A must-try for authentic elevated Korean food! This place uses traditional, heartfelt home recipes with high quality ingredients—it’s easily among the best Korean dining I’ve had in the States. The experience was matched by impeccable service; the entire team was exceptionally nice and thoughtful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mina Kim
As a Korean person, dining at Iru healed my soul! Iru is such a great addition to the Boston Korean restaurants. Definitely hands down the best one by far. All banchan were cooked and seasoned perfectly, samgyetang was comparable to many restaurants in Korea. Even many restaurants in Korea buy banchan, because it’s a lot of work to make them from scratch. Iru is not a cheap dinner spot- it’s definitely a bit pricey but I could taste that every dollar goes into making sure the food is good. Korean food takes lots of effort and they put that effort in the right way! I highly recommend experiencing Iru :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Japchae, Take Set, Chicken Ginseng, Raw Scallops
R Tay
The place is cosy; staff were on point the entire evening. We ordered the Toku set since we decided to try everything as it was our first visit. Everything was so good; the scallops were outstanding; as was the galbi chim. I really loved everything. The least favorite dish was Bindaetteok; but since I ordered rice to go with the Galbi Chim, I was already full and that played a part for sure. I’m coming back for sure!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Japchae, Ginseng Chicken Soup, Slow Braised Beef Short Ribs, Marinated Raw Scallop
Chris Chaky
Delicious food and excellent service! We especially loved the anchovy and seaweed banchans, marinated ebi and scallop, bossum, kalbi chim, and of course the samgyetang. There was so much food for the price, and the staff was very friendly. We are excited to come back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Japchae, Ginseng Chicken Soup, Slow-Braised Beef Short Rib, Marinated Raw Scallop
Annette Appiah
amazing service and staff, samgyetang tasted great and felt cozy on a cold fall day. 10/10 will be coming back
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Esther Lee
This is truly one of the best Korean restaurants in Boston. When the entire banchan was spread out in the table in front of us, I got quite emotional as it had been a long time since I had a full Korean spread that was high quality AND felt like home. It’s the type of food that is both soothing and exciting. It’s certainly pricey but Korean food in general is on the pricier side in Boston, and the care and passion behind each side dish and the samgyetang is unmatched. Samgyetang is historically a summer dish in Korea but I honestly cant wait to go again in the winter! Staff and service are wonderful, as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rose L
10/10 would recommend. It was so cozy, so lovely and just such a memorable experience. Elegant and elevated with a relaxed atmosphere. We will be adding this spot to our regular date night rotation.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chenzhe Cao
Dining at Iru was nothing short of an exquisite experience—a masterclass in refinement, balance, and understated elegance for a restaurant in Boston, with roots from Japan. From the moment we arrived, service was impeccable: attentive without intrusion, warm yet polished.
While the menu initially appeared extensive, it soon revealed itself to be a thoughtfully tiered prix fixe journey. We opted for the Matsu package, which unfolded gracefully through a progression of textures and flavors—from the delicate banchans and silky japchae, to a beautifully executed seafood course (shrimp or scallop per guest), and the pristine bossum, served clean and perfectly seasoned.
The centerpiece, samgyetang—a sticky rice–stuffed organic chicken infused with goji berries and ginseng—was deeply comforting, its richness elevated by subtle herbal notes. Definitely this is something you want during the cold and dark days in winter. While the broth leaned slightly on the salty side, it remained deeply satisfying, carrying that soulful warmth found only in truly well-made soups.
Portions are deceptively modest but cumulatively fulfilling, a testament to the kitchen’s precision and restraint. The ambiance, meanwhile, evokes modern Seoul: intimate, softly lit, and thoughtfully composed…though seating can feel snug at peak times.
