Korean Restaurants in Houston: From Long Point to Fried Chicken

Houston’s Korean restaurants cover a lot more ground than tabletop grills. The center of the scene is a single block of Long Point Road in Spring Branch—where Seoul Garden, Korea Garden and Tree Garden sit at 9446, 9501 and 9504, less than a minute’s walk apart—but the scene stretches to a Korean fusion kitchen in Upper Kirby, a Korean fried chicken spot in Midtown and charcoal grills in Meyerland.

This guide covers the full range: classic soups and stews, Korean steakhouse cuts, fusion and fried chicken. For the tabletop grilling experience specifically, see our dedicated Korean BBQ guide.

The quick list

• For classic Korean soups and stews: Tree Garden (Long Point, Spring Branch)
• For a full-service meal with reservations: Seoul Garden (Long Point, Spring Branch)
• For a 30-year institution: Korea Garden (Long Point, Spring Branch)
• For a Korean steakhouse: Bori (Spring Branch or Montrose)
• For Korean fusion: Nara (Kirby Drive, Upper Kirby)
• For Korean fried chicken: Bonchon (Travis St, Midtown)
• For charcoal Korean BBQ in southwest Houston: KOL Korean BBQ (South Post Oak Rd, Meyerland)
• For all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ: Gen Korean BBQ (Midtown, West Houston, Webster)

How we chose

Each restaurant on this list was confirmed open via its own official website in October 2026, with an address and current menu posted. Hours and prices change: treat every schedule below as “typically” and check the restaurant’s own site before you go.

This guide focuses on the breadth of Korean dining in Houston. For a deep look at the tabletop grilling experience—AYCE rooms, charcoal versus gas, how Korean BBQ works—see our companion Korean BBQ guide.

Spring Branch: Long Point Road

Spring Branch sits northwest of the Galleria and Long Point Road is its Korean main street. Seoul Garden, Korea Garden and Tree Garden occupy three consecutive addresses—a geographic accident that created one of the most concentrated Korean dining strips in Texas. The Spring Branch area guide covers the neighborhood; our Spring Branch restaurant guide has the fuller dining picture.

Tree Garden

9504 Long Point Rd Ste A, Spring Branch

The reason to know Tree Garden beyond its excellent barbecue is the traditional Korean menu. The soup and stew list runs to more than 20 dishes: galbi tang (beef short rib soup), gamjatang (pork neck and potato stew), army stew, codfish soup, fish roe stew, seafood tofu stew and a handful of others that are hard to find outside a Korean enclave—including beef small intestine napa soup and green onion soup. That breadth makes Tree Garden one of the most comprehensive traditional Korean kitchens in Houston.

The noodle menu includes cold buckwheat noodles (mul naengmyeon), jajangmyeon (black bean sauce noodles) and spicy seafood noodle soup. Bibimbap comes in a hot stone bowl with beef, with a raw beef tartare version and a combination version. Soup and stew prices typically run $18.99–$26.99.

Order: galbi tang as a first choice on the traditional menu, or the stone bowl bibimbap with beef.

Why it’s here: the most comprehensive traditional Korean menu in the Spring Branch cluster.

Seoul Garden

9446 Long Point Rd, Spring Branch · typically open daily 10 a.m.–10 p.m.

Seoul Garden opened in 1994, making it one of the oldest Korean restaurants on Long Point. It takes online reservations and has a banquet room for groups. The format is traditional full-service Korean: tabletop barbecue is available, but the menu covers a wide range of appetizers and entrées. If you want to sit down, order a few dishes and let someone serve you—rather than managing a grill—this is the right choice in the cluster.

Order: one grilled item and one soup or stew to share, so you get the full picture of what a Korean restaurant offers beyond the BBQ.

Why it’s here: the clearest entry point on Long Point for people eating Korean for the first time.

Korea Garden

9501 Long Point Rd Ste Z, Spring Branch

Korea Garden describes itself as one of Houston’s oldest Korean restaurants, with more than 30 years on Long Point Road. Its own description promises a traditional meal “in the midst of a beautiful garden and fountain setting.” The menu covers self-grilled barbecue, stews (jjigae) and a wide range of kimchi.

Order: barbecue for the table plus a jjigae to share.

Why it’s here: history and tradition. Korea Garden is part of the generation of restaurants that introduced Houston to Korean food.

Bori

1453 Witte Rd, Spring Branch (second location: 501 Lovett Blvd, Montrose)

Bori calls itself a South Korean-inspired steakhouse. The concept is premium: A5 Wagyu from Japan, dry-aged steaks, filet mignon and a marinated boneless short rib that the restaurant lists as its favorite cut. Servers handle the table cooking, so you don’t manage the grill yourself.

Beyond the grill, Bori’s menu includes japchae (glass noodles stir-fried with vegetables), seafood pancake, a noodle soup and soybean stew. The restaurant notes that its ventilation system means you won’t leave smelling like barbecue.

Hours: typically Monday–Friday 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m. and 5–9:30 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday noon–9:30 p.m. Check the site before going; Montrose may differ on some days.

Order: marinated boneless short rib and the seafood pancake to share.

Why it’s here: the occasion-dinner version of Korean food in Houston. For the Montrose neighborhood, see our Montrose restaurant guide.

Beyond Spring Branch

Nara

2800 Kirby Drive, Houston, TX 77098 · Upper Kirby

Nara calls itself Houston’s first modern Korean-inspired kitchen, opened in 1996 by Executive Chef and Owner Donald Chang, who grew up in South Korea and has run Houston restaurants for more than 25 years. The menu mixes Korean street food, fusion and a rock grill—a tabletop cooking surface made from volcanic stone that gives meat a different sear than a gas or charcoal grill.

