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Experience authentic Korean food at Arirang Korean Restaurant in Columbia, SC. As a family-owned and operated Korean restaurant, we serve classic Korean dishes, flavorful banchan (side dishes), and hearty entrées made with love and tradition. We offer dine-in with reservations, takeout, and Korean catering for large groups—plus delivery options coming soon. Whether you’re craving a comforting home-style meal or planning a special gathering, Arirang brings the taste of Korea to your table. Visit us today and enjoy real Korean flavors in the heart of Columbia!
Address and Contact Information
Address: 1943 Decker Blvd # C, Columbia, SC 29206
Phone: (803) 243-7997
Website: http://www.arirangsc.com/
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Arirang Korean Restaurant closes on Columbia’s Decker Blvd.
A long-running Columbia Korean restaurant has closed its doors. What to know.
Arirang Korean Restaurant | Columbia SC – Facebook
Arirang Korean Restaurant, Columbia. 537 likes · 895 were here. Korean Restaurant serving a variety of tasty, authentic dishes in Columbia, SC. We take…
A long-running Columbia Korean restaurant has closed its doors …
A restaurant known for offering authentic Korean flavors has bid farewell along a busy road in Columbia. Arirang Korean Restaurant, which …
Reviews
Daniel Park
The food was good
And the price was good too
Service was good
Owner working herself
All things are good
Strong recommend it
… moreAnd the price was good too
Service was good
Owner working herself
All things are good
Strong recommend it
Aidan Kim
Visited Arirang Restaurant twice recently and had a mixed, but overall positive experience. While the food ranged from decent to excellent, the interior and overall dining atmosphere left something to be desired.
Atmosphere & Service:
The service was friendly both times. The woman serving us—possibly the owner—was welcoming and attentive. On our first visit, the restaurant felt pretty quiet and empty. During the second visit, they turned on a Korean TV channel, which helped liven things up a bit and added some warmth to the setting.
One other note: the menu doesn’t clearly list added charges for certain items or modifications. It wasn’t a huge problem for us, but clearer pricing would definitely help avoid surprises.
Visit 1 Highlights:
• Shrimp Fried Rice – Not bad, but a bit heavy on the sesame oil. It left my mouth feeling dry, which might just be personal preference.
• Tteokbokki – This one wasn’t really to my taste. It might have been closer to a traditional preparation, so I won’t judge it too harshly.
• Grilled Fish – Easily the highlight of the meal. Cooked to perfection—crispy outside, soft and flaky inside.
• Kimchi Stew – Solid, with a well-balanced flavor. Nothing too bold, but comforting and satisfying.
Visit 2 Highlights:
• Mandu Guk (Dumpling Soup) – Very enjoyable. The dumplings were excellent. The soup itself had a slight eggy odor, but that’s expected with an egg-based broth. Didn’t affect the taste much.
• Galbi (Short Ribs) – Delicious flavor and great texture. The only downside was inconsistency—one piece had way too much fat. Normally a bit of fat adds richness, but this one was excessive and hard to eat around.
Side Dishes:
Compared to other Korean restaurants, the side dishes here are on the smaller side, especially the kimchi and radish portions. Not a huge deal, but noticeable if you’ve eaten at similar places.
Final Thoughts:
Arirang Restaurant has its strengths in the kitchen, especially when it comes to dishes like grilled fish, mandu, and galbi. If you’re here mainly for the food, some will likely leave satisfied. But the dated interior and lack of menu clarity hold it back from being a standout spot.
If they improve the space and tighten up their menu communication, this place could easily move up a star.
… moreAtmosphere & Service:
The service was friendly both times. The woman serving us—possibly the owner—was welcoming and attentive. On our first visit, the restaurant felt pretty quiet and empty. During the second visit, they turned on a Korean TV channel, which helped liven things up a bit and added some warmth to the setting.
One other note: the menu doesn’t clearly list added charges for certain items or modifications. It wasn’t a huge problem for us, but clearer pricing would definitely help avoid surprises.
Visit 1 Highlights:
• Shrimp Fried Rice – Not bad, but a bit heavy on the sesame oil. It left my mouth feeling dry, which might just be personal preference.
• Tteokbokki – This one wasn’t really to my taste. It might have been closer to a traditional preparation, so I won’t judge it too harshly.
