Ariran Restaurant image

Ariran Restaurant

Restaurant Korean restaurant

😠 Felt compelled to write a review a.k.a. venting. Half star for the relatively reasonable price (compared with other Asian restaurants in Tallinn) and half star for the effort of fermenting kimchi. The rest - oh my, where to start. The Korean owner ajossi was just so impatient when taking our order... People often mention Korean, owner, restaurant, experience, order, kimchi, meat, soup, atmosphere, ordered,


Address

Telliskivi 35, 10611 Tallinn, Estonia

Contact

+372 673 3992

Price rating

$$ $$

Rating on Google Maps

4.10 (228 reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

  • Friday: 11 AM to 10 PM
  • Saturday: 11 AM to 10 PM
  • Sunday: 11 AM to 10 PM
  • Monday: 11 AM to 10 PM
  • Tuesday: 11 AM to 10 PM
  • Wednesday: 11 AM to 10 PM
  • Thursday: 11 AM to 10 PM

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: Korean (19) owner (16) restaurant (12) experience (10) order (10) kimchi (8) meat (8) soup (8) atmosphere (7) ordered (7)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 5/5 Kati Eliisabet P. 4 years ago on Google
    The best Korean restaurant in Tallinn. Most authentic. The atmosphere is similar to the actual Korean restaurants, it feels as if you are in someone’s living room and there is even Korean TV. The food was delicious, with very authentic tasting kimchi. We also ordered mandu, which are Korean dumplings, and they tasted the same as the ones I have had in Korea. If you are looking for a fancy place this might not be for you, but if you would like to have an authentic experience, I highly recommend this place.
    5 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 E Z. 1 year ago on Google
    Felt compelled to write a review a.k.a. venting. Half star for the relatively reasonable price (compared with other Asian restaurants in Tallinn) and half star for the effort of fermenting kimchi. The rest - oh my, where to start. The Korean owner ajossi was just so impatient when taking our order. I tried to speak Korean but he just rudely cut me off in English and told me they didn’t have this that this that. Fine. We had our ramen which was literally a cooked pack of Shinramen with nothing else. And the noodle was over cooked. Fried rice was not Korean at all - very salty and greasy. Worst part. When checking out he asked if we were to pay in cash or card. I told him we didn’t have cash so would use card. He immediately became angry, as if we owed him money. He then overcharged us! The order was EUR 28.9 but he charged us EUR 31.6 on the card machine. I didn’t even bother to ask him why, because he seemed so unwelcoming and wanted us to leave right away. We didn’t do anything wrong. In fact I thanked him in Korean a few times when he brought up the food, just as what I always did in Korea. Utterly speechless. Worst experience and I hope it’s the last place of this sort in Tallinn and elsewhere around the world. Guys, really, give this place a pass if you want some tasty Korean food and some basic respect…
    5 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Frances L. 1 year ago on Google
    Very unwelcoming and odd experience from arrival to departure. The guy looked at me when we were waiting at the entrance, so I asked for a table. Then he rudely told me I had to wait to until he finished taking order from the one and only one seated table inside. Before we ordered, he said we had to wait for 20 min if we wanted rice. When we ordered, he said one of the dishes we wanted “not possible, need to cook for more than one hour for that, not possible “, so we chose another dish to ask if the other one was possible? Replied was a straight face and “of course, why would it not be possible, of course possible “. Very frightening. In the mean time while we were ordering, he waved the newly arrived customers away I guess he was saying restaurant was closing even though it was only 7:30pm. When we paid by cash, he was also not happy because he didn’t have enough change for a 50 euro note on a 43.10 euro bill. The fried vegetable dish tasted ok, but the other two were blank and not very tasty. Don’t go.
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 D R. 5 years ago on Google
    Worst food i've had in years. I ordered meat Ramen and this is what i got - basically a overspiced bowl of instant noodles with no meat. What a disgrace to Korean kitchen it was. Not to mention the interior. It just felt old and dirty.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Tatiana T. 1 year ago on Google
