Korean Village Restaurant

Yet again, another wonderful experience at this restaurant. Jay, the owners son, is passionate about the business his parents opened and it shows. He takes pride in this place and it makes a difference. Cheers to the kitchen, we ordered Korean BBQ and the sushi platter and it was all amazing, everyone loved it!

Lots of selections on the manual, authentic food, great service and dining environment. I am deducting a star because there are not many appetizers (only 4 kinds)

Had a great time at Korean Village. Large menu, friendly staff, tasty food. A lot of famous people had passed through those doors. I didn’t realize this place was such a staple in Koreatown.
We were given complimentary fried dumplings (my friend joked it’s because I sheepishly ordered in Korean, but apparently it is a fairly standard treat). I wasn’t crazy about their ddukboki or their kimchi, but the massive portion of bibimbap made me forget all about it. So did the lemon soju — you gotta try it!
We met the owner when we were paying for our bills and she was lovely! Would definitely return.

Came here for a birthday party with a large group of around 20 people.
Initially they gave us trouble told us that they were busy and cannot give us individual cheques. We told them most of us had cards and don’t see each other making it hard to pay each other back. Then after much back and forth they agreed to it. (but in the ended they still put 6 people on a bill)
My negative sentiments towards the service redeemed a little when they offered us three plates of dumplings on the house. It was kind gesture after realizing there was a birthday boy at the table.
The service I would describe as tough love. Harsh but served with kindness. They drop and push food around on the table but hey at least it’s fast.
I ordered the pork bone soup after reading many positive reviews about it but I didn’t find it to be all that. The pork was on the dry side, the broth terribly bland and it was so expensive! $ 10.99. Okay well I guess $ 11 for a meal is generally cheap but I’m used to the $ 8 pork bone soups everywhere else.
I can’t eat very spicy so I usually tell the servers to make my soup mild but this time I forgot but it wasn’t spicy at all (to my advantage. Don’t expect this to pack heat if you’re in the mood for spicy.
Their stone bowl bibimbaps are $ 16 –_​– pretty ridiculous. I’ve never seen bimbimbaps for that much. You would expect it to be out of this world right? My friend admitted that his $ 8 bibimbap he had the day before from a sketchy looking shop he doesn’t remember the name of was better.
Would only come back to try the BBQ, but it mstarts at $ 21/​person for what looks like pretty a small portion… so actually probably won’t come back.

I came here with a couple of friends to celebrate someone’s birthday. We ordered the KBBQ to share, and the waitress helped us put everything onto the grill (after we nearly burned ourselves, oops). It was my first time having authentic KBBQ, and honestly it was so good I’m already craving for more. My side of the table got the pork belly and bulgogi (came with some mushrooms too). Although the meat didn’t exactly wow me, it was generally a good experience.
I tried some of my friend’s jajangmyun which was a lot better than I expected. There were a lot of onions left over, but I don’t know if that’s because he was being picky or if they used onions as a filler ingredient.
What I also like about this place is the size of their side dishes. Normally, the portions at other Korean restaurants are modest, but the ones here were pretty plentiful (but we were a large group, so that may have influenced it). Limited in variety, but still very good.
The only con was the service. We didn’t have enough utensils for the amount of people we had, and the waitress didn’t get around getting another set for about twenty minutes. She also seemed kinda confused and frantic, but it was busy, so I can let that go. Strangely enough, she lied about there only being wifi on the top floor of the place even though I was already connected (she was saying this to the other end of my table).
Because we were a group larger than six, the restaurant charged us a 15% service fee. That’s pretty normal, so no complaints. They also gave us lollipops after we got the bill, which was really nice. I loved the lollipops; they were great.
Overall, this was a great experience, and I’m already looking forward to the next time I’m at Korean Village.

