Attempting to veer away from the largely traditional image of Korean food in Bangkok, Kimchi Hour serves its dishes under the tagline “Korean dishes with Thai tastes.” That means the occasional modern flourish and odd fusion touch, but at its heart this is just decent, down-to-earth Korean food.

Tucked out the back of Ari, this converted shop-house’s dangling paper lamps, wood-lined walls and framed photos of Korean night scenes mark this as an understated destination for a casual night out. Though there’s a second floor, downstairs is best if you want to catch the attention of the busy wait-staff.

The tabloid-size menu packs all the usual suspects, from bibimbap (stir-fried rice in Korean style, B200) to tokpokki (rice cake, B139), all of which get you access to refillable pickled sides like kimchi, bean sprouts and Chinese cabbage. Classic dishes like japchae (stir-fried rice vermicelli, B179) and dolsot bibimbap (Korean hot pot fried-rice, B199) offer the type of well-rounded flavors we love about Korean food.

But others can come across as a little imbalanced at times, like the overly peppery kimchi fried rice with khai matoom (oozy egg, B149) or pork bulgogi (stir-fried pork, B169) with ssamjang (Korean barbecue soybean paste) that’s lacking in pungency or aroma.

However, if there’s one reason to come back to Kimchi Hour it’s their crunchy, juicy fried chicken (B120) that gives Bonchon a run for its money. It’s available in three sauces, including garlic and spicy, but we can’t go past the original gochujang, which is tangy, sweet and salty all at once.

On top of friendly service and cheap prices, the food here is served incredibly quickly (a mere 10 minutes after placing our order on our last visit). Kimchi Hour is a solid choice for a Korean food-fix when you’re in the neighborhood (there’s another branch at Major Ratchayothin, too), but for real connoisseurs Sukhumvit’s Korean Town still represents the benchmark. 

This review took place in February 2017 and is based on a visit to the restaurant without the restaurant's knowledge. For more on BK's review policy, click here.