Thumbs Up Korean Restaurant

Came here during the summer. Decided to randomly pop in for a quick snack and was greatly surprised! I ended up finding a hidden gem! Only had an order of deep fried dumplings and they still served us ban Chan (side dishes) which were amazing! Great and friendly little place

There’s something on the menu that is akin to a shrimp stir fried rice, and it was really depressing. It was peas and corn that looked like it came from a Green Giant bag, dry rice, and a few token tiny shrimp pieces. We wanted to like this place, but ended up eating «second dinner» at Smoke’s afterwards.

I have eaten at Thumbs Up many times. Despite the strange name, I have to strongly recommend the Pork Bone soup as the best I have had in Toronto (I have tried about a dozen others).

This place doesn’t look like much but the food is amazing, the service is very quick and at $ 29 for 3 dishes between 2 people, I’d say it’s good value too!
We had the pork bone soup, chicken with rice and the seafood pancake, which was a lot of food for two, but it tastes so good that you want to keep eating.
Definitely worth checking out. I expect to return!

First time here at this restaurant and true to its name, this place is a Thumbs Up.
My first impression of this place was medicore. The place looks like a typical and very casual cafeteria and had only 1 couple dining in. Looks wise, it looks like a place I would avoid but this place was recommended by a friend so why not. Ordered the bibimbap, pork born soup, and the dumpling and rice cake which totaled to about just over $ 23. The quantity was very generous for this price and for a small place, the service was excellent. Food came out within 5 min and the food was decent. I m glad I tried this place and would recommend it others.

My friend and I came in here after we discovered Seoul kitchen was packed post-​thunderstorm. Naturally anticipating eating the same type of fare that SK offers. I’ve eaten at this place a couple times in previous years and the price has hiked up while the menu has shrank. The kimchi soup hot pans with selected ingredients like tofu, pork, cabbage or beef are great. My spicy squid dish was adequately sweet and savory with spice levels done right. While I feel it’s definitely a go-​to for fast, cheap and good food something struck me as odd about tonight’s visit:
1. My friend and I were told hot pan for 2+ people weren’t available, and after a family of 6 walked in and ordered, they were given a hot pan with spam, instant noodle and vegetables… Hmmmm!
2. My friend got his bimbimbap in not-​a-​stone bowl. What’s the point then? The burned rice at the bottom is totally part of the experience! Oh well it is Korean fast food place
Otherwise the server offered to refill our water (from a hot/​cold water dispenser) often and was super polite. I feel bad for writing a snarky review but having known there were much better experiences… It’s kind of a shame.

Excellent prices & kamjatang (pork bone soup). Came here entirely on a whim (I checked out the menu outside and my friend and I shrugged and went, ‘why not?’ as we walked in. I mean, it is Koreatown… The food has got to be authentic!) as I was super hungry and it was one of the first places we saw. The server was very friendly and helpful. I ordered the kamjatang as that’s my go-​to dish at any Korean restaurant if trying the place for the first time (helps me guage how good and authentic it is) — and it was very delicious and spicy. The broth was flavourful and had lots of cabbage and meaty pork bone and potatoes to fill you substantially. A Korean family and Korean people were there as well so you know it’s approved :) I hear it is a family owned business, which is my favourite type of restaurants. It even has a homey family «kitchen» restaurant feel, not very impressive aesthetically but very clean interior space.
Thumbs up to Thumbs Up!

It’s a smaller restaurant, which means the service is excellent as they take time to cater to each person and to ensure that our needs are being met. The food is delicious and inexpensive. The pork bone soup was about $ 6 and one of the best in Korea town!

Tried their mul naengmyum yesterday, the hottest day so far this year. Delicious: the beef slices were tender and fat-​free, noodles well cooked and generous and their kimchi is good and tangy. The broth was a little sweet for my tastes, but well made. Best naengmyun I’ve had on the Bloor strip in a while – and about half the price of some! Will definitely go back for more of their menu.

I used to give them 5 stars in the past because I think their cabbage kimchi and porkbone soup are the best in town. I have come here to dine in for over 10 years. This family run restaurant was changed the ownership last three or four years and raised $ 1.00 — $ 2.00 more on all dishes in their menu. But it’s still within student’s budget. –1 point for interior décor.

Just had lunch here again. Ordered the pork bone soup. Service was prompt and the appetizers were good. Kimchi, potatoes, bean sprouts and cabbage. I’ve had better appetizers elsewhere but these tasted ok.
The pork bone soup was served piping hot with a side of rice. The meat was soft and tender. The broth was spicy and tasty. The veggies and potatoes were good.
Great price $ 6.19 plus tax! Would definitely go back. We had so much leftover they gave us containers to take it to go. Great value!

