Hwang Kum serves a range of Korean dishes from their cozy spot on Sherbrooke, and has been for over 20 years. A NDG mainstay, the restaurant, owned by Jun Beom Lim and Yong Ui Hong, is best known for its Pajeon, a scallion and seafood pancake, plus other classics like bulgogi, galbi, and bibimbap. Their opening hours can be sporadic, but that shouldn’t deter you from trying it out.

At Hana Korean, chef WonGoo Joun cooks up Korean barbecue with a menu of quality cuts, seafood, and small plates. While Joon helms the kitchen, the project was founded by Hanhak Kim and Joe Beef co-founder David McMillan, and has adapted the Montreal institution’s elevated approach to classics. From their spot on Rue Le Moyne, with green leather booths and a black marble bar, patrons can choose from a $115 chef’s menu, $79 butcher’s menu, or order à la carte.

In 2003, after selling her first restaurant Korea House and embarking on a brief stint in retirement, Madame Bong opened her titular restaurant on Saint-Laurent Boulevard in Chinatown. Now with two locations, the other situated in Shaughnessy Village, Madame Bong developed the spot into a family-run operation, recruiting her children to join in 2006. Here, you’ll find a Korean menu executed with care—think spicy rice cakes, Pajeon, Jap Chae, and Kimchi Jjigae, plus a small selection of drinks to round out the meal.

Sam Cha is a family-run operation that prepares Korean comfort food in their Sainte-Catherine restaurant, a bright space with picnic-style tables and a string-light-decorated solarium. Their menu reflects the laid-back decor, featuring a long list of imported and local booze to complement moderately priced dishes like kimbap, okonomiyaki, fried chicken, and more. The bibimbap is a favourite, as are the kimchi fries, piled high with toppings and best enjoyed with a cold beer in hand.

Korean fried chicken is what this Dollard-Des Ormeaux restaurant specializes in, doused in your choice of 9 different sauces, from soy and garlic to creamy onion. If you’re not in the mood for something fried, though, they have plenty of other options: Korean ramen, four kinds of bibimbap, bulgogi, and tteokbokki, to name a few. A West Island favourite, it’s the place to go for a quick, casual meal that yields bold flavours for inexpensive prices.

In a small space on Boulevard De Maisonneuve rests JaKo, a Japanese-Korean fusion spot. There, you can find tapas like karaage and tteokkochi, Japanese donburi with Korean flavours (pork galbi, katsu), and yaki udon, among other dishes. The vibe is casual, but not uninviting; coloured stickies with handwritten messages and a mix of photobooth and polaroid pictures decorate the walls, bringing a sense of community to an otherwise standard dining room. Stop by for a quick, comforting meal.

Omma, or “Mother” in Korean, is a family-owned restaurant downtown, co-founded by Chef My-kium Kim and her son and daughter, Justin and Jessica Wee. In the kitchen Kim’s traditional recipes shine, while the dining room, designed by Jessica, takes a modern approach, with orange bench seating that wraps around half the restaurant and light wood tables and chairs brightening the space further. Try their Pajeon with seafood or Bibim Naengmyeon—buckwheat noodles with cucumber, pickled radish, egg, sesame leaf, and chili sauce.

Daldongnae Korean BBQ opened its first spot in Toronto in 2017, quickly establishing itself as a standout in the city’s dining scene. Just a few years later, downtown Montreal gained two locations of its own—one on Bishop, the other on Sainte Catherine, bringing the full experience to Quebec diners. Whatever cut of pork, beef, wagyu, or chicken you decide to grill at your table arrives alongside a generous spread of banchan, traditional Korean side dishes. If you’re not in the mood for grilling, try their kimchi bibimbap with fish roe, or cold noodle soup with kimchi broth.

A few blocks east from Berri-UQAM, Restaurant Itaewon serves authentic, homemade Korean food. From mandoo (Korean-style dumplings) and fried chicken to Korean BBQ, their kitchen effortlessly executes a curated list of traditional and contemporary favourites. Take out your usual order, or try sit down and chat while enjoying a meal in their eclectic dining room—with its yellow ceiling, string lights and various greenery.

DaWa has two locations in Montreal, one in the Plateau and one in NDG. Known across the city for their menu of Korean fried chicken, with various flavours and styles, both storefronts make for the kind of spot you pass by on a walk, point to, and turn to whoever you’re with, saying, “someone told me that place is really good.” Sweet and spicy, creamy onion, and honey garlic are regular favourites, to be tossed on bone-in, boneless, or wing-style pieces.

At Restaurant Luna, each dish arrives in a piece of handmade Korean ceramics, presented on a white tablecloth. That image alone perfectly encapsulates the balance that Luna strikes between honouring Korean tradition, elevating the experience, and incorporating contemporary flair. Their menu reflects similarly, with three different set menus and an à la carte option, featuring Galbi Mandoo, Japchae, and Korean barbecue, among others. If you decide to BYOB, expect to pay a $27 minimum per person.