Reservations are essential (they open on the 15th of the prior month), and for good reason. Iru is arguably the finest expression of Korean dining in Boston today—a restaurant that honors tradition while confidently embracing contemporary sophistication.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Vivi Lee
While a touch too salty, the food is delicious and the variety in banchan was lovely. The service was amazing too - very attentive. However, the food is VERY OVERPRICED (especially considering that samgye-tang traditionally is nowhere near this pricy) and the cost cannot be justified. It’s simply too expensive for the type of food that is being served and depending on the size of the party, portions could be small for meats. It’s a nice place to go once but I would not recommend or return.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Shuran Wang
Paid almost 100 per person for not even food truck food and 0 service…
Pre made food, not worth it! Other people were right abt their bad reviews. Should have trusted it
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
yitong li
this is the worst restaurant I’ve ever been to in Boston. Do not come with more than 4 friends. They literally give you only 1 person’s food and charge everyone the same price!! We paid more than 90 /person and didn’t even feel full. worst ever
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Anna Anna
TL;DR: A rip off. Overpriced, underserved, would not visit again, and wouldn’t recommend if you haven’t visited yet.
Long version:
First of all is the unreasonable pricing and serving portions. We were a table of four and were told we could only order the sets ($55, $60, $70, or $80 per guest). The sets were mostly small appetizers (banchan, kimchi and namul, which you usually get for free in other Korean restaurants) and then the chicken soup (samgyetang). We got the $55 set and added all the hot dishes on their menu as extra to try them out. These were supposed to be hearty, fulfilling Korean family food. Once served, we were surprised that the amount of food in the set did not increase with number of guests - the waitress told us four guests would get the same amount as two guests. And we only got one pot of soup. We have never experienced such a rip-off. If we knew this, we would rather split into two tables, spend the same dollar amount but get twice the food. The pricing is simply ridiculous. The more guests there are, the less sense it makes.
Was the limited amount of food any good? It was… meh. We have had better Korean food for far cheaper, and a lot more honest. The flavor profile of all the appetizers and hot dishes was bipolar, swinging between intense saltiness and toasted sesame oil, overshadowing everything else. The samgyetang was decent, a little salty to our taste, but at least had a little complexity of sweet and tart coming from the goji berries, heat from white pepper, and texture contrast between chicken and sticky rice. Was the soup $100 good (if we sat at the bar, the same one pot of soup would be $25 per guest, hence $100)? No no. The four of us jokingly came to the consensus that it was about $38 good. And they ran out of steamed rice at the peak hour of around 7:30pm, in a Korean restaurant, with 12 or 15 customers in total. Come on…
Adding salt to the wound, 1.5 hours into the dinner, another waiter came to our table and (passive aggressively) asked us if we wanted to take the soup to go while we were still eating. They then explained that they had a 2 hour time limit out of the blue and another group of guests would arrive soon. If they informed us when we made the reservation or upon our arrival, we would not say anything about it. At the end of the day, the waiters and waitresses didn’t set the time limit or the reservation times. The fault really falls onto the owner - how they train their employees to ensure clear communication, and how they should time their reservations properly. Again, if they charge fine-dining-like set menu prices, they should treat their customers accordingly. Unfortunately, we did not experience that. It feels like the owner is trying too hard to sell hearty Korean food in a Japanese set menu setting for a fat profit margin, but it just didn’t work for us.
Throughout the whole dinner, we all felt a clear misalignment between the expectation and the reality of the food, the service, and the price. Coming into the dinner, considering how the restaurant emphasized on its history and pedigree, we expected certain levels of care to food and service. That was not the case. We didn’t learn a thing about any of the dishes, including the soup, like how long it took to make, where the ginseng came from, or how come a Korean restaurant ran out of steamed rice. I mean, at least try to sell us the history and pedigree and justify the pricing.
I would recommend you save the trip and money and visit other more honest Korean restaurants further up Harvard Ave.
Oh did I mention they ran out of steamed rice?
