Restaurant GIWA serves a curated selection of authentic Korean dishes that bridge traditional preparation with a modern, contemporary aesthetic. Diners encounter plates centered on balanced flavor profiles, featuring essential staples like seasoned banchan, flame-grilled meats, and hearty fermented stews. The kitchen prioritizes precise heat application and high-quality ingredients to maintain the integrity of classic recipes within a streamlined, polished environment. Every composition on the menu reflects a commitment to cultural authenticity while presenting the food through a cleaner, more minimalist lens. The space focuses on efficiency and clarity, allowing the vibrant colors and bold textures of the primary proteins and pickled vegetables to define the sensory experience. This approach provides a focused exploration of Korean culinary fundamentals for those seeking consistent quality and standard-setting techniques in their meal.
Restaurant GIWA stands out as a culinary gem in Montreal, celebrated for its elevated, authentic, and thoughtfully crafted Korean cuisine. Patrons frequently praise the menu for being intentionally concise, allowing for a high level of precision and freshness in every dish, especially the unique sotbap and the highly recommended fried chicken. The overall dining experience is characterized by elegant presentation, complex flavor profiles, and creative desserts that surprise and delight guests. Many reviewers highlight the warm and knowledgeable service, noting that the staff takes great pride in explaining the traditional techniques and ingredients behind each meal. Whether visiting for a cozy dinner or a special celebration, guests consistently find the experience memorable, delicious, and well worth the visit.
Went for the sot-bap & marinated seafood plate. I believe this is the only place offering these two plats in Montreal. Both were beyond our expectations & we loved the side dishes for sot-bap. The only off is we thought there would be a whole marinated crab, since we really wanted to try the carapace. It turned out there were only snow crab legs.
We ordered gochujang chocolate mousse, perilla oil ice cream, & peach sorbet. The mousse has a strong chocolate taste, & it is a fun with a small hit of gochujang. I LOVE the perilla oil ice cream. It brought me back to the summer in Korea🥹 I would say one scoop is a good portion. Otherwise, the taste might be too heavy. My friend prefers the pear sorbet tho.
The service was good. I reserved a table on a wrong day, so we almost didn't get a chance to dine. However, they were really nice & made it work for us. The place is cozy & quiet, good for dates, friend hangout, & even small family dinner.
GIWA was such a lovely experience! The sogogi sot bap (steak rice bowl) was delicious & was perfectly seasoned. The side dishes that came with it were also great pairings.
I also got the marinated seafood platter which brings my rating down just a tiny bit because the of the crab which I was most excited for. It was soy-marinated crab but it had their own spin on it which was still good, however since the crab changes everyday we got the snow crab.. & the legs didn't have a lot of meat 😭 I was expecting what's shown on their instagram however, it was still good & the salmon & shrimp really blew my mind away!
The rice is cooked to perfection & I could eat 8 bowls of it too.
The steak tartare was amazing, I highly recommend it & next time I'd try the other appetizers.
We finished with pear & perilla oil sorbet & it was the perfect sweet treat. It's hard finding delicious korean restaurants in MTL, & this one was not like anything else I've tried! I'd come back again :)
Apr 5, 2025
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Yummy food & a refreshing take on korean food with innovative modern twists. Came for the soft opening & was very satisfied with the dish selection. The staff was attentive & the chef Alex & team was very hospitable. Tried a variety of the menu but the marinated crab sharing platter was a great experience & a highlight of the meal together with the Sot Bap. Also the stuffed peppers were an exceptional starter. Highly recommend if you're looking to try a change from your typical korean food!
I never expected to find such a beautifully prepared Korean meal in Canada.
The stone pot rice was perfectly cooked, down to the last crispy layer at the bottom 🍚
The deep-fried stuffed peppers were crispy with a spicy kick that filled every bite with flavor 🌶?✨
& the yukhoe (Korean-style beef tartare) was incredibly fresh, tender, & nutty-truly irresistible 🥩🥢
Highly recommend this spot to anyone missing the comforting taste of home-cooked Korean food ❤?
We had a 7:30 PM reservation for two & arrived on time, expecting to be seated shortly. There were two empty four-top tables, so we assumed one might be for us. Instead, we were told there were no tables available & asked if we wanted to sit at the bar-which we declined, since we had made a reservation specifically for a table.
We were told to wait'just a second,' but several minutes passed with no update. Then, a group of four who arrived after us was seated immediately, while we were still left standing awkwardly near the entrance. One of the empty tables remained untouched for at least 10 minutes before we were finally seated there. The staff apologized multiple times, but the whole situation felt disorganized & frustrating-especially since the point of a reservation is to avoid this kind of confusion.
We were given tea, which we assumed was a nice gesture to make up for the wait, but no one came by to refill it or offer water, & we were left quite thirsty by the end of the meal.
As for the food:
- The yukhwe was fresh & tasty, though the portion was smaller than expected given the price.
- The sogogi sotbap looked great but lacked the buttery, rich flavor we were hoping for.
- The side dishes were unique & interesting-definitely a highlight.
- The crème brûlée for dessert was the star of the meal. We'd honestly return just to try more desserts.
We were there from 7:30 to about 9:30 & ordered one appetizer, two mains, & a dessert.
Overall, 3/5. The food has promise & the staff were kind, but the seating experience really soured the evening. Hopefully, as the restaurant settles in, they'll improve table management & service flow to match the level of care they clearly put into their food.
This cute little restaurant has very Instagramy food: the dishes are placed in a very esthetic way, nice presentation. However I find the appetizers portion are too small for the price they charge. For example the scallop salad is 22$ for a very small amount...
The wait for the sotbap took forever. The Bol of rice came lukewarm & lacking flavor. The small dishes of banchan are ok. Out of the 3 kinds, we like the vegetarian the best. Rosemary gives a unique flavor to the rice. The fish & beef were kind of underwhelming/bland.
The star of tonight Show is the dessert!!!
We order perilla oil ice cream, it was perfect! It has a roasted nutty flavor. Who knew this can taste so good.
Also the brownie with dark chocolate mousse with maple ice cream was decadent!! (Although we didn't taste the gochuchang in the chocolate, but who cares?)
So conclusion: we would come back for the desserts.
The food was delicious, it is very nice to have a place like that where you can discover different things about Korean cuisine . The service was excellent . Wishing them a lot of success , they deserve it 👍🏽.
