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Bow Bulgogi House
Categories: Restaurants Korean Restaurants Barbeque Korean, Barbeque [Edit]
3515A 17 Ave SWCalgary, AB T3E 0B7
(403) 686-6826
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 11:30 am - 9:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
21 reviews for Bow Bulgogi House
Review Highlights
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"and as mentioned, the Tofu Buchim is where it's at." In 4 reviews -
"Their Korean BBQ is very tasty." In 2 reviews
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"Side dishes are nice, and, among them, tofu is the best." In 3 reviews
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21 reviews in English
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Review from Cassandra D.
Calgary, AB
All I know is this is the first place I tried Beef Bulgogi. I cannot compare to other Korean restaurants, because this is my first. But I now dream about the "melt in my mouth" beef here. Literally, and trust me I am a varied meat lover/meat eater, this is hands down the "best" restaurant meat I've had in my entire life! I cannot stop raving nor craving about this place. It is an absolute must! Been there twice(trust me it would be waaaay more) only now, but that is because it is such a treat & induldgence for me, that I like to stagger my visits. One serving is very filling, I would recommend sharing with one other person, or if on your own, taking half of it home for a treat the next day yum!
The service is amazing. First time I went the place was super busy/hopping/buzzing, people lined up out the door. Of coarse this was on a Friday night, so to be expected. Waitress was prompt, helpful & polite. Second time I went mid-week, think it was a Wednesday, bout 4pm. Only three other people were there. Same great service.
Definitely a clean place. Not too much of an atmosphere really, but on the walls framed are all their rave reviews. And seriously, with food this amazing who needs to focus on anything else besides the consumption & savoring lol ;0).
If you are going on a Friday night or weekend, definitely book a reservation. The place is quite small, doesn't seat alot of people so fills up very quickly.
I must rave again....once you try the Beef Bulgogi you will be dreaming about it forever more!! I am salivating now....must end review and wipe my chin lol. Enjoy!Listed in: Kewlest Joints I Hang At
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Review from Nyssa R.
5/23/2012
This place is a lot better than Seoul, but I still feel like there was something missing. I think my favourite is still that one in Banff, as unlikely as it is that there is a good Korean restaurant in Banff... Edmonton too has some really great places, but I think that the Korean food in Calgary is one of the only styles of food that is drastically behind Edmonton... maybe there is a smaller community here.
We ordered the beef bee-bim-bap, LA bulgalbi (beef short ribs), beebm naeng myon (cold noodles), chap chae (hot noodles), and their korean sushi. I really enjoyed the appetizers that they serve (I think they do this at all Korean restaurants now anyway) - kim chi, bean sprouts, pickled radish... the kimchi wasn't as spicy as I'd hoped. Actually in general I didn't find the food as spicy as I'd like.
The service was really good. I really thought our server was genuinely nice and concerned that we enjoyed our meals. Good at refilling drinks and tea.
The portions (especially for the beebimbap) are quite small as compared to other places I've been and the prices are average. It wasn't as spicy as I am used to for Korean food. I was surprised that the Korean sushi was really good. A lot of rice, but still very well done for Korean sushi! I'd like to try again, looking at other reviews I need to try the beef bulgogi... but overall I would like to see more selection, especially in the soups, appetizers, and BBQ department (not a big selection of seafood on the menu in general).
The tea was OK. If anyone knows the tea they serve at the Korean restaurant in Banff I'd be forever grateful. -
Review from Matt B.
12/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
One midweek day, a friend and I decided to walk here for dinner. That ended up being an excellent idea. I'd passed this place numerous times, either in a bus or a car. I had the beef Bulgogi, and it was both quite filling and really good.
As other reviewers have said, this is definitely a hidden gem. It doesn't look like from outside or inside even...but the food is quite excellent. The presentation is quite practical and clean.
If you are in the neighborhood and looking for some good Korean food, I'd highly recommend it. -
Review from Sarah B.
10/26/2011
Hidden gem! They use MSG in almost all of their food though, so consider yourself warned.
