Welcome to GIWA, where authentic Korean flavors meet modern creativity. Enjoy shareable plates, local wines, and fresh, seasonal dishes in the heart of Verdun. Join us for a unique dining experience!
GIWA is widely praised for innovative Korean cooking in a focused, small menu that highlights sotbap rice dishes, carefully crafted banchan, and inventive desserts such as doenjang creme brulee and perilla oil ice cream. Flavors are described as authentic yet refined, with standout items including fried chicken, beef tartare, gimbap, seafood platters, and a balance of textures and seasonings that feels like elevated dining. Several reviews note a warm, intimate atmosphere and attentive service, though some mention occasional seating or heat issues and pricing questions. Overall, GIWA is seen as a rare, high quality Korean dining experience in Montreal, a place to return for thoughtful preparation and presentation, with desserts often singled out as memorable.
Excellent Korean restaurant. The food is authentic & delicious. The esthetics are appealing & the taste is amazing. For Korean food, it is on the pricier side; however, it is well worth it. The waitress is knowlegeable & explains every dish. I truly recommend the yukhwe (beef tartare) & the haemul jang (raw seafood platter). The sotbap was excellent too. The rice & beef come with many side dishes.
I have no pictures of the food & the vibe of the place, but trust when I tell you this restaurant is a must! 💯
The service was good, the food tasted authentic & delicious, & the portions were perfect for us! Don't go there expecting oversized North American portions. But you'll definitely leave feeling full & satisfied.
We had 2 appetizers (seaweed rolls & fried chicken), & we had the braised short ribs for our main. It came with rice, radish, & kimchi on the side.
FYI, the kimchi was fire! Loved it 😋
We were way too full to order a dessert, but we'll be back!
Mar 29, 2026
on Google
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We went to Giwa for a birthday & what a beautiful suprise it was.
The fried chicken was excellent & the smoked Gouda foam was definitely one of those things that makes you go WOW.
But the definite great surprise for me was the Doenjang creme brûlée which was a complete surprise & a very unique flavor profile that I haven't really seen anywhere else. A must try !
We will definitely come back.
Mar 19, 2026
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Première visite & j'ai vraiment aimé l'expérience. Ce fut mon introduction à la nourriture coréenne & j'ai été rapidement conquise. Nous avons débuté par le tartare de boeuf en entrée, suivi du SOT-BAQ au poisson & des nouilles au boeuf. J'anticipais un peu que ce soit trop piquant pour moi, qui trouve la sriracha presque too much, mais finalement le niveau de piquant était très tolérable.
Pour terminer, nous avons pris le Hodomaru, un délicieux dessert chocolaté présenté avec beaucoup d'élégance & énormément de saveur. Le tout accompagné d'une tisane à l'orge très réconfortante.
Le service était sympathique & convivial. On pouvait vraiment sentir que le serveur était fier de présenter les plats de son pays d'origine, avec toutes leurs saveurs & leur complexité.
Le seul point à améliorer serait, selon moi, la carte des vins, qui ne comporte que deux ou trois choix au verre, pas très intéressants. Autrement, tout était parfait ! Merci!
First off, I have to mention how cozy the place is. Very homey vibe; you're literally walking into an apartment, but it's setup like a resto. It does feel a bit small, but I enjoyed that aspect. Feels a bit more.. private, I suppose.
Next up, food & service. The food was absolutely amazing! We had ordered the seafood platter to share, along with the banchan sides & a few extra appetizers (yuhkwe(beef tartare) & dakgangjeong(fried chicken)). Every bite was incredible & fresh; by the end of the meal, I was soo stuffed, but I still wanted more, hahah.
Service itself was great! Servers were attentive, & explained the menu clearly. We barely had to ask any questions. Although, we did have a slight timing issue with the food.. but that was easily resolved. Everything made it to our table in the end, & satisfaction was achieved!
Thanks again for the food! We'll definitely be coming back. 🤤
This was such a lovely dining experience. The staff here are really nice & the food is so flavourful & fresh. This is a set menu restaurant & I love how they perfected everything on it.
Feb 14, 2026
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Impeccable ! Je me suis sentie transportée en Corée 🥰 C'est ma deuxième fois dans ce restaurant & je ne regrette pas d'avoir fait 50 minutes de voiture pour venir.
Took my partner here to celebrate for a birthday dinner. The food was delicious & exactly what they wanted as they love little dishes & such.
The atmosphere is almost there. My best suggestion is that they match the light bulbs that are in the lanterns & only keep a couple screwed in or get rid of the brighter lights altogether.
The'bar' area can also use some thoughtfulness. There's stacks of boxes or something that make it an eye-sore & the lighting in the kitchen disrupts the lighting in the dining area. I'd put a wall up, separator & match the lighting altogether.
Beyond the lighting, the I'm really here to comment on the service that Hailey provided, which was sweet & thoughtful.
With the customer service bar so low these days, a smile goes a long way! She did that & so much more by not only being patient in our decision making process, but also, treating my partner to a little birthday ice cream.
Will be back to try other dishes, but hopefully the lighting is adjusted by then.
L'entrée de poulet frit est tout simplement incroyable, facilement le meilleur poulet frit coréen que j'ai mangé, comparable aux meilleurs qu'on peut retrouver en Corée. Le tartare de boeuf était tout aussi exceptionnel. Excellent service du début à la fin, je recommande fortement.
Went there for the first time before Christmas, it was so delicious, generous portions, nice presentation & friendly service. Very cute place & top quality authentic Korean food. I'll be back for sure!
