Walk into Mr Kimchi on a Tuesday evening and one thing becomes clear almost at once: this place has no interest in being New Malden’s most theatrical Korean restaurant. It is brighter, brisker, and more practical than that. Part handmade kimchi specialist, part everyday neighbourhood diner, it is built for people who want proper Korean food without turning dinner into an event.
Last updated: 17 May 2026 — Independently researched and written by the London Reviews editorial team. We do not accept payment from the businesses we review.
Looking for an honest Mr Kimchi review? This is the most thorough independent assessment of Mr Kimchi — focusing primarily on the New Malden restaurant at 77 High Street, while also considering the wider mr.kimchi brand, its handmade kimchi business, and the newer Wimbledon branch. Below we cover the menu, pricing, delivery strengths, recurring praise, genuine drawbacks, and how it compares with stronger-established Korean neighbours in south-west London.
Mr Kimchi at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Address (New Malden) | 77 High Street, New Malden, KT3 4BT |
| Nearest station | New Malden (4-minute walk) |
| Type | Korean restaurant + kimchi specialist + ready-meal brand |
| Founded | 2013 (kimchi brand), restaurant follows from that |
| Opening hours | From 11am; Sun-Thu until 8pm, Fri-Sat until 8.30pm |
| Phone | +44 (0)20 8949 4707 |
| Website | mrkimchi.co.uk |
| Price range | £8.90–£16.50 for mains; bottled kimchi £17.90 for three-pack |
| What to order | Fried chicken bowl, kimchi bulgogi kimbap, japchae |
| Best for | Quick Korean comfort food, families, takeaway, first-timers |
| Rating | Trustpilot 4.8/5; Google 4.7/5 |
| London Reviews rating | 4.4 / 5 |
Why we’re reviewing Mr Kimchi
New Malden is crammed with Korean restaurants. That’s the whole point of the area. If you want charcoal-table barbecue, old-school atmosphere, or a menu that assumes you already know what you’re doing, the High Street will deliver all of that. So why spend serious time on Mr Kimchi?
Because it fills a gap that most food obsessives overlook. Mr Kimchi isn’t trying to be New Malden’s grandest Korean restaurant. It’s trying to be the place that makes Korean comfort food an everyday London habit: rice bowls, fried chicken, kimbap, noodles, and jars of properly fermented kimchi that have built a formidable national following. In a postcode where some competitors are better for a long meat-heavy gathering and others are better for an all-out regional deep dive, that matters more than it first appears.
Mr Kimchi is where New Malden’s Korean credibility meets mainstream London convenience. Every useful part of the business supports that. The handmade kimchi gives it legitimacy. The broad menu gives it range. The delivery strength gives it reach. The simple room and straightforward pricing stop it turning into theatre.
If you’re a local family, you get dependable Korean food on a high street you already trust. If you’re coming from Wimbledon, Kingston or Raynes Park, this is one of the easiest places to start. If you discovered the brand through a kimchi order rather than a restaurant crawl, the New Malden branch gives you the physical version of what the jars promised. And if you’re a Korean-food obsessive, Mr Kimchi may not be your final destination in New Malden, but it will likely be a useful regular stop.
Location and getting there
The restaurant sits at 77 High Street, right in the middle of south-west London’s genuine Korean food cluster. New Malden isn’t accident. It’s community. That matters because it means every restaurant here gets judged by people who actually know what they’re eating, not tourists looking for novelty.
New Malden station is a 4-minute walk away. You get off the train, join the High Street, and you’re there. For London readers, that’s an easy suburban trip, not a mission. The buses are solid too — the 131, 152, 213, 265, N87 and SL7 all run through the area. Check TfL for current times, but the basic point holds: you can reach this from Wimbledon, Kingston, Sutton, Tooting without hassle.
The location matters for two reasons. First, New Malden provides real validation. This restaurant isn’t relying on passing curiosity. Second, the neighbourhood creates direct competition. You’re never far from a better barbecue option, a more old-school restaurant, or a more critically celebrated place. That pressure has shaped Mr Kimchi into something strategically intelligent: it’s broad, fast, accessible, and recognisably Korean without being forbidding.
First impressions and atmosphere
Walk in. The room is clean, bright, modern. Nothing fancy. That’s the point. This isn’t a restaurant selling dusty nostalgia or performing trendy Seoul minimalism for Instagram. It wants to feel practical and easy to approach.
The customer base is mixed. Families, first-timers, vegan diners, fried-chicken hunters, locals grabbing dinner after errands. The atmosphere is functional in the best sense. You go because you want Korean food that feels welcoming rather than intimidating. You don’t go expecting tabletop barbecue ritual or the full pageantry of a traditional Korean house.
One recent review called it “lovely and family-friendly.” Another praised the food but complained about slow service and understaffing. Put those together and you get a place that succeeds on warmth and approachability rather than polished choreography. For weekday diners and younger families, that’s probably the whole appeal.