I (used to) love this place! My friend and I have been going there every Thursday for dinner for about a year now. The prices are great and the food is delicious. However, we haven’t been back in 2 weeks… The last time we were there, we seriously forgot to give a tip (we usually tip well)…the waiter ran out of the restaurant and CHASED US asking/​demanding for a tip! Such terrible taste! So needless to say, we haven’t been back since… food is good, but remember to tip ha ha!

I unfortunately have to lower my star rating, as my last experience was disappointing to say the least.
I’ve had good experiences in the past, with their «diner» category of food (tteokbokki, kimchi stirfry, etc), but they should really limit their menu to what they’re good at, and eliminate the rest.
Initially, I tried to order their «chinese» food, seafood jjamppong, but then they said that it was going to take too long to make. Why have something on the menu that you’re not even going to serve?
So I ordered something from the «restaurant» category (kimchi stew).
I was really disappointed to see that the kimchi stew came lukewarm in a terra cotta pot that was obviously not hot, as the server brought the pot over without a plastic plate underneath, and he was able to hold the pot directly.
Totally defeats the purpose of having a terra cotta pot, and against all proper Korean cuisine norms.

The restaurant doesn’t look too impressive on the outside, but the inside is very clean and cozy. The food was great! I ordered the pork bone soup and it was filled with soo many ingredients (I could barely finish) and my boyfriend ordered the Jaeyook Bokum (pork) which was also delicious. The seafood pancake we ordered was also very good and had plenty of seafood. They were very generous with the appetizers and provided really genuinely friendly service. All the food tasted amazing and were definitely made with high quality and fresh ingredients. Highly recommended!

My go to for tteokboki and jajangmyun, but I find the food isn’t very consistent. Sometimes the tteokboki or jajangmyun are watery. The pork bone soup is not bad either. The service is pretty good and attentive.

Apps taste bad, and service is way below average. Main food was ok. They kept going on about written prices that are not updated, so they tell you the updated price after you order the food. The price is very low to start with so I did not mind, but just take some time to update the price when you decide to change it, instead of telling me after I order the food, it is like you are trying to trick me or something.

Came here a few nights ago with my Roommate, The memories are a bit hazy but the food seemed pretty good. I had the Kimchi Bokum Bap (aka rice with beef and kimchi) It was very spicy and was 7 bucks. All in all seemed like a good deal.

It was on a whim. I knew I wanted Korean food, a place where the mother, father, son/​daughter came to serve me my dinner. I wanted a small mom & pop joint boasting comfort food on its menu. I found it here, conveniently, at thumbs up.
Like most Korean restaurants in Korea town, thumbs up was a small space with wooden tables and had Korean patrons already tucked in enjoying their meal. What I didn’t expect were the prices. They were incredible! 5 – 7 dollars a dish ranging from stews, bibimbop, other rice dishes and noodles. All the favorites were available– including mandu (Korean dumplings). What I wanted, but didn’t try, were the hot pot dishes. $ 14 for a giant table top pot of stew. I instead opted for the single serving, my favorite dish, gamjatang (pork bone soup). My buddy ordered the bulgogi with dumplings to share. Overall, the food was great. Certainly hit the spot. Nothing fancy, but everything you’d want from this type and style of cuisine. The soup was a bit more peppery than I liked, however I still ate it all.
Thumbs up was great food at a great value. I’ve eaten better and would recommend other places for gamjatang, but the prices were justified and the service was top-​notch. Tea and water refills came non-​stop. I had a great time and I will definitely come here again soon.
P.s lunch menu is 5 dollars a dish. Outrageous!

I came here with a friend and a huge craving for pork bone soup.
The PBS is a little more sour than most, he said it was because of the kimchee content in it. Not bad overall, but still left me wanting.
Otherwise, I was very happy with the quality of the service and price, I’d like to come back and try some other their other dishes.

I just realized how often I come here! (once or twice a week!) Thumbs Up is therefore being upgraded to 5 stars, I obviously keep coming back for good reasons!
–great service, the ladies and guy that work here really are just so lovely, they all make me smile!
–SO cheap (pretty much everything on the menu is either $ 6 or $ 7 including tax. And $ 5 for lunch. Hell yeah!)
–not crowded
–delicious food (pork bone and kimchi stew are my favs)
This is hands down (or thumbs up?) my fav cheap eat in the city.