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Sherry Z
I liked the raw marinated shrimp and scallop, but I do think the banchans tasted average, so charging them just because they are “homemade” seems quite laughable, as usually banchans are served for free as appetizers in Korean restaurants.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Richie Charle
Side dishes you’d get for free elsewhere are the mains here. Wagyu was gamey, pancake soggy, and every dish swung between too salty or flavorless—might as well mix it all together. Service was nice, but you can’t eat service
A must-try for authentic elevated Korean food! This place uses traditional, heartfelt home recipes with high quality ingredients—it’s easily among the best Korean dining I’ve had in the States. The experience was matched by impeccable service; the entire team was exceptionally nice and thoughtful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
As a Korean person, dining at Iru healed my soul! Iru is such a great addition to the Boston Korean restaurants. Definitely hands down the best one by far. All banchan were cooked and seasoned perfectly, samgyetang was comparable to many restaurants in Korea. Even many restaurants in Korea buy banchan, because it’s a lot of work to make them from scratch. Iru is not a cheap dinner spot- it’s definitely a bit pricey but I could taste that every dollar goes into making sure the food is good. Korean food takes lots of effort and they put that effort in the right way! I highly recommend experiencing Iru :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Japchae, Take Set, Chicken Ginseng, Raw Scallops
The place is cosy; staff were on point the entire evening. We ordered the Toku set since we decided to try everything as it was our first visit. Everything was so good; the scallops were outstanding; as was the galbi chim. I really loved everything. The least favorite dish was Bindaetteok; but since I ordered rice to go with the Galbi Chim, I was already full and that played a part for sure. I’m coming back for sure!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Japchae, Ginseng Chicken Soup, Slow Braised Beef Short Ribs, Marinated Raw Scallop
Delicious food and excellent service! We especially loved the anchovy and seaweed banchans, marinated ebi and scallop, bossum, kalbi chim, and of course the samgyetang. There was so much food for the price, and the staff was very friendly. We are excited to come back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Japchae, Ginseng Chicken Soup, Slow-Braised Beef Short Rib, Marinated Raw Scallop
amazing service and staff, samgyetang tasted great and felt cozy on a cold fall day. 10/10 will be coming back
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is truly one of the best Korean restaurants in Boston. When the entire banchan was spread out in the table in front of us, I got quite emotional as it had been a long time since I had a full Korean spread that was high quality AND felt like home. It’s the type of food that is both soothing and exciting. It’s certainly pricey but Korean food in general is on the pricier side in Boston, and the care and passion behind each side dish and the samgyetang is unmatched. Samgyetang is historically a summer dish in Korea but I honestly cant wait to go again in the winter! Staff and service are wonderful, as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
10/10 would recommend. It was so cozy, so lovely and just such a memorable experience. Elegant and elevated with a relaxed atmosphere. We will be adding this spot to our regular date night rotation.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dining at Iru was nothing short of an exquisite experience—a masterclass in refinement, balance, and understated elegance for a restaurant in Boston, with roots from Japan. From the moment we arrived, service was impeccable: attentive without intrusion, warm yet polished.
While the menu initially appeared extensive, it soon revealed itself to be a thoughtfully tiered prix fixe journey. We opted for the Matsu package, which unfolded gracefully through a progression of textures and flavors—from the delicate banchans and silky japchae, to a beautifully executed seafood course (shrimp or scallop per guest), and the pristine bossum, served clean and perfectly seasoned.
The centerpiece, samgyetang—a sticky rice–stuffed organic chicken infused with goji berries and ginseng—was deeply comforting, its richness elevated by subtle herbal notes. Definitely this is something you want during the cold and dark days in winter. While the broth leaned slightly on the salty side, it remained deeply satisfying, carrying that soulful warmth found only in truly well-made soups.
Portions are deceptively modest but cumulatively fulfilling, a testament to the kitchen’s precision and restraint. The ambiance, meanwhile, evokes modern Seoul: intimate, softly lit, and thoughtfully composed…though seating can feel snug at peak times.
