The story
Dongnae is a Korean restaurant at 5-7 Chandos Road, Redland, Bristol, and it was ranked No. 12 on the National Restaurant Awards Top 100 in 2026. Kyu Jeong Jeon and Duncan Robertson opened it in September 2024 as a sister restaurant to their Stokes Croft spot, Bokman.
The charcoal grill anchors the menu, with wagyu strip loin, eonyang bulgogi and BBQ quail cooked over the fire. Smaller plates lean on fermentation, such as Jinju style raw beef with house gochujang and Korean pear. Kimchi and jeotgal are fermented in-house, and the banchan are made fresh each day.
The room occupies two former Victorian shops, now lit by paper lanterns and furnished with recycled plastic stools. Diners sit at a communal wooden counter facing the open kitchen. The wine list focuses on low-intervention bottles from Vine Trail, with a few special bottles alongside.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
'I have visited multiple times,' observes a fan, 'and every time the food, hospitality and atmosphere have been exceptional.' We don't want to say we told you so, but we flagged Duncan Robertson and Kyu Jeong as Chefs to Watch in 2025, and here we are. In the Redland district of Bristol, their Korean venue's name means 'neighbourhood', signifying everything we expect in a local favourite. Kyu draws productively on her own gastronomic heritage, but also takes a looser approach, weaving Korean flavours and techniques into freshly inventive dishes that might act as gateways to those who are new to them. Charcoal-grilled meats, including pork skirt and wagyu striploin, are the heart of the operation, but seasonal asparagus or Cornish red mullet might find themselves sizzling too. Meanwhile, smaller plates offer pin-sharp seasoning elements – gochujang, baek-kimchi, mussel salt with soondae blood sausage – that set the palate alight. Low-intervention wines, including chilled reds and crisp bubbles, make for great partnerships.
Location
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