    On 12.11.21 my friends and I visited Ariran restaurant at Telliskivi 35. My friend ordered kimchi soup and asked for it without meat, the cook confirmed his request. The soup turned out to be with meat, though. My friend asked to change the soup for a salad, but the owner took it very seriously and persisted in convincing us that it was not meat. At one point, I couldn't stand it and sided with Lev and said that we just wanted a change of dish because there is meat in the soup and my friend is a vegetarian. At this he grabbed the glass of water that was on our table and swung it at me, started shaking it in my face and then rattled it on the table so that it broke into shards and threw the mask in my face. We were really scared and tried to leave, but he started grabbing my friend and poking him in the eye with his finger. When I went to the door he followed me and when I pulled the door he slammed it shut so that he pinned my hand in the doorway. They wouldn't let us leave as we hadn't paid, but we had no problem paying and we didn't feel safe in the restaurant in question. When the police arrived, they even checked the amount of money on our bills to verify that we were actually able to pay it all. We wanted to leave because we were insulted, grabbed, kicked, pushed, offered to go out for a one-on-one fight At one point I had a panic attack. I have an anxiety disorder. It is particularly acute in spaces from which I cannot escape. When I started crying, they were constantly bullying me, calling me an "actress" and the like. We wanted to take pictures of the table and the soup with the meat to have as much evidence as possible with the police, but they (Sergei the owner-cook and the woman-cook) wouldn't let us, and took the soup into the kitchen. We have video of them attacking us. The police arrived, but did not assist us.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Hsuan-Yu L. 2 years ago on Google
    The food was amazing! The Korean chef was also very friendly and helpful in recommending us what to order. We enjoyed the dinner very well! Thank you!
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Erik C. B. 1 year ago on Google
    This is a gem in Talinn, some kilometers from the city center. As a restaurant established in 1991 by a Korean man speaking both Russian and Korean of Busan heritage, I was very pleased to eat his delicacies together with my gf. The kimchi is well-marinated and the meat tender.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Abdallah E. 10 months ago on Google
    A nice small business in the heat of Tallinn. The food is prepared and served directly by the Korean owner, who helped us to choose the best options in his menu. A different experience that I would really recommend to you!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 DMINATOR 10 months ago on Google
    It's quite unique, considering the experience you will get and the wonderful decoration of the place. I believe it's a family owned business, so you are probably going to be served by the owner. The place is full of references and memorabilia from Korea. I ordered chicken with rice and carrot salad on the side. The food was great for sure, though portion size was smaller than I thought. Considering the price I've paid I don't think it was worth it though. I also think this place is a bit stuck in times, and was a bit empty on Friday evening, not as trendy as other places in the area.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Dawn C. 1 year ago on Google
    The food was great, the owner was really friendly and nice, I saw some negative comments in the past, I believe it's the culture and communication issues. There's only 2 people working in the restaurant, I think when he receives more orders he gets stressed out, but in our case he did his best.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Dagmar U. 1 year ago on Google
    Great, homey Korean food. The owner is 72 years old and came to Estonia in 1991. They'we been keeping this family restaurant since 2002 and it has the sweetest cozy atmosphere. The fact that the owner serves and cooks for you makes the experience super special. ❤️ We LOVE the bulgogi, the mixed salad, especially the carrot one, korean beer, the zenzen vodka (homemade) 👌, some steamed noodle-meat dumplings. And can't wait to try the rest of the menu too! Definitely recommend to visit!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Masaki I. 4 years ago on Google
    Very authentic Korean food. Huge volume and delicious. Owner is nice and kind. Good atmosphere. My most favorite eating place in Tallinn. I feel great after every visit.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Olena S. 3 years ago on Google
    Sometimes you just want to eat something, so you remain at home, or go to some cheep fast food. Other times you want to give yourself new experience, so go in places like Ariran. We found there exactly what we had wished to find. We are satisfied and happy. ❤️
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Liz T. 2 years ago on Google
    Wanted to order the kimchi soup without pork but they insisted that they cannot take out the pork. Very rigid. So I walked out. Don’t recommend this place especially for vegetarians. They’re unwilling to remove ingredients and cater to your request.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Ferdinando B. 1 year ago on Google
    Warm and nice atmosphere, good food, fair prices. I've never been to a korean restaurant before and I gotta say that I regret it! Flavours are very interesting. Ps. The owner is an old cool gentleman, somehow he's exactly how I expect a Korean restaurant owner to be lol extra star for that!

