Seriously, Who's Out There Claiming Koreatown is 'Fun'?

[Lindsey Jerde DDS]

Oh, ladies, if you're looking to visit the "Korean Street" in Shanghai while traveling, I have to deliver a bit of bad news! Let me explain everything in detail and help you save both time and money:

• The Korean cuisine there is predominantly sweet and spicy or heavily pickled.

  • The fried chicken tends to be quite greasy, and the spicy rice cakes (the Korean stir-fried rice cake strips) can be too spicy for some.
  • For the special dishes like kimchi (spicy pickled cabbage) and soy sauce crabs (raw pickled crabs), which could be challenging for first-time tasters, they may not meet your general taste preferences.

• ️ Warning: watch out for popular but potentially disappointing restaurants:

  • There's a place called "Chingun-dong," known for their octopus and pork belly hotpot. However, many complain that it tastes excessively like kimchi, and the price isn't worth the value.

• ️ Korean barbecue? Think twice!

  • Firstly, the freshness of some ingredients in certain restaurants is really questionable.
  • Secondly, don't expect remarkable service.
  • To add to this, you'll find that most barbecue restaurants all offer similar experiences without any standout features, and the prices are just very high!
  • Honestly speaking, spending this much money would be better off finding a decent buffet than these Korean barbecues with low cost-effectiveness.

• After walking around the entire area, I found 80% of the shops sell only barbecue, fried chicken, or coffee. It's quite monotonous with nothing too special.

  • As for the stalls in the night markets, many items sold are highly repetitive, such as fish cakes (stringed from groundfish meat) and cheesy hot dogs. These items tend to have extremely high prices (I saw two fish cakes priced at 35 RMB!).
  • Clothing stores have outdated styles and mediocre quality, reminiscent of products from a market, although the pricing labels are not shy about being expensive.

• Additionally, shopping malls, such as Jing Ting Tian Di and others, seem quite old-fashioned in their decoration and atmosphere. There's hardly any good experience in terms of quality to match these high price tags.

• Honest Advice: Don't Waste Your Effort on This!

  • This so-called "Korea Street" isn't very large with few unique features. It's truly not worth making a special trip just for this. If you're eager to experience Korean atmosphere or savor authentic Korean dishes, you might end up feeling disappointed.

[Eunice Rutherford]

The restaurants here might look a bit dated, but the big plus is they don't serve pre-made meals. I'm getting pretty tired of the generic central-kitchen food in new malls. Of course, Korean food isn't everyone's cup of tea, and Korea Town isn't very convenient to reach. So, whether it's worth visiting is really up to individual preference.

[Dr. Ruben Larkin MD]

Yes, that's a pretty objective take.

[Byron Larkin]

Really? I was actually planning to go there for food and drinks.

[Orville DuBuque]

It's true that foreign food might not always align with traditional Chinese eating habits, but many well-established Korean spots are actually very tasty.

[Nathan Dickinson-Steuber]

I go every week, it's pretty good.

[Lena Oberbrunner]

Any recommendations for good places to eat?

[Melinda Wilderman]

@然糠自照 Uhm...

[Timothy Denesik]

I once went to this restaurant, and they had this octopus pot dish. It looked really red, but it was actually sweet. It was so unpleasant! I have no idea why they'd make it sweet.

[Kristopher Schultz PhD]

Korea Town, Aegean Place, Arla Town, and MixC used to be top-notch destinations when they were popular. That whole area had a lot to offer, with a bird-and-flower market, an antiques market, and a wholesale flower market nearby. I don't know why so many people have moved out recently.

[Melinda Wilderman]

I just want to say, the article is spot on.