Reservations are essential (they open on the 15th of the prior month), and for good reason. Iru is arguably the finest expression of Korean dining in Boston today—a restaurant that honors tradition while confidently embracing contemporary sophistication.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
While a touch too salty, the food is delicious and the variety in banchan was lovely. The service was amazing too - very attentive. However, the food is VERY OVERPRICED (especially considering that samgye-tang traditionally is nowhere near this pricy) and the cost cannot be justified. It’s simply too expensive for the type of food that is being served and depending on the size of the party, portions could be small for meats. It’s a nice place to go once but I would not recommend or return.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Paid almost 100 per person for not even food truck food and 0 service…
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
Pre made food, not worth it! Other people were right abt their bad reviews. Should have trusted it
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
this is the worst restaurant I’ve ever been to in Boston. Do not come with more than 4 friends. They literally give you only 1 person’s food and charge everyone the same price!! We paid more than 90 /person and didn’t even feel full. worst ever
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
TL;DR: A rip off. Overpriced, underserved, would not visit again, and wouldn’t recommend if you haven’t visited yet.
Long version:
First of all is the unreasonable pricing and serving portions. We were a table of four and were told we could only order the sets ($55, $60, $70, or $80 per guest). The sets were mostly small appetizers (banchan, kimchi and namul, which you usually get for free in other Korean restaurants) and then the chicken soup (samgyetang). We got the $55 set and added all the hot dishes on their menu as extra to try them out. These were supposed to be hearty, fulfilling Korean family food. Once served, we were surprised that the amount of food in the set did not increase with number of guests - the waitress told us four guests would get the same amount as two guests. And we only got one pot of soup. We have never experienced such a rip-off. If we knew this, we would rather split into two tables, spend the same dollar amount but get twice the food. The pricing is simply ridiculous. The more guests there are, the less sense it makes.
Was the limited amount of food any good? It was… meh. We have had better Korean food for far cheaper, and a lot more honest. The flavor profile of all the appetizers and hot dishes was bipolar, swinging between intense saltiness and toasted sesame oil, overshadowing everything else. The samgyetang was decent, a little salty to our taste, but at least had a little complexity of sweet and tart coming from the goji berries, heat from white pepper, and texture contrast between chicken and sticky rice. Was the soup $100 good (if we sat at the bar, the same one pot of soup would be $25 per guest, hence $100)? No no. The four of us jokingly came to the consensus that it was about $38 good. And they ran out of steamed rice at the peak hour of around 7:30pm, in a Korean restaurant, with 12 or 15 customers in total. Come on…
Adding salt to the wound, 1.5 hours into the dinner, another waiter came to our table and (passive aggressively) asked us if we wanted to take the soup to go while we were still eating. They then explained that they had a 2 hour time limit out of the blue and another group of guests would arrive soon. If they informed us when we made the reservation or upon our arrival, we would not say anything about it. At the end of the day, the waiters and waitresses didn’t set the time limit or the reservation times. The fault really falls onto the owner - how they train their employees to ensure clear communication, and how they should time their reservations properly. Again, if they charge fine-dining-like set menu prices, they should treat their customers accordingly. Unfortunately, we did not experience that. It feels like the owner is trying too hard to sell hearty Korean food in a Japanese set menu setting for a fat profit margin, but it just didn’t work for us.
Throughout the whole dinner, we all felt a clear misalignment between the expectation and the reality of the food, the service, and the price. Coming into the dinner, considering how the restaurant emphasized on its history and pedigree, we expected certain levels of care to food and service. That was not the case. We didn’t learn a thing about any of the dishes, including the soup, like how long it took to make, where the ginseng came from, or how come a Korean restaurant ran out of steamed rice. I mean, at least try to sell us the history and pedigree and justify the pricing.
I would recommend you save the trip and money and visit other more honest Korean restaurants further up Harvard Ave.
Oh did I mention they ran out of steamed rice?
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
I liked the raw marinated shrimp and scallop, but I do think the banchans tasted average, so charging them just because they are “homemade” seems quite laughable, as usually banchans are served for free as appetizers in Korean restaurants.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Side dishes you’d get for free elsewhere are the mains here. Wagyu was gamey, pancake soggy, and every dish swung between too salty or flavorless—might as well mix it all together. Service was nice, but you can’t eat service
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
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