In Florence, known for its great Florentine Steak, Hallasan, a Korean restaurant, is redefining the culinary scene by offering a unique twist on traditional meat dishes. Located on Via Guelfa, this establishment stands out for showcasing the world’s most prestigious beef cuts, including Kobe beef and the multi-award-winning beef raised by Muhenaru Ozaki, just an hour and forty-five minutes flight from Tokyo. Despite being a newcomer, having opened just a few months ago, Hallasan promises to be one of the city’s most exciting international restaurants, with a special focus on high-quality meat.
Hallasan was brought to life by Korean entrepreneur Xu Hilton, who has been an active member of the Florence business community for 15 years. The restaurant’s name, inspired by the tallest mountain in Korea, reflects the owner’s lofty ambitions in the culinary world. Following in the footsteps of Fulin, the city’s first luxury Chinese restaurant, Hallasan aspires to deliver a premium dining experience that stands out from the ordinary.
What truly sets Hallasan apart in Florence’s dining scene is not just its ambition but its unique features. Each table boasts a charcoal brazier at its center, where staff expertly cook various meat cuts from the menu, ranging from filet to dry-aged ribs, either in their natural state or marinated in a distinctive Korean soy sauce. The emphasis on meat is such that sampling a dish at Hallasan becomes an essential experience for all guests, as highlighted in the menu. With meat dish prices exceeding 50 euros per person, the value delivered to the table is unmistakably high.
Accompanying the meat are four condiments — Maldon salt flakes, Japanese ginger, caramelized onion, and freshly grated wasabi — each escalating in intensity, alongside an extensive selection of sides. Among these primarily vegetable-based sides are seasonal offerings like honeyed pumpkin and specialties from Korean culinary tradition, including the iconic Kimchi, cabbage with sesame seeds, spicy green onion salad, fresh and tangy radish, and beetroot, providing a deep dive into Korean cuisine with appetizers that complement the main attraction.
“The sequence of serving meat before spicier dishes,” the owner explains, “is designed to first introduce the palate to the beef’s unique richness, then to more robust flavors.” This approach ensures that the subtle flavors of the meat, cooked to perfection on the coals, are beautifully balanced with the more intensely flavored sides, making a single grilled dish profoundly satisfying without adhering to the traditional Western progression of courses.
In its initial months, Hallasan primarily attracted an Asian clientele, including tourists and Florence residents. However, as word of mouth has spread, an increasing number of locals have become intrigued by this unique approach to enjoying grilled meat, adding to the restaurant’s growing reputation.