  • 1/5 Muuk K. 2 years ago on Google
    The owner is an aggressive grumpy old man and disrespectful towards his clients. I asked for pork but he served me chicken, which i told i did not order.Then he started cursing in russian "nahhui blyat". Later he told my wife that since one person joined our group later and if he would have known that beforehand he would have not served us at all. :) Amazing service? It took over an hour to wait for our food even if there were only 12 clients in the restaurant at the time. The food is mediocore nothing soooo korean and authentic. The owner brought us drinks - tea 90 minutes after we ordered and totally forgot coffee. He also does not mind taking 5 euros for beer in this "last time decorated in 1985" joint. All clients should receive a polite service.

  • 5/5 keja838 8 months ago on Google
    We really enjoyed the owner's company and personality, it was definitely not a visit to an impersonal eatery. I think if you know how to treat the place and the owner (and people in general) with respect, you will get the same treatment yourself. The food was delicious. I am happy that I visited this place and we will definitely go again, if we will have such an opportunity :) I wish you all the best.

  • 5/5 Minh L. 6 months ago on Google
    We visited on a quiet Sunday afternoon and was served by the owner. He has health problem and cannot walk properly, but the foods were delicious and homey, like they were prepared by a Korean grandpa.

  • 5/5 M Z. 3 years ago on Google
    Food was very good. They speak Russian there. Btw they did design renovations there so the place looks lovely now. If you want bibimpab you have to call and pre order it. We took one 15e set menu and one soup 9f some sort. Menu was good but not worth 15 euro in my opinion, but would definitely come back

  • 4/5 Marta G. 1 year ago on Google
    I liked the korean restaurant wery much. The rice and the dishes looked like straight out of a k-drama(korean television shows) and even though we didnt order any kimchi(pickeld cabbage) they brought us an exotic plate with kimchi with the bill. Food was wery yummy, but wouldnt suggest for someone who has digestion problems or has a hard time handeling spicy food, cuz damm it was spicy 🔥 I've also been learning korean for the past 2 months so i was excited to read all the signs on the walls. Its also not super cheap in comparison to other restaurants but it was an experience of a lifetime 😊

  • 1/5 René S. 1 year ago on Google
    The owner rushed us and told us to hurry up with our order. 15 minutes after we get the food, he tells us that they'll close in 10 minutes (the closing time was 22, he rushed us out at 21) worst experience at a restaurant me and my girlfriend have had.

  • 5/5 Henry 1 year ago on Google
    The food was nice, I especially liked the fried chicken and grilled pork. The staff spoke some Estonian.

  • 5/5 Gert R. 1 year ago on Google
    A very cozy atmosphere and great food too! We loved it and we’ll definitely return ❤️ We felt very welcomed!

  • 5/5 A Bit (. 2 years ago on Google
    Great blgogi beef! Highly recommend!

  • 4/5 Aishwarya G. 3 years ago on Google
    Great food, homey atmosphere. Loved the experience, will definitely return for more.

  • 5/5 정Maria 1 year ago on Google
    A familiar atmosphere in an unfamiliar place. Great food, especially the kimchi stew. Staff was kind and spoke both Korean and Russian. The noodle stock was a bit too sour for my taste but the rest, delicious. Authentic!

  • 5/5 NORI_17 1 year ago on Google
    Very friendly and great service. He even gave me extra rice. Great food just like what I can get in my country!

  • 5/5 Rudy K. 2 years ago on Google
    30 years old authentic place with extremely responsible owner, who is also the chief

  • 5/5 PJ C. 2 years ago on Google
    Visit this place and order tek bokki. Super yummy. Lovely couple running the place

  • 5/5 Marko M. 2 years ago on Google
    Authentic in every way from food to the owner - be nice to earn a ginseng shot!


Call +372 673 3992 Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Payments
    • ✓️ Debit cards
    • ✓️ Credit cards
    • ✓️ NFC mobile payments
  • Offerings
    • ✓️ Beer
    • ✓️ Wine
    • ✓️ Coffee
    • ✓️ Alcohol
    • ✓️ Hard liquor
    • ✓️ Small plates
  • Dining options
    • ✓️ Lunch
    • ✓️ Dinner
    • ✓️ Dessert
  • Service options
    • ✓️ Dine-in
    • ✓️ Takeout

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