The team and the story
Seung Hyun — known as Sharky — started this with his mother-in-law’s kimchi recipe in 2013. That explains everything about how the business works. This isn’t a random restaurant that happens to sell jars. The jars came first. The restaurant exists because someone cares about properly fermented kimchi. You can taste that commitment in how the kitchen operates.
The brand holds SALSA accreditation on the production side, which means they take food safety seriously. That matters less for romance than for the basic fact that you’re eating something made carefully.
Full range of food
The menu is smart. They don’t try to do everything. Rice bowls, noodles, fried chicken, kimbap, street snacks, house kimchi. That’s it. Everything travels well — dine-in, takeaway, delivery. Everything works.
Rice bowls: Fried chicken options (honey garlic soy, sweet chilli, katsu curry), beef bulgogi, bibimbap variants
Noodles: Japchae (stir-fried glass noodle), kimchi udon, beef bulgogi udon soup, Korean-style black bean noodle
Kimbap and snacks: Kimchi bulgogi kimbap, vegetable dumplings, corn dogs, tteokbokki
Fried chicken: Honey garlic soy, sweet chilli, mixed selections. Also available as ready meals for home.
Kimchi and retail: Traditional, vegan, vegan non-spicy in 330g packs and 2kg family bags. Frozen Korean ready meals.
Order the fried chicken bowl first. That’s what everyone actually eats. Then try the kimchi bulgogi kimbap. Those two dishes explain the brand in one glance: Korean comfort food made legible to London habits, with enough sweetness, crunch and familiarity to work on repeat.
Pricing and value for money
The fried chicken bowl costs around £13.90. Kimbap is £8.90. Noodle mains run £13.50–£14.90. The bottled kimchi is £17.90 for a three-pack. It’s not cheap. You can find cheaper Korean food in New Malden. But you taste why the jump in price happens.
The portions are generous. The flavours are proper. People order on repeat, which tells you the pricing isn’t scaring off actual customers. That matters. The average London diner will tolerate only so much if the bowl in front of them feels mean.
The pushback on pricing is stronger on the kimchi side than the restaurant side. People know they’re paying for specialist freshness and care, and they have opinions about whether that’s worth £17.90 versus supermarket alternatives. Fair enough. You’re not buying kimchi for bargain money. You’re buying it because it tastes alive.
What people actually say
Trustpilot gives the brand 4.8/5 from 1,156 reviews. That’s mostly bottled kimchi and ready meals, not the restaurant, but the themes carry across: freshness, reliable delivery, strong flavour, repeat purchasing. Google puts the New Malden restaurant at 4.7/5 from 303 reviews, with consistent praise for friendly service, family-friendly atmosphere, and solid street-food items like corndogs and tteokbokki.
Delivery platforms show strong repeat custom — 900+ ratings in the high 4s — and the top-ordered items lean toward fried chicken bowls, rice bowl deals, kimbap and dumplings. People are treating this as dependable comfort food, not occasional novelty.
The honest criticism appears in the details: one reviewer mentioned slow service and understaffing on a busy evening. Another flagged the food as salty. A few people noted there are no washroom facilities. Those aren’t invented grievances. They’re real small-venue trade-offs.
What people love most
The kimchi tastes alive. Fresh, properly fermented, nothing like the supermarket version. That’s the brand’s central promise, and it lands consistently.
The fried chicken bowl works. It’s what people actually order on repeat. Crispy, proper seasoning, good portion. Order it.
Delivery and packaging are strong. Cold-chain care, careful packing, reliable speed. In fermented-food retail, that’s the difference between a loyal customer and a leaking box.
It’s easier than some New Malden competitors. The neighbourhood is famous for Korean food, but not every restaurant here feels beginner-friendly. This one does. That’s a competitive advantage, not a compromise.
Family appeal is genuine. The room is approachable, the menu has broad items that travel across age groups and comfort levels. You don’t need expertise to eat well here.
Vegan options are real, not tokenistic. Vegan kimchi, kimchi pancakes, fried rice, dumplings — plant-based diners can eat here without resorting to apologetic substitutions.
The founder story gives it ballast. This doesn’t read like a trend-chasing concept assembled by committee. It reads like someone who cares about kimchi first, restaurant second.
Areas for consideration
The kimchi is expensive. You’re not buying bargain fermentation. You’re buying freshness and care. Some customers know the price is worth it. Others want cheaper. Both are fair views.
Occasional batch inconsistency appears in reviews. A small but visible number of people mention batches that didn’t ferment as expected or lacked usual depth. That doesn’t erase the overall picture, but it’s a real caveat. You might luck out or you might get an off batch.
Restaurant service can feel stretched on busy evenings. One recent review praised the food but described the service as slow and the team as understaffed. Saturday nights particularly, you can feel the place doing too much with too few hands.
Some dishes lean salty. If you’re sensitive to sodium, ask for less sauce. That’s not an insult to the kitchen. It’s just how the food is made.
There are no washroom facilities. That matters if you’re settling in for a meal.