• Grilled Fish – Easily the highlight of the meal. Cooked to perfection—crispy outside, soft and flaky inside.
• Kimchi Stew – Solid, with a well-balanced flavor. Nothing too bold, but comforting and satisfying.
Visit 2 Highlights:
• Mandu Guk (Dumpling Soup) – Very enjoyable. The dumplings were excellent. The soup itself had a slight eggy odor, but that’s expected with an egg-based broth. Didn’t affect the taste much.
• Galbi (Short Ribs) – Delicious flavor and great texture. The only downside was inconsistency—one piece had way too much fat. Normally a bit of fat adds richness, but this one was excessive and hard to eat around.
Side Dishes:
Compared to other Korean restaurants, the side dishes here are on the smaller side, especially the kimchi and radish portions. Not a huge deal, but noticeable if you’ve eaten at similar places.
Final Thoughts:
Arirang Restaurant has its strengths in the kitchen, especially when it comes to dishes like grilled fish, mandu, and galbi. If you’re here mainly for the food, some will likely leave satisfied. But the dated interior and lack of menu clarity hold it back from being a standout spot.
If they improve the space and tighten up their menu communication, this place could easily move up a star.
Bong Jeoung
If you are expecting a great experience with Korean dining, this isn’t the place you should visit.
The food is less than desirable, and most of all, you do not get side dishes with a lot of the dishes they offer.
My wife and I visited it today and ordered the Dolsot bibimbap, a traditional Korean dish that comes with many side dishes. However, according to the restaurant owner, they stopped serving side dishes because the cost has gone up. I have never been more confused and frustrated by her response when I ask for the side dishes. We ended up ordering another dish, which she said came with side dishes, so we could have them with our meal. I know some of you might say, “What’s the big deal about not getting side dishes?” But if you know anything about Korean cuisine, it is the basic of the basic: all dishes come with side dishes. It almost felt like giving somebody a bowl of rice with chopsticks and nothing else. After today, I will never go back to this restaurant, which we have been coming to for many years.
Again, for anyone looking for a great dining experience with Korean food, it isn’t the place for you. It is coming from a Korean American.
… moreThe food is less than desirable, and most of all, you do not get side dishes with a lot of the dishes they offer.
My wife and I visited it today and ordered the Dolsot bibimbap, a traditional Korean dish that comes with many side dishes. However, according to the restaurant owner, they stopped serving side dishes because the cost has gone up. I have never been more confused and frustrated by her response when I ask for the side dishes. We ended up ordering another dish, which she said came with side dishes, so we could have them with our meal. I know some of you might say, “What’s the big deal about not getting side dishes?” But if you know anything about Korean cuisine, it is the basic of the basic: all dishes come with side dishes. It almost felt like giving somebody a bowl of rice with chopsticks and nothing else. After today, I will never go back to this restaurant, which we have been coming to for many years.
Again, for anyone looking for a great dining experience with Korean food, it isn’t the place for you. It is coming from a Korean American.
Calido
I would never go back to this restaurant! Server without manner, doesn’t need to be friendly but manner is important. She kinda like snatched the menu from me, only because I was trying to order extra rice and she is trying to tell me that the dish I’m ordering is with rice and told her that I know but I also want to order an extra rice. She seems like aggravated and finally told me okay but kinda like snatched the menu with her serious face. We ordered fried chicken wings as well and we are assuming that she understand that we want the plain fried chicken, but she gave us I think buffalo chicken that’s very spicy. We didn’t said anything and just ate it anyway but I was struggling with the spicy wings. Never checked on us, even for our drink. She’ll only come by when we’re calling her. It wasn’t that a big deal for me anymore BUT, I was about to pay and asked her if they charged extra 3% for using credit card and she couldn’t understand me for a second and I just gave her my debit card and she went to swipe it. Came back to me with my card and I think she just realized what I was asking earlier bout the 3% and told with kinda like an upset voice “we don’t charge extra here” and I just said okay. Of course I will ask and it’s not like accusing them. Cause I know some restaurant or store charge extra for using credit card and I was asking so if they do then I would use my debit instead of credit. But after all, I still wrote a tip because I understand the job. Poor customer service, poor server manner. And not sure what she is doing. I will never ever go back.
… moreDanielle Carpenter
I guess there’s new ownership? The interior has changed. The tables are nicer and the one we sat at had a hot plate, I guess you can order bbq.
