Cafe Arirang

Reviews

• Ciara S.

  star star star star star 18 July 2026

  There's nothing better than feeling like an adventurer in your own city. This is how I felt this evening when I visited Cafe Arirang for the first time to try their Korean cuisine. It's nothing fancy to look at and Arirang could probably do with a bit of a facelift in terms of interior decor. A coat of paint would brighten this cafe up. However, visual appearance is the only thing I can fault this eatery on and such things never bother me, especially as the food was delicious, fresh, colourful and filling.
  
  Wandering in off the street and never having tried Korean food before I didn't have a clue what to choose off the menu. There are Belfast favourites such as traditional fry ups, breakfasts and sandwiches available but I don't see the point in visiting a Korean cafe just to eat such food. So I had a look at the main Korean menu and the helpful Gentleman behind the counter assisted me by directing me to the Vegetarian options.
  
  On his recommendation I ordered Bibimbap a dish of various vegetables, boiled rice, soya, sesame oil and fried egg served sizzling in a hot stone bowl. Along with it on the side was a little bowl of kimchi and a bowl of spicy sauce. My server advised me to break the egg up, stir it through the ingredients in the bowl and add kimchi and sauce as I wished. It was DELICIOUS. I'm raring to get back to eat more Bibimbap and to try other Korean dishes. Would highly recommend Cafe Arirang as a lovely change from the norm and an unpretentious little spot which serves great food.

• Vivek T.

  star star star star star_border 17 July 2026

  I had some delicious Korean Kimchi stew with tofu and egg. Tasted absolutely delicious and was very well priced. Definitely a top place to check out!!

• Kate S.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 7 July 2026

  I hate writing terrible reviews. Usually after a bad experience, I shake it off and reserve my use of yelp to recommending good places to fellow food & coffee enthusiasts. However, lunch today at Cafe Arirang was such an upsetting event that I feel I must break my usual habit. I have passed by this place several times during my visit in Belfast, always making a mental note to return. On my last day in the city, I made a special trip just to eat here. Originally I was planning to eat bulgogi, but it had turned raining and cold and I was craving comfort food. I saw "spicy noodle soup" on the menu and immediately ordered that without a second thought. The young man behind the counter was curt and dismissive while I ordered. I was a little off-put by this as I sat down, but was so looking forward to my lunch that I mentally chided myself for being hurt by the lack of friendliness. I've worked service for years and know firsthand that everyone has bad days.
  
  Then I was served an undercooked package of instant noodles in a bowl. I even recognize the brand... Shin Ramyun. Nothing had been added to it. It was literally only what came out of the package (which you can buy at the grocery store for less than £1). I was so disappointed. I returned to the counter and simply asked for a refund. I was then berated and called unreasonable by both the young man and two other people he brought out from the kitchen. One gentleman from the kitchen told me that they buy the bread to make their sandwiches and that this was exactly the same thing. I understand using prepared foods. I could even understand serving packages of instant noodles, but with the addition of ingredients. Simple things you could expect to find on ramen: an egg, or a few boiled veggies, or a small spoonfull of kimchi. Any of this would have sufficed. But this was just sad. Especially for an establishment that says "homemade and authentic" on their menu. When I pointed this out, the gentleman from the kitchen said that only referred to certain things on the menu. When I offered to order one of those items to which it applied and pay any difference in cost between that and the soup, he said no, but invited me to order another dish and pay full price "the next time".
  
  Here is the irony of the whole thing: I actually love that brand of instant ramen (how do you think I recognized it so quick?) Honestly I love all ramen... cheap packaged stuff and gourmet homemade. However, after the exchange with the staff I couldn't face sitting there alone (I was the only patron) for the 10-15 minutes it would take to eat. So I just left. I feel bad about wasting the food and even a little bad about asking for the refund in the first place, but I was honestly just so shocked to have gotten the food that I did.
  
  So why two stars and not one? Well, some of their other food honestly looks good! So go ahead and give them a try, but be wary. Also, perhaps I am the unreasonable one for being surprised at receiving what is essentially cup-of-noddles in a restaurant... so benefit of the doubt I guess.

• Ben M.

  star star star star star_border 7 July 2026

  Cafe Arirang. I don't like to chuff on about myself, but I'm what you would call an adventurous eater. Snails, stew made from duck intestine, fish head broth, I've scoffed the lot. I found myself in Cafe Arirang one evening; I'd been perusing the menu and before I knew it, I found myself inside, ordering something called 'bulgogi' - I even had a stab at pronouncing it but competely mucked it up. It has two hard-pronounced Gs, should you ever go in.
  
  What I got from the friendly Korean chap was a cracking dish of spicy pork in a tomato and red pepper sauce and lovely fluffy rice with tons of veg, for not much more than a fiver.
  
  I was sufficiently interested to read more about Korean cuisine and their culture. It turns out that bulgogi barbecue restaurants are popular in South Korea, and apparantly Arirang is an ancient word with no real modern translation, but it pertains to a folk song.  Interesting, no?
  
  Arirang also offers stuff like coffee, sodas, Ulster Frys, sausage rolls. I hope that the friendly Korean owner hasn't been forced into these options in order to stay afloat... Maybe he really does have a passion for fried soda bread, who knows?
  
  But come on, people. Try something new. Go to Cafe Arirang, point at something you can barely pronounce on the menu, and enjoy. What's the worst that can happen? I'll be trying something called Kimchi in a couple of days time.

• Magz G.

  star star star star_border star_border 2 July 2026

  Cafe Arirang is a Korean cafe serving your usual cafe food- sandwiches etc with the added bonus of some Korean kimbab (like sushi). I decided to go for something Korean as I've never had Korean food before and I settled on the spicy pork bulgogi and boiled rice which was yummy. I didn't think I was very hungry as had originally just popped in for a sandwich of some kind, but had soon polished of the reasonably sized portion. I tried their roasted rice green tea (well when in Rome) and it was really nice too! Overall its a nice place and definitely worth a visit if you're looking for something a little bit different!