Korean Food in Carrollton and Dallas: Where to Start

Korean food in Carrollton and Dallas is spread over two Koreatowns: Old Denton Road in Carrollton, and Royal Lane in northwest Dallas, with charcoal barbecue, soups and street food in between. Start on Royal Lane for a grill, add an Oak Cliff stop for fried chicken and rate each dish so the next diner knows what to order.

Three Korean kitchens make a good first round, and Carrollton's strip rewards a wander beyond them.

Where is Korean food in Carrollton, and what is nearby?

Carrollton's Old Denton Road has become a destination for Korean groceries and restaurants, and Dining Out, a Dallas dining magazine, calls it the metro's Koreatown in its guide to the area. Expect soups, noodles, fried chicken, dessert shops and barbecue within a short drive of each other, with a large Korean supermarket close by.

The practical advice is to pick one dish, such as a soup or a noodle, and order that. Strip-center rooms can be small, so plan for a short wait at dinner on weekends.

Where are the Royal Lane Korean restaurants in Dallas?

Royal Lane, in northwest Dallas, is the other cluster, and Visit Dallas, the city's tourism board, lists several tabletop grills along it, and two are worth a first visit.

Koryo Korean BBQ is on Royal Lane and is known for charcoal grilling. Dining Out notes that only a few places in Dallas cook Korean barbecue over charcoal, and Visit Dallas describes barbecue sets with seasonal banchan, a lettuce basket, steamed egg and soup, suited to celebrations and larger groups.

Seoul Garden is also on Royal Lane, cooking over charcoal grills, with bulgogi and pork belly as staples.

What should you order for Korean BBQ in Dallas?

Go with at least three people and order in layers. Begin with a marinated beef such as bulgogi, add pork belly or short ribs, then a soup or stew to share. Banchan, the small side dishes, arrive on their own and are refilled, so ask the server if you do not recognize something.

Let the server show you how the grill works the first time. Lettuce wraps with rice, sauce and a slice of garlic are the standard way to eat.

Where can you find Korean fried chicken in Dallas?

bbbop Seoul Kitchen is on West Davis Street in Oak Cliff and serves Korean street food with American twists. Dining Out and Visit Dallas both point to its twice-fried chicken, called "Not Your Mama's Fried Chicken," and Visit Dallas adds bulgogi and bento boxes.

It is a good first stop if you want Korean flavors without a tabletop grill. Order the chicken, share a side and rate the heat level for the next person.

How do you tell a good Korean restaurant when you cannot read the menu?

Look for a short list of things the kitchen does well. A room that cooks soups all day, or that makes one kind of noodle, usually does it with care. A big photo menu with forty items is fine for a first visit, but a menu with one specialty is the better sign.

Ask what regulars order. Staff are usually glad to point you to the soup, the stew or the dish the room is known for.

What else should you know before your first Korean meal?

Korean tables are built for sharing, so bring people. A barbecue order is usually priced and served for the group, with rice, soup and the free side dishes arriving around the meat. Take your time: a meal at a grill often lasts longer than a normal dinner.

If you are vegetarian, say so early. Soups and stews are often made with meat or seafood stock even when the main ingredients look plain, so ask about the broth. Many rooms offer tofu or vegetable dishes, bibimbap or noodles that can be adapted.

Finally, try one thing you cannot name. The best dish at a table is often the one the server pointed to.

How do you keep track of Korean places you try?

Rate while the table is still full. In the Mosey app, give the place stars, name the dish, such as the short rib or the fried chicken, and add a tag such as Group Dining or Good Portions. Only the place and stars are required.

Save every stop to a list called Korean Dallas, with a line about what to order, and share the link with whoever came along.

What else should you read?

For more of the city's cuisine corridors, the strip mall food list guide shows how to organize the suburbs. The Bishop Arts, Deep Ellum and Oak Cliff food guide covers the neighborhood around bbbop. The Plano restaurants guide heads north, and the state page is Food in Texas. The US food guides cover other cities.

Friends' picks on the Mosey map put the places your friends rated or saved in one view, and the people you follow decide what appears there. Check it before you head to Carrollton or Royal Lane to see which tables your friends liked.

Get the Mosey app, rate every Korean meal by the dish and keep your favorite tables in a list.