Mukja, named for the Korean phrase meaning “Let’s eat,” is a little spot on Sherbrooke in NDG, from the Kim family (Byung Ho and Ben) behind the nearby Marché Korea and Shaughnessy Village’s MTLKFOOD. It’s been a neighbourhood favourite since opening in 2021 as a takeout-only restaurant, and, after starting a dine-in service in 2023, has only expanded in popularity. Try the Tangsukyuk (fried pork), Jjajangmyun, or whatever looks good to you.

Situated in the basement of an apartment building near McGill, Opiano is a popular favourite of students and downtown residents alike. Despite their somewhat unconventional location, there’s plenty of seating, and the space remains bright thanks to ceiling lights and a colourful mural depicting a Korean-themed cityscape with traditional masks, pagodas, and cherry blossoms. Their menu stays simple: Bibimbap and Japchae with your choice of meat, fried chicken to share, four kinds of soup served with rice, and Bingsoo for dessert.

In 2017, Mrs. Lee opened Hansang, helming the kitchen, with her children manning front of house. Growing in popularity as Korean popular culture became more prevalent in North America, the restaurant brought traditional Korean flavours to a new generation of Montreal diners. There, the crispy seafood Pajeon is a favourite, as is the fragrant, hearty Sam-Gye-Tang, or chicken ginseng soup. Though Lee has since departed, Hansang’s new owners use her recipes, preserving a legacy and continuing to bring home-style cooking to the Mile End.

At La Maison de Séoul, a mix of contemporary fare and Korean classics complete the menu. Korean-style pogos—made with a flour and rice batter—make for a fun snack, 8 flavours of fried chicken keep regulars returning, and the Bibimbap arrives piping hot in a traditional stone bowl. It’s a casual spot, where you order at the counter, reading from a menu on one of the bright orange walls, but one that doesn’t skimp. Expect good portions for reasonable prices.

At Restaurant Petit Seoul, a Mile End eatery opened in 2017 by Jonathan Lee and Kang Joong Lee, Mile End residents and visitors convene in a relaxed dining room. Heading the kitchen and masterfully shifting focus, preparing both traditional and fusion dishes, are Chefs Young Mi Kwon and Hey Jung Sim. A bubbling kimchi jjigae, a boldly spiced Dak-Galbi Bibimbap, and a Bulgogi ramen round out a menu that's equal parts comfort and creativity.

Tucked beside the Côte-Vertu metro in Saint-Laurent, Bol Orange is a Korean spot where the kitchen turns out homemade food with familiar, comforting flavours. The menu is succinct: chicken katsu fried to a satisfying crunch, tteokbokki with a sticky, building heat, and a spicy-sour kimchi jjigae. With a casual seating area to enjoy your meal, and a counter where you can watch the kitchen at work, it’s perfect for a quick lunch or low-key dinner.

Bok has been serving Korean-Chinese cuisine, known in Korea as Junghwa yori, since 2015. Blending Chinese cooking techniques with Korean flavours, the culinary style remains relatively rare in Montreal. The jajangmyeon, with its housemade noodles and black bean sauce, is the dish to order, alongside the jjamppong, a seafood broth noodle soup that comes with a kick. The tangsuyuk, crispy fried pork with a sweet and sour sauce, nicely completes a meal.

Table-top Korean BBQ is the drill at Pony BBQ, where cuts of meat grilled at your seat are served alongside bottomless banchan. From the teams behind the now-closed Vietnamese spot An Choi Plaza and 9 Tail Fox, also on this list, Pony BBQ opened inside the Faubourg building on Sainte-Catherine and has been there since the end of 2023. The nagano pork belly and Korean fried chicken are among the standouts, to be enjoyed with soju or a pitcher of the house lager.

The menu at La Belle Corée covers a lot of the classics: bibimbap, japchae, tteokbokki, and fried chicken among them. On Avenue Fairmount, one of the best food strips in the Mile End, the restaurant brings lunch service with weekday specials, while evenings shift to table-top self-grill BBQ. Whether you’re stopping by during your break from work, or heading over with friends for a chatty dinner, the room accommodates both.

The cafeteria occupying the upper level of Marché Korea runs a menu that goes well beyond what most Korean restaurant kitchens attempt. Korean fried chicken in several preparations, bibimbap, dupbap, katsu, jajang noodles, jjamppong, cold noodle dishes, japchae, and kimchi jjigae are the accessible entry points. The more adventurous end covers sundae (Korean blood sausage), sautéed tripe, beef cartilage, braised short ribs, and whole or half-portion turbot. A chef's menu section adds dishes like chilled pork feet salad, spicy fermented skate salad, and braised monkfish. Bingsoo, bubble tea, and Korean iced coffee handle dessert and drinks. The baekban set, a meal with your choice of protein and soup, is the practical lunch move. For anyone already at the market stocking up, it makes a natural stop.