Korean dishes include bibimbap (including a vegan version), tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), Korean fried chicken, bossam (braised pork), chapchae (glass noodles) and jjigae. There are also sushi rolls and nigiri, which makes Nara more eclectic than a straight Korean restaurant—but the Korean elements are the reason to go.

Order: tteokbokki to start and the rock grill for the table.

Why it’s here: Korean flavors in a setting that works for people who aren’t sure they want a full BBQ-room experience. Nearby dining in our Upper Kirby restaurant guide.

Bonchon

2100 Travis St, Houston, TX 77002 · Midtown

Bonchon was founded in 2002 in Busan, South Korea, and expanded globally on a single idea: Korean fried chicken done properly. Every piece is hand-battered, fried twice for the crunch, then hand-brushed with sauce. Flavor options include soy garlic, spicy, Korean BBQ, yangnyeom (sweet and spicy) and classic crunch. Beyond the chicken, the menu has bulgogi, bibimbap, buldak (fire chicken) and Korean-style bao buns.

Midtown is the only Houston location on Bonchon’s website. Confirm it’s still operating before making a special trip from outside the inner loop.

Order: a half-and-half wing order with soy garlic and spicy.

Why it’s here: Korean fried chicken done in the traditional way, in a neighborhood that could use more Korean food. For the surrounding area, see our Midtown restaurant guide.

KOL Korean BBQ

10275 S Post Oak Rd B, Houston, TX 77096 · Meyerland area · typically open daily 11 a.m.–10 p.m.

KOL grills premium beef and pork over real charcoal. The restaurant explains that charcoal provides a different char and flavor than gas—which is the reason to drive to Meyerland for it. There is a full bar with soju, wine, cocktails and draft beer. The kitchen recently added sushi. KOL takes reservations for parties of 10 or more.

Order: marinated short ribs. Charcoal makes a bigger difference on marinated cuts than plain ones.

Why it’s here: the charcoal Korean BBQ pick for southwest Houston. Full grilling details in the Korean BBQ guide. More nearby dining in our Meyerland restaurant guide.

Gen Korean BBQ

Midtown (Louisiana St), West Houston (Westheimer Rd) and Webster

Gen runs around 50 locations across the U.S., three of them in the Houston area. It is the most beginner-friendly AYCE experience in the city: the rules are on the website (two-hour limit, same menu tier for the whole group, a fee for leftovers, children 4 and under eat free, ages 5–10 at half price). Meat includes brisket, pork belly, galbi and Black Angus ribeye; vegetarians can order japchae, doenjang soup and vegetables.

Why it’s here: groups of mixed ages and Korean food experience levels will have an easier time here than at a smaller, less-scripted AYCE room. Full AYCE and grilling notes in the Korean BBQ guide.

Save this: Korean restaurants in Houston checklist

• Spring Branch is the Korean neighborhood. Long Point Road has three restaurants within 100 yards of each other—Seoul Garden (9446), Korea Garden (9501), Tree Garden (9504)—plus Korean grocery stores, bakeries and cafés within a short walk. Plan an afternoon.
• At full-service Korean restaurants, order at least one soup or stew alongside any BBQ. That’s how Korean meals are structured, and it’s the part most visitors skip.
• Tree Garden and Seoul Garden do not list published hours on their websites beyond what’s noted above. Call ahead or check Google before going.
• Bonchon in Midtown is the only Houston location on Bonchon’s website. Confirm before you drive.
• For tabletop grilling specifics—AYCE rooms, charcoal versus gas, first-timer tips—see our dedicated Korean BBQ guide. For Korean-style boba and bubble tea, the same Spring Branch corridor has several shops.

Last verified: October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Koreatown in Houston?

Houston’s Korean neighborhood is Spring Branch, along Long Point Road northwest of the Galleria. Seoul Garden, Korea Garden and Tree Garden sit at 9446, 9501 and 9504 Long Point—three restaurants within the same 100-yard stretch.

What is the difference between Korean BBQ and a Korean restaurant?

Korean BBQ restaurants center on tabletop grilling where you cook meat at the table. Full-service Korean restaurants like Seoul Garden and Tree Garden also serve soups, stews, noodles and rice dishes. The grill is one part of the Korean menu, not the whole meal.

What should I order at a Korean restaurant for the first time?

Start with a grilled meat to share and one jjigae (stew) for the table. Add banchan—the small side dishes that arrive automatically—and rice. At Seoul Garden on Long Point, the staff is accustomed to first-timers and can help guide your order.

Where can I get Korean fried chicken in Houston?

Bonchon at 2100 Travis Street in Midtown serves Korean fried chicken that is hand-battered, double-fried for crunch, and hand-brushed with sauce. It is the only Houston location on Bonchon’s website; confirm before going.

What are the best Korean soups and stews in Houston?

Tree Garden at 9504 Long Point Road in Spring Branch has the most extensive traditional Korean soup menu in Houston, with more than 20 options including galbi tang (beef short rib soup), gamjatang (pork neck and potato stew) and army stew.

Is Korean food good for vegetarians?

Yes. Most Korean restaurants serve banchan that are vegetable-based, and dishes like bibimbap, soft tofu stew and japchae (glass noodles) can be ordered without meat. Gen Korean BBQ lists explicit vegetarian options including vegetables, doenjang soup and japchae on its website.