Get the beef Bulgogi. It's their specialty and it's flippin delicious. I lived down the street from this place for 3 years and never went in because it does indeed look a bit sketchy from outside. It's a very different experience, and pretty cheap
When we were there it was cash only. I'm not sure if that's regular or if their machine was just on the fritz. Anyway, it was delicious. -
Review from Angelo T.
9/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
I met up with her an old friend for dinner. She strolled in super late (GEEZ!!) and they were nice enough to accommodate the feast we ordered with only 15 minutes left till their kitchen closed.
We ordered the beef bulgogi, korean style pancakes, bow bulgogi bowl, and fried tofu buchim. The fried tofu was delicious but uncessary as the beef bulgogi offered a few morsels as a side dish. It was savory and salty with meaty depth. The bow bulgogi bowl was tasty and had veggies and noodles. It would've made a great meal by itself. The pancakes were really AMAZING and had very tasty fillings of vegetables, garlic, and seafood. We couldn't finish it in the end but when I had some in the morning it was just as delicious as the night before. Finally our beef bulgogi-catered for one person, was a lot of food in itself. The beef was tastyliciouslymeaty!
I'd love to come back here in the future, it's a far drive from my south area, but certainly worth the trip :) -
Review from Guntram W.
Calgary, AB
1/26/2012 1 Check-in Here
We have tried a fair amount of Korean places since my wife has decided she loves Korean Food. This place is small and not the best decorated place, but the food is no soubt the best in Calgaey. The Beef Bulgogi as the nestraunt is named after can not be match at any other Korean Restaraunt. BTW the Korean Pickled Radish is also the best we have found. What this place lacks in atomosphere and size it makes up for in taste and quality.
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Review from Mike M.
4/14/2011 ROTD 4/26/2011
After making the foolish attempt at going to Anju for dinner without reservations, Ihad to find another Korean place. I remember a friend telling me that I had to try Bow Bulgogi.
In it's non-descript location it would be easy to pass it by, but a grave mistake.
I ate the beef bulgogi and bi bim bap, kim chi and deep fried tofu to start. Twas glorious.
I have nothing bad to say, food was good, prices were decent, waitress was cute.
5 "kim jong il's" out of 5 -
Review from Mia T.
6/20/2011
I dont frequent this part of town, so it was nice to "expand" into newer territory to find yet another amazing restaurant. Its non descript as others have mentioned, due to its location in a strip mall, so make sure not to pass it by!!
The friends we went with, who reccomended Beef Bulgogi, forewarned it may be busy. Sure enough, we walk in and it was packed, always a good sign, but we managed to get a table within minutes. The food was delicious, and came quickly. The service friendly and efficient. Efficient to the next level, because instead of having those of us who are not good with chopsticks struggle with tearing the meat apart, they provide SCISSORS!! How genius is that??!
The server gave us a little demo, and precisely cut away at the meat to make delicate strips, and showed us how to put it together with the other parts of the meal.
I cant wait to go back! -
Review from Andrew D.
Calgary, AB
2/6/2011 ROTD 2/11/2011
After an hour long search for new eats that had us aimlessly wondering through Calgary's southwest, our indecisiveness was eventually rewarded with this little gem of a restaurant on 17th.
It is a relatively small seating area with the tables pretty close together making it a tad awkward as I clumsily worked my way to my seat right by this couple seemingly on a romantic date :). However the setup made for a nice cozy intimate atmosphere which i tend to favor over the hustle and bustle of a packed diner.
The service was pleasant and swift , but that could be due to the fact we strolled in 5 minutes until the kitchen closed. I ordered the spring rolls (pork, sprouts and vermecelli) and the chicken bulgogi. I found the spring rolls to be on par as they should be and the chicken to be delicious with just enough spice to leave me wanting. Also coupled with kimchi, radish strips, rice and a piece of green leaf lettuce and you've got yourself quite the flavorful wrap.
I am definitely anxious to hit up this tiny joint again in the future. -
Review from Queenie M.