Ended up here because the other Korean BBQ place we wanted seems to have shut down. When you walk in, there are numerous pics of celebrities who have visited over the years. We were seated at the back of the restaurant and there was quite the clutter of items (broken screen, boxes, etc) piled next to our table which was a bit odd. I’m not sure why this wouldn’t have been placed in the back out of sight of the customers. We were disappointed to find out they don’t have any AYCE BBQ so we just ordered other dishes. The portion sizes were reasonable but the service was a bit slow. We didn’t get our appetizers for a while and it’s not like other Korean places that provide you unlimited side dishes of kimchi, etc.
We ordered the bulgogi kimchi dolsot bibimbap which was impressive. The pork katsu curry was ok but nothing spectacular. The seafood soup was a bit too spicy for my friend but at least it had some kick to it. Overall, it’s ok but I prefer Korean BBQ where you have the option of unlimited meat and sides.

The first thing I thought when I walked in to the place, was whether I was at the right place. It looked like a Japanese restaurant to me, and I confirmed the address by asking one of the hostess. The front entrance area is lined with photos with celebrities from all over the world, it looked impressive, but the place feels the opposite.
It’s required to order two portions in order to get table top bbqing. Therefore, we placed an order of the pork belly ($ 20.99) and seafood ($ 22.99). The bbq came with a bean paste sauce and a little basket full of romaine lettuces that are halved. There was no raw garlics or peppers that you usually find in a Korean bbq house. The meal came with 4 different «ban chan» (side dishes), and you have to pay if you want refills of the ban chan.
Overall, the meal was mediocre, I’ve had better Korean table top bbq in Toronto. Most Korean restaurants provides a lot of variety of ban chan with free refills, whereas it was not the case at Korean Village Restaurant. The service was ok. We won’t be back.

Brought my YEA for their first authentic KBBQ experience and it was a very satisfying experience!
So, I was fully expecting (and ready) to do the cooking but was pleasantly surprised but appreciative that they would cook the plates of raw food on your behalf.
We ordered a plate of the pork belly and kalbi and the service staff were attentive in dropping by our table to cook the pieces to our delicious satisfaction. There were plenty of banchan, sliced raw garlic, lettuce, and korean bbq sauce to create a yummy package to nom.
The KBBQ smoke will seep into your clothes after the meal so don’t eat this if you are going elsewhere later in the evening that would make other people drool in hunger.
Fact-​That-​May-​Only-​Interest-​Me: I guess in Korean culture women don’t normally eat sliced raw garlic with their KBBQ so they a little taken aback when both of us dug into them.

Horrible service, waited 30mins and the side dishes aren’t even here. Server was even getting annoyed when we asked for both tea and water, WTH! Can’t believe this! What’s even worse is that the table next to us which came after us got their food and our side dishes aren’t even here. The place isn’t even busy!!! Only reason I gave this place a one star is the fact that I can’t give anything lower and that the food was pretty good.

I came here on a weekday night, and the place was moderately busy, which is a great sign!
We immediately noticed the celebrity wall when we came in and same some familiar celebrities that have visited the restaurant (ex Sandra Oh). We were greeted by the friendly owner (I’m assuming) who is friendly but lack English prowess.
I ordered the standard pork bone soup, and it was very well seasoned, had a good serving size, and is reasonably priced. I would definitely recommend visiting this place if you are ever around the Bloor/​Bathurst area!

[16/​20]
The food was great and the restaurant was nice and clean.
(8÷10) Food
The food was authentic and tasty! However it was quite expensive per person (~14) as the individual dinner meals were priced on the higher side. The serving sizes were generous tho, so it was worth it.
(5÷5) Atmosphere
The restaurant was kept clean and organized. The decorations were on point and it was fairly quiet even as it got busy.
(3÷5) Service
The service was pretty good but we didn’t get water or tea until we asked for it. The food came quickly tho and they were kind to us.

We came we saw and Jay entered…
The owner’s enthusiasm and flair while helping us grill the meal was worth the price of admission (marinated meats).
Would definitely go back. Great time super nice owners and smells of bbq heaven.