This isn’t the full Korean-restaurant deep end. If you want charcoal-table barbecue, endless banchan theatre, or the area’s most old-school specialist atmosphere, other restaurants serve that brief better.
Who is Mr Kimchi best for?
✅ First-time Korean-food diners. ✅ New Malden locals wanting an easy regular. ✅ Fried-chicken fans. ✅ Families. ✅ People who order as often as they dine in. ✅ Plant-based diners wanting proper options. ✅ Anyone wanting Korean food without ceremony.
⚠️ Less suitable: anyone chasing the most atmospheric or ritual-heavy Korean meal in the district. ⚠️ If you’re highly price-sensitive or bothered by service slowdowns on weekends.
How Mr Kimchi compares to nearby competitors
| Restaurant | Best for | Vibe | Booking friction | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Kimchi | Casual comfort food, families, takeaway | Clean, modern, approachable | Low | 4.7/5 |
| Imone | Cosy comfort-food specialist | Warmth, critical acclaim | Moderate | High (Infatuation 8.7) |
| Sorabol | More traditional sit-down Korean | Classic restaurant feel | Moderate | 3.9/5 |
| K-Town BBQ | All-you-can-eat group barbecue | Social, heavy, indulgent | Higher at busy times | Mid-3s |
Mr Kimchi wins not by being New Malden’s most revered Korean restaurant. It wins by being the most flexible. It’s easier than Imone, less formal than Sorabol, much less commitment than K-Town. For most people, that’s exactly what they want.
How to visit
For dine-in, favour lunch or early evening if you want the calmest visit. Weekends get busy. Saturday nights, expect waits and stretched service. For takeaway, lean into the bowls, kimbap, and fried chicken — those are the menu’s clearest hits. For online ordering of bottled kimchi or frozen ready meals, use the official site.
First-visit checklist: Order the fried chicken bowl. Ask if you’re sensitive to salt. If you’re vegan, ask what you can eat — they know. If you want kimchi, order one restaurant dish and one take-home product so you understand both sides of the brand. Don’t come expecting full Korean-restaurant ceremony. Come expecting good food made easy.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mr Kimchi in New Malden good for a casual Korean lunch?
Yes. It’s particularly strong as a casual lunch or early supper option, especially if you want bowls and noodles without the time commitment of barbecue dining.
What should you order first at Mr Kimchi?
The fried chicken bowl. That’s what people actually eat on repeat. Then the kimchi bulgogi kimbap. Those two dishes explain the whole brand.
How much does food cost at Mr Kimchi?
Around £8.90 for kimbap, £13.50–£14.90 for most bowls and noodle dishes, £15.50–£16.50 for fried chicken sides. Bottled kimchi is £17.90 for a three-pack.
Is Mr Kimchi better for fried chicken or Korean BBQ?
Fried chicken and bowls, absolutely. If you want tabletop grilling, other New Malden restaurants like K-Town are better aligned.
Does Mr Kimchi offer vegan options?
Yes. Vegan kimchi, kimchi pancakes, fried rice, dumplings. Plant-based diners can eat here properly, not as an afterthought.
Is Mr Kimchi easy to reach by train?
Yes. It’s close to New Malden station, about a 4-minute walk. For south-west London diners, it’s one of the easier Korean food trips.
Are Mr Kimchi’s kimchi products worth the higher price?
For many customers, yes. The freshness and fermentation are genuinely better than supermarket alternatives. Some batches are occasionally inconsistent, and you’ll know the price reflects quality rather than bargain fermentation.
Should you choose Mr Kimchi in New Malden or Wimbledon?
If you want the full New Malden context and Korean-food neighbourhood atmosphere, choose New Malden. If you live near Wimbledon and want the same brand in a newer setting, the Wimbledon branch works.
London Reviews verdict
Mr Kimchi isn’t New Malden’s grand statement meal. Accept that immediately. Once you do, you stop looking for what it isn’t and start appreciating what it is.
The fried chicken is excellent. The kimchi tastes alive. The room is warm. The service is friendly even when busy. It’s not fancy. It doesn’t try to be. That’s why it works.
Come here when you want Korean food that feels authentic but approachable. Come here for the fried chicken bowl. Come here because you’re tired of choosing between “special occasion” restaurant and quick takeaway. Mr Kimchi is both. That’s rare. That’s why it matters.
Related London Reviews
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Summary: Our Mr Kimchi Review
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Food quality | ★★★★☆ |
| Signature identity | ★★★★★ |
| Value for money | ★★★★☆ |
| Service consistency | ★★★☆☆ |
| Atmosphere | ★★★★☆ |
| Delivery / takeaway strength | ★★★★★ |
| Beginner friendliness | ★★★★★ |
| Overall London Reviews score | ★★★★☆ (4.4/5) |
Disclaimer. This review is based on publicly accessible information checked in May 2026, including the official mr.kimchi website, Trustpilot (1,156+ reviews), public delivery platform listings, Google reviews, and community discussions. Prices and opening hours may change after publication.
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