Calgary, AB
9/27/2011 ROTD 10/10/2011
Food: 4/5
Atmosphere: 3/5
Service: 3/5
Overall experience: 4/5
(1- Terrible; 3- decent; 5- Fantastic)
I finally decided to try Bow Bulgogi after hearing rave reviews and the fact I wanted to try a new Korean restaurant. Came here with a large group of friends and we all had a great experience. The overall quality of the food was fantastic but it's out of my way, and didn't have a few of my favourite Korean items like Kimchi soup.
Bow Bulgogi is a pretty small restaurants with about 10 or so tables. It's a mom and pops restaurant so the decor was nothing too fancy- cheap red seats, checkered table cloths, and the walls lined with Korean advertisements. The service was good, they were very patient in taking our order since we were such a huge group, and the food came out in a reasonable time, piping hot.
Each meal comes with your traditional Korean side dishes of bean sprouts, pickled daikon, kimchi, and fried tofu which was yummerz! Freshly cooked with a light batter! We ordered the Chap Chae ($12.95) glass noodles with black mushrooms, vegetables, eel, etc..; Pajeon seafood pancake ($13.95); Beef Bee-Bim-Bap ($12.95); Yukgaejang ($10.95) spicy beef brisket soup with noodles; and one of each of their Korean style BBQ - beef, pork, chicken and La Bulgogi ($12.95). Their menu also consists of a few Vietnamese dishes.
When I compare this with other Korean restaurants (and I"ve been to quite a few) the prices are about average give or take a dollar. However, the overall quality was top notch . The Chap Chae was super flavourful but was disappointed that the portion was smaller than what I usually get. Their seafood pancake is by far the best one I've had for a great price! The pancake was large and crispy, full of juicy seafood and fresh vegetables. It wasn't overly salty and despite the pancake being extremely thick, it was still really light and fluffy (not gummy or soggy). This is a great dish to share since you can get about 6 large slices from it. My bf got the beef bee-bim bap which was a little bit disappointing because it wasn't in a stone pot and was pretty small. If you love spicy soups, try the Yukgaejang which is really spicy for someone who doesn't each a lot of spicy foods, but has a slight burn for those used to it. The broth was a little watery and was hoping for a stronger beef taste. Lastly, I suggest trying one of their BBQ meat dishes which are all absolutely delicious. You can definately tell they marinated their meat well, with the final product having a strong sweet yet garlic and peppery taste.
Overall, this is a fantastic place for authentic Korean food and I suggest a visit. It's definitely a trip down to flavour town! -
Review from Kenny M.
2/7/2011
On saturday night we stumbled into this nice little restaurant, its very small and quiet and even a little cramped But I tell you this place is certainly worth checking out!
As I entered this restaurant with two of my buddies I immediately felt welcome and like their was something just a little special about this place. We had to order fast though because we came right before closing time! We quickly gandered over the menu and chose the standard fare of such a place we ordered dumplings, spring rolls, pork bulgogi and chicken bulgogi , they immediately brought out the condiments ( Kim Chee,bean sprout salad,fresh pickled daikon salad, and the sweet bean chili sauce) and of course fresh lettuce leaves to wrap it all up in.
So everything ended up being delicious, the pork bulgogi was paticulary good, perfectly seasoned and cooked, really good! As far as the other food goes everything was well prepared with care and stood out from the crowd, the spring rolls were my least favorite though I still thought they were quite good. I would recommend this place to anyone!!! -
Review from debby w.
Edmonton, AB
10/5/2011 1 photo
first time been to this resturant was 2 years ago with my ex bf... after that i move to edmonton, i cant remember where about is this resturant also the name. last year i visit calgary want to find this resturant,but i went to the wrong one. yesterday i going to calgary with my husband ,go on yelp check up review ,when i arriver there ,i m so excited ....cos i knew,i m by the chance to bingo.....
We take order spicy beef soup, clear noodle,short rib,pork......
Soup ju ok ,but is real spicy .....but noodle ,rib n pork was soooooo nice.
N they never mean with little dish n vy delicious too. -
Review from Cece A.
Calgary, AB
7/24/2010 1 photo
So my bestfriend was in from Winnipeg and our mutual friend Jen decided to take us out to Bow Bulgogi House. This was my first time having Korean food and Grace has been to Korea before so this was not new to her. I loved it and I will be going back.
I only have 2 negatives to say so I'll just drop that first.
It was HOT in there. They need AC or something and also it's very small I think there are less than 12 tables.. I'm not sure.. Luckliy a table just left when we got there.
It's my first time eating Korean so please bare with me on this review. I wanna try the ones where you cook yourself. To start they drop off these little dishes with pickled veggies and kimchee and tofu.. yummy I liked them all but not a BIG fan of Kimchee.
Tofu Buchim - Yummy Tofu, my friend Jen can eat the large all by herself. It's soooooooooooooo good and healthy. It says on the menu roasted tofu, i think it's pan fried but I don't know. It's served with this light soy sauce that's a bit sweet and salty but not strong.
Dumplings - yummy hand made dumplings I liked these a lot - maybe they should put a bit more dipping sauce as it's yummy and home made as well
Beef Bulgogi - Nice good portion and flavoured well
LA Bulgalbi aka Short Ribs - Yummy and my favorite. They even cut them up in pieces for you
Pha Jeon (korean pancake with seafood) - It sounded interesting so I ordered it. I personally wasn't a big fan of it. It had more of an egg quiche kind of texture BUT the portion is very LARGE. It had 4 diff types of seafood in it - but I didn't eat a lot but for sure it had imitation crab and mussels.
I forgot to mention that they serve lettuce as well so you can do wraps or you can eat it with rice. One rice bowl for each meat dish comes with -
Review from East Bay Mom L.
Calgary, AB
10/24/2011
Food was good and I would go there again. The reason for the three stars is:
1. Portion size is on the smaller side from what I am use to.
2. Wasn't as authentic like no Korean (barley) tea; served Chinese green tea and no cooking at the table.
3. Small and you leave smelling like the food you just ate.
4. Only had a choice of 4 side dishes and they really limit how much they give you per meal ordered.
5. I was the only asian family there. A clear sign that this is not where the local asians are going. -
Review from Hapy M.
9/10/2011
Excellent food! Kim Chi was nice and spicy and crisp, bolgogi was also excellent. Highly recommend this place, and price was very reasonable.
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Review from Philip S.
Calgary, AB
12/29/2008
OK. Really? No one reviewed this place? After 4 months in Calgary, having just spent a year in LA (a zillion Korean restaurants), it's been a hard slog in Calgary. But Bow is a comforting place. Their eponymous item is fine, but the other things, like the noodle soup (not the Vietnamese ones they serve...what the?) are really good. Oh, their tofu buchim is excellent.
It's small, cozy, and as much of a slice of home as I can find so far. -
Review from Julianna C.
Calgary, AB
8/1/2009
This is a wonderful little place for Korean food.
Get there early, because I hear the lineups can get long.
Their Korean BBQ is very tasty... and as mentioned, the Tofu Buchim is where it's at.Listed in: Korean Calgary
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Review from Wilbert C.
Calgary, AB
11/11/2009 1 Check-in Here
Great tasty food and superbly reasonable prices.
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Review from Samantha G.
Calgary, AB
10/23/2009
My mouth waters just thinking about this place. It's a quaint, family run joint with a warm atmosphere. The bee-bim-bab is always awesome and the kimchi is made on site! Goes well with soju...
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Review from Allan Y.
Calgary, AB
11/11/2009
This has been my favorite Korean place for many years... love it.
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Review from Cello L.
Calgary, AB
9/4/2009
This small korean restaurant serves pretty good, not great, korean barbecue; bulgogi and galbi. Side dishes are nice, and, among them, tofu is the best. This tofu with seasoned soy sause is maybe the best one you can get in Canada, at least. They serve the best bulgogi and galbi(rib) in Calgary, but they are bit sweeter and saltier than authentic ones you can get in Korea. They are quite busy during dinner hours, so reservation is highly recommended.
