Sam cha provides a specialized Korean barbecue experience centered on interactive tabletop grilling. Patrons select from a curated variety of marinated meats and fresh vegetables prepared directly at the table for optimal flavor profile control. The menu emphasizes traditional culinary techniques featuring essential staples such as kimchi, soybean paste stews, and seasoned side dishes that accompany the primary protein options. Each meal centers on the tactile process of searing slices of beef and pork over charcoal or gas flames to achieve a distinctively charred texture. The interior layout prioritizes functional efficiency to accommodate social groups focused on communal cooking. This establishment maintains a robust focus on authentic seasoning profiles and high quality ingredients, ensuring that the preparation techniques remain consistent with regional Korean standards for grill house cuisine.
Online reservations are not currently offered through this listing for Sam cha. However, you can call them directly at (514) 932-7565 to inquire about table availability.
Sam Cha is widely regarded as a standout destination for authentic and flavorful Korean cuisine in Montreal, consistently earning praise for its delicious dishes such as the creamy fried chicken, kimchi fries, spicy udon, and beef tartar. Many patrons appreciate the cozy, vibrant atmosphere and the quality of the food, which often feels homemade and reasonably priced. While the restaurant is frequently busy and can become quite noisy due to its popularity with students and locals, the staff is generally described as helpful and welcoming. Although wait times and table spacing are sometimes noted as minor challenges, the consistent quality of the menu and the overall energetic environment make it a highly recommended spot for those seeking a satisfying and reliable Korean dining experience.
I’ve been going to Sam Cha for a couple years now. My favourite dishes would be the seafood sondubu that comes with rice, the beef tartare & the dolsot bimbimbap. I’ve recently tried the mussel soup which, to me was mid, as well as their rosé cream udon that I found was too sweet for my liking. Besides that, the ambiance is cozy. There’s often a line up so plan ahead.
The kimchi fries were excellent, the drinks were good, & the staff we very nice so we still tipped but the rest unfortunately fell short especially short given the price, when ordering Dolsot Bibimbap generally it comes sizzling hot, but not only was the bowl not hot the rice wasn’t even really hot enough to cook the egg, & the tofu was fridge cold with no flavour & even after adding more kimchi from the fries & more sauce the dish was still disappointing enough that we couldn’t finish it, a problem I’ve never had before with any Bibimbap Dolsot or not, I’m hoping what happened to us was a 1 off but sadly given we spent over $100 between 2 people I can’t say it’s worth the risk to go back
Mauvais expérience dû à leur système de réservation vraiiiiment douteux. Lorsque que tu arrives, tu t'enregistres sur une tablette. Pendant 20 minutes, plusieurs tables étaient vides (voir photo), des gens continuaient de s'inscrire, mais personne ne s'installait. Au bout de 45 minutes, nous avons décidé d'aller dans un autre restaurant coréen «cocoddak» (super expérience). J'ai finalement reçu le message nous invitant à nous installer 1h30 après mon inscription sur la tablette.
Un système sans réservation serait mieux, les gens attendraient & dès qu'une table serait vide, elle se remplirait.
Donc, je vous conseille d'éviter cette adresse les fins de semaine!
5 stars review for Sam Cha that wonderful Korean restaurant in Montreal. We ordered Takoyaki, Teokk bok Ki, Tofu Salad, Rose cream udon, Sea Food Ramyui, & Kimchi Fried Rice.
We had a wonderful experience at this Korean restaurant. The food was delicious, the service was excellent, & the prices were affordable. We would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a great Korean meal in Montreal.
- Bad service. We had to reach to our waiter for almost anything: water, a new grill, extra plates. We kept being told that we’d have to pay for pieces we didn’t eat. It was very annoying, & gives a cheap look.
- Extremely cramped. Chairs have no back support
- Dirty. Bathroom smelled bad & looked like it wasn’t cleaned for a while.
- Overall pricey for what you get. Kimchi & beef were great. Pork & chicken were mediocre.
I won’t go back. For 50-60$ CAD you can get better service & more gastronomic meals elsewhere.
I used to love this place! The food is really the best, to this day.
During my last visit, we took the all you can eat bbq & we didn’t get to eat as much as we would’ve liked because of the service. Waiter took 15-20 only to take our order. When we got the food, he barely came around to see us. Very disappointing:(
Dined here for the first time with my family (4) on Monday, September 4th & picked the all-you-can-eat option.
The appetizers that are included tasted good (radish & salad), though the kimchi was a little too sour for my personal taste.
They offer a wide variety of meats that were all delicious, as they were lean (not too fatty) & nicely marinated.
We also ordered a cold noodle dish from the à la carte menu, which i found was on the simpler side in terms of ingredients- it could’ve been better had it contained a little more than just half an egg, two types of veg & noodles (i loved how they were the perfect “level” of chewy).
Moreover, I tried their drink called the “I.D.H” (an iced cocktail with pear juice & soju), & it tasted amazing. & if they offered the choice to add tapioca pearls, it would’ve been a one hell of game changer.
In terms of the service, we arrived at around 5:15pm & were thankfully seated immediately.
The workers were nice & brought out the BBQ equipment + dishes fairly quickly for the first round, however the pace naturally slowed down as the restaurant got busier.
One thing, however, that I did not quite appreciate about the experience is how the waiters/waitress did not check up on our table as frequently as they should- this lead to empty dishes pilling up (leaving us little to no table space, as the grill took up a great majority of it) & the water refills were lacking to say the least.
In order to be served (ex: order more dishes), we had to either get up from our tables & walk up to the front desk, or raise our hand for at least 5 minutes- to no avail 2 out of 3 times. Mind you, I was staring at the waiters as they just stood around the front desk (not serving anyone).
I understand that most customers opt for the à la carte option (which makes the servers’ job simpler), however it should be common knowledge that the all-you-can-eat option requires more check-ins; the reason being that there are likely multiple rounds of orders & hence, more dishes to be taken care of.
All in all, I would come back -for the food- & order from the à la carte as a change for a, hopefully, improved experience in regards to the service.
