Taste Of Korea Premium: Tabletop Korean Barbecue and Seoul Energy at Al Wahda Mall

The premium branch is not just a bigger menu

The Taste of Korea began as an Abu Dhabi Korean restaurant and has expanded its world around the food. The Premium branch at Al Wahda Mall takes that identity into a more polished, social setting where tabletop barbecue becomes part of the meal rather than an optional side note. The restaurant describes itself as halal-certified and balances traditional and contemporary Korean dishes. Bibimbap, bulgogi, kimchi and Korean barbecue are the anchors, with marinated meats cooked at the table giving groups a reason to slow down even though the restaurant sits inside a busy mall.

Korean food is treated as culture, not a single trend

What distinguishes the wider Taste of Korea brand is its willingness to connect the restaurant with the cultural energy around Korean food. The company also operates TOK Karaoke and a TOK photobooth, both presented as affiliated ventures rather than simply decorations in the dining room. That matters because the restaurant avoids the common mistake of reducing Korean cuisine to fried chicken and K-pop imagery. The food still carries the narrative: rice, grilled meats, fermented flavours and the rhythm of banchan arriving around the table. A current independent listing categorises the Premium branch across Korean, Asian and hot-pot dining, while recent reviews continue to describe it as a good-value experience.

A branch-specific practical check

The Premium restaurant is on the third floor of the Al Wahda Mall Extension, inside Gourmet Republic. The parent brand’s current contact page lists +971 50 115 7791 for this branch and daily opening from 11:30am to 11pm. That is the number and schedule Simply Abu Dhabi should use, rather than details belonging to the original Cristal Hotel branch, which remains a separate location with later hours. For diners, the Premium site is the clearer choice when the objective is a sit-down Korean barbecue meal in central Abu Dhabi. Order a mix of grilled meat and classic rice or stew dishes, use the banchan as part of the meal rather than garnish, and treat the cooking at the table as the social centre of the evening.

Practical details

Location: 3rd Floor, Al Wahda Mall Extension, Gourmet Republic, Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Cuisine: Korean; tabletop barbecue, bibimbap, bulgogi and traditional dishes
Telephone: +971 50 115 7791
Hours: Daily 11:30am-11:00pm
Editorial status: Open