would be graced by some off-key vocals but we weren't so lucky. The customer service here is absolutely heavenly. We were greeted immediately, shown to our table and informed the menu was online. Not even a minute later they bring out the spread and take our app orders. They cleared any dirty dishes immediately and never let our waters get below half full. I loved the spread and the fried dumplings & shrimp tempura apps were phenomenal. These people are professionals. I honestly had little idea what most of the dishes on menu actually were (which is what I was hoping) but so many of them sounded delectable. If you see something like Pork Feet on a menu you know it's authentic and the chefs know what's up. It's even better if I can't understand my servers. The owner stopped by our table before we ordered to chat and tell us about her restaurant. This woman is such a sweet and genuine person. I can tell she's passionate about what she does, and I saw her take time to stop by every table and converse with her patrons. That is truly something special and I find it inspiring. I also noticed that she was going around to collect the payments at every table and say goodbye to her patrons. Yup, this woman actually cares about her people and what she does. She's probably awesome to work for. I don't see enough pride or care in food service anymore (and trust me I understand why) so it always stands out to me when people are dialed in. I've worked in food service for almost 15 years so I feel confident in discerning whether or not a place has heart in it. It's overflowing here, which was a joy to witness

I went with the Kalbi Jjim and good lord I didnt know people could make short ribs taste that good. All of us were losing our minds about it. My stepmom is not an adventurous eater, but they account for that. She kept saying how divine the chicken teriyaki was, which the owner told us was her own special recipe! We all were so impressed with our entrees. I seriously don't have any critiques, other than that I wanted to eat more! The presentation of everything was immaculate, and they bring out everything steaming or literally boiling hot. They pull out all the stops here, and honestly for what they provide as an experience I'm surprised they don't charge more. I thanked the owner for our meal and let her know I'm also in food service and adore her restaurant. She then took the time to give each of us a yogurt soda that tasted like a dreamsicle on the house and gave me a fist bump. What a badass!

Columbus, support this place. Give them all of your money! It deserves every bit of success that comes its way. Silla is one-of-a-kind and I'll always remember the meal and vibes I had here. Thank you to everyone at Silla. I sincerely...

Our family chose to dine here on NYE when everyone else was closed. We ordered bulgogi dolsot and dumplings for the children, and a bowl of spicy budae jjigae and a plate of spicy osam bulgogi for the parents. 1) Listen, the food was spicier and truer than a serial killer's murder confession tape. There was so much Truth and flavor 😭. To please all five palates of a blended Korean family ranging in age from 1 to 40 is no small feat, but this restaurant did it. The banchan and main dishes pleased everyone. 2) Our three kids ages 8, 3, and 1 now have a permanently adopted halmoni in the new owner, because there is no way an amazingly sweet, lovely Korean lady is going to love on our babies that much and not be their adopted grandmother forever. She's getting written into our wills now 😂. She loved on them, brought them free cookies and sweet drinks after dinner, and our baby even let her carry her. He was basically her honorary grandson 😍. In truth, we need to come back and shower her with gifts because she was absolutely lovely. 3) We walked in to another customer belting out karaoke and while the PA system in the moment was quite loud, it actually quieted all the children who watched attentively (and for once we weren't the loud ones in the room). Success ✅🤣. 4) We geriatric millennials were not with it on QR code ordering and as soon as halmoni realized that we sat for a long time without having ordered, she apologized profusely (even though it was our shortcoming), and immediately took our order and had our food out within minutes (halmoni is more tech savvy than us 😭😅). The downsides to be realistic: the service was limited but it was NYE with low traffic and we still had our food out quickly, and we agreed the bulgogi dolsot needed more vegetables, but we reasoned it was because it brought out very quickly for the children. 5) Most importantly, we drove home all raving about the place--joking, laughing, wanting to burp to taste everything again--with full, happy bellies. I haven't felt so satisfied with a restaurant meal in a long time. I believe they made our food tonight with love because it spread to our entire family and lingered into the...

Silla is genuinely a hidden gem of a restaurant. I've been here numerous times with friends and family, and every experience was memorable.

The food is tasty and unique. Bethel/Henderson has its share of Asian cuisine and Silla honestly is one of the leading providers, in my opinion. They offer various options from different cultures like: Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. They also offer a wide range of Asian-based alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

The atmosphere is also dashing. I love the fact that the restaurant is a literal hole-in-the-wall. Follow the concrete alley to the side of the building and you'll find a wooden entrance so out of place, you'll think you're walking into Narnia. When you walk in, you're met with a cute and endearing interior. There are seating options to accommodate sizes from couples to parties (largest one I've seen is maybe 12 people, but they may be able to fit larger). They tend to play soft jazz/piano music for a lighter mood. but they do offer karaoke and a stage/dancefloor for those who're interested. I've never done it but one day, we may take the owner on the offer.

Something unique about this restaurant is that you order through your phones rather than verbally ordering with a waiter. Definitely a fun conversation starter and group activity.

Lastly, the owner and staff are extremely lovely. Though they don't check on you as frequent as western-cultured restaurants (due to the ordering method), they make sure that you are taken care of. Most of your transaction can be handled on you phones.

The owner likes to walk around and check on parties as well. She's such an angel, my wife and I look forward to seeing her whenever we come in. She and her staff definitely adds to the experience and makes it feel more personable.

In the end, you can tell that they are passionate about what they represent at Silla. Definitely give this place a stop if you are in the Bethel area.

P.S. Order a bottle of Soju and a bottle of Ob (malt beer) Mix a shot of each into a chilled glass for a tasty DIY Korean cocktail. The owner here introduced it to us and we...