I had, the bean sprout and mixed vegetable beef soup. The dish was good and so was the kimchi side dish.
However, the server forgot to bring one of us utensils and on top of that, they charged us a predetermined tip on the bill. That’s unacceptable– tips shouldn’t be determined by the restaurant, they should be determined by the customer.
I’m not happy with this action by the restaurant and I’ve heard it isn’t something they always do. YMMV but take this review as a warning it could happen.

Birthdays are best when there’s Korean BBQ! Everyone’s über friendly here which is a huge plus, so thank you ajjumas!!!
Kalbi (3.5÷5) — nothing special! Skippppp
Pork Belly (⁵⁄₅) — okay I’m so samgyupsal (pork belly) biased! Loved it here, this was sooooo good. I got the not spicy one – next time I will definitely consider getting the other one
Kimchi Jeon (3.5÷5) — just okay, I love when Jeon has a bite to it so this is just not my type of pancake
Mandu (³⁄₅) — nahhhhhhh skip this one too, the filling is a bit on the nonexistent side – who likes practically empty dumplings?
Jjajangmyun (4.5÷5) — real good!!! Get this! The noodles and sauce go well together and it’s just super tasty
Things that make this place stand out isn’t really the food – while it’s great and all it’s really just grilled meat at the end of the day! What does make this place awesome is its service and the LETTUCE OMG I hate how other places skimp on the lettuce and leave you hanging you know what I mean? Then you gotta ask for more and feel bad about needing them greens but this place gives you what you need!
Also it was my birthday and they gave me ice cream wrapped in mochi for freeeee yasssss

A group of us were visiting Toronto for a long weekend and had a couple in the group that have never had Korean BBQ. We pulled up Unilocal and one of the group members saw the picture of Jackie Chan and decided if he went there we had to also. We were able to get in right away which was great since we were all starving from walking around all day.
After ordering enough food for a crowd we started cooking. I like to cook the sliced garlic on the grill, this must be a no-​no since the waitress scolded me for doing so and promptly removed them off the grill. I hung my head in shame for a couple of seconds, did a shot of soju and got back to grilling.
I wish they had hood vents over the tables as some Korean bbq places do as we all walked out of there smelling like grilled food. Overall everyone enjoyed the food and was a good way to end our trip.

Expensive compared to other restaurants in Koreatown. Didn’t find food to be that good.
Tried the fried dumplings, kalbi beef ($ 24.99), beef bi bim bap, fish stew, and pork bone soup. Each of these dishes was at minimum $ 10. And they came with a side of white rice (not the purple).
The shared dishes included fish cake, bean sprouts, pickled cucumber, and kimchi. Kimchi dish only had the hard part of the cabbage (no leafy parts).
Overall, I wasn’t that impressed by the quality of food or service here, and to add to that, the price point was high. I don’t plan on coming back here for korean food.

I’ve seen this large restaurant more than several times because I frequent Korea town A LOT! I never go in because based on my experiences in South Korea, the smaller and dingier the restaurant the more mom and pop home cooking you’ll get.
Recently my close expat friend who I met in SK was flying to Saskatchewan for training and would be gone for at least 6 months. So we all met up at Christie station and Korean Village was one of the choices I offered them based on the ratings on Unilocal.My friend of the hour picked it because of the bbq which I also sometimes avoid in canada due to the difference in serving it.
We walked in to look at their menu and this nice gentleman comes over to give us some menus and also says he hopes we’ll stay for dinner. Locked in: because that we decided to stay.
Best decision ever made!!! The gentleman’s name is Jason and he is 75% the reason for the 5* rating… the other 75% is the food of course. (Yes, I’m fully aware that makes 150% ^_​^) He is the owner’s son and even introduced us to his mother at the end of our meal.
He was attentive, friendly and joking with us the whole meal. I’m not sure if he does this with a lot of customers but it sure made us feel special. Some of our group learned Korean (Hanguel) in Korea so he made it a point to chat with us in Korean. He came out with extra panchan that we had yet to see on any table in Canada. Gave us an extra plate of mandu (fried dumplings) free tastes great but those mandus were definitely delicious!
The bbq/​pork bone soup and korean pancake we got were all delicious. The pancake wasn’t too doughy and had a lot of ingredients fried into the crispy goodness. The lettuce wrap and garlic that accompanied our meat made me smile. Too many chinese copy cats in the city.
At the end of the 2 hour meal, Jason came by with some bags of loose leaf korean teas for my friend who was leaving and soju shot glasses for all 4 of us. He was so happy, I can’t help but even smile now while writing this. He definitely made my day, dining experience and probably week. He remembered our names through out the entire meal.
Best part is that last week I was talking to my best friend’s parents about this place and they had the same experience of friendliness more than a year ago! What a great neighborhood based restaurant with service you rarely see nowadays. No wonder it was crazy busy on a weekday!
The menu is vast and you’ll find a lot of different types of Korean cuisine on the menu. I’ll definitely go back for another meal soon :)

I have been to this restaurant many times now and as everyone knows, it’s one of the most popular Korean places in downtown. Just because this is the most popular place does not mean it’s the best Korean food in the city (which many people seem to assume).
Food: I’ve had their gamjatang which is great, good size for the price. I’ve also had their naengmyun which is not my favorite. The noodles were too chewy and al dente which is odd for Korean noodles. The spicy sauce is decent and the first time I had it their ice was in chunks which wasn’t pleasant. However the second time it was more slushy and blended well with the sauce. Next I’ve tried their Jampong which I thought lacked dimension in flavor and was just salty. Portion sizes were very generous however. We also tried their kalbi which was very good but pricey. Finally the Kampungi was decent and again great portion size. We have not tried the BBQ here but it is pricey on the menu and I would recommend going elsewhere for BBQ.
Service: I can’t say enough about their great service, and I think this is the highlight of this restaurant. The servers are all very friendly and easily accessible (even on a Saturday evening). The manager’s son (didn’t catch his name) is probably the best server I’ve ever encountered. He makes sure everything is in order for you and responds lightning fast with anything you need. Last time I was there he insisted on giving us complimentary rice and extra Kampunggi (claiming he thought the portion wasn’t big enough!). I would definitely recommend speaking to him if you are there and he will make your meal very entertaining and satisfying.
Drinks: We don’t usually order anything to drink here, the drinks are quite pricey.
In conclusion, their food is decent, great portion sizes, some can be pricey, but they have the best service I have experienced in a Korean restaurant. Definitely worth a try.

5 star Korean BBQ ! Awesome service and the owners son visits your table to talk. The meats are top quality and they even teach you how to properly cook the meat!
Family run since the 70’s.
Definitely going back soon!

Chow Yun Fat? Nelly Furtado? Jackie Chan?!
This place may have been graced by some of the world’s finest. However, if this is the best Korean BBQ that Toronto can offer, then I am going to have to stay away from it the next time I come.
Okay, okay… admittedly, I am reviewing through the lends of an LA boy, where the heart of Korean food is located outside of Seoul. I found Korean Village Restaurant’s food as standard and nothing mind blowing. Our servers were standard for any Korean joint (aka you need to be assertive to get orders). Below are some of my pluses and minuses for my first KBBQ in Toronto:
Some positives:
— Spacious and good for large groups
— Kalbi was decently good!
— Accommodating for individuals who have never had KBBQ
Things that irked me:
— Portion sizes were small for what you pay for here
— Banchan was limited, and no free refills (which is bizarre)
— Pork belly had an extremely salty seasoning– I wish there was no seasoning at all!
— Sesame sauce was way too salty
— No rice paper anywhere to wrap your meat with
— Miso soup was terrible
Overall, I was not very impressed with KVR. It may stem from my background with KBBQ in LA, but some aspects listed above really made the experience pretty mediocre compared to what I’ve had before. My recommendation would be to avoid the KBBQ and go for other dishes– or relocate to a location with more Koreans dining inside. It’s usually a good sign!