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 stands out in Montreal as an elevated Korean spot with a cozy, intimate vibe and a small, thoughtfully curated menu that rewards attention to detail. The room feels private and homey, while the focus on precise sotbap rice dishes provides a foundation of texture and a crisp, nutty crust at the bottom, and the banchan is handmade to accompany each course. Dishes such as the seafood platter, beef tartare, gimbap, and dakgangjeon, along with a seasonal marinated seafood platter, are praised for freshness, balance, and presentation, with desserts that push Korean ingredients in creative directions. Desserts like perilla oil ice cream, gochujang brownie, and inventive sorbets receive enthusiastic notices. Service is described as friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable, though some reviews note occasional timing hiccups, reservation issues, or warmth and lighting that affect comfort. The small menu is a deliberate choice that signals confidence and quality, delivering consistently high flavors that feel traditional yet refined, more like a high end kitchen than a casual spot. Overall Giwa is described as a hidden gem in the city, offering a cohesive, memorable experience, elegant plating, and a sense that every dish is thoughtfully crafted for those seeking thoughtful, elevated Korean cuisine.
This restaurant is truly a gem, & unlike anything else in the city.
The raw marinated seafood was one of my favorites - so thoughtful & intentional, especially the raw marinated crab, which is usually hard to eat with the shell but here felt effortless. The other seafood dishes were just as memorable.
The korean fried chicken was beautifully elevated, & the cheese foam complemented it perfectly. I also loved the sotbap with mackerel, made with seasonal ingredients that kept it fresh & special each time.
Other standouts were the beef tartare, the refreshing & beautifully presented watermelon salad, & the gimbap, which felt elevated & refined.
A special mention goes to the desserts. I'm usually not a dessert person, but their korean-fusion creations completely won me over.
Ultimately, Giwa is worth a visit if you're in Montréal. It's elevated Korean food with intention behind every dish.
Faut-il d'abord parler du service d'une qualité exceptionnelle (fin, souriant, à la fois présent & discret) ou de la nourriture délicieuse aux saveurs délicates & recherchées ? Peu importe ce que vous commandez (j'en suis à ma 2e visite en moins de 3 semaines), vous serez surpris & ravis. On est loin des bouibouis coréens qui se sont multipliés ces dernières années (lesquels ne sont pas désagréables pour des bouffes sans façon entre amis) - chez Giwa, c'est de la gastronomie dans une ambiance intime & feutrée.
Sep 6, 2025
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Great spot for authentic Korean food. I'll definitely return! Our waiter, Sean, was amazing: attentive, knowledgeable, & went above & beyond to make the whole experience enjoyable.
Cozy little restaurant tucked away in Verdun; a hidden gem around Montreal. Service was amazing & the food is nothing else like I've tried here!
The menu is very well curated with each dish being delicious & purposeful. The sotbap, gimbap & dakgangjeon tasted so yummy & comforting while dishes like the hwachae & yukhwe were very bright & refreshing. The haemul jang is extremely unique & the way it's prepared makes this type of dish easy to enjoy-allowing you to focus on all the complex flavours. The desserts are also delicately prepared & the hodumaru is to die for; perfectly sweet with a little bit of umami spice.
Giwa is a modern take on Korean classics & they do it with lots of care & finesse. Wanted to try everything on the menu because it was all so amazing.. I will be back again!
Wowowow! Small menu but each dish is special in its own way. The service was super helpful & nice helping to navigate the options. The dishes felt very authentic & cooked perfectly. Sat on the patio in the front which is removed a bit from the busy Wellington street. Will come back & try all the things we didn't & & DEFINITELY GET THE CHICKEN AP AGAIN. So so so good.
Tip: ask for extra spicy sauce if you like a little heat.
This place is amazing & unique to other Korean restaurants. Everything was seasoned perfectly & the presentation was absolute art. I got a bunch of items on the menu but forgot to take pics of some of them because I was busy devouring it. Truly a hidden gem. I highly highly recommend.
I came here after learning that the head chef here was trained under the famous canadian chef, darren maclean. The food won't disappoint.
Aug 29, 2025
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One of the most memorable Korean restaurants I've had as of late. If you're especially a fan of raw seafood, this is the spot for you. Honestly, just get everything on the menu. All the meals were excellent. Some notable ones were the shared seafood market platter (the crab, scallop & salmon were perfect), the mushroom sot-bap, the chicken gangjeong & the stuffed green pepper. The staff was super helpful in determining quantities & very friendly too. The restaurant is good for groups of all sizes but would recommend coming as 4+ to be able to try a bit of everything.
The sot bop & haemuljang were beyond my expectations. absolutely delicious! The servers were also very friendly, which made the experience even better.
Aug 10, 2025
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Le service était excellent, la nourriture était délicieux, mais le seul point que je voulais faire mention c'est qu'il fesait très chaud à l'intérieur du restaurant si non ça aurait été un 5 étoiles
Amazing food & very friendly staff!
Tried the haemuljang (seafood platter), by itself found it a little salty, but with the rice & the seaweed chips the balance was prefect.
the fried chicken (dakgangjeon) was super good it surprised me!! beef tartare (yukhwe) & beef noodle (yukgaejang) were also rly good. the gimbap too but feels kinda small for the price
but we mainly came for the raw seafood platter (haemul jang) which was $90 at MP & none of us rly liked it. it was either too salty or slimey or just not to our taste
we reserved & service was rly good, they took the time to explain each dish & how to eat it
Jul 29, 2025
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In addition to Korean BBQ & Korean fried chicken, we can now enjoy authentic Korean food in Verdun. Giwa's menu is not large, but every dish is delicious. We went there twice & tried almost everything on the menu. Our favorites were the gimbap, beef gimbap, & chocolate brownie.
