Korean food in Shenzhen has been booming in recent years, from all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ and clay-oven grills to refined Korean bistros. Because the Korean community and business districts are concentrated, Luohu, Futian and Nanshan all offer solid options, and prices are noticeably cheaper than in Hong Kong. This guide picks 8 real restaurants across the three checkpoint districts, with addresses, metro exits, average spend per person and opening hours for each.
Luohu District (closest to Luohu Checkpoint)
1. Myeongdong Park Daepyo · Korean BBQ Buffet (Luohu Baoneng Global Hui branch)
If you want Korean BBQ and want to eat your fill, this is the value pick in Luohu: adult buffet around ¥88.8 per person, with a child/senior price of about ¥38.8. The buffet area has over twenty kinds of vegetable side dishes, pork, chicken and beef, fresh shrimp and meatballs, plus unlimited ice cream; fried items, army stew and milk shaved ice ordered via your phone cost nothing extra. It's on the 7th floor of Baoneng Global Hui, Bao'an North Road, Sungang, near Sungang Station on the metro.
2. Xita Laotaitai Clay Oven BBQ · Zhenpin (Jinguanghua branch)
Korean-style clay oven charcoal grilling with a pronounced charcoal aroma; the signatures are spicy beef and pork belly, served with Korean kimchi, spicy radish and other side dishes, plus complimentary Korean ice cream after the meal. Average spend around ¥120–150, open roughly 11:00–22:00. Address: 7th floor, Jinguanghua Plaza, Renmin South Road, Luohu District (metro Guomao Station Exit A) — walk the mall and head straight upstairs.
3. NEED Creative Korean Cuisine (Luohu MixC Phase 3)
A creative take on traditional Korean food; signatures include mozzarella cheese spicy stir-fried chicken, spicy charcoal-grilled beef short ribs and honey fig bingsu. The heat is real, and the bingsu is a great palate cleanser afterwards. Located on the first floor of MixC Phase 3, Shucheng Road, Luohu District (near Gate 8) — easy to fit in while shopping at MixC. It's popular, so you may need to take a ticket and queue before opening.
4. Jin Yong Shun Korean Teppanyaki BBQ (Luohu Caiwuwei)
A long-established Korean restaurant in the Caiwuwei area of Luohu, specialising in Korean teppanyaki BBQ. It's near the KK Mall and Kingkey Banner Center shopping area, so it's easy to visit after a stroll. Mid-range per person, good for group dinners.
Futian District (closest to Futian Checkpoint)
5. Xin Mapo Korean Cuisine · Korean Charcoal BBQ (Futian branch)
A Korean BBQ chain on the 3rd floor of Shopping Park North Park, Futian Center 2nd Road, about 320 metres on foot from Exit B of Shopping Park Station on metro Lines 1 and 3. Signatures include secret-recipe pork jowl, snowflake beef, seafood scallion pancake, spicy rice cakes and cold noodles. Weekdays roughly 11:30–14:00 and 17:00–22:00; weekends roughly 11:30–22:00.
6. hikii Korean Fusion Cuisine (Kerry Construction Plaza)
A refined Korean bistro on the 1st floor of Tower 2, Kerry Construction Plaza, Futian central district (about 240 metres on foot from Futian Station). Signatures include Korean wagyu tartare, raw marinated crab and Korean grilled Iberian black pork ribs. The space is design-forward, good for dates or small gatherings; open until about 1:00 am.
7. Benjia Korean BBQ (Tairan branch)
An authentic Korean BBQ restaurant on the 2nd floor of Block C, Tairan Building, Tairan 8th Road, Futian. Signatures include stone pot bibimbap, premium beef short plate and thick-cut pork belly, with plenty of side dishes and Korean drinks. Average spend around ¥120–180, generous portions, good for a big group of friends. Booking ahead of the dinner rush is recommended.
Nanshan District (closest to Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint)
8. Happy Pomelo Charcoal BBQ & Live Eel Grill (Chuangye Road branch)
A popular Korean BBQ spot in Nanshan, known for grilled live eel and charcoal BBQ, with staff helping you grill. Unlimited refills of side dishes, kimchi, pumpkin porridge and Korean rice cakes are a big plus. Located around Chuangye Road in Nanshan District (near Nanshan central district), a short drive after crossing at Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint; mid-range per person.
Korean food tips
- Free side dishes: Korean restaurants usually bring several plates of side dishes (kimchi, bean sprouts, radish), and most are refillable free of charge — don't be shy.