I saw people complaining about service, but I thought it was fine. The lady helping us wasn’t all smiling and asking any extra questions, but she got our order and brought everything in a timely manner, which is all I need. She was not rude. Just not “American friendly”.
The banchan has gotten smaller than last time I was here which was several years ago. We got 5 – cucumber, fish cake, pickled radish, kimchi, and bean sprouts. The price is also a little high, but everywhere and everything is expensive right now.
All of that doesn’t matter though, because the food is really good! Hot and spicy pork was amazing. I like really spicy food, and I thought the spice level was nice. Not super hot, but enough to feel it. Rice is cooked well. The tteokboki has a sweet, thick sauce, and it was perfectly pillowy like gnocchi. I shouldn’t have ordered a coke though because it took up valuable stomach space that I could have filled with more food, haha
We’ll definitely come back and order jjajangmyeon next. Oh and be aware that all the food pictures on the wall may not be available
… moreI saw people complaining about service, but I thought it was fine. The lady helping us wasn’t all smiling and asking any extra questions, but she got our order and brought everything in a timely manner, which is all I need. She was not rude. Just not “American friendly”.
The banchan has gotten smaller than last time I was here which was several years ago. We got 5 – cucumber, fish cake, pickled radish, kimchi, and bean sprouts. The price is also a little high, but everywhere and everything is expensive right now.
All of that doesn’t matter though, because the food is really good! Hot and spicy pork was amazing. I like really spicy food, and I thought the spice level was nice. Not super hot, but enough to feel it. Rice is cooked well. The tteokboki has a sweet, thick sauce, and it was perfectly pillowy like gnocchi. I shouldn’t have ordered a coke though because it took up valuable stomach space that I could have filled with more food, haha
We’ll definitely come back and order jjajangmyeon next. Oh and be aware that all the food pictures on the wall may not be available
Nimasha
Update: We used to really like this place, but it seems new management has changed many things. Customer service and food is not as good as before. One thing we really liked was the side dishes they offered. They have cut down it from 12 to 6 and portion size is very small now and the food doesn’t taste as good as before.
We really like the kimchi pancake we used to always ask for it extra spicy and it was amazing but recently it is not as tasty or as spicy as before.
Sad that we might not return to this place…..
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This is the best Korean food that we have eaten. Served with lots of side dishes and portions are big. Everybody must check this place out. Don’t be fooled by the modest building, this place makes incredible food!! Nice and clean. good customer service. value for money!!
… moreWe really like the kimchi pancake we used to always ask for it extra spicy and it was amazing but recently it is not as tasty or as spicy as before.
Sad that we might not return to this place…..
………………………………………………………………………………
This is the best Korean food that we have eaten. Served with lots of side dishes and portions are big. Everybody must check this place out. Don’t be fooled by the modest building, this place makes incredible food!! Nice and clean. good customer service. value for money!!
Diana Jones
This was my first time coming to this restaurant. Atmosphere has a “mom and pops” feel, which I love! Prices were reasonable. We ordered Bimbimbop (reg) the Bimbimbop with bulgogi and spicy sauce in hot bowl, gal I, and spicy chicken. Also for an appetizer we got the kimchi Pa Jun (korean pancake) Food was great. And the Pa Jun was outstanding. I normally get the seafood one, but was pleasantly surprised with this one. Will definitely be a regular customer.
… moremariah tartaglia
My daughter was stationed in Korea and developed fondness for the Korean cuisine. She introduced me to this little “hole in the wall” authentic, probably family owned casual eatery. It was an amazing delightful international treat and experience for me. I will follow my craving back!
… moreDavid Lusskin
Update: I think the place has been sold and has new owners. I have been a regular of this restaurant for several years now. The last time I was there, the food was radically different. I don’t care for it now I’ve been to many Korean restaurants and this one no longer is one of my go to. The woman who took our order was clearly not happy to be working there. I placed a to go order and the side dishes were not there and I had to remind her. When I reminded her, she made a face and begrudgingly made a very small box of side dishes to go. I do not believe I will be returning there. It is a shame because it used to be an authentic Korean restaurant.
… morecrystal cooper
Delicious! Me and my husband normally go to Kimchi, but they were closed today, this was very close by and decided to try it. I’m glad we did! This may be our new spot!
… more