Table of Contents
Traveling to South Korea is the dream for many K-pop, K-drama, and Korean food fans, but flying halfway around the world is not always realistic. The good news? You do not have to leave your continent to taste a little bit of Korea. Thanks to decades of Korean migration and the global hallyu wave, vibrant Koreatowns now thrive on five continents, each serving up Korean BBQ, soju, K-beauty, and noraebang. Here are 5 Koreatowns outside South Korea where you can soak up Korean diaspora culture without a passport.
Los Angeles, U.S.A.
One of the most famous Koreatowns in the world sits in sunny Los Angeles. Located west of Downtown LA and south of Hollywood, K-town spans roughly three square miles and houses one of the largest Korean American communities in the country. The neighborhood is celebrated for its Korean BBQ scene, with dozens of restaurants offering everything from premium beef to all-you-can-eat menus, all served with a generous spread of banchan side dishes. Beyond food, K-town has more large Korean malls than any similarly sized area in the U.S., plus 24-hour karaoke bars, K-beauty shops, and trendy cafes that keep the lights on long after midnight.
New York, U.S.A.
If LA's Koreatown sprawls, New York's K-town stacks. Tucked between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in Midtown Manhattan, the block of West 32nd Street known as Korea Way packs Korean restaurants, karaoke rooms, day spas, and dessert cafes into a few neon-lit floors of vertical real estate. Many spots stay open 24 hours, which makes it the perfect post-Broadway or post-clubbing destination. Whether you want Korean fried chicken at 2 a.m., a soothing scrub at a jjimjilbang, or a stop at a Korean-language bookstore, Koreatown NYC delivers a concentrated dose of Seoul energy in the heart of the city.
Sydney, Australia
Sydney actually has two Koreatowns. The downtown hub runs along Pitt Street in the CBD, between Liverpool and Goulburn Streets, where suljibs (Korean alcohol houses), karaoke bars, and late-night restaurants like 88 Pocha and Sydney Madang stay open well into the early hours. About 30 minutes west, the inner-west suburb of Strathfield, dubbed Little Korea, is a quieter strip-mall style neighborhood with Korean bakeries, grocers, dumpling shops, and BBQ joints clustered along The Boulevarde. Together they reflect a Korean Australian community that has grown rapidly since the 1970s and helped reshape the country's late-night dining scene.
Toronto, Canada
Toronto's Koreatown, affectionately nicknamed Little Korea, runs along Bloor Street West between Christie and Bathurst Streets in the city's Midtown. Korean migration to Canada took off after the country adopted a more open immigration policy in 1967, and many newcomers settled in this Bloor and Bathurst pocket. Today both sides of the street are lined with Korean BBQ joints, bakeries, K-beauty boutiques, milk tea cafes, and Korean-style spas. It is also a major hub for Korean Canadian cultural events, and the area buzzes loudest whenever the Korean national football team plays.
New Malden, England
About 30 minutes southwest of central London, the leafy suburb of New Malden hosts the largest Korean community in Europe, with an estimated 20,000 ethnic Koreans (including a notable North Korean refugee population) living in and around the area. Walk down the New Malden High Street and you will find Korean bakeries, supermarkets like Seoul Plaza, K-beauty shops, churches, and over 20 Korean restaurants and cafes serving everything from buffet-style KBBQ at K-Town to honey-glazed Korean fried chicken at Chick & Beers. Stop by Cake & Bingsoo for shaved-ice desserts, then end the night the proper Korean way: a session of noraebang (Korean karaoke).
Bringing Korea Closer to Home
These five Koreatowns are just a slice of the global Korean diaspora. Wherever you go, the formula is the same: warm hospitality, sizzling KBBQ, late-night soju runs, and a community keeping Korean culture alive far from the peninsula. Whether you find yourself in LA, NYC, Sydney, Toronto, or New Malden, you can experience hallyu in person without flying to Seoul. So let us know in the comments: what is the closest Koreatown to you, and what is your favorite spot to visit?
Explore More of Korea with Daebak
Want to bring a little piece of Korea into your life no matter where you live? The Daebak Box is packed with the best Korean snacks, ramen, and cultural goodies delivered monthly to your door.