- How to eat Korean BBQ: Pork belly with lettuce, garlic slices and ssamjang is the most authentic way; for beef, ask the staff to grill it for you so the doneness is just right.
- Ordering tools: Most places use phone QR-code ordering, so make sure WeChat Pay / Alipay is set up first.
Beyond BBQ, what other Korean food is there?
If you don't feel like grilled meat, Shenzhen has plenty more Korean options:
- Korean fried chicken: the classic pairing with beer, usually "half and half" (original plus soy sauce or spicy sauce), around ¥60–120 per portion.
- Army stew: luncheon meat, sausage, rice cakes and kimchi in a cheese broth — perfect for two or three friends to share.
- Cold noodles / bibimbap: Pyongyang cold noodles in summer, stone pot bibimbap in winter, a filling meal for around ¥50.
- Korean bingsu: a must-order to cool down after spicy food, milky shaved ice with fruit, around ¥40–80 per portion.
To try a bit of everything, go for a fusion-style bistro (such as hikii), where traditional Korean dishes are reinterpreted with more refined presentation and flavour.
FAQ
Q1: Which of the three districts has the most Korean food?
Futian's business districts (around Shopping Park and the Convention & Exhibition Center) have the widest choice; Luohu wins on being close to the checkpoint and handy for mall shopping afterwards; Nanshan's options cluster around Houhai and the Science Park.
Q2: Is a Korean BBQ buffet good value?
Buffets like Myeongdong Park Daepyo at around ¥88.8 per person are great value if you want to eat your fill and don't mind average meat quality; if you want better beef, go for clay oven BBQ or à la carte Korean BBQ.
Q3: Do I need to book?
Mostly not on weekdays, but popular places queue at weekends and during the dinner rush (18:00–20:00), so go early or take a number on your phone.
Q4: When is it least crowded?
Weekdays right at 11:30 opening or the early 17:00 slot are quietest; avoid the two peaks of 12:00–13:30 and 18:00–20:00.
Practical tips
- Pick your district by checkpoint: Luohu Checkpoint for Luohu, Futian Checkpoint for Futian, Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint for Nanshan — you can eat well without crossing districts.
- Korean BBQ places mostly offer unlimited side dishes, so don't order too much meat; start with the side dishes.
- Payment is mainly WeChat Pay / Alipay, so set them up in advance.
- Addresses, opening hours and prices are subject to the restaurant's latest announcements.
Korean food veterans' zone: Chegongmiao and Xiangmihu
The biggest Korean community in Shenzhen is around Chegongmiao and Xiangmihu in Futian, where a Korean food scene with decades of history surrounds these two metro stations. For the most authentic Korean home cooking, this is your safest bet:
- Heishandao Korean Snacks (Chegongmiao · Fengshengding 2nd floor): a small shop where nine out of ten customers are Korean, known for Korean-style stir-fries and soup rice, around ¥90 per person.
- Family Myeongdong (Chegongmiao · Caifu Plaza 2nd floor): nicknamed "the Koreans' canteen", known for knife-cut noodles and dumplings, around ¥80 per person.
- Zhende Lou (Chegongmiao · Tairan Science Park): widely considered the most authentic Korean jajangmyeon in all of Shenzhen, tucked away, around ¥125 per person.
Chains and high-end options
- Hanyangguan BBQ Master (Bao'an One Avenue; Nanshan Coastal City Poly branch): a high-end Korean BBQ opened in 1998, around ¥350 per person.
- Benjia Korean Cuisine (Nanshan · 2nd floor, Block C, Tairan Building, Tairan 8th Road): a brand under Korean food mogul Baek Jong-won, around ¥140 per person.
- Kang Ho-dong Baekjeong BBQ (Nanshan Coastal City; 3rd floor, COCO Park, Futian): a chain opened by Korean celebrity Kang Ho-dong, around ¥130 per person.
- Beicun Korean Food (Futian Huaqiangbei · AVIC City Junshang L4 L423; 11:00–22:30): known for charcoal-grilled eel and soy-marinated crab, around ¥100 or less per person.
A reminder: the small Korean eateries in Chegongmiao and Xiangmihu are mostly tucked away (hidden in office towers or under residential buildings), so it's best to navigate by shop name on Amap. These small shops mostly accept only WeChat Pay / Alipay, so set them up in advance. The prices and opening hours above are subject to the restaurants